A guest aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise captured video of terrified passengers as water poured from a damaged section of the ship’s water slide.

‘Stop the slide’

What we know:

The incident happened Thursda, Aug. 7, aboard Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, according to Storyful. 

The cruise ship departed from Miami on Aug. 2 and is currently on a trip to the eastern Caribbean, set to return to Florida on Saturday, Aug. 9, according to Cruise Mapper’s website. 

Footage captured by passenger Jim Muldoon showed water falling from the water slide as scared guests screamed in panic, with some yelling, “Stop the slide. Stop the slide.”

What they’re saying:

A spokesperson for the cruise line told Storyful that an adult guest was being treated for injuries after acrylic glass broke off the water slide.

“Our team provided medical care to an adult guest when acrylic glass broke off a water slide as the guest passed through the slide. The guest is being treated for his injuries. The water slide is closed for the remainder of the sailing pending an investigation,” the spokesperson said.

What is Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas?

Dig deeper:

The Icon of the Seas first entered service in January 2024. 

It features 20 decks, 18 of which are open to 7,600 guests it can host at a time, according to a fact sheet. It can hold a crew of up to 2,350.

The ship was built with slightly more than 2,800 guest cabins spanning 28 formats.

The vessel has 40 dining and entertainment venues along with eight distinct “neighborhoods,” a massive water park, multiple pools and innovative entertainment spaces.

Launched in 2019, Mein Schiff 2 is one of TUI’s largest and most popular ships in its fleet and regularly carries almost 4,000 passengers and crew to dream holiday destinations around the globe. 

Despite first launching more than six years ago and Southampton being the busiest cruise port in the UK, Mein Schiff 2 has never come to the city. 

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That is set to change next year as the ship will be making multiple callings in Southampton. 

The first of which will be on May 12 with further callings in June, July, August and September. 

In 2025, the ship has been taking passengers to Germany, Mallorca, France, Italy and Rome as well as many other places. 

The ship will join Mein Schiff 3, which regularly docks in the city. 

Frank M

Frank is a seasoned travel journalist with over a decade of experience covering hospitality, cruise, and air travel.

He has traveled extensively by land, sea, and air, collaborating with industry giants like Marriott, Hyatt, Disney, and Carnival Corp. His work has been featured in major international and industry publications across four continents.