Woman dies after falling off cruise ship balcony and onto fellow guest

A Virgin Voyages cruise ship passenger has died on board after falling from a balcony onto another guest.

Following the fatal fall, which occurred around 9.30 pm on Sunday, April 2, the ship was forced to return to Port Miami, from where it had departed just hours earlier.

The passenger’s name and the cause of the fall were not disclosed but circumstances around it are being investigated.

“This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away,” the cruise line said in a statement.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person’s loved ones.”

The Valiant Lady has since resumed cruising, with changes to the planned itinerary. After docking in Cozumel, Mexico, it will continue to Bimini Island in the Bahamas.

Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady cruise ship in open waters.

After falling over the balcony, the woman allegedly hit a fellow passenger, who reportedly was not seriously injured.

Fortunately, falling from a cruise ship balcony is a rare occurrence - and falling directly into the ocean is even less likely.

According to one estimate by The Points Guy, of the 2.5 million passengers who cruise each month, only one or two people ‘go overboard’ on average.

In the 10 years between 2009 and 2019, Cruise Lines International Association reported 212 “man overboard” instances, with an average of 21 per year.

Not all stories end terribly. In 2022, one passenger survived 15 hours in the ocean after he fell off a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

The unnamed 28-year-old man had been aboard the Carnival Valor, cruising over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

According to one of the Coast Guard crew who discovered him: “He had a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely.”