Sunsetz
Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas experienced a frightening moment while sailing on June 8, 2025, when a large window at the ship’s Coastal Kitchen shattered without warning.
The incident happened while the ship was turning to dock at its first scheduled call in Port Canaveral, Florida, during a 7-night roundtrip voyage from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Guest accounts say the incident could have been worse if it were not for the quick actions of Symphony of the Seas’ waiter Nitin Kumar, who noticed cracks forming in the restaurant’s glass wall and rushed to warn passengers lounging below on the pool deck.
About “15 seconds later,” the glass broke.
“We were three windows over,” one passenger posted online. “The waiter, Nitin, saw it cracking and sprinted down to the pool deck and told the people in deck chairs to move. Dude saved some lives for sure.”
he situation unfolded so quickly that many guests didn’t even realize what was happening until they heard the sound of the glass hitting the deck.
Some said it sounded like a loud crash, followed by stunned silence as crew members rushed in to cordon off the area.
The glass, which was tempered for safety, shattered into small pieces that rained onto the pool deck area, forcing the crew to close the pool and drain it for debris.
No injuries were reported among the ship’s 5,518 passengers, and the glass panel was already replaced by the time the ship continued its itinerary to Nassau, Bahamas, on June 9, 2025.
The 228,081-gross-ton Symphony of the Seas will sail to Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian destination, Perfect Day in Coco Cay tomorrow before returning to the New York area on June 13.
After numerous passengers sang praises to Kumar for his quick thinking, he responded to the outpouring of appreciation.
“Thank you so much everyone for appreciation. You are all my family. What I did, I did for family,” he posted on social media.
“I’m Friendly, Passionate, and Committed, and I’m Royal,” he continued, saying what he did he learned from Royal Caribbean. “How to take care of my guests like family.”
Glass Failures Rare
Costal Kitchen is Royal Caribbean’s exclusive, upscale dining venue reserved for Sky Class and Star Class suite guests and Pinnacle Crown & Anchor Society members. The venue is available on Oasis, Quantum, and Icon Class ships and located on Deck 17.
Read Also: What Are the Different Royal Caribbean Ship Classes?
Although it is unclear what caused the restaurant’s windowpane to crack, some guests speculate it may have been related to vibrations from the ship’s 180-degree maneuver into port.
Crew members have not identified a specific cause, describing it as a rare and isolated event.
One guest noted that crew members had the area cleaned, the glass replaced, and the pool deck reopened to guests within hours, and was impressed by how seamless the recovery was.
While extremely uncommon, incidents involving shattered glass can happen.
Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas experienced similar damage when a powerful storm hit the ship returning to Galveston, Texas, in January 2024, breaking glass panels, as well as furnishings in public spaces.
In February 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas also met with a storm carrying 150-mile-per-hour winds that shattered glass onto its pool deck.
That same year, Rhapsody of the Seas had two glass-shattering incidents.
In April 2016, a rogue wave hit the ship while sailing to Santorini, breaking several cabin windows. Then in September, several large windows were shattered after high winds struck the vessel.
No serious injuries were reported in any of the events.
