A lawyer enters the picture, the cruise line is sued, and what was supposed to be a romantic trip turns into an expense for medical fees, sleepless nights, and dozens of photos of red bumps. Not exactly the brochure version of a “luxury at sea” vacation.
The couple behind the lawsuit is Catherine Shockley and William Maycock. Their claim? The cruise company didn’t bother to remediate an issue in the cabin — wee beasts with six legs and a hunger for blood: bedbugs.
A Lawsuit Instead of a Honeymoon Vibe
By the end of the trip, the two had each counted separately more than 30 bites. As stated in the legal complaint, the bites were more than itchy — they were painful blisters with dark spots which also caused stress and lack of sleep and medical treatment.
Sure thing, they also threw away personal belongings so as not to take the bugs home.
So yes, the bill was bigger than just the cruise ticket.
The Horror Actually Started Quietly
Now how great is this: what started as a honeymoon-like vacation started perfectly fine. The couple boarded in February of 2025. Cabins all clean, with an ocean view, perfect romantic mood.
But on their first night, something biblically wrong had happened.
They woke up itching their legs and arms. At first, they brushed it off, thinking it may have been mosquitoes, new soap, or something else. They both remained calm and slept for another night.
Mistake.
The next day, the red bumps that appeared on their ankles turned into little red bumps spreading from their legs to their backs, and eventually to their heads. It was then that Shockley decided to inspect the cabin herself.
Finding the Enemy
While inspecting the room, she says that she found the stuff dreams are made of:
- living bed bugs at different stages
- droppings or feces
- eggs
Essentially, the full package or cook-out of the bedbug encyclopedia.
They notified a crew member – housekeeping – and filed a complaint with guest services, letting them know the state of the cabin. The complaint states that the crew never took action: never offered a new room, never offered to inspect the room, and certainly never offered to clean the room.
The Middle of the Story: Where Their “Dream Cruise” Died
After the experience spiraled, the couple realized that the cabin should have likely been checked thoroughly before they stepped foot into it.
This became their case’s legal essential:
If the cruise company staff had engaged in proper inspection and maintenance, the infestation would have never happened.
Back to the Start: What they wanted
They had a simple plan — an enjoyable cruise for a few days in February 2025.
With the wind in their hair, intimate dinners, maybe a couple of sunsets here and there, and certainly no one’s suitcase is equipped with an anti-bedbug suit.
What instead resulted:
- medical treatment,
- emotional trauma,
- loss of sleep,
- loss of personal belongings,
- and legal action.
What happens next?
Shockley and Maycock have actually filed a lawsuit against the company for negligence — three counts of negligence. They assert that the entire episode was preventable and now our clients deserve some justice for the nightmare that was actually contained in a set of sheets.
Instead of an enjoyable vacation the event made headlines. Sometimes the scariest part of traveling on a cruise is not the ocean — but whatever was under the sheets biting you while you sleep.
