The Dallas Express, May 2025
Crime aboard cruise ships departing U.S. ports has surged to a two-year high, with 48 incidents reported in the first quarter of 2025, casting what one expert calls a “dark cloud” over the industry. The spike, driven by allegations of rape, sexual assault, and violent brawls, has intensified scrutiny on passenger safety as cruise tourism booms.
According to Department of Transportation data, the 48 reported crimes from January 1 to March 30, 2025, included 23 alleged rapes, 10 sexual assaults, and seven assaults. Robert McDonald, a former Secret Service agent and criminal justice lecturer at the University of New Haven, told Fox News Digital, “All of that negative vibe and negative information puts a dark cloud over the industry, an industry that wants people to come to it and wants them to be comfortable spending their money.”
