Royal Caribbean has claimed that it did not serve alcohol to the 20-year-old Florida passenger who jumped overboard from the 11th deck of a cruise ship following a drunken dispute with his father. Levion Parker, 20, has been missing since he jumped off the Liberty of the Seas around 3:30 am on April 4.
The incident occurred as the cruise ship was returning to Fort Lauderdale after a four-day cruise. Witnesses said that Levion was drunk at the time of the incident, and his father Francel has demanded to know where he got the alcohol. However, the cruise company has claimed that they did not provide him with any alcohol.
Blame Game Begins
"We have a strict policy on underage drinking. We did not serve this guest on board," a source told Dailymail.com. "The ship was docked in the Dominican Republic that day, so we cannot speak to what guest did when he was off the ship."
Francel, who runs an air conditioning company in Port North, confronted Levion and his brother Seth, 18, as they emerged from a hot tub crowded with other passengers.
"His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess," fellow passenger Bryan Sims said.
"When we got to them, he said to his dad, 'I'll fix this right now.' And he jumped out the window in front of us all."
It remains unclear how Levion could have been drunk, considering that the minimum age for alcohol consumption on Royal Caribbean ships during sailings originating in North America or the Caribbean is 21.
The US Coast Guard suspended its search for the popular young athlete on Tuesday. However, his father said that Levion, who is a skilled diver and works on commercial fishing boats, is still alive. He maintains confidence in his son's survival.
"As soon as he went off the side, I prayed over him," he told the Florida Sun.
"I was confident the prayers I said over my son were heard.
"I believe he is alive."
More than nine hours after leaving the Dominican Republic, Levion jumped through an open window. Francel argued that the cruise company bears responsibility for Levion's disappearance.
"We don't drink. I'd like to know how my son was served so much alcohol," he demanded.
Still Being Positive
Posts on social media reveal that Parker frequently went fishing and hunting. Before he graduated in 2022, he also played football at North Port High School, according to the Daily Mail. Sims claimed that only seconds before the horrifying event on April 4, Levion and his brother had been chatting in the hot tub on the 11th deck of the 154,000-ton liner.
"I had hung out with him and his brother in the hot tub until 3.30am," Sims told the NY Post.
"It was standing room only. He sat right beside me the whole time. We chatted about different things, and he told me that he worked on yachts and other types of boats in Florida.
"I would say around 3.30 to 3.45am him and his brother left the hot tub. I just assumed they were headed to bed."
Sims went to the bathroom, showered, and then went to the elevators. While traveling there, he saw the two brothers and their father exiting the sliding doors next to the elevators.
"As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess," Sims said of the moment before Parker jumped.
Royal Caribbean sent out search boats right away to find him.
"The ship's crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort alongside the US Coast Guard, who has taken over the search," the statement read at the time.
Parker's father runs a wholesale air conditioning company out of Florida, and the family was sailing on the yacht as guests of Tropic Supply.
According to Daily Mail, Tropic Supply invited a large number of contractors to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary.
According to the Washington Post, there have been close to 400 overboard incidents on major cruise companies between 2000 and 2020. Many cruise lines have added extra safety precautions and installed surveillance cameras because many incidents end in death.
