A New York mother who fell overboard during a Taylor Swift-themed Royal Caribbean cruise was allegedly served too much alcohol — as her family blamed the crew for the fatal plunge.
Dulcie White’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the cruise line on Tuesday, a year after the 66-year-old went missing in the Caribbean Sea during a voyage to the Bahamas, according to CBS News Miami.
White, from Westmoreland, NY, was aboard the Allure of the Seas ship with her daughter, Megan Klewin, when she became intoxicated and fell off her balcony on Oct. 22, 2024, 17 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas.Klewin says her mother purchased the “unlimited alcoholic beverages” package as part of her ticket and was trying to get the most out of her trip.
“Because of that she did overdo it, trying to maybe get her money’s worth,” Klewin told the outlet. “She was completely intoxicated in a way I haven’t seen before. It saddens me that that is my last memory of her.”
Crew members aboard the ship allegedly ignored White as she showed signs of intoxication.
The grandmother of four began slurring her words, swaying, had glassy eyes and alcohol on her breath in front of crewmembers who shouldn’t have served her, the family alleged, according to their lawyer Spencer Aronfeld.
“Each of these crew members were negligent for continuing to serve her alcoholic beverages in her intoxicated state,” Aronfeld said Tuesday.
Another passenger helped White return to her cabin at around 7:30 p.m.
White and her daughter had stored their luggage out on the balcony to create more space in their room.
Klewin thought her mother was going to grab some clothes from her bag, but when she turned around, she saw White had climbed up and sat on the railing facing the water.
“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., but the ship never turned around, nor were any rescue boats launched to search for her, the family claimed
Two helicopters and crews from the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and the US Coast Guard had taken part in the search for White.
Her body has not been found.
“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 accused the crewmembers of over-serving her mother to make more money.
“These crew members are incentivized to continue to serve them because that’s how they make their tips.”
Aronfeld called out the cruise line’s offer of its “unlimited alcoholic beverages” warning of the dangers it creates, especially out 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.”
