A Family Told Royal Caribbean's Crew About Their Daughter's Peanut Allergy — Multiple Times. Then the Crew Served Her a Peanut Dessert.

Imagine spending days making sure the crew of a cruise ship knows your child has a life-threatening peanut allergy. Telling them at check-in. Telling them at the dining room. Reminding them again. Watching every meal, asking every question, doing everything a parent can do to keep their child safe.

And then a crew member walks over to your child's table and hands her a chocolate-covered peanut butter rice crispy treat.

That is the allegation at the center of a federal personal injury lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida in June 2025 against Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

What the Lawsuit Alleges

Gregory Thompson filed the lawsuit on behalf of his minor daughter, identified in the complaint as M.T., under Case No. 1:25-cv-22611-DPG. According to the complaint, Thompson and his daughter boarded the Adventure of the Seas on July 27, 2024, for a family cruise.

Before the incident, members of the family explicitly notified Royal Caribbean crew members — on more than one occasion — that M.T. had a severe, life-threatening peanut allergy. The family did this precisely because they needed the crew to know. They were not casual about it. They were not ambiguous. They told the crew what could happen.

On August 1, 2024, four days into the cruise, a Royal Caribbean crew member served M.T. a chocolate-covered peanut butter rice crispy treat. The dessert contained peanuts. The lawsuit alleges that the crew member who served it either did not know about the allergy disclosure or ignored it, and that Royal Caribbean failed to adequately train its food service staff on how to handle allergy notifications, ensure allergen warnings were correctly communicated, and prevent allergen-containing food from reaching a passenger who had explicitly disclosed a life-threatening allergy.

Filed in Florida: Why This Matters for Florida Consumers

Royal Caribbean is headquartered in Miami. Almost all cruise lines operating from Florida ports — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity, MSC — are required by federal maritime law to have their passenger injury lawsuits litigated in the Southern District of Florida, regardless of where the passenger lives or where the injury occurred at sea.

That means this case is a Florida case. And it means that if you were injured on a cruise ship departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, or any other Florida port, Florida is likely where your legal rights can be enforced.

This Is Not an Isolated Incident

Royal Caribbean has faced multiple food allergy lawsuits filed in Miami federal court. In a 2018 case, the cruise line was sued after a child passenger with a severe gluten allergy was served gluten-based pasta despite the family's repeated warnings. The child was rendered nearly unconscious and required two emergency doses of epinephrine at the ship's infirmary. In another case, a passenger suffered an allergic reaction after Royal Caribbean crew falsely assured her that a pastry contained only almonds when it also contained hazelnuts — an allergen she had explicitly disclosed.

These are not freak accidents. They reflect a pattern of inadequate allergen management aboard one of the world's largest cruise lines — a company that carries millions of passengers annually and has the resources to train every crew member who touches food.

What Cruise Line Allergy Victims Need to Know

Cruise ship injury cases are governed by maritime law and are subject to strict procedural requirements that differ from typical Florida personal injury cases. Most cruise line tickets contain clauses that shorten the time you have to file a claim — often to just one year from the date of the incident, and sometimes less. These deadlines are enforced even against passengers who did not read the fine print.

If you or your child suffered an allergic reaction aboard a cruise ship departing from a Florida port, the time to act is now. Evidence disappears. Crew members rotate off ships. Ship logs get purged. An experienced Florida personal injury attorney can preserve your claim before the window closes.

Do You Have a Case?

If you or someone you love suffered a serious allergic reaction in Florida — at a restaurant, on a cruise ship, at a school, or anywhere else — you may have a legal claim. Florida's statute of limitations for personal injury is two years. The clock is already running.

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If you think you may have a case, Consumer Rights Law, PLLC offers free consultations and works on contingency — you pay nothing unless we win. Call (786) 360-7697 or visit consumerrights.law.

Consumer Rights Law, PLLC — Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.