Cruise & Ferry

Amy Bradley’s family speak out on horrifying new lead after Netflix documentary

Published

3 days ago

August 6, 2025

Amy Bradley’s brother has spoken out after ‘new leads’ were found following the recent Netflix documentary.

Bradley disappeared off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 1998 and has never been seen again.

Her case has seen a number of developments over the years, with her family convinced she had been found on a sex worker’s website in 2005, though opinions on this vary.

The biggest recent development however is the Netflix documentary Amy Bradley Is Missing which has revitalised interest in her disappearance.

Now however Amy Bradley’s family have spoken out about a horrifying potential ‘lead’ that came out following the Netflix doc.

Brad Bradley, Amy’s brother, speaks in the documentary about the family’s belief that she is still alive to this day.

The Bradleys believe that Amy was somehow trafficked off of the boat and held in Curaçao.

‘New leads’ in disappearance of Amy Bradley

Amy Bradley, 23, disappeared in 1998 from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship (Netflix)

Ari Mark, the filmmaker behind the documentary, was the first to state that new leads had come from the popular Netflix doc.

Speaking to the US Sun, he said: “We have had a few leads come in, but I can’t discuss them and they’re not verified yet, so they may very likely be false leads.

“This was always about one thing: finding Amy. But to ensure that the audience is activated, they have to want to help.”

Brad Bradley has now also confirmed the fact that new leads have arisen in a new interview with TMZ.

Brad Bradley reveals new leads that have come out of Netflix documentary

Brad spoke in the Netflix documentary and has since spoken to TMZ about the new leads (Netflix)

Brad spoke to TMZ yesterday, saying in his interview that a number of people had sent leads and pictures resembling Amy.

He said: “There have been thousands of emails and phone calls that we’ve gotten that we’re going through one at a time.”

Though none of them have so far sent pictures they believe are her, one horrifying lead has left the family desperately trying to establish contact.

He said: “There are certain leads that we’ve gotten that we need to follow up on, that we can’t rule out without looking into it.”

He explained that one man had claimed to have purchased a woman for sex he believes was Amy, even describing her tattoos in detail.

Though information is available about her tattoos via the FBI missing persons page, it does not go into great detail and so the family believe this is a credible sighting of Amy.

Former ‘sightings’ of Amy Bradley and what Brad said about the new leads

A woman many believed to be Amy was found on a sex worker’s website in 2005 (Netflix)

This is not the first time there have been reported sightings of sex workers resembling Amy, with one US Navy member telling the Bradley family he had encountered a woman at a brothel in Curacao he believed to be Amy.

He told them a woman had come up to him and said her name was Amy and she needed help, however didn’t come forward for several years for fear of being reprimanded by the Navy.

Speaking about the new leads, Brad Bradley said: “We have people fielding emails and calls constantly.

“We’re hopeful. Some of the new tips could blow the case wide open, but it’s too early to say.

“Thanks to Netflix, we feel like we have another shot.”

Source link

Up Next

First bio-LNG supplied to cruise ship at Port of Barcelona

Don't Miss

I went on a Paul Gauguin cruise around French Polynesia. I didn’t want to leave

Michael Slavin

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Cruise & Ferry

Icon Of The Seas Water Slide Injures Guest

Published

3 hours ago

August 8, 2025

Peter Lynch

The Frightening Bold water slide malfunctioned on Icon of the Seas.
A passenger was injured and guests horrified as they watched and filmed.
An inquiry has been launched.

Passengers on board Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, faced chaos when an acrylic panel in the “Frightening Bolt” water slide shattered mid-ride, injuring a male guest.

Dramatic footage captured by fellow cruisers shows passengers screaming “Stop the slide!” as water flooded onto Deck 15, according to reports of the incident.

Eyewitnesses described seeing the rider’s leg and back “cut open pretty bad” by a jagged fragment—though the guest did not plunge through the panel breach and was reportedly in stable condition following onboard medical care.

Royal Caribbean quickly closed the slide for the remainder of the voyage and launched an internal investigation.

Slide Safety and the Icon’s Track Record

The “Frightening Bolt” is part of the ship’s much-promoted Category 6 Waterpark, boasting six groundbreaking slides—among them, the tallest at-sea drop, a trapdoor launch, and a full 360° loop.

While such attractions offer unparalleled thrills, water slide accidents on cruise ships remain exceptionally rare. A legal summary notes that when they do occur, causes often include inadequate maintenance, poor inspections, operator negligence, or overcrowding. Operators may face liability for injuries.

Icon of the Seas has an otherwise strong safety record. In June, the ship earned a perfect score of 100 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during a sanitation inspection.

But he vessel has experienced several alarming incidents in recent months—including a crew member who tragically stabbed a colleague before going overboard, and a guest who almost fell from an infinity pool.

Icon of the Seas – water slide accident

What Happens Now

Royal Caribbean has already closed the slide and dispatched its engineering and safety teams to pinpoint the cause of failure—likely focusing on the acrylic panel’s material integrity, installation, and maintenance history.

The Icon of the Seas is U.S.-flagged and operating in U.S. ports, so authorities such as the U.S. Coast Guard may intervene. Significant safety incidents can trigger inspections or surveys, especially if they suggest design or maintenance shortcomings.

