carnival cruise missing passenger found

Carnival cruise passenger reported missing after ship returns to port in Miami

Police and federal authorities are searching for a man who was reported missing Monday morning after a Carnival cruise ship returned to Miami.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen at 7 a.m. Monday in his cabin as the Carnival Conquest reported back to the Port of Miami, Carnival said in a statement Tuesday. He was reported missing by his family and "was not located on board despite an extensive search."

Miami-Dade police issued a missing person's alert Tuesday morning for McGrath, who was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and gray sneakers. Police said he "may be in need of services" and asked anyone with information to contact authorities.

After McGrath could not be found on board, the Coast Guard was contacted, and Miami police officers arrived to investigate, Carnival said.

"The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," the company said.

McGrath's brother declined to comment when contacted by phone Tuesday.

The Coast Guard confirmed that its crews are "actively searching near the Port of Miami and along the South Florida shore" after the missing person's report Monday.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

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Family Desperate for Answers After Passenger Mysteriously Vanishes From Carnival Cruise Ship

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

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‘My brother didn't just vanish': Family frustrated after Carnival Cruise passenger disappears

Kevin mcgrath has been missing since monday. carnival officials said he wasn't seen in surveillance footage., by kim wynne • published september 6, 2023 • updated on september 7, 2023 at 12:37 pm.

Danielle McGrath says the past few days have been unnerving for her and her family.

“All of our emotions are up and down right now,” McGrath said. “All of us.”

Her brother, 26-year-old Kevin McGrath, a father of two, has been missing since Monday. He was last seen in his cabin around 7 a.m. Monday morning on a Carnival cruise ship heading back to Port Miami. The trip was a birthday celebration for their father.

“The whole point of the cruise was to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday, and it was a big group of about 40 people,” she said.

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McGrath said later Monday morning — as the cruise was ending and passengers were disembarking — the family gathered for breakfast, but Kevin never showed up.

“When it’s time to meet up for breakfast, no one can find him,” she said.

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Family members searched all over the cruise ship.

“He wasn’t in the room,” McGrath said. “No one could find him. No one.”

Once they reported him missing, the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and searched the water by helicopter. Miami-Dade Police are also investigating but have no leads.

“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," a Carnival spokesperson said in part in a statement to NBC6. "Miami-Dade Police eventually cleared the ship to sail. The Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family.”

The Coast Guard announced Thursday that they were suspending their search for McGrath.

“My jaw just dropped,” said friend Mitchell Branch. “I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say.”

Branch said he and Kevin served in the U.S. Army together.

“We were in the same unit, same battalion, same company,” he said.

He and other family members say Kevin would never disappear and was always in good spirits.

“He’s always the light of the room,” Branch said.

“He has this huge personality that will definitely stick out in any room,” McGrath said. “He’s very straightforward, goofy, he’s funny.”

McGrath is urging other passengers who may have seen him that morning to speak up.

“My brother didn’t just vanish,” McGrath said. “Someone knows something. Someone’s seen something. I just want my brother home. My family wants my brother home. Just please, we need him home.”

Family members say Kevin was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers.

Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Police at 305-715-3300.

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‘Miracle': Missing cruise ship passenger found OK in water

A US Coast Guard helicopter rescued a man who was reported to have fallen overboard from a cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off Southwest Pass, Louisiana on Thanksgiving Day. (Nov. 26)

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says a passenger who went overboard from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico was rescued on Thanksgiving after likely being in the water for hours.

The 28-year-old man was reported missing at noon Thursday while the vessel, the Carnival Valor, was heading to Cozumel, Mexico. According to Carnival Cruise Line, the man was with his sister at a bar on Carnival Valor Wednesday at 11 p.m. and went to use the restroom. His sister reported him missing the next day after the man did not return to his stateroom.

The Coast Guard launched search and rescue crews Thursday afternoon and alerted nearby ships to be watchful.

