Evicted cruise ship family 'brawled for days' on board before final 'bloodbath' on Carnival Legend

Video footage of 'bloodbath' on cruise ship Carnival Legend. Photo / 3AW

The family offloaded after a "bloodbath" on the cruise ship Carnival Legend fought for days beforehand battling in skirmishes on the pool deck in front of children, video footage reveals.

Twenty- six members of a single extended family were evicted from the Carnival Legend after a mass brawl outside a ship nightclub in the early hours of Friday morning.

But is now been revealed that on board stoushes involving the family had broken out in daylight around the pool in the days leading up to the final, bloody conflict, news.com.au reports.

Video recorded by passengers on the ten-day South Pacific cruise show young adults fighting with ship's pursers and other staff on deck.

Women and men push and shove with the Carnival Legend officers dressed in white uniforms.

The cruise company's executives later confirmed that one family had been involved in ongoing incidents.

But it was the bloody clash at 1.30am on Friday which forced Carnival to the "unprecedented" eviction of the 26-member family, after calling NSW Police and docking at Eden on the NSW South Coast.

As the family was offloaded on to police boats on Friday morning, passengers rained down a barrage of insults from above on deck, yelling "Get off" and "You're not heroes, you're deros".

One of the evicted members of the family held up a derisive finger in response.

The days of fighting on board revealed in videos and passenger accounts, include guests saying they were "scared for their safety" in the eight days leading up to the family's eviction.

The family offloaded from the Carnival Legend brawled 'for days' on board. Photo / 3AW

Passenger Naomi told the Herald Sun that said there had been a number of fights on board, including in a nightclub and in an elevator the next day.

"And a big fight on the lido deck, which went on for about 45 minutes," she said.

"Lots of yelling people being threatened. Being called dogs in the smoking area. A pool was full of children, people were pulling their children out of the pool because they were crying and scared.

"There are about 20 of the family, older people, teenagers and young kids with them," a passenger, Naomi, said.

"They were loud, alcohol affected and things like that.

"Last night they attacked one of the security guards."

Passenger Kellie Petersen, who was on the cruise with her husband and their three children, aged 11, 9 and 6, said trouble on board had been "brewing for days".

"They were looking for trouble from the minute they got on the ship," she told Melbourne's 3AW.

"My husband said to take it away, because there's kids here, and five of them surrounded my husband. They told us to watch our backs."

The final violent clash which forced the Carnival Legend into Eden is believed to have started after a rubber thong was stepped on.

NSW Police told news.com.au that it was investigating the incidents but on Saturday no charges had been laid against anyone.

Authorities were told a "fight involving several men took place on board the ship after an argument" in the early hours of Friday morning.

"Security intervened and detained the men before notifying the Marine Area Command," NSW Police said.

After speaking to passengers and crew for several hours, police removed the extended family at Twofold Bay, Eden.

Carnival Cruise Line Australia vice-president Jennifer Vandekreeke said the incident was a first for the company and they had contacted police to meet the ship.

"Disembarking a family from a cruise is an unprecedented incident — it is always our last resort," she said.

Passenger is treated for a cut on head. Photo / 3AW

In a video posted on 3AW's website, people can be heard screaming as a large group of men shove each other. One man can be seen being led away by security.

In another video, ship crew members can be seen intervening in a scuffle on the ship's deck. A further 14 passengers, including women and children, also left the ship.

One member of the family known as Zac, told 3AW Radio he had been locked in his room overnight before being removed. He said the trouble started with another group over a thong and his family were being unfairly targeted.

"This is all over a thong, not a foot, a thong being stepped on and being instantly apologised for," he said.

Images have also emerged of Carnival Legend passengers who were injured during violent flare-ups on the 10-day cruise.

The Herald Sun has been told members of a family had been put under "house arrest" on the ship by security guards.

Passengers described how they locked themselves in their cabins as violence between two large groups broke out on several occasions.

They said threats had been made to stab and throw people overboard during what was described as a "cruise from hell".

"We are so scared after witnessing a traumatic experience with yet again the same offenders. It was a bloodbath," the passenger told Nine News.

"We will not be leaving our cabins and are truly scared for our safety and what could happen in the next 24 hours."

David Barkho told 3AW he got a 1am call from his son George, 20, who was a passenger on board, saying he had been injured and needed help.

"He said, 'Please Dad, please, call the Federal Police'," Mr Barkho said.

"I could hear a lot of screaming, crying in the background."

Mr Barkho said George had seen "a lot of people bleeding, a lot of people down on the ground".

A photo supplied to the radio station shows George being treated for an apparent cut on his head.

Mr Barkho also claimed security staff deleted images of the violence from George's phone.

In a statement to news.com.au, the ship's operator Carnival Cruise Line said staff had taken action against a small number of "disruptive guests".

"Safety is the number one priority for Carnival Cruise Line, we take a zero tolerance approach to excessive behaviour that affects other guests and we have acted accordingly on Carnival Legend," a spokesman said.

"The ship's highly trained security staff have taken strong action in relation to a small group of disruptive guests who have been involved in altercations on board.

"The ship's security team is applying our zero tolerance policy in the interests of the safety and comfort of other guests.

"Carnival Legend is currently on a 10-day South Pacific cruise scheduled to be completed in Melbourne tomorrow where the ship is currently homeported."

The incident on the Carnival Legend comes days after a group of Australian men were kicked off a P & O cruise ship, which was forced to return to Sydney after an out-of-control bucks party on board.

Police met the Pacific Explorer vessel at Bradleys Head on the north shore of Sydney Harbour on Sunday and removed six men and a Russian woman after a fight took place on the ship that morning.

Speaking to Nine News, one of the men involved in the brawl said it was "one hell of a bucks party, that's it".