A Carnival Cruise Line passenger was arrested after authorities said he drunkenly struck two children who were playing tag in a hallway aboard the Carnival Glory.
The alleged attack happened Sunday, July 26, during a three-night cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida, to Celebration Key, Carnival’s private destination in The Bahamas.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, three children were running through one of the ship’s hallways when they encountered passenger David Crosby II.
The affidavit said Crosby, 44, had also been running down the hallway before he suddenly stopped and struck two of the children.
One child was allegedly hit in the face and suffered a bleeding lip and head pain. A second child was punched in the stomach and complained of pain afterward.
Authorities said surveillance cameras aboard the cruise ship captured the encounter. It was not immediately clear whether Crosby knew the children before the incident.
Investigators described Crosby as “heavily intoxicated” at the time of the alleged assault.
Crosby later claimed he could not remember what happened, according to the affidavit. His reported lack of memory did not prevent authorities from filing criminal charges.
He was booked into the Brevard County Jail on July 27 and charged with two counts of child abuse without great bodily harm.
Jail records showed Crosby was released the following day after posting a $20,000 bond.
Carnival Glory entered service in 2003 and can carry as many as 3,756 passengers. The 110,000-ton ship has 13 guest decks and currently operates two- to five-day cruises from Port Canaveral to destinations in The Bahamas.
Carnival has built its reputation around affordable, family-friendly vacations, offering youth programs for children from infancy through age 17, along with water slides, arcades, miniature golf and other activities.
However, the cruise line is also known for its high-energy party atmosphere, particularly on shorter cruises featuring bars, casinos, nightclubs and unlimited beverage packages.
The incident sparked an online debate over both the passenger’s alleged behavior and the decision to allow children to play tag in a busy ship hallway.
Some commenters questioned where the children’s parents were and whether they had been properly supervised.
“Why were these children allowed to play tag in the hallway? Where were their parents?” one viewer asked in response to a Cruise News Today video about the arrest.
Another person said Crosby’s alleged actions were wrong but questioned whether the children had also been behaving inappropriately.
Other travelers focused on Carnival’s reputation as a “booze cruise,” suggesting the company may be struggling to balance its family-friendly image with the heavy drinking that can occur aboard some sailings.
“It’s wild to hear about another incident on Carnival,” one viewer wrote. “It really seems like they are struggling to maintain order between the excessive drinking and the unsupervised children running through the halls.”
Carnival’s guest conduct policy instructs adults to supervise children and keep noise in hallways to a minimum.
“Our experience has taught us that everyone has a better time when children are supervised, noise in the hallways is kept to a minimum,” the policy states.
The cruise line also prohibits disruptive conduct that threatens the comfort or safety of other passengers.
Carnival’s CHEERS! beverage package limits guests to 15 alcoholic drinks during a 24-hour period. However, bartenders are permitted to stop serving someone before that limit if the passenger appears intoxicated.
“Carnival has a number of procedures in place to monitor guests’ alcohol consumption and bartenders are trained to look for signs of intoxication and will discontinue serving guests who appear to be intoxicated,” the company’s website states.
Carnival said its systems also contain safeguards designed to track alcohol consumption and encourage passengers to drink responsibly.
Guests who violate the company’s conduct rules may face a $500 fine, confinement to their cabin, removal from the ship at their own expense or a permanent ban from future Carnival cruises.
It remains unknown whether Crosby’s access to alcohol was restricted before the alleged assault or what action Carnival’s security team took aboard the ship.
Carnival also had not said whether Crosby would be banned from future sailings.
