Two British cruise passengers, a 23-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman, were arrested in Ibiza this week after they allegedly tried to cut their cruise early, leaving behind a £2,685 (about $3,410) bill for onboard expenses.
Martin Silva Cosentino | Dreamstime.com
The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 21st, when the cruise ship docked in Ibiza, Spain. According to news reports, around 3:00pm, the two cruisers tried to rush off the ship with their luggage, seemingly in an attempt to avoid settling their account.
“The couple tried to leave the cruise liner in a hurry with their luggage, declining to pay the cost of expenditure linked to their holiday,” a spokesperson for the National Police in Ibiza stated.
According to the National Police, crew members grew suspicious of their behavior and alerted authorities right away.
Police quickly launched an operation to try to find the pair of travelers. While attempting to get off the island of Ibiza local authorities were able to stop them around 6:00pm, 3 hours after they had gotten off the ship.
They were apprehended at Ibiza Airport and now face charges of fraud.
The specific cruise line involved has not been publicly identified by the police. However, maritime schedules for May 21, 2025, indicate that either MSC Grandiosa or Costa Toscana were visiting Ibiza on that date.
For both of these vessels, Ibiza was a port of call on their itineraries, not the final destination. This could suggest that the couple may have been trying to take advantage of an early exit that would have been much more difficult had it been disembarkation day.
If the pair tried to get off the ship with an unsettled bill at the final destination, they would have been turned back.
On one MSC cruise a while back I forgot to settle my bill and was not allowed to get off the ship until I went to the kiosk to take care of it. While I had a card on file, I still have to take care of this crucial step.
Police have stated that the charges in this case were for “several consumptions” and “various items linked to their room.”
It is currently unclear if the arrested individuals have already made a court appearance.
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