Updated on: December 8, 2025 / 9:10 PM EST / CBS News
A 35-year-old California man who died aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last year was served at least 33 alcoholic drinks at the ship’s bar, his family says in a lawsuit.
Michael Virgil of Moreno Valley boarded the Navigator of the Seas in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2024, with his fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and their son, according to court documents filed in Miami, where the cruise company is based. The lawsuit alleges Royal Caribbean crew members “negligently” overserved Virgil “in a matter of hours” while he exhibited obvious signs of intoxication.
While intoxicated, Virgil attempted to find his cabin, became lost and agitated, and was confronted by Royal Caribbean security members who allegedly tackled him and subdued him “with their full body weight,” the complaint says. The suit further alleges crew members injected Haloperidol, a prescription antipsychotic, into Virgil at the captain’s request and used multiple cans of pepper spray on him. The father “ultimately died in the care of Royal Caribbean staff and crew members,” the lawsuit states.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told CBS News, “We were saddened by the passing of one of our guests, worked with authorities on their investigation, and will refrain from commenting any further on pending litigation.”
Aguilar’s attorneys note the cruise line had the right to refuse alcohol service to anyone who was visibly intoxicated but allege the company failed to do so. The suit says Royal Caribbean markets “all you can drink” beverage packages and maintains a bar in “every nook and cranny” of the Navigator of the Seas. In addition to claims of negligent overservice, the complaint accuses the cruise line of negligent hiring and training of crew members, including medical and security personnel, asserting those failures contributed to Virgil’s death.
The incident is the second recent lawsuit against Royal Caribbean involving a death and alcohol. A 66-year-old woman, Dulcie White, went overboard during a Taylor Swift–themed cruise on Oct. 22, 2024, after her family says the ship’s crew continued serving her alcohol despite signs of extreme intoxication. That lawsuit also cited Royal Caribbean’s unlimited alcoholic beverages package; daughter Megan Klewin said her mother “was completely intoxicated in a way I haven’t seen before.”
Larry Seward contributed to this report.