Carnival Vista Passenger Sues Over Alleged Spa Assault
Doe's filing cites Department of Transportation data showing one hundred thirty-five sexual assaults reported on Carnival vessels between 2016 and 2025.
A Kentucky passenger has sued Carnival and OneSpaWorld in Miami federal court, alleging a massage therapist sexually assaulted her during a July 5, 2025 spa treatment aboard Carnival Vista and then prevented her from leaving the treatment room. The amended complaint, filed under the name Jane Doe, seeks damages from the cruise line and its shipboard spa contractor in an amount to be determined by a jury.
The complaint names OneSpaWorld, LLC as a co-defendant and says the company managed and operated the spa aboard Carnival Vista.
Complaint centers on spa treatment and door allegation
Doe was sailing on Carnival Vista when she booked a massage, according to the amended complaint. Once she was on the massage table, the complaint alleges the therapist “repeatedly and intentionally” touched her genitalia and made sexual comments about her body.
The filing says Doe tried to leave the room. The spa attendant exited first and then blocked the door from outside, refusing to open it despite Doe’s pleas. The complaint states that Doe was eventually allowed to leave and that she “did not consent to being locked in the massage room.”
OneSpaWorld’s cruise business spans 208 ships across more than 20 cruise brands, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises. Doe claims Carnival and OneSpaWorld failed to provide adequate supervision, security and passenger warnings.
Case cites prior spa incidents and DOT crime data
The complaint alleges that similar incidents had occurred on Carnival ships in spa facilities operated by OneSpaWorld and that the companies were therefore on notice of a foreseeable risk. It also claims Carnival and OneSpaWorld failed to warn passengers because doing so could deter bookings.
Doe’s filing cites U.S. Department of Transportation data showing 135 sexual assaults reported on Carnival vessels between 2016 and 2025, with more than one-quarter allegedly committed by crew members. The complaint also identifies six individual cases that it says occurred in OneSpaWorld locations.
One of those cases was filed earlier this year by an Arizona woman who sued Carnival after alleging that a masseuse at Cloud 9, a OneSpaWorld spa brand, fondled her during a treatment and touched her pelvic area without consent. That complaint alleged the therapist moved sheets and pulled down undergarments during the incident.
In 2025, DOT recorded 181 alleged serious crimes across cruise lines. Sexual assault and rape accounted for 131 incidents, or 67% of the total. DOT cruise crime figures reflect allegations reported to the FBI through cruise line security channels, not final investigative outcomes.
The timing of Doe’s case is tied to the one-year filing window that applies to passenger claims under U.S. maritime law. The complaint says Doe suffered mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, impaired earning capacity and the loss of the benefit of her cruise, vacation and transportation costs.
Carnival and OneSpaWorld did not respond to requests for comment, and Doe’s attorney, Paul Hoffman, declined to comment while the case is pending.
