For most, the idea of a cruise sounds like the ideal vacation. The prospect of luxury dining,
first class entertainment, and a chance to take in beautiful scenery all while sailing on the ocean,
attract thousands of people aboard these massive ships each year. There is however,
a darker side to these lush vacations. An alarming number of people have mysteriously
gone missing while aboard cruise ships. While each one of their cases are different,
they all share one thing in common, none of them have ever been found.
5. Hue Pham and Hue Tran
On May 7th, 2005, Hue Pham and Hue Tran, a husband and wife of 49 years,
set off on a 7 night Caribbean cruise with their daughter and granddaughter.
The luxury cruise, which had been given to the couple as a Mother’s Day gift,
quickly turned into a nightmare when they mysteriously vanished.
Hue Pham and Hue Tran were immigrants from Vietnam. In the last days of the Vietnam war,
the couple spent weeks aboard a small container ship heading for America. With little water
and virtually no food, the trip was perilous to say the least. However the pair survived
the long journey and began a new life in America where they raised a family together.
The Carnival Cruise ship the couple, their daughter and granddaughter, were aboard
set sail from Barbados on May 7th and headed for Aruba. On May 12th, a crew member of the
ship made a bizarre discovery on one of the ships decks. There, he found two passports, two pairs of
flip-flops, two driver’s licenses, medication, and a wallet containing cash and credit cards.
The names inside read, Hue Pham and Hue Tran, but the couple were nowhere to be seen.
They were immediately reported missing and the ship was searched, however it appeared
as though the couple had simply vanished into thin air. The ship continued on its path and
it wasn’t until 4 hours later that the coast guard was notified of their disappearance.
It took them more than 13 hours before arriving on location, but once there they performed a
thorough search of the water. Sadly, they found no signs of the missing couple.
Two days later the ship reached its final destination with two less people aboard
than there had been originally. The search was eventually called off, and the couple's family
were left more questions than answers. The official report states investigators believe the
couple may have taken their own lives, however there is no evidence supporting this theory.
4. Annette Mizener
In December of 2004, 37-year-old Annette Mizener boarded a Carnival Lines Cruise Ship
with her teenage daughter and her parents. The cruise, which Annette had won in a contest,
was set to be a 7 day long excursion that would end in Long Beach, California.
Annette spent the evening of December 4th singing karaoke with her 17-year-old daughter before
heading over to the casino. She had promised her parents she would join them for bingo,
so when Annette failed to show up, her parents were concerned. After trying without success
to locate their missing daughter, Annette’s parents reported her missing to the ship's crew.
An extensive search of the ship went underway immediately. During the search, a crew member
discovered Annette’s purse lying on the floor in the smoking area on a lower deck of the ship.
This in itself was strange as Annette did not smoke
and was known to absolutely loathe the smell of cigarettes.
Annette’s purse sported a beaded shoulder strap that was found to be broken as though a
struggle had ensued. Some reports claim that small spots of blood were also found near the handbag
but this has never been confirmed. To make the situation even more bizarre,
it was found that a map of the ship given to passengers upon their arrival was purposely
lodged in front of the camera recording the location Annette’s handbag was found.
Annette’s daughter allegedly claimed that she and her mother
had reported a man for harassing Annette on several occasions throughout their cruise,
however nothing had been done about the man’s disturbing behavior.
An extensive search of the ship and of the waters was conducted
however no sign of Annette was ever found. Annette was declared legally deceased in 2005.
3. Rebecca Coriam
On May 22nd, 2011, 24-year-old Rebecca Coriam disappeared without a trace from aboard the
Disney Cruise Ship, “Wonder.” Rebecca was hired by Disney Cruises in 2010 as a youth worker, someone
who interacted with children aboard their cruises. In June of that year she was sent to Florida for
training before being stationed aboard one of the company’s cruise ships that toured the Bahamas.
Rebecca spent four months aboard the ship before returning home to Britain for some time off.
Two months later Rebecca returned to work, this time being stationed aboard
“Wonder,” a Disney cruise ship based in the port of Los Angeles that toured Mexico
and the Panama Canal. Rebecca took several weeks off for her grandfather's funeral,
before again boarding Disney’s “Wonder” cruise ship in Los Angeles on May 21st, 2011.
Rebecca always kept in constant contact with her parents while aboard the ship and that day wasn’t
any different. As soon as the ship set sail, Rebecca sent her parents a message via Facebook
confirming the ship had safely left the port and that she would call them in the morning.
However when morning came and Rebecca did not call,
her parents were alarmed. Adding to their concern, they learned that Rebecca
had not shown up for her usual 9AM shift. An immediate search of the ship quickly ensued.
Staff found Rebecca’s cabin empty, and a page for her on the ship's intercom received no response.
Like most cruise ships, Disney’s wonder was well equipped with multiple security cameras.