Coast Guard Lt. Seth Gross said a cargo ship later saw a person in the water about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, and the mouth of the Mississippi River. Gross said the man confirmed he was the missing cruise ship passenger after he was hoisted into a helicopter about 8:25 p.m. Thursday.

“He appeared to be suffering from mild hypothermia, shock, dehydration, but his condition overall appeared stable,” Gross told WWL-TV, adding the man was taken for medical care.

Gross called the rescue “a miracle especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving.”

In a statement, Carnival said: “We greatly appreciate the efforts of all, most especially the U.S. Coast Guard and the mariner who spotted the guest in the water.”

The man’s name has not been released.

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Missing Carnival cruise passenger's last known whereabouts revealed as search intensifies off Florida coast

A cruise spokesperson said the man wasn't seen by u.s. customs and border patrol during the debarkation process.

Passenger details nightmare on cruise ship: 'We felt trapped'

Kathleen Meenan, a passenger on Carnival Sunshine, shares how the ship was battered by 80 mph winds and rough waters on 'America Reports.'

Officials are searching for a Carnival cruise passenger who went missing as the ship arrived in Miami on Monday morning. 

Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen at his stateroom early Monday morning on the Carnival Conquest, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department. He was last seen in the area of PortMiami, police said.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told Fox News Digital that the passenger's cabin mate last saw the man at 7:00 a.m., which is around the time that debarkation was beginning.

Cruise employees performed an "extensive" search of the ship, but the spokesperson said the 26-year-old wasn't found.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT IDENTIFIED AS PASSENGER WHO WENT OVERBOARD FROM WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP

Officials are searching for a Carnival Cruise passenger who went missing as the ship arrived in Miami on Monday morning.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Miami-Dade Police)

McGrath wasn't detected by the ship's surveillance systems and wasn't seen by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the cruise's debarkation process.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard told Fox News Digital it is "actively searching" near PortMiami and along the South Florida shore for McGrath, but his whereabouts are still unknown.

SEARCH UNDERWAY AFTER PASSENGER ON WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP GOES OVERBOARD

McGrath wasn't detected by the ship's surveillance systems, and wasn't seen by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the cruise's debarkation process. (Miami-Dade Police Department)

A Carnival Cruise spokesperson said the Coast Guard performed a helicopter search.

Angel Rodriguez, a detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department told Fox News Digital that McGrath was supposed to meet the family for breakfast before leaving the cruise but never arrived.

The detective also said that the ship’s cameras and security devices don't indicate he went overboard.

Key West Florida USA cruise ship Carnival Conquest at dock Mallory Square.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The ship was eventually cleared to sail by Miami-Dade police .

McGrath was on a two-night cruise to Bimini, Bahamas.

Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.

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Man reported missing from Carnival cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico rescued by the US Coast Guard

By Andi Babineau and Tina Burnside

November 25, 2022 / 8:09 AM PST / CNN

 In a remarkable act of service and good fortune, a man reported missing from the  Carnival Valor  sailing in the Gulf of Mexico was found in the water and rescued on Thursday, according to the US Coast Guard.

The missing passenger was found responsive at the time of rescue and was transferred to awaiting emergency medical personnel at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, USCG Petty Officer Ryan Graves told CNN Thursday.

The man was last seen by his sister at a bar aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ship Wednesday night, according to a statement CNN obtained from Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli. The sister said the man left the bar around 11 p.m. to use the restroom and never returned to his stateroom.

She reported him missing at noon Thursday, the statement said.

"Carnival Valor retraced its route to support the search and rescue," Lupoli said, and the ship has since been released by the Coast Guard and is again sailing toward Cozumel, Mexico. The Carnival Valor had left port in New Orleans on Wednesday.

Receiving a call from the cruise ship at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard launched a multi-crew search effort by air and sea, Coast Guard Lt. Phillip VanderWeit said in a statement.

After the man was spotted by a crew on another vessel, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew "hoisted the man onto the helicopter," VanderWeit said.

Mike Anderson, a passenger on Carnival Valor, told CNN that he saw staff members searching for the passenger on Thursday.

