Passenger reported overboard on 80s-themed cruise, passengers say
In:A cruise ship passenger has been reported overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, reports online say.

A search is underway for a passenger who was reported having gone overboard while on a 1980s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise in the Bahamas.
Multiple reports on social media from passengers on Explorer of the Seas were posted online. The incident happened around 11 p.m. on the first day of the sailing.
"Day 1 of the 80s cruise, all going well, then we hear “Oscar Oscar Oscar” overhead. And sure enough, the ship is turning around to search. Officer just came over the PA to announce the details," said Reddit user SkySeaSnow.

The code "oscar, oscar, oscar" is how crew members quickly identify there's a man overboard situation.
This particular sailing happened to be a full ship charter to offer a 1980s themed music and culture sailing, where the entire ship and sailing was based on the decade.
The ship departed Miami on March 2 for a 7-night sailing, with scheduled stops in Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Cruise ship tracking data showed Explorer stopping and reversing course to conduct a search for the person.
In fact, other cruise ships that were in the area joined in the search. Mapping data shows Norwegian Pearl and Carnival Sunrise may have assisted in the search.
"We are on Norwegian Pearl. We passed by and had our search lights on," wrote Jarega.
There's been no official word from Royal Caribbean on the incident.
What happened

Reports of what exactly happened are always tricky as there's usually a lot of hearsay, but a few people said it was from a woman on deck 8.
Reddit user Sweet_Independent_50 posted, "Yes, it was a woman that jumped from deck 8. I met her husband screaming help help. My my wife just jumped off the boat. He said it to me."
The search took some time but there's been no reports of her being found. Statistically, it's unlikely to be rescued once overboard, but it's not impossible.
Explorer of the Seas arrived in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this morning, as scheduled.
Onboard safety precautions

The chances of falling overboard on a cruise ship are extremely low.
Deck railings on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are at least 42-inches high, which comply Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010.
In addition, there are thick metal or Plexiglas panels or metal bars are positioned under the railings to prevent people from slipping through.
When a man overboard situation occurs, the media usually reports on it and it leads some to wonder how it could happen in the first place.

An article from The Points Guy points out cruise ships have railings that are around chest height to ensure passenger safety and to prevent someone from slipping and falling overboard.
"The only way you risk a fall is if you're standing on furniture to peer over the side or climbing somewhere you're not supposed to. It's not possible for you to trip over a door frame or slip on a wet deck and fall off of a vessel."
Passengers going overboard are rare

The chances of a cruise ship passenger going overboard are quite low, but it does occasionally happen.
In a report from Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), there were 212 identified overboard incidents from cruise ships for either crew members or passengers between 2009 to 2019.
Of these overboard incidents, only 48 (or 28.2%) individuals were successfully rescued. Around 71.8% of people who go overboard from cruise ships are sadly never recovered or located.

The CLIA report also shows an overall decline in overboard incidents throughout the 10-year period. The overboard incident rate decreased 64% from 2009 to 2019, with an incidence rate of 0.00004 overboard reports per active lower berth in 2019.
The report states, “When compared with the growth in capacity in the industry over the study years, man overboard incidents continue on a downward trend.”