According to recent data published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), alleged sexual assaults on Disney Cruise Line voyages departing from and arriving in the United States have increased sharply over the past few years. While only a handful of cases were reported annually from 2018 to 2022, the cruise line saw 15 incidents in 2023 and 18 more in 2024. So far in 2025, five additional assaults have already been documented in the first quarter alone.
The Walt Disney Company, which operates the cruise line, emphasized its zero-tolerance policy on misconduct. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our guests and crew members,” a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson told Newsweek. “We take all allegations seriously and work closely with law enforcement during any investigation.”
A Growing Fleet, A Growing Challenge?
This uptick in reports coincides with Disney’s aggressive expansion of its cruise division. The company plans to grow its fleet from six to 13 ships by 2031, with two new vessels having already debuted since 2020. The recent additions alone have expanded passenger capacity by roughly 40%, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The growth raises questions about whether increased capacity and a growing crew size may be outpacing the cruise line’s ability to maintain safety and security standards.
Cruise Crime Reporting and Limitations
The DOT only documents serious alleged crimes that occur on ships traveling to or from U.S. ports when either the victim or the accused is a U.S. citizen. Cruise lines are federally required to report such incidents to the FBI, which shares its findings with the DOT.
The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010 mandates access to medical services, sexual assault forensic exams, and onboard victim advocacy for passengers. In 2014, the law was expanded to require reporting of all serious onboard crimes, including rape and sexual assault, to federal authorities.
However, many maritime law experts argue that the true scale of assaults is underreported. John H. Hickey, a Board Certified Admiralty & Maritime attorney with decades of experience representing victims, believes the numbers are likely far higher.
“The DOT stats don’t tell the whole story,” Hickey told Newsweek. “If a ship doesn’t touch a U.S. port, or if the victim isn’t a U.S. citizen, those incidents aren’t captured. That means we’re missing a lot of what’s actually happening at sea.”
Who Is Committing the Crimes?
DOT breakdowns reveal that while crew-member-related assaults have increased, the most dramatic rise involves passengers.
Between 2020 and 2022, just four reported assaults involved crew members. That figure jumped to nine across 2023 and 2024. However, passenger-related assaults increased more sharply: from zero in 2020 and 2021 to 14 in 2024 alone.
In 2023, Disney Cruise Line also reported four separate cases classified as alleged rape— a category newly tracked by the DOT. Three more rape cases were documented in 2024.
Many in the legal community believe that even with mandatory reporting, a combination of international jurisdictions, transient populations, and under-resourced port nations makes prosecuting these crimes exceptionally difficult.
“Crew members are often young men from countries with limited infrastructure for criminal background checks,” Hickey explained. “And when the ship docks in an island nation without the resources—or desire—to investigate, the trail goes cold.”
The Cruise Industry Responds
In response to growing concern, the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), which includes Disney among its members, maintains that cruising remains one of the safest vacation options.
A CLIA spokesperson cited research from criminologist Dr. James Fox of Northeastern University, who found that the rate of violent crime aboard cruise ships is approximately 95%