Anderson said he began to hear announcements for the missing passenger to check in with guest services, and "noticed security starting to search the boat with a photo of the missing (passenger) in their phones."

No official announcement was made at the time informing people on the boat what had happened, he said.

At around 2 p.m., the boat turned around to head back, Anderson said. Passengers were told their arrival time to their port of call, Cozumel, would be delayed, he said. Later Thursday evening, an announcement over the PA system informed guests that there had been a man overboard incident, but the ship had been released from the search and was resuming travel to Cozumel.

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Coast guard suspends search for missing carnival cruise passenger kevin mcgrath.

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The US Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday for a Carnival Cruise passenger who mysteriously vanished from the ship during a family vacation to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday.

Coast Guard crews were searching 3,300 square nautical miles off the coast of Florida for Kevin McGrath, 26, who was reported missing by his family after he failed to show up to breakfast on the ship Monday morning.

The search team surveyed the waters via boats and helicopter for more than 80 hours combined but saw no sign of McGrath and decided to suspend the mission Thursday, a Coast Guard spokesperson told Fox News.

The cruise ship’s cameras and overboard detection system, however, showed no indication that McGrath went overboard during the cruise from Miami to the Bahamas, Miami-Dade police said.

An “extensive search” of the cruise ship completed after the vessel docked in Miami Monday morning turned up empty for the missing man and he was not detected by surveillance systems, including US Customs and Border Patrol, during the debarkation process.

McGrath was with a big group of relatives on the three-day cruise to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday, his sister Danielle McGrath told USA Today.

He was last seen by his brother Andre at around 2 a.m. Monday and his keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m., according to the outlet.

The family met for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. but Kevin McGrath didn’t show.

He still was nowhere to be found when all passengers disembarked the ship, and the family reported him missing, the publication reported.

“[His disappearance is] so random, out of nowhere,” Danielle told USA TODAY. “Everyone has different relationships with the person but me, how I know my brother, how I last spoke to him, his energy, his spirit. This is definitely not like him.”

She said she has been playing all possible scenarios in her mind.

“Did he fall somewhere and he’s screaming for help and no one hears him? Did he fall down an elevator shaft?” she told the outlet. “I just don’t know. It’s just anything.”

Carnival Cruises is continuing its investigation into McGrath’s disappearance and has been repeatedly reviewing closed-circuit video footage from the ship, a spokesperson told The Post Thursday.

As the investigation drags on more days, his family has been left reeling.

“I haven’t eaten all day. I haven’t had a sip of anything all day,” Danielle said. “My eyes hurt from crying up and down. I’m sick to my stomach.”

McGrath’s disappearance comes just one week after a  young college student fell overboard  off the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.

Sigmund Ropich, 19, tumbled into the ocean off the coast of Cuba during a vacation with friends and has yet to be found.

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A Carnival cruise passenger went overboard, and his mother says she found out from a cousin, not the company

• The Coast Guard is searching for a 28-year-old man who went missing from a Carnival cruise ship Monday.
• The passenger's mother told Business Insider she learned about his disappearance from a relative.
• Carnival said Tuesday that surveillance footage appeared to show a man jumping off the ship. Family say he slipped.

A missing 28-year-old cruise passenger on the Carnival Glory is believed to have gone overboard on Monday, and the Coast Guard is searching the waters near New Orleans to find him.

While the passenger's mom told Business Insider she was hopeful he was still alive, she said that she was worried he might not have survived. She also said she found out from family — not the cruise line — that her son was missing.

Tyler Barnett of Houma, Louisiana, was first reported missing Monday morning by a family member, just a day after leaving New Orleans for a weeklong cruise to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico, a statement from Carnival Cruise Line said.

In a Tuesday evening update, a spokesperson for Carnival said that the ship's security team had reviewed surveillance footage and that the missing passenger appeared to jump from the ship's Deck 4 at about 1:40 a.m. on Monday.

"He can be seen climbing on a lifeboat and jumping from there," the spokesperson said. 

