An Alabama mother and son were removed from an MSC cruise after being caught on video allegedly engaging in a physical altercation with an elderly passenger. Kelli Lyn Ryan, 49, and her son, Dylan Ryan, 23, from Huntsville, were accused of slapping a passenger over the age of 65 on the cruise, which departed from Miami, Florida, told the Daily Mail.
The incident occurred on October 6, around 9:30 p.m., in the ship’s two-deck theater, following a heated argument. Surveillance footage, obtained by police, reportedly showed Kelli slapping the elderly victim, whose identity remains unknown. Her son, Dylan, was also seen striking the same passenger multiple times, according to the ship’s deputy chief of security.
Following the altercation, Dylan was ejected from the cruise at its first port stop in Falmouth, Jamaica, the day after the incident, due to what was described as “excessive behavior.” Meanwhile, Kelli was allowed to stay on board as the cruise continued its voyage to the Grand Cayman Islands, Mexico, and MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, in the Bahamas.
A week later, when the Seascape cruise ship returned to Miami, Kelli was arrested and charged with battery on a person 65 or older. According to Local10, her name no longer appeared on the jail’s online database as of Monday.
While details regarding the elderly victim have not been released, MSC Cruises has yet to issue a public statement about the incident. The situation has sparked speculation and discussions on social media, with users questioning the circumstances surrounding Dylan’s ejection in Jamaica and Kelli’s decision to remain on board without him.
“Wow, how ‘excessively’ violent do you have to act for MSC security to actually kick you off the cruise ship in a foreign port?” one user posted on Cruise Law News‘ Facebook page. Another commented, “Being dumped in Jamaica with no resources is no joke either.”
A third added, “Cruising on these big ships is dangerous, on so many levels.”
Incidents like this, in which passengers are removed from cruise ships, are rare and typically occur only in cases of severe behavioral issues or serious medical conditions. The removal of Dylan from the cruise and the later arrest of his mother highlights the seriousness of the situation, which has left many passengers and social media users debating the event.