A Princess Cruises vessel, which had set sail from Port Everglades last weekend, has resumed its journey after a fatal incident occurred during the voyage.
Princess Cruises confirmed, on the night of Monday, July 13, 2026, the death of a crew member who fell overboard from the Regal Princess ship while sailing off the Caribbean coast of Mexico.
This confirmation came hours after the cruise company reported the employee’s disappearance, triggering an extensive search and rescue operation.
The Regal Princess ship was heading towards Cozumel when passengers reported hearing a message from the captain, informing them of the fall of a crew member.
According to testimony from passenger David Jimenez, the vessel immediately began searching the region, with the support of another cruise ship and Mexican maritime authorities.
“After intense searches that lasted more than eight hours, the cruise company confirmed the death of the crew member,” Jimenez said in a telephone interview.
Jimenez stressed that the crew member’s identity was not revealed to the passengers.
“No details have been released. We don’t know who he is,” he added.
The passenger shared images and videos of the search operation, detailing how the Regal Princess repeated its route several times in the crash area.
“Sometimes the ship would slow down and start circling. Then it would come back and repeat the maneuver,” Jimenez described.
As a result of what happened, the ship’s scheduled stopover in Cozumel was cancelled.
Jimenez highlighted that Princess Cruises kept passengers constantly informed, with hourly updates, and offered onboard counseling services. He noted: “They are following procedures and have kept people updated hourly.”
The Regal Princess had departed Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale the previous Saturday for a seven-day itinerary through the Western Caribbean, with scheduled stops in Mexico, Belize and Honduras.
On Monday morning, Princess Cruises said it was coordinating with maritime authorities following the crew member’s fall.
“Our thoughts are with the crew member, his family and everyone affected by this situation,” the company said in an official statement. “We are offering support to our team onboard.”
Jimenez, who has been on several cruises, confessed to never having witnessed a tragedy similar to Monday’s.
“I don’t imagine it’s common, but that’s what happened today”, concluded the passenger, indicating the exceptionality of the incident in his experience.