It was only on Tuesday that the ship's security team was informed the missing passenger might have been wearing a different shirt, which allowed crew members to search video from the ship more accurately, the spokesperson said. 

Carnival said it had informed the Coast Guard and the man's family of the development. The cruise line didn't release the man's name — though the man's mother, Elisha Reid, told BI in an earlier interview that her son, Barnett, was the missing passenger. 

But Reid told Business Insider that the family had seen the footage and it shows Barnett didn't jump, but slipped.

"They hit a wave and he went down off the lifeboat," she said. "Tyler was my only son, my firstborn. He was my everything in life! He was the air I breathed. He was the beat of my heart. I feel as if my heart no longer beats."

Barnett was seen on security footage at around midnight on Monday, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard launched two aircraft to try to find Barnett in a 200-mile area near where the ship sailed into the Gulf of Mexico.

The cruise line said teams were helping Barnett's family members who were still on board and that the US Coast Guard cleared Carnival Glory to carry on with its cruise.

Barnett's mother, Reid, said Carnival initially told her daughter — who is on the ship — there was no footage of what happened to her son.

All cruise ships are required to have 42-inch guard rails and man-overboard imaging under the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. But BI previously reported that many ships had yet to implement newer technology that automatically detects when a person goes overboard by using thermal cameras and radars that promptly alert crew members.

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The time between someone going overboard and the cruise ship launching a search-and-rescue mission can often be the difference between life and death. 

Carnival did not immediately respond to BI's question about whether the Carnival Glory employed any such tech.

Reid told BI her son's key card was used to enter the ship's casino just after midnight and then to enter his room 12 minutes later.

Reid, who isn't on board, said Barnett was on the cruise with his sister and uncle when he went missing. She said she didn't find out her son was missing until a cousin messaged her, unaware that she hadn't gotten the news yet.

"I have my moments where I break, but I'm keeping the faith," Reid said on Tuesday, before seeing the footage. "What's important to me is to know where he's at and to have him home, whether he's alive or not, I want his body to be home."

Reid's daughter, Destiny, is still on board the ship, she said. Reid said Barnett's sister told her she last saw her brother at about 11:40 p.m. when he told her he was going to his room.

Reid said her daughter was very close to Barnett and had been texting her updates periodically from the ship.

"She's trying her best," Reid said. "She's not going to leave that ship without her brother."

A Carnival spokesperson told BI in response to Reid's comments about the cruise line: "Our Care Team will continue to do all they can to support the family in this difficult time."

While the chances of falling off a cruise ship are extremely low, at least nine other people have gone overboard this year, as BI previously reported. Only two of those survived the fall.

Reid said her son was a great father to his two twin girls, who she said now are orphans since their mom had earlier died.

"They were everything to him," Reid told BI. He was very protective."

Barnett grew up around the water and "absolutely breathed" being on the river and the sea, working on a tugboat.

"My only peace is Tyler loved the water and to fish," Reid said. "How ironic that he is where he always loved to be."

November 14, 2023: This story has been updated to include a statement from Carnival Cruise Line saying video surveillance appeared to show the missing passenger jumping from the ship. 

November 15, 2023: This story has been updated to include new comments from Tyler Barnett's mother.

Watch: Sub taking tourists to see the Titanic goes missing

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‘I'm sick to my stomach’: Coast Guard suspends search for vanished cruise passenger

The search for a missing Carnival cruise passenger was suspended Thursday after he mysteriously disappeared over Labor Day weekend. 

Kevin McGrath, 26, was on the Carnival Conquest heading back to PortMiami with a big group to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday, his sister Danielle McGrath told USA TODAY. The group was on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. 

McGrath, who lives in Florida, was last seen by his brother Andre at about 2 a.m. Cellphone footage last shows him dancing to live music on Sunday night. Kevin McGrath's keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m.  

At about 7:30 a.m. Monday, the family met for breakfast, but Kevin McGrath didn’t show up. They looked for him and reported him missing when everyone disembarked the ship, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Ship staff and security searched the ship but were unsuccessful, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department told USA TODAY. 

