“They Thought I Was Drunk”: Disabled Cruise Passenger Responds to Ship Security Visit After Interaction with Teens

Kids can say some hurtful things. But for one disabled cruise passenger on a recent vacation at sea, a late-night interaction with a group of teenagers led to a visit from ship security.

In a reel posted on Facebook, the disabled passenger reported that he was accused of being drunk. He stated “I [have] cerebral palsy and that’s the way I walk.”

In this case, the passenger is comedian Josh Blue. He’s long been used to handling awkward or insensitive comments about the way he moves and turning those moments into something positive through his comedy.

In yesterday’s video on his Facebook account, however, Blue wasn’t going for laughs. He simply wanted to share what happened and encourage people to stand up for the disabled community.

A Visit from Security

According to Blue, the incident took place on the second night of a Royal Caribbean cruise he took this past summer.

Around 1:00 AM, security came to his cabin. A group of teenagers had reported to their parents (and the parents then reported to the ship) that Blue had tried to abduct them.

Blue said the actual moment was one he was fairly familiar with. He was walking up a set of stairs carrying two bottles of water. His girlfriend was right behind him.

At no point, he explained, were they closer than eight to ten feet from the teens. The teenagers reacted to the way he walks because of his cerebral palsy. One of them yelled “run,” and the group began screaming that he was coming after them.

Security initially believed Blue was drunk and told him they were going to revoke his alcohol privileges.

“I explained that I was disabled and that’s the way I walk,” Blue said.

His girlfriend then also chimed in and clarified that he has cerebral palsy. After that, security said they understood and that no further action was needed.

They told the couple they could go back to sleep.

But Blue stated that “it’s impossible to fall back to sleep after you’ve been accused of kidnapping children”.

Blue was quick to point out that no apology was given, and when they later spoke with a different security officer, they were told the situation had been resolved and no further action would be taken.

In the reel, the comedian made sure to point out that he is speaking out mainly to raise awareness.

Raising Awareness

To be fair, every cruise ship crew member is used to seeing drunk passengers on board. The security officers could have looked into the matter a little closer before this late-night visit, though.

But Blue’s purpose in posting the 3-minute reel was not to criticize the cruise line as much as to raise awareness.

“The reason I’m bringing this up with Royal Caribbean and bringing it here is because I’m very fortunate where I am able to talk about this and bring it to a platform,” he said. “But how many other disabled people out there in the world deal with this on a daily basis, not just on a cruise but other places.”

Blue added that he will not sail with Royal Caribbean again. He closed the video by encouraging people to stand up for the disabled community.

Comments Rally Behind Blue

The post quickly drew thousands of comments (over 4,000 at this time) from people who said they supported the comedian.

One person suggested the ship could have used the moment as a teaching opportunity: “I kinda wish they would have gone to each of the teenagers rooms, got them out of bed, with their parents. Sit them down with you and let them know about folks with disabilities.”

Another commenter who is also disabled and uses a wheelchair, wrote that she was angry on Blue’s behalf and thanked him for speaking up. “Thank you for using the platform you have to educate and advocate — we need this more than ever right now,” she said.

Brian Blackwell, who has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and deals with balance and mobility challenges, shared that he has faced similar assumptions of being under the influence. “This won’t help much but you’re not alone,” he said.

One comment came from someone else who also has cerebral palsy. She said she completely understood. “I often get asked if I need a waitress to call me a cab when I’m not drinking and can drive just fine,” she wrote. “Thanks for using your platform to educate others.”

Who is Josh Blue?

In case you don’t know, Josh Blue is a very accomplished American stand-up comedian who first broke into the national spotlight as the winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006.

Born with cerebral palsy, Blue often incorporates his disability into his comedy routines, using humor to break down stereotypes and making fun of himself to sort of break down those barriers.

He has been on The Tonight Show and even gained a ton of notoriety when he appeared on America’s Got Talent season 16 in 2021. He finished in third place.

Blue has also represented the United States as a member of the U.S. Paralympic National Soccer Team.