Depending on findings, the slide—or the broader waterpark—might remain offline pending repairs or redesign. Royal Caribbean may revise inspection schedules, enhance material specifications, and reinforce staff training on identifying early signs of structural stress. If a design flaw is detected, it could lead to retrofits across the fleet—or even new engineering standards for cruise-ship water attractions.

Though the injured guest’s condition is stable, the cruise line may face liability claims if negligence is determined.

Safety in the Spotlight

Cruise industry innovations—particularly features like onboard waterparks—are key to passenger appeal. But incidents like this highlight the importance of robust safety engineering, frequent inspections, and rapid response protocols.

Traditionally, cruise lines, regulators, and safety engineers collaborate closely to enforce compliance with design standards, inspection intervals, and emergency procedures.

Public confidence will hinge on transparency in how Royal Caribbean addresses the malfunction—and whether corrective action becomes a new safety benchmark aboard the Icon of the Seas and perhaps other ships with similarly ambitious attractions.

Source link

Cruise & Ferry

Major cruise line makes shock departure from Australian shores

Published

3 hours ago

August 8, 2025

Kamilia Palu

They arrived with a splash but just three years later Disney Cruise Lines are making a much quieter exit out of Australian waters. With rumours swirling about Disney abandoning their cruises out of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the company confirmed to Yahoo that this season will be their last.

The impressive Disney Wonder, with the company’s iconic black, red and gold hull, will be moving on from Australia and New Zealand after February 2026.

“We are currently going to be sailing in the Australia and New Zealand region up until February 2026. We will not return for the 2026/2027 season,” Tristan, from Disney Cruise Line’s shoreside guest services leadership team, told Yahoo on Saturday morning.

“However, we’re always looking at different destinations to explore with our guests, along with our crew members. Sailings from Australia and New Zealand remain in our list for future consideration, however since future itineraries have not been released past the 2026/2027 season, we’re not able to make any comments on that regrettably.”

It’s the second shake-up on the Australian cruising scene in recent months, after P&O’s ships were taken over and rebranded by Carnival earlier this year.

The Disney Wonder has been removed from schedules in Australia’s biggest ports. Source: Getty

It’s no secret that Australians love cruising. In fact, Australia is considered one of the leading cruise markets in the world. But even with one-in-20 Aussies going on a cruise in 2024, it still wasn’t enough to keep Disney cruising around our shores.

So what went wrong? While Disney could not comment on the reasons behind their decision, one cruise expert weighed in on the possible factors.

Adrian Tassone, the face of one of the country’s most popular cruise blogs The Cruise and Travel Guy, told Yahoo News the high fares likely played a role in the decision making of Aussie travellers.

“They definitely came in a lot higher than their local competition,” he said.

“Perhaps there was an impression that they could run off that brand recognition, a name to provide people with a really unique cruise experience in our market that we haven’t seen before. But I think the price put people off.”

Another contributing factor, Adrian said, is that Disney ships often don’t stop at a destination. The idea is that the ship is the destination.

Currently, to book a four-night cruise from Sydney to Hobart and back with Disney, a balcony room for two guests is priced at $4992. Comparatively, a five-night sailing to Hobart in a balcony room with budget cruise line Carnival costs $2008 for two guests.

Adrian has sailed on the Disney Wonder before, and while he said he was pleasantly surprised with onboard experience — in particular the adults-only spaces — it still wasn’t enough to justify the cost.

Signs hinted at Disney’s departure

Speculation about Disney sailing away from Australia permanently amplified in recent weeks after the Disney Wonder disappeared from the cruise ship schedules in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

“It doesn’t make sense, especially in a place like Sydney, in particular, [bookings] are quite difficult to come by. It would be strange for a cruise line to remove themselves,” Adrian said.

Even before the bookings were removed, some noticed the fare prices were being discounted for long periods, which “isn’t typical” for Disney.

“They pretty much ran their entire Australian season with a promotional sale. And apparently, around the world that’s not a typical thing,” Adrian said.

Rumours of Disney’s departure left their cruise fans devastated, with many hoping the news wouldn’t be true.

“I’m so sad about this,” one woman wrote.

“Very sad to see she won’t be returning to our shores but also not shocked,” another said.

Others said they also weren’t surprised, given the cost of the fares.

Disney reiterated that Australia and New Zealand will both be considered again in the future, but couldn’t provide any further information for now.

Disney Adventure is one of the largest cruise ships in the world. It will begin sailing from Singapore in December. Source: Getty

Disney brings biggest cruise ship ever to Singapore

This December, Disney is launching the world’s biggest cruise liner, the Disney Adventure. The huge new ship will sail out of Singapore, which will soon be the closest port for Australians wanting to experience a Disney cruise.

The Adventure can carry around 6,000 passengers (more than double the occupancy of Carnival Adventure) and features seven themed ‘lands’.

The cruises on offer will primarily be three and four-night cruises, but will have no stops. Guests will stay on board the ship as it does a round trip at sea.

The cheaper rooms are already booked out for the Adventure’s maiden voyage on December 15, with a balcony room priced at $5,135 for two guests.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.