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The overboard detection system on the ship never went off, and there is no other evidence that Kevin McGrath went overboard, according to Miami-Dade police.

More: What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

His disappearance "is so random, out of nowhere," Danielle McGrath, Kevin McGrath's sister, told USA TODAY. "Everyone has different relationships with the person but me, how I know my brother, how I last spoke to him, his energy, his spirit. This is definitely not like him."

The U.S. Coast Guard searched 3,300 square nautical miles with helicopters, but nothing showed up. 

U.S. Customs and Border Control told Carnival Kevin McGrath was not detected during the debarkation process, NBC Miami reported. 

"There’s so many scenarios that run through my head," Danielle McGrath said. "Did he fall somewhere and he’s screaming for help and no one hears him? Did he fall down an elevator shaft? I just don't know. It's just anything."

On Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line told USA TODAY it was continuing the investigation, “including multiple reviews of closed circuit video footage and we are also cooperating with law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard.”

The cruise line said the police have cleared Carnival Conquest to sail, and the Carnival Care Team is supporting the family.

Danielle McGrath said that Miami-Dade police and the U.S. Coast Guard have been checking in with the family to offer their support but that Carnival had stopped. "(To) me, personally speaking, you should be reaching out every minute. There’s so many cases where stuff gets shoved under the rug, and it's 40 years later and families still suffer."

"I haven’t eaten all day. I haven’t had a sip of anything all day. My eyes hurt from crying up and down. I’m sick to my stomach."

She said the Port St. Lucie community where she and her brother are from has been offering "a lot of love" to the family.

Between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 overboard incidents around the world involving passengers and crew, according to statistics compiled for Cruise Lines International Association by consulting firm G.P. Wild (International) Limited. Only 48 people were rescued.

Cruise ships have safeguards to prevent passengers from going overboard and are required by the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 to have rails that are "located not less than 42 inches above the cabin deck."

Cmdr. Jason Kling, Detachment Chief at the U.S. Coast Guard's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise, which conducts compliance inspections of cruise ships embarking passengers in U.S. ports or embarking U.S. passengers, told USA TODAY in March that many cruise ships complied with that even before the law was enacted.

Contributing: Nathan Diller

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26-Year-Old Reported Missing After Cruise Ship Returns to Florida: 'He Never Arrived'

Kevin McGrath was last seen by his brother aboard a Carnival Cruise ship returning from Bimini, Bahamas

Miami Dade Police Department; Getty

Officials in Florida are investigating the disappearance of a cruise passenger who did not return with the vessel once the ship docked.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was aboard a Carnival Cruise from PortMiami to Bimini, Bahamas, over the Labor Day holiday weekend. However, when the Carnival Conquest returned to the United States on Monday, he was not on the ship.

Angel Rodriguez, a detective for the Miami-Dade Police Department, told PEOPLE that “McGrath was last seen by his brother at approximately 2 a.m. at his cabin.” 

The missing passenger “was supposed to meet the family for breakfast prior to disembarking from the ship but he never arrived” as members of the group had planned. After his loved ones were unable to determine his whereabouts, a search was conducted by ship staff and security but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Rodriguez said a search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not indicate that McGrath went overboard. The detective added that the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to assist with the search yielding negative results.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told PEOPLE that “the Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family” during this difficult time.

A rep with the cruise company previously told Tampa NBC News affiliate WFLA-8 that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol did not locate McGrath during the debarkation process, adding that “Miami Dade police eventually cleared the ship to sail.”

Fox News Digital also spoke with a representative from Carnival Cruise Line who said the U.S. Coast Guard also performed a helicopter search for the missing man.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Authorities described McGrath as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, and having brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers. 

Anyone with knowledge of McGrath’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Miami-Dade police special victims bureau/missing persons squad at 305-715-3300 or Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & the Florida Keys either online or at 305-471-8477 (TIPS).

In July, Carnival Cruise Line issued a statement regarding another man who had reportedly gone missing while on one of their ships in Florida. 

