A male stateroom attendant aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas was arrested on Sunday, March 3, 2024. Under the charge of installing hidden cameras inside guests’ staterooms. The attendant admitted to the acts and faces federal charges. He will be detained until his trial.
Royal Caribbean International is cooperating with investigators for this alarming incident.
Stateroom Attendant Arrested for Hidden Cameras
A Royal Caribbean stateroom attendant, 34-year-old Arvin Joseph Mirasol from the Philippines. He was arrested in Fort Lauderdale when Symphony of the Seas returned from her cruise. This 8-night Southern Caribbean sailing left Port Everglades on Saturday, February 24.
Mirasol allegedly placed hidden cameras in several staterooms, even moving the cameras on other sailings to film guests who met his selections, including younger passengers.
More shockingly, Mirasol confessed to hiding cameras under the beds in staterooms. On “several occasions” while guests were reportedly in the shower.
Mirasol’s activities were uncovered when a guest found a camera in her stateroom bathroom early on the sailing. She traveled with two female family members and found the camera beneath the sink. She alerted the ship’s security department, which instantly took action. The ship’s security imprisoned Mirasol for the rest of the sailing.
The employee’s equipment, including a USB stick, SD card, camera, and cell phone, has been held and examined. Many videos showed the prohibited activities. This includes one video of Mirasol installing a camera in a guest stateroom.
Mirasol’s actions were reported to Homeland Security by the cruise line. His employment has been terminated. He was turned over to authorities as soon as the ship docked.
“We have zero tolerance for this unacceptable behavior. We immediately reported this to law enforcement and terminated the crew member, and we will continue to fully cooperate with authorities,” Royal Caribbean said.
Mirasol Investigation Expands
Further investigation shows that Mirasol began working on Symphony of the Seas in December 2023. Still, no details have been released about how many staterooms may have been affected by his actions or whether the video was obtained from multiple sailings.
Mirasol now faces seven different charges. He remains booked in the Broward County Jail without bond.
The 228,081-gross-ton Symphony of the Seas is now homeported in Fort Lauderdale, offering a mix of Southern Caribbean and Western Caribbean sailings. In May, the ship will move to New Jersey to offer Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean cruises for the summer before sailing to Miami in November to resume varied Caribbean itineraries.
The Oasis-class ship can accommodate 5,518 guests at double occupancy or as many as 6,680 passengers when completely booked with all berths filled. Additionally, approximately 2,200 international crew members are onboard. This disturbing incident has not affected Symphony of the Seas‘ sailings or itineraries.
Other Camera Incidents
This is not the first time hidden cameras have been reported aboard a cruise ship. In May 2023, a guest aboard Harmony of the Seas was arrested for placing a hidden camera in one of the ship’s public unisex restrooms.
2017, a family aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s now-retired Carnival Fantasy found a hidden camera near their stateroom television.
While most cruise ship workers are outstanding individuals with strong work ethics, it is extremely unfortunate that—just like in any job position—people sometimes behave inappropriately, even criminally.
Cruise guests can save themselves by staying vigilant about their surroundings and scanning their staterooms when they arrive for their vacation. They should make sure that no suspicious cables, lenses, or other equipment are present. They should also focus especially on beds or bathrooms. Anything uncertain should instantly be reported to the ship’s security or Guest Services.
While not everyone may need to take safety tips to the extreme by blocking the door or taking other over-the-top measures, it is always smart to be careful and remain alert when traveling, whether on a cruise or land.
