A woman went overboard from the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas during the first day of The 80s Cruise, a nostalgia cruise featuring musical acts such as Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work.
The woman has been identified as Kimberly Burch, fiancée of Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe. The rock group was one of the acts that were part of the cruise’s lineup. Her mother, Carnell Burch, told TMZ that Burch fell off the ship following an argument with Downe, though it’s unclear whether she accidentally fell or jumped. Burch’s mom believes she would not have intentionally hurt herself.
A Facebook post from Burch’s family on Tuesday said she “will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her,” and asked for prayers “during this time for our family as we try to wrap our minds around this heartbreaking tragedy.”
Multiple sources aboard Explorer of the Seas confirmed to Best In Business 2024 that a search operation involving several ships was conducted after Burch went overboard around 11 p.m. on Sunday. It is unclear what caused the incident. Sources say the Explorer of the Seas continued on with its planned journey with the U.S. Coast Guard taking over the search operation.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told THR early on Tuesday: “Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort, is working with local authorities, and we are providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our guest’s family, we have no additional details to share.”
THR has also reached out to the promoters of The 80s Cruise for comment.
THR communicated with one passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, about what happened. “[The incident] happened around 11 p.m. Squeeze was the band playing last night. There was an announcement over the PA saying someone went overboard so the ship was going to stop and turn around to try and locate the person.”
The passenger added, “[The] ship was stopped for a few hours. Safety boats were deployed with floodlights to illuminate the surrounding area. Another cruise ship nearby had its floodlights on searching as well. My wife spoke with some people on one of the decks saying they heard that it was a woman and it was caught on camera. Can’t confirm though. Eventually the ship powered up and off we went. This morning a PA announcement said that the US Coast Guard had taken over the search. We arrived at Nassau, Bahamas a few hours behind schedule. No excursions were canceled. Haven’t heard anything since.”
In a thread, X user Casey Markee tweeted, “Currently on the #RCL Explorer of the Seas for the #80scruise. Unfortunately, we have a ‘woman overboard’ situation and boats have been deployed. We are currently 80+ miles from Miami at 11pm PST. Not good.”
In a followup tweet, Markee tweeted, “It looks like the woman ‘jumped’ from the balcony of her 8th floor room after an argument with her partner. This is our 15th cruise, and the first time we’ve actually experienced this.”
Additionally, an X user named Alan Smith tweeted, “Person overboard on Royal Carribean Explorer of the Seas. On the 80s Cruise. Just saw a great show by Squeeze, then it was announced a person is overboard. Ship is stopped and searching. Other nearby ships helping.”
The 80s Cruise is a nostalgia-laced cruise experience that celebrates the music and culