Key Aspects:
- A passenger unexpectedly died during Anthem of the Seas’ current New Zealand cruise.
- New Zealand Police were immediately notified and began an investigation into the sudden death.
- Unrelated, the ship also suffered a last-minute itinerary change due to poor weather.
Anthem’s of the Seas’ current sailing to New Zealand, which only just embarked in Sydney, Australia, on March 22, 2026, has had no shortage of bad luck.
Sadly, an unidentified passenger died suddenly while the Royal Caribbean ship was en route to Bay of Islands (Russell), which was the first port call on the 12-night itinerary and where the 4,180-guest ship arrived on the morning of March 25.
This was then followed by an unrelated itinerary change due to dangerous weather conditions (but we’ll get to that later).
New Zealand Police were alerted to the “sudden death” at approximately 1:45 a.m. on March 25, and officers were waiting for the 4,180-guest ship when she arrived at around 8 a.m. that morning. A death investigation was quickly launched.
“At around 1:45 a.m., Police were notified of a death on board the Anthem of the Seas cruise ship which was arriving from Sydney, Australia,” the New Zealand Police told PEOPLE.
The spokesperson for the police force also confirmed that the officers were “making enquiries into the person’s death on behalf of the coroner.”
Royal Caribbean also confirmed the death in a statement to Cruise Hive, and is cooperating with the investigation.
“We are saddened by the passing of one of our guests. We are supporting authorities in their investigation,” Royal Caribbean wrote in an email.
This is, of course, still a developing situation and Cruise Hive will share additional information about the circumstances if and when it becomes available.
Is Foul Play Suspected?
Especially in the wake of Anna Kepner’s homicide on Carnival Horizon last November, some may be suspicious about the circumstances behind this passenger’s death.
However, it’s important not to let rumors or speculation go too far, as no details about the untimely passing (beyond the fact that it happened) have been publicly released at this time.
While foul play is possible, cruise guests do die from time to time due to natural causes. Ships even have onboard morgues to prepare for these unfortunate situations.
It’s also very common for the ship’s security team and local authorities to conduct an investigation and complete incident reports, even when the death is not considered suspicious.
Adding insult to injury, the 12-night voyage has also been slapped with a last-minute itinerary change. This was not related to the death, but rather due to inclement weather conditions.
Unfortunately, a deep subtropical low-pressure system is bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to much of New Zealand’s North Island.
The 168,666-gross ton ship was forced to skip its planned call to Tauranga, (Rotorua), which was scheduled for March 26. She instead went straight to Napier, where cruise tracking data confirms she arrived at around 10:30 a.m.
She originally wasn’t supposed to arrive in the coastal city, which is located on the eastern coast of the North Island within the Hawke’s Bay region, until noon on March 27.
“Anthem of the Seas has missed Mount Maunganui, Tauranga today. She is currently on her way in to Napier and is due to dock at around 10:30am…This is due to bad weather,” one cruiser updated earlier in the morning.
It’s unclear how the rest of the itinerary, which features Wellington, Lyttelton (Christchurch), Dunedin (Port Chalmers), and Fiordland National Park, may also be impacted. The Quantum-class ship is due back in Sydney on April 3.
