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Rogue Wave Slams Cruise Ship, Passengers Panic (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The late, great David Foster Wallace once wrote a piece for Harper’s magazine, in which he set sail on a luxury cruise. What followed was a meticulous, and delightfully comical, depiction of the absurdity and indulgence of the cruise ship experience.

It’s still, to this day, one of my favorite magazine features of all time.

And yet, not all cruise ship voyages are filled with gluttonous buffets, stunning seascapes from port-side balconies, and umbrella drinks by the pool. For example, the recent Netflix documentary, Trainwreck: Poop Cruise. Or, another recent instance, during which a Royal Caribbean ship was struck by a rogue wave.

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Video from the incident shows plates and glassware careening across the cabin, as the ship rocked back and forth from the wild waves. The video has garnered 7.8 million views on TikTok since it was posted just a few days ago.

In a follow-up post from the same TikToker, they explained the situation:

“This was Vision of the Seas in Bermuda. The ship hit some waves the wrong way and tipped for a few minutes. Everyone was holding on as not to slip.

“Due to hazards, the staff did NOT let anyone help clean up and blocked everything off once the ship was stable. The bar floor was the worst with glass and liquor everywhere.

“A few elderly people fell from the rocking and some kids were scared but nobody was injured.”

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Some context from the previous video
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Despite the inconvenience, and potentially frightening situation, the TikToker still applauded the staff for keeping everything under control given the circumstances.

“It’s rare but this happens. The staff are trained and experienced. They are more worried about safety rather than the mess. The staff had everything cleaned up and reopened all the food within 20 minutes.”

Happy ending for everyone.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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