A former Royal Caribbean crew member has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after placing hidden cameras in guests' staterooms and secretly recording young kids.
Arvin Joseph Mirasol, 34, a cabin steward from the Philippines, was arrested in March after a passenger onboard the 228,081 gross registered ton Symphony of the Seas reported finding a camera in their bathroom. The guest found the concealed camera when she reached under the sink to grab toilet paper.
Mirasol was arrested when the ship returned to Port Everglades on March 3, when Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection could board the Oasis Class ship and begin their investigation.
Federal authorities seized his electronic devices and found videos of women undressing, as well as child pornography, dating back to December 2023. One of the videos even captured Mirasol installing a cabin in a guest's bathroom.
Homeland Security Investigations later identified the children, whose ages range from 2 to 17 years old, according to the United States Justice Department
Mirasol would also hide under guests' beds while they were in the shower, and during a post-Miranda interview, he claimed to pleasure himself while watching the videos.
Local 10 reported that one video was of a young girl around the age of 10 undressing and showering, with her genitals "clearly visible" and "the focus of the video."
Additionally, authorities said they found multiple voyeurism-related searches on Mirasol's phone, including "teen on bed."
Charging documents reveal he told federal investigators that he "wants to control it...but can't."
"We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior. We immediately reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities," read a statement issued by Royal Caribbean upon Mirasol's arrest.
"Something out of a nightmare"
People have flocked to social media and online forums to discuss the incident, with most comments condemning Mirasol's behavior.
"That is something out of a nightmare, imagine finding a pair of eyes under your bed. Nope Nope Nope. I would be so sure I was going to get murdered," wrote ActiveAlarmed7886 on a thread under the r/cruise subreddit.
"If you're here reading this, don't stop at the headline. Read the story. It just keeps getting worse and worse with each paragraph," added alinroc.
karenmarie303 said, "What a complete weirdo. I can’t believe he was never caught under the bed. And to get away with being gone at odd times, freako!"
"I thought I was being paranoid by NOT allowing my teen to stay in the room by herself," remarked friendofoldman, "[I] dragged her out of the room to participate...in activities."
For peace of mind, consider bringing a RAVIAD Detector onboard to scan your stateroom
Cabins are supposed to be our home away from home on a cruise ship. Though it's important to never let your guard down, the point of vacation is to relax and enjoy the experience.
User Bead Pirate shared their go-to detector on a Cruise Critic forum that helps them search for hidden cameras and microphones.
"Amazon has a great hidden camera / microphone detector that runs on a couple AA Batteries for $50 bucks. We throw it in the suitcase whenever we travel land/sea/air does not matter. Takes 2 minutes to scan a room or can do a house in 5 minutes. Great peace of mind...," they explained.
It's easy to use, too. All you have to do is turn the device on and walk around the perimeter of the cabin and near furniture.