"The crew was notified by his traveling companion late in the afternoon about his missing status after he had not been seen all day," Carnival told PEOPLE in a statement on July 24 in regard to 30-year-old Jaylen Hill.

Hill had been traveling on the Carnival Elation as it made its way back to its homeport of Jacksonville after a four-day trip to the Bahamas.

"Sadly, after an exhaustive onboard search and a review of security camera video, it was determined that he jumped," the company said at the time. "Shoreside authorities were notified, and the crew was advised to continue to Jacksonville."

Approximately two months prior to Hill’s incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Ronnie Lee Peale Jr ., was riding on the Carnival Magic ship when he went overboard in Florida. 

On May 31, the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search after covering more than 5,171 square miles over a span of 60 hours. “The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends," the Coast Guard said in a news release at the time.

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Missing carnival cruise passenger on probation when he vanished, officials skeptical, missing carnival cruise passenger on probation when he vanished ... officials now skeptical.

Kevin McGrath , the missing Carnival cruise passenger who mysteriously disappeared during a Bahamas trip, was on probation at the time ... which adds a whole new wrinkle to the case.

McGrath's legal troubles might provide another clue in his Labor Day weekend disappearance, which led to a Coast Guard search that has since been called off without finding him.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, McGrath pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Tennessee in September 2022 -- his wife said he threatened to kill her and their kids -- and he ended up getting sentenced to 6 years of supervised probation.

The docs say McGrath got permission to move from Tennessee to Florida, where he was living with his parents ... and the cruise was a celebration for his father's 60th birthday.

But, McGrath's probation officers say he never got permission to go on the cruise, and it appears his probation office only found out he was aboard the ship when the media reported he'd vanished.

What's more, the docs say he's violating probation by failing to maintain communication with his probation officer. All attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful since the cruise, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

The PO also says McGrath is delinquent on $241.20 in probation fees, and he hasn't made any payments toward court fees. He's on probation for

McGrath vanished as the cruise was returning to Florida from the Bahamas. He was apparently last seen the night of Sept. 3 and his keycard was used to enter his room at 3:30 AM the next day. His family had planned to meet for breakfast, but he didn't show up and was reported missing when everyone got off the ship.

Cops say Carnival staff and security scoured the ship for McGrath ... and the ship's overboard detection system never alarmed. Bottom line: Police say there is no evidence he went overboard, and there was no sign of him onboard.

The U.S. Coast Guard brought in helicopters to search 3,300 square nautical miles for McGrath but didn't find a trace and called off the search.

Likewise, U.S. Customs and Border Control reportedly told Carnival McGrath was not detected disembarking the ship in Florida -- so, the guy vanished into thin air. Seemingly, at least.

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Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years

A fire in the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom this weekend has disrupted a cruise for the second time in less than two years — and will mean that the Florida-based ship's next two sailings are canceled.

Damage to the funnel will require the cancellation of Carnival's next two cruises out of Port Canaveral, which were scheduled to depart Monday and Friday.

There were about 3,700 passengers onboard the ship when the fire occured. And the two upcoming sailings, which were canceled, likely would have had a similar passenger count amid the busy Spring Break season.

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Carnival initially had said it expected no changes in its upcoming cruises, but on Sunday afternoon said the cancellations would be required.

"Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought, and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," according to a statement issued by Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations. "The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs."

Carnival said it made the decision after "our technical team completed a thorough assessment" during the ship’s visit Sunday to Freeport in the Bahamas.

In the statement, Carnival said: "We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation. We are providing all guests on both canceled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit, so they can come back and enjoy a future cruise with us. We also greatly appreciate the terrific guests who are currently sailing with us, for their outstanding cooperation and support."

In a Facebook post, Carnival's widely followed brand ambassador, John Heald, conceded that many people who booked one of the canceled cruises are "feeling very disappointed," and he apologized for the turn of events.

But, Heald added that he wanted to assure affected passengers that, "when you rebook, using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the fun you deserve."

