Oscar Alert Sounded on Star of the Seas After Passenger Falls Off Pier

Guests enjoying their preview cruise on Royal Caribbean’s massive new Star of the Seas were shocked on August 14 when the ship sounded an Oscar, Oscar, Oscar emergency alert.

The second 5,610-passenger Icon-class vessel was docked at the cruise line’s private island of Perfect Day at Cococay in the Bahamas at the time.

According to passengers onboard Star of the Seas, a guest had fallen from the pier between Star of the Seas and the 5,518-passenger Symphony of the Seas not long after 8:00 AM.

In a photo posted online, a man can be seen in the water holding onto a rescue life buoy at the end of the pier, after crew members had thrown it in. The good news is that the man was rescued. However, it’s unknown at this time if he got any injuries.

One post on Reddit said, “They rescued him with a jet ski. Update: “Oscar” fell off the pier while texting.“

Royal Caribbean confirmed that the guest was actually getting footage of the giant new ship on his phone, which caused him to fall off the pier.

A spokesperson from the cruise line stated to Cruise Hive: “A guest fell off the dock while capturing footage of the ship on his smart phone. Our team immediately picked him up via jet ski and returned him to shore.”

Star of the Seas was docked at the private island as part of a preview cruise that departed Port Canaveral, Florida, on August 14. The 248,663 gross ton vessel has already departed from CocoCay and is heading back to Florida. The ship is scheduled to depart on another cruise from its homeport on August 16.

Also docked at Cocoay was the Oasis-class Symphony of the Seas, sailing a 7-night Bahamas itinerary which departed Cape Liberty in New Jersey on August 10. This was the final port of call before the vessel heads straight home.

Not the First Time a Passenger Has Fallen from the Pier at CocoCay

It’s not the first time a passenger has fallen off the pier. One of the most recent cases at CocoCay was particularly serious, involving a child who fell between a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and the pier.

This occurred on April 14, when Oasis of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas were the two ships docked there on that day. Thankfully, the crew was able to swiftly rescue the child, and there was no impact to the itinerary.

There have been other kinds of pier incidents, including guests who have been intoxicated, or those who have crossed the “Stay behind the line” for that perfect selfie.

And some have even jumped in on purpose to retrieve a sentimental item, as was the case with one guest when the Carnival Valor made a call to Progreso, Mexico, in February 2025.

Emrys Thakkar

The founder of Cruise Hive, Emrys has been reporting on the cruise industry since 2008. Expert insights and tips featured on a number of publications including The Express, Business Insider, Fodor's Travel and more. Worked for Carnival for 8 years and traveled to more than 34 countries and been on over 100 cruises.