Jim Walker, a Miami-based maritime lawyer who has represented victims in other voyeurism cases, questioned the amount of the bond. “A $25,000 bond might be appropriate for a single victim, but considering there are at least 150 victims and many dozens of children, according to the F.B.I. affidavit, a bond should not be less than $1,000,000,” he said. He said he has been contacted by passengers who were on the Harmony of the Seas during the incident.
Passengers said Royal Caribbean had failed to notify them about the hidden camera during and after the sailing. They said they found out through the media and an F.B.I. notice seeking to identify potential victims.
“It’s terrifying that passengers and their children were filmed secretly while they were naked using the bathroom,” said April Wise, 52, who was on the cruise with her husband and niece. “Thankfully, we didn’t use that bathroom, but thousands of people were on the ship and they still don’t know if they were filmed or not. It’s unacceptable that Royal Caribbean has not contacted the victims.”
Royal Caribbean declined to comment, but emailed a statement, saying: “We are aware of an incident that occurred on board Harmony of the Seas’ April 29 cruise. The matter was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement and the guest involved was removed from the ship by authorities for further investigation. As this is an active case, we are unable to share any more details at this time.”
It is not the first time that such an incident has occurred on a cruise ship. In March, an MSC Cruises crew member was caught filming women in a restroom. In 2017, a family found a hidden camera pointing toward their bed in their stateroom onboard the Carnival Fantasy, but after conducting an investigation the cruise company said the camera had not been operational.
“It’s so easy for predators to buy small cheap cameras these days,” Ms. Wise said. “Checking for them needs to be part of cruise ship security protocol.”
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