More than 500 people responded to the post, with many saying they thought Carnival was generous with the compensation offer. But some people who said they were on the cruise that experienced the fire said they thought Carnival should have done more for the people who were on the ship.

Carnival said the fire was confined to the funnel area. The cruise line said there are no reports of injuries to passengers. Two firefighting crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

Carnival said that, at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, the Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to the Carnival private island of Princess Cays due to adverse weather.

"The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames," an earlier Carnival statement said. "Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike, and that is being investigated, but cannot yet be confirmed."

By 5:20 p.m. Saturday, the fire was extinguished. 

How safe are cruise stops? Travel advisories are only one marker for destinations

Carnival said the ship's captain made multiple announcements to passengers and crew, and advised all but essential safety personnel to stay away from balconies and all open decks. 

The port-side portion of the funnel had fallen onto Deck 10, and the firefighting response put out any flames. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has been notified of the fire, and Carnival activated its incident response team to support the ship’s crew. 

Carnival said there were no other operational issues with the ship’s systems, and the ship, which was on a four-night cruise, was visiting Freeport on Sunday.

A cruise ship funnel generally serves as a smokestack to lift emissions above the deck, thus away from passengers and crew.

On Saturday evening, "Carnival Freedom guests enjoyed the Elegant Night dinner as planned, and, with the exception of the open decks, all areas of the ship are fully functioning," Carnival said in its statement. 

The Carnival Freedom's next voyage was scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon on a five-night Eastern Caribbean cruise. That cruise had port-of-call stops scheduled at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and at Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

But that sailing and a Friday sailing both have been canceled. Friday's five-night sailing also was scheduled to stop at those two ports of call, but in reverse order.

In May 2022 , a fire broke out in the funnel area of the Carnival Freedom while it was docked in Grand Turk. Carnival then canceled three scheduled sailings of the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral because of the need to repair the ship's fire damage at a shipyard in Grand Bahama.

More recently, in October 2023, the Carnival Freedom debuted a new iconic winged funnel after returning from a 16-day dry-dock refurbishment in Cadiz, Spain.

Dave Berman is business editor at  FLORIDA TODAY.  Contact Berman at  [email protected] .

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Carnival Freedom's next two sailings canceled after funnel fire, second within 2 years

Jouni Niskakoski/Shutterstock @professormelissa/Tiktok (Licensed)

‘She had cookies in the bottom of her bag’: Carnival Cruise dogs are now everywhere, expert warns. They’re even better than you think

‘carnival is still not playing.’.

Grace Rampaul

Posted on Apr 10, 2024   Updated on Apr 10, 2024, 12:40 am CDT

As marijuana consumption has increased once again to its peaking usage rates of the ’70s, Carnival Cruise line is cracking down on regulating both medical and recreational drugs to ensure that all cruise-goers can satisfy their desire of “All for Fun. Fun for All.”

In a TikTok posted on Monday, cruise enthusiast and influencer Melissa ( @professormelissa ) warns voyagers of Carnival Cruise’s newest apparent tactic to combat on-ship drug usage, more prevalent drug dogs. Receiving 1,716 likes and more than 130,600 views, Melissa briefly walks viewers through the embarkment process, which includes a K-9 narcotic detection team. 

“Y’all Carnival is still not playing when it comes to the drug-sniffing dogs,” Melissa forewarns. “Here’s what you can expect.” 

Dressed to the nines, Melissa stands in the doorway of her Carnival stateroom after making it safely on-board and continues her caveat via voice-over. 

At this point, the TikTok flashes to a security notice posted by Carnival, directly outside the maritime passenger terminal doors, presumably giving voyagers a chance to prepare prior to entering the way station. 

“Canine dogs on duty, drug free zone,” the sign reads in large lettering, accompanied by finer print directly below. 

“As per federal law, marijuana including maijuana for medical purposes and any other illegal drugs, are not allowed on board. Anyone in possession of illegal drugs will be disembarked at the guest’s expense and is subject to prosecution by the authorities,” the sign explains. 

