No vacation would be complete without posting a few shots of it on Instagram, though we can all agree that risking your life for that “special” image is never a wise move.
A tourist in the Caribbean found this to her cost recently when she was kicked off a cruise ship for climbing outside of its railings to snap a selfie. The ship’s operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises, has since banned the woman from its ships for life.
A fellow passenger spotted the woman perched precariously on the edge of the Allure of the Seas cruise ship — one of the largest in the world — as it travelled through the Caribbean earlier this week. He took a photo of the woman and showed staff, who, after consulting the captain, asked her and her companion to leave the ship at the next port of call in Falmouth, Jamaica.
“Earlier this week on the Allure of the Seas a guest was observed recklessly and dangerously posing for a photo by standing on her stateroom balcony railing with the help of her companion,” Royal Caribbean Cruises told Digital Trends in an emailed statement. It added that as a result of her actions, the passenger had been “banned for life from sailing with Royal Caribbean.”
The company notes on its website that “sitting, standing, laying or climbing on, over or across any exterior or interior railings or other protective barriers, or tampering with ship’s equipment, facilities or systems designed for guest safety is not permitted.”
The Allure of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships in the world and features a skating rink, theater, zip line, casino, shops, 25 restaurants, and park with real trees. It also has more than 2,000 outside cabins from which guests can snap their sunset selfies for sharing on social media.
While the banished passenger can be thankful she didn’t fall overboard in her efforts to grab a ‘grammable shot, there have been plenty of tales up to now where an attempt to take a selfie ended in disaster. Indeed, research published last year suggested that between 2011 and 2017, at least 259 people around the world lost their lives while trying to shoot a selfie. Around 75 percent of those who died were males aged under 30.