Celebrity Cruises has issued an apology after a 31-year-old autistic man was removed from one of its ships in Mexico on Christmas Eve, an incident that has raised serious questions about the company's commitment to its advertised "Autism Friendly Cruise Line" status.
Family Holiday Turns Into Christmas Eve Ordeal
Carolyn Piro, a post-traumatic stress disorder therapist from New Jersey, had booked a seven-day, five-star cruise with Celebrity Cruises to celebrate her 60th birthday with family members including her son Sean Curran. What was meant to be a festive holiday celebration quickly descended into what Piro describes as a traumatic experience that left her family stranded in a foreign country on Christmas Eve.
The incident occurred on the fourth day of the cruise when Curran, who has autism, was making his way to the swimming pool. According to Piro, her son encountered a teenage girl who followed him to a bar and asked him to order her a Long Island iced tea. Curran, who didn't understand the drink contained alcohol, complied with the request.
Misunderstood Interaction Leads to Security Intervention
"If you ask Sean what a Long Island iced tea is, he'll tell you it's an iced tea from Long Island," Piro explained to The Independent, highlighting her son's literal interpretation of language common among autistic individuals.
The situation escalated when Curran and the girl moved to a hot tub, where Piro says her son lifted the girl in a manner he'd seen in the animated film Shrek. "When Sean says, 'like Shrek picks up Fiona,' he's talking about how a groom would pick up a bride," Piro clarified. "He was horse-playing. He did not make any sexual contact with her."
When the girl's parents arrived and security was called, Piro says staff members questioned her son without her presence, despite Curran repeatedly explaining he has autism and offering apologies. Piro was eventually brought into the situation when a staff member asked if her son was "high-functioning," a term many in the autism community find problematic.
Inappropriate Procedures and Stranded in Mexico
Piro claims security personnel asked Curran to write a report about the incident, instructing him to refer to himself as the "suspect" and the girl as the "victim." Curran concluded his statement with: "I have autism, and I was just trying to be nice."
"His handwriting is that of a kindergartner," Piro noted. "When security saw his handwriting, they asked me to write the report for him. And I said, 'I can't do that. I wasn't there.'"
Following this exchange, Piro says she and her son were given just 90 minutes to pack their belongings before being removed from the ship in Cozumel, Mexico, on Christmas Eve. "I did not get a moment alone with Sean until we were on a dark, deserted dock in Mexico," she recalled. "They just dumped us. I had no cell phone service. It was pitch black and everything was closed."
Cruise Line Response and Training Commitments
Royal Caribbean, which owns Celebrity Cruises, has acknowledged shortcomings in their handling of the situation. A company spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer they had reviewed the incident and "concluded we could have been more sensitive to their needs during the debarkation process."
The company has committed to providing additional training for staff members to "ensure this experience doesn't happen again." Piro says she has received a "really sincere" apology from Celebrity Cruises, with staff acknowledging that her family "should not have been treated that way."
Financial and Emotional Consequences
Piro is seeking reimbursement of more than $20,000 from the cruise line, covering both the cost of the trip and what she describes as "economic loss" after taking three weeks off work to process the traumatic experience. She says she hasn't yet received a response to this financial request.
"My clients come to me with significant trauma, and we do significant processing," said Piro, who works as a trauma therapist. "I couldn't focus."
Piro also revealed that the cruise line has a disability advocate on board, but this staff member was never called during the incident with her son.
Broader Implications for Disability Inclusion
Since sharing her story, Piro says other parents have contacted her with similar experiences involving cruise lines and disability accommodations. She has offered to participate in future training sessions for cruise staff, even offering to pay her own way to help educate security personnel.
"I don't want our story to disappear," Piro stated. "Let us come and participate in your training with your security staff. We'll walk through how this could have been handled differently."
The incident highlights ongoing challenges in how businesses implement their disability inclusion policies, particularly when dealing with autistic adults. "Autism isn't just a little kid with sensory issues," Piro emphasised. "It's adults who can talk, who like to meet people, who are out in the world. Sean's a friendly guy who thought he was making a friend. He had no malicious intention."
The case raises important questions about how companies that advertise special accommodations for disabled passengers actually implement those policies during real-world incidents, and whether staff training adequately prepares employees to support neurodiverse individuals in challenging situations.
