Cruise Ship Worker Shares Bizarre Tales of Theft at Sea

Working on a cruise ship comes with its share of strange and unexpected experiences, but for Lucy Southerton, a cruise ship worker and YouTuber behind the Cruising as Crew channel, one particular encounter with a daring passenger still stands out. In a recent episode of the Sail Away: Uncensored Cruise Podcast, Lucy opened up about a series of astonishing thefts she witnessed during her time working at sea.

When asked about the types of crime that occur on cruise ships, Lucy recalled witnessing theft firsthand while working in the ship’s shops. What started as an ordinary case of shoplifting quickly escalated into something far more surprising.

“One that I’ve been witness to more than a few times is theft,” Lucy began. “I remember this one guy; he stole…I was working in the beauty shop on P&O, and he stole some face cream.” She went on to explain that cruise ship staff are not allowed to confront passengers about stolen items until they have left the store, so Lucy followed the proper protocol. “I saw him do it, but you’re not allowed to say anything until they’ve like left the shop because technically, until they’ve stepped out of the shop, they haven’t stolen anything”, via the Express.

Lucy reported the incident to her manager, and security was called to investigate. At first, they expected to retrieve only the stolen face cream. However, when security arrived at the passenger’s cabin, they were in for a shock. “They got to his cabin; he’d taken like three chairs from different venues. He had a painting from the art gallery. He’d been stealing from all the shops.”

The discovery left everyone baffled. How someone could smuggle large items like chairs and a painting back to their room without being noticed remains a mystery. When asked how it was even possible to steal a painting, Lucy admitted she wasn’t sure of the “ins and outs” but confirmed that the artwork had been reported missing.

Theft on cruise ships, as strange as it may seem, is not the only type of crime that occurs on the high seas. Lucy’s story brings attention to the fact that criminal activity, ranging from petty theft to much more serious offenses, is not unheard of aboard cruise liners.

In March, a bar steward on a cruise ship was caught attempting to smuggle over £2 million worth of cocaine into the UK. The steward had hidden 28kg of cocaine in his cabin and tried to hand it overboard to members of an organised crime group in a dinghy. Fortunately, the operation was foiled before the drugs made it off the ship.

And while drug smuggling might be one of the more extreme examples, cruise ships have also been the setting for even darker crimes. In 1947, deck steward James Camb made headlines for throwing the body of actress Gay Gibson through a porthole. Camb initially denied having seen her but later claimed she had died suddenly, causing him to panic and dispose of her body by throwing it overboard.

Though these extreme cases are rare, Lucy’s story highlights that even in the seemingly idyllic world of cruise ships, unexpected and sometimes shocking incidents can occur. From stolen face cream to missing artwork, it’s clear that life on the high seas is never short of surprises.