Family Sues Royal Caribbean,Alleging Over-Service of Alcohol Led to mother’s Fatal Fall
A New York family is seeking justice after a 66-year-old woman died following a fall from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship during a voyage themed around Taylor Swift concerts. The lawsuit alleges the cruise line negligently over-served Dulcie White alcohol, contributing to her death in the caribbean Sea.
The suit was filed by White’s husband, Terry, on behalf of her estate, according to CBS News Miami.
White, from Westmoreland, New York, was traveling with her daughter, Megan Klewin, aboard the Allure of the Seas when the incident occurred on October 22, 2024, approximately 17 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas. Klewin stated her mother had purchased the cruise line’s “unlimited alcoholic beverages” package and was attempting to maximize its value.
According to the lawsuit, White was served seven alcoholic drinks over a period of six hours and eight minutes. “Because of that she did overdo it, trying to maybe get her money’s worth,” klewin told the outlet. “She was fully intoxicated in a way I haven’t seen before. It saddens me that that is my last memory of her.”
The family alleges that crew members ignored visible signs of White’s intoxication, including slurred speech, swaying, glassy eyes, and the smell of alcohol on her breath. “Each of these crew members were negligent for continuing to serve her alcoholic beverages in her intoxicated state,” stated the family’s lawyer, Spencer Aronfeld.
Another passenger assisted White in returning to her cabin around 7:30 p.m.The pair had placed their luggage on the balcony to create more space inside their room. Klewin recounts that she believed her mother was retrieving clothing from a bag when she turned and saw White sitting on the balcony railing,facing the ocean.
“I assumed that’s what she was doing was going to check her suitcase,” Klewin said. “I wasn’t looking and the next chance that I did look up,I saw her back.She was seated on the edge of the balcony like she had climbed up. She was seated and then fell over before I could get to her.”
White disappeared into the water around 9:40 p.m. The family claims the ship did not alter course, nor were rescue boats deployed to search for her. Search efforts were later conducted by two helicopters and crews from the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and the US Coast Guard, but White’s body remains unfound.
“It will haunt us for the rest of our lives,” Klewin said. “I feel the overconsumption of alcohol and the over service of alcohol was the cause of this.”
Klewin further accused crew members of being incentivized to over-serve passengers to increase their tips. Aronfeld echoed this concern, criticizing the cruise line’s “unlimited alcoholic beverages” packages as inherently dangerous, especially at sea.
“Royal Caribbean didn’t just sell drinks-it sold danger,” aronfeld said. “This isn’t an accident; it’s an industry pattern. We’re putting the cruise lines on notice: the days of profiting from over-service while passengers die at sea are over.”
Aronfeld indicated a desired outcome of the lawsuit would be the discontinuation of all-you-can-drink alcohol packages by Royal caribbean and other major cruise lines, including Carnival, Celebrity, and Norwegian.
Here is a visual of the Allure of the Seas ship: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/allure-of-the-seas.
The Post has reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment. The case raises critical questions about the duty of cruise lines to monitor and regulate alcohol consumption, and the potential dangers of unlimited drink packages for vulnerable passengers.
