Most cruise travelers dread the last day of a cruise when the ship pulls back into homeport. But things got uglier than normal during the disembarkation process for some passengers retrieving their luggage in a Texas cruise terminal.
What should have been a smooth end to a Caribbean cruise turned into a scene of chaos at the Port of Galveston on Saturday, April 26, 2025. The post-cruise brawl was caught on video and lead to the arrest of one man from Chicago while Carnival Cruise Line handed out lifetime bans to 24 passengers.
The wild scene, which was shared on social media and quickly spread like wildfire, showing Carnival Jubilee cruisers disembarking and walking through the cruise terminal.
Facebook user Trelle Ray, who posted the footage, simply stated, “It went down this morning,” capturing the scene of passengers shoving and punching each other near families and older individuals.
While the video showed the fight taking place, the reason behind the outburst remained unclear initially.
‘Chaos erupted at the Galveston Cruise Terminal today when a massive brawl broke out in the luggage pickup area, after guests disembarked from the cruise ship Carnival Jubilee.’
– CrewCenter
pic.twitter.com/8SiYdc7gbo— The Daily Sneed™ (@Tr00peRR) April 26, 2025
However, a few details are now coming to light. According to a police affidavit, the trouble allegedly started in the luggage area after a heated exchange between the arrested individual, Ethan Merritt-Clark, and an elderly man.
Merritt-Clark reportedly first claimed the fight stemmed from a basketball game onboard, but later admitted to police that he “pushed” the older man “hard.”
The alleged victim told a different story, stating that Merritt-Clark had been watching his family with a “hostile manner” before striking him on the head after a brief verbal exchange. The impact nearly caused the elderly man to fall, with his luggage reportedly breaking his fall.
Two witnesses backed up the victim’s account, saying he tried to calm things down before the alleged assault. In response, the victim’s family members intervened.
Carnival Cruise Line didn’t mince words about the incident. “We will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list,” the company stated.
This means those two dozen individuals are now barred from sailing with Carnival and the cruise line’s sister companies in the future.
Port of Galveston Police responded to the disturbance and confirmed the arrest of Merritt-Clark, who faces charges including injury to the elderly. They also noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assisted in detaining several people at the scene.
With one arrest made and two dozen individuals facing a lifetime ban from Carnival, the consequences of this Texas terminal brawl are significant. While Ethan Merritt-Clark is no longer in local custody, the legal process is just beginning.
Fighting on a cruise ship, or in this case even off the cruise ship, will almost always lead to a ban from the cruise line, in addition to other consequences relating to the legal process.
*UPDATE: Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald recently took to Facebook to respond to questions and concerns about the fight that took place.
“So many of you wrote to me about an incident in the terminal building at the Port of Galveston involving a group [of] people who will, like anyone who is involved in any physical altercation with other guests, or our crew will never, ever be allowed to cruise with us again,” he wrote on the social media account.
“Right now, there are many thousands of people having FUN on our ships. And 99.9% of those guests are wonderful…. We have the strongest bookings in the industry I am told, we certainly have the best guests and the best crew who will continue to make sure you have the best of times.“
Earlier this month, Carnival revealed another sneaky “hack” that could also lead to a ban: sneaking alcohol on board in clever containers. The cruise line’s brand ambassador said “Don’t do it” as it violates Carnival’s policies and means violators “can’t cruise with us anymore”.
Read more: 6 times cruise passengers were banned for life by a cruise line
