Mom Falls Overboard on Cruise After Alleged Over-Service of Alcohol

A New York woman tragically fell overboard during a Taylor Swift-themed Royal Caribbean cruise, and her family says the crew’s alleged over-serving of alcohol played a deadly role.

Dulcie White, 66, from Westmoreland, New York, went missing in the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 22, 2024, while on a voyage to the Bahamas aboard the Allure of the Seas. Her family has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the cruise line, claiming negligence and over-service of alcohol led to the fatal fall.

White, who was traveling with her daughter, Megan Klewin, had purchased the cruise’s “unlimited alcoholic beverages” package. According to the lawsuit, she was served seven drinks over six hours and eight minutes, becoming heavily intoxicated. Klewin described her mother as “completely intoxicated in a way I haven’t seen before,” adding, “It saddens me that that is my last memory of her.”

The family alleges that crew members ignored obvious signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, swaying, glassy eyes, and the smell of alcohol on White’s breath. “Each of these crew members were negligent for continuing to serve her alcoholic beverages in her intoxicated state,” said family attorney Spencer Aronfeld.

That evening, White had climbed onto the balcony railing while trying to access luggage stored outside their cabin. Klewin explained, “I assumed that’s what she was doing was going to check her suitcase. 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. The ship did not turn around or launch rescue boats, though helicopters and crews from the Royal Bahamas Defense Force and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted searches. Her body has not been recovered.

Klewin blames the tragedy on the over-service of alcohol, saying the crew’s actions were incentivized by tips. “These crew members are incentivized to continue to serve them because that’s how they make their tips,” she said.

Attorney Aronfeld criticized Royal Caribbean’s “unlimited alcoholic beverages” policy, calling it a dangerous practice that puts profits over passenger safety. “Royal Caribbean didn’t just sell drinks—it sold danger. This isn’t an accident; it’s an industry pattern,” he said.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida by White’s husband, Terry, on behalf of her estate. Aronfeld hopes the case will push cruise lines to reconsider all-you-can-drink alcohol packages. “The days of profiting from over-service while passengers die at sea are over,” he said.