Carnival Legend, which joins resident Australian sister ship Carnival Spirit for a few months each year, is currently homeported in Melbourne.
She left on February 6 for several ports in New Caledonia and is due to return Saturday morning.
However, Legend’s captain stopped near Eden off the New South Wales far south coast on Friday for police to come aboard and remove around 23 people.
Jennifer Vandekreeke, Carnival Cruise Line vp and gm Australia, issued a statement saying that the safety and security of passengers and crew is the company’s No. 1 priority.
‘We apply a zero-tolerance approach to excessive behaviour that affects other guests,’ Vandekreeke said.
‘In line with this policy, we contacted the New South Wales Police to attend Carnival Legend at Eden today to remove a large family group from the ship that had been involved in disruptive and violent acts.‘
The group has been disembarked from the vessel and we are cooperating fully with the authorities.
‘Our Care team is currently onboard supporting those guests who were affected by their behaviour.
‘We are confident that this strong action has addressed the disruption on Carnival Legend and enabled our remaining guests to properly enjoy the closing stages of their cruise holiday.
'These events are completely isolated to this family group and out of character with the onboard atmosphere for which Carnival Cruise Line is known,' she added.
Carnival is initiating a full internal investigation into this unprecedented incident, noted Vandekreeke.
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