A check of these cameras revealed that Rebecca was last seen at 5:45AM. On the video, she can be seen
using one of the ships onboard phones in a crew area. Rebecca appears distraught in the video,
and possibly arguing with someone on the phone. She also appears to be wearing clothing that does
not belong to her and is too large. A few moments later, a young man can be seen approaching Rebecca
asking if she’s alright. Rebecca mouths the words “Yeah fine” to the young man
before hanging up the phone and walking away. This is the last confirmed sighting of her.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy searched the waters for Rebecca following the path that
the ship had traveled, however they found no trace of her. Without any evidence of foul play,
it was concluded that Rebecca must have fallen overboard due to a rogue wave,
even though there were no reports of one that day. Rebecca’s family
believes if this were the case, there would be video evidence, of which there is none.
Over the years several theories have emerged. Some believe Rebecca chose to end her own life
and jumped overboard, or that it really was simply a tragic accident. Other theories
seem to indicate that Rebecca may have been involved in a love triangle aboard the ship
that resulted in her being purposely pushed overboard.
Whatever the case may be, Rebecca’s disappearance remains a mystery.
2. Merrian Carver
40-year-old Merrian Carver disappeared from a Celebrity Cruise Ship to Alaska in August of 2004.
Merrian boarded the vessel solo at its port in Seattle, Washington on August 27th.
Over the next several days the cruise made several stops in Alaska
and the trip ended on September 3rd when it docked in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Merrian was not reported missing until September 7th. Her family did not learn
about the cruise until a detective accessed her credit card records. Merrian’s father
immediately contacted the cruise ship company to inquire about his daughter’s whereabouts.
The company informed him that Merrian had boarded the ship, but had gone missing while
aboard the cruise. According to them, she was last seen by a crew member on the 28th,
the day after the cruise had left its port. They informed him that she had left
all of her possessions behind in her cabin, and that they had been donated
immediately after they docked in Vancouver. They had, however, held on to Merrian’s purse.
A subsequent investigation revealed several disturbing facts about Merrian’s disappearance.
Investigators learned that aside from donating what could have been valuable
evidence, the cruise ship crew also did not officially report Merrian missing
until her father called to inquire about his daughter’s disappearance.
It was also discovered that a member of the crew had told the captain several times
about the missing woman, and was allegedly told to “just do your job and forget it.”
The investigation also showed that although Merrian’s belongings were found in her room, she
had never slept in the bed in her cabin. Merrian also hadn’t used her “Sea Pass,” an onboard credit
card used to access certain areas for guests, as well as buy food and drinks while aboard the ship.
Investigators attempted to retrieve video from the cruise, however according to them
the video automatically erased every 2 weeks and footage from that night could not be retrieved.
The cruise company did fire several employees over the ordeal,
however their official statement was Merrian most likely took her own life and jumped from the
ships deck, citing her unemployment and divorce several years earlier as her possible motivation.
Merrian’s family does not believe this theory and continues to investigate her disappearance.
1. Amy Lynn Bradley
In March of 1998, 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley vanished without a trace
while on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship. On March 21st, Amy, her parents, and her brother, boarded
the “Rhapsody of the Seas” cruise ship and set off on a weeklong trip to Curaçao (cure-uh-sow).
Around 6am on March 24th, Amy’s father discovered Amy was not in her cabin.
After a brief search, her family reported her missing to the ship's crew. A search
of the ship ensued, but the crew failed to find any clue as to Amy’s whereabouts. Amy’s family
pleaded with the crew not to dock until a more thorough search of the ship could be conducted,
however the ship made port at its original destination of Curaçao.
It was learned that Amy had last been seen by her father on her cabin's balcony at approximately
5:15AM. Her shoes were discovered on the balcony, however her cigarettes and lighter were missing.
Prior to that, Amy and her brother had spent the evening in the dance club on the ship,
hanging out with members of the ship's band, Blue Orchid.
Multiple sightings of Amy have been reported throughout the area where she went missing.
Immediately following her disappearance, a cab driver reported a young woman matching Amy’s
appearance ran up to his cab and frantically asked where a pay phone was before running away. Later
that same year, a U.S. navy member claimed he was confronted by a woman at a brothel in Curaçao
claiming her name was Amy Bradley and she was being held there against her will.
The Navy member did not immediately report this information for fear of facing disciplinary action
for visiting a brothel. A Canadian couple believe they saw Amy on a beach in the Caribbean as well.
According to them Amy was being closely followed by several men and appeared to be in distress.
Amy’s family believe she was targeted by human traffickers. They theorize that
when the cruise ship docked in Curaçao, Amy was removed from the ship. Their suspicions
are not without evidence, as in 2005, Amy’s family received pictures of a woman
only identified as “Jas” who is said to be a victim of human trafficking in the Caribbean.
Both the FBI and Amy’s family believe these to be Amy, however she has never been found.