Once again Melissa emphasizes just how strongly Carnival has been cracking down in recent years. 

With Tory Lanez’s song “ Hurts me (Alone At Prom) ,” echoing in the background, Melissa pans to her series of seemingly infinite bags on the floor, each being individually sniffed by a drug dog. 

“UH OH!” titles the short clip, but based on the introduction to the TikTok, it’s apparent Melissa had nothing to worry about.

Now a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times stronger than humans , and it’s proven that virtually no machine can compare to a dog’s nose. For example, when sniffing dogs search for explosives, they are accurate 90% of the time in comparison to their mechanical counterparts who only reach rates of 14% success. 

Similar accuracy rates for narcotic detection canines have been found as well. 

So, it’s clear why some Carnival passengers may be a little extra nervous when boarding their vacation at sea. 

“Bags down for the dogs,” another sign reads, showing how clear Carnival is with its expectations. 

And according to the website, Carnival reserves the right to do this as well, and states this explicitly:

“ Under U.S. federal law, all cruise terminals in the U.S. are federal facilities and, along with our ships, are drug-free zones. Customs and law enforcement authorities in U.S. homeports and foreign destinations are present and have the right to conduct routine and random inspections with the assistance of narcotics-sniffing dogs. There is zero tolerance for possession of narcotics (which includes marijuana, even in those states where marijuana has been decriminalized). All guests and their personal items may be subject to screening by law enforcement and any guest found in possession of illegal drugs and other prohibited items may be subject to fines, arrest, and denial of boarding without refund or compensation. This is beyond Carnival’s control. Furthermore, Carnival reserves the right to deploy narcotics-sniffing dogs in terminals and on board our ships in order to enforce our obligations to uphold federal law.”

Owned by Carnival Corporation, the cruise line is a part of the world’s largest cruise ship operator, accompanied by sister lines Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Cunard Lard.

The Daily Dot has talked with other experts on the subject as well. In an exclusive with the Daily Dot, cruise-planner Mandy ( @mandythecruiseplanner ) warned of similar scenarios on the cruise line. And though she wants her followers to have as pleasurable of an experience as possible, Mandy warns that nothing can ruin a cruise more than having to disembark for a small marijuana charge. 

Even commenters on Melissa’s TikTok acknowledged how persistent the drug dogs can be, detecting almost everything that was out of the ordinary. 

“My sister has a medical card in Florida, but had nothing in her bag and they still pulled her aside we think because her canvas bag smelled like it,” one commenter said. 

“Back in November the dog pulled my sister’s bags for a search because she had cookies in the bottom of her bag (regular cookies),” another warned.

@professormelissa This now seems to be standard practice. #Cruise #cruiseship #cruisetok #cruiselife #cruiser #travel #traveltiktok #cruisewithme #cruisetips #cruisetipsandtricks #cruisehacks #vacation #cruiseships #cruisecontent #cruisingcontent #cruisevacation #cruiselover #cruiseblogger #firsttimecruiser #cruisequestions #cruisefacts #goingonacruise #crusingtok #cruiseessentials #traveler #royalcaribbean #carnivalcruiseline #choosefun #virginvoyages #norwegiancruise #hollandcruise #hollandamericaline #disneycruiseline #msccruise #princesscruises #carnivalcruise ♬ Hurts Me (Alone At Prom) – Tory Lanez

Though of course there were some commenters debunking Melissa’s advice. Saying that they had gotten one or two small things across the terminal, at the end of the day it comes down to risk mitigation. It is up to the passenger to decide what they are willing to test, and if they decide to bring drugs on board, it is their own vacation at risk.

The Daily Dot reached out to Melissa ( @professormelissa ) for comment via TikTok DM and Carnival Cruise Line via their media email. 

Grace Rampaul is a social and multimedia intern at the Daily Dot. She is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, with a major in Journalism and focus on Media and Entertainment Studies. Grace is based in Austin and covers trending stories, entertainment, cultural phenomenon, and all things social.

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