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Royal Caribbean cruise passenger was served 33 drinks before he died in custody: lawsuit
NY Post ^ | 12/08/2025 | Alex Oliveira

Posted on 12/08/2025 2:04:00 PM PST by DFG

The death of a Royal Caribbean passenger has been ruled a homicide after crew members allegedly served him nearly three-dozen drinks at the ship’s bar before he died, according to a new lawsuit.

Michael Virgil, 35, was served 33 drinks at one of the ship’s bars on the day he died in custody in December 2024, according to a wrongful death lawsuit recently filed by his fiancé and obtained by TMZ.

Virgil was detained during a drunken rage, in which he allegedly attacked and threatened to kill crew members and passengers.

But he died within hours after being restrained and taken into custody by cruise ship security, according to the lawsuit — with Virgil’s family initially alleging they injected him with a sedative which killed him.

-- snip --

It was during that time he was allegedly served the booze — and he broke into a rage when he left the bar extremely inebriated and couldn’t find his room.

Footage from the cruise caught Virgil attempting to batter down a door after he’d allegedly attacked crew members and threatened to kill passengers.

When he was eventually detained, his fiancé alleged “the excessive force and fatal actions taken by crew members including security and medical personnel” who “administered an injection of a sedative medication, Haloperidol, and used multiple cans of pepper spray” led to his death, according to the lawsuit.

Virgil died of “significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest, leading to his death which has been ruled a homicide,” the lawsuit read.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


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KEYWORDS: cruise; death
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1 posted on 12/08/2025 2:04:00 PM PST by DFG
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To: DFG

And here I would have guessed severe alcohol poisoning.

Oh well.....


2 posted on 12/08/2025 2:08:17 PM PST by ASOC (YGBSM)
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To: DFG

What a lightweight.


3 posted on 12/08/2025 2:09:23 PM PST by Bullish (My tagline ran off with another man, but it's okay... I wasn't married to it.)
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To: Bullish

He drinks a whiskey drink
He drinks a Vodka drink
He drinks a Lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times
Oh, Danny Boy
Danny Boy
Danny Boy
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down


4 posted on 12/08/2025 2:10:10 PM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: DFG

5 posted on 12/08/2025 2:11:23 PM PST by plain talk
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To: DFG

Something’s wrong with this story. Anyone served that many drinks would have fallen on the floor the minute he left his seat. If not before.


6 posted on 12/08/2025 2:11:23 PM PST by Veto! (Trump Is Superman)
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To: Veto!

More to this story.


7 posted on 12/08/2025 2:13:32 PM PST by Hyman Roth
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To: Veto!
Anyone served that many drinks would have fallen on the floor the minute he left his seat. If not before.

You aren't suggesting Royal Caribbean drinks are watered down?!

Actually, some people can tolerate stupendous quantities of alcohol.

8 posted on 12/08/2025 2:15:04 PM PST by fso301
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To: DFG

In the good old days, he would have just got a hickory shampoo, woke up with a headache, blamed it on the alcohol and would have had to apologize to the captain.


9 posted on 12/08/2025 2:15:46 PM PST by PGR88
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To: DFG

Like many cruise lines, Royal C offers “unlimited drink” packages. This guy was probably demanding all of this alcohol to get his money’s worth, and the bartender most likely felt obligated to keep pouring.


10 posted on 12/08/2025 2:17:41 PM PST by Restless
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To: Restless

Well he just ruined it for everybody now. You can bet there will be limits now.


11 posted on 12/08/2025 2:18:18 PM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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To: DFG

Probably bought one of those all you can drink packages.


12 posted on 12/08/2025 2:19:35 PM PST by pfflier
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To: Veto!
Anyone served that many drinks would have fallen on the floor the minute he left his seat. If not before.

I know a 6'4" 325 lb German guy who had 20 beers, within the 4-5 hours that I was with him at a friend's BBQ. He was drinking before I arrived, and stayed later after I left too. He appeared tipsy, but could easily walk, talk, make jokes, etc...

13 posted on 12/08/2025 2:21:20 PM PST by PGR88
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To: dfwgator

I’m pretty sure Carnival and MSC Cruises impose a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per person, per day on the alcohol packages.


14 posted on 12/08/2025 2:25:37 PM PST by chuck allen
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To: PGR88
I know a 6'4" 325 lb German guy who had 20 beers, within the 4-5 hours that I was with him... Meh, that was just his warmup. German mothers fill their baby bottles with beer instead of milk.
15 posted on 12/08/2025 2:25:58 PM PST by AnglePark (My opinion is the most worthless thing I own.)
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To: ASOC
attacked and threatened to kill crew members

That's what they get for cutting him off.

16 posted on 12/08/2025 2:26:51 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: Veto!
"Anyone served that many drinks would have fallen on the floor the minute he left his seat."

Any seasoned alcoholic could put away a quart in one sitting.

There's far less than a quart in 33 bar drinks.

17 posted on 12/08/2025 2:27:13 PM PST by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
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To: AnglePark; PGR88

Dang it... wishing again there was an edit button on FR. I got in a hurry and missed my paragraph tags.


18 posted on 12/08/2025 2:28:01 PM PST by AnglePark (My opinion is the most worthless thing I own.)
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To: dfwgator

Drink packages do have limits, always have.


19 posted on 12/08/2025 2:32:22 PM PST by jpp113
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To: jpp113

So there’s no such thing as an “All You Can Drink Package”, right?


20 posted on 12/08/2025 2:33:12 PM PST by dfwgator ("I am Charlie Kirk!")
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