A Royal Caribbean passenger, Connie Aguilar, is suing the cruise line on behalf of her fiancé who died after he was over served alcohol, and then pepper-sprayed, restrained by security, and injected with a sedative.

The incident occurred on December 13th, 2024, on the first day of a weekend cruise aboard the Navigator of the Seas. The man, Michael Virgil, was on the cruise with Aguilar and their seven-year-old autistic son. The family’s cabin was not ready when they boarded the cruise so, at the suggestion of the cruise line, they went to the ship’s bar at around 10:30 a.m. PST.

Virgil was left alone at the bar after Aguilar and their son went to check on the status of their cabin. According to court documents, Virgil was served an extraordinary amount of alcohol, 33 drinks, while he waited for his room. Virgil had purchased the ship’s all you can drink package which incentivizes passengers to drink excessively “to get their money’s worth.”

Intoxicated and without his family, Virgil left the bar to look for his cabin. In his confused state, he became increasingly agitated and then violent as he could not locate his room. Virgil reportedly assaulted multiple crew members and tried to kick down a door. A video of the incident can be seen below.

Ship security restrained Virgil using physical force, used multiple cans of pepper spray, and injected the sedative Haloperidol, according to court documents. Haloperidol is an antipsychotic medication and should strictly be avoided with alcohol due to hypotension. Haldol (haloperidol) is contraindicated with someone intoxicated and causes severe drowsiness and central nervous system depression, worsening breathing problems and dangerously low blood pressure.

Virgil died later in the day while under under security custody. Court documents argue that “the compression of DECEDENT’S body by ROYAL CARIBBEAN crewmembers, including security personnel, directly caused significant hypoxia and impaired ventilation, respiratory failure, cardiovascular instability, and ultimately cardiopulmonary arrest leading to DECEDENT’S death.”

Royal Caribbean then refrigerated Mr. Virgil’s body on the cruise ship until the ship returned to port in Los Angeles on December 16, 2025.

We have handled our share of cases where Royal Caribbean over-served guests with alcohol. The greatest amount of alcohol we have heard of is twenty-two (22) alcoholic drinks sold to a young man within a relatively short period of time (four hours). That particular case involved the young man blacking out due to alcohol poisoning, climbing onto a lifeboat in a drunken stupor, and eventually falling off the ship (Oasis of the Seas). Fortunately, he was recovered by a Disney cruise ship (Disney Magic) which encountered him in the water.

The act of Royal Caribbean bartenders serving Mr. Virgil with 33 drinks of alcohol (around two fifths) is clearly outrageous conduct without any regard for the health and safety of its guest. The lawsuit, which was filed earlier today, alleges punitive damages in addition to the damages permitted by the Death on the High Seas Act which applies to deaths in international waters.

One of the problems with cruise lines which push alcohol sales is that tips and gratuities from the sale of booze on ships is a major source of income for ship bartenders. For example, Royal Caribbean charges a 18% gratuity on all you can drink packages.

It is doubtful that Royal Caribbean has made any significant changes to its policy and procedures in selling alcohol on its ships due to this man’s death. Revamping its training and education of its bartenders, terminating the bartenders who over-served Mr. Virgil and the supervisors and managers involved in overseeing the sale of alcohol on this ship, including those in the food and beverage department, is needed to demonstrate that this cruise line acknowledges the substantial harm that it caused to Mr. Virgil and his family by its callous and irresponsible conduct.

The lawsuit alleges that law enforcement and/or the medical coroner found that Mr. Virgil’s death was considered to constitute a “homicide.” It is easy to understand why. Serving a guest as much as two fifths of alcohol, and then pepper-spraying, restraining, and injecting him with a sedative, is certain to cause serious harm if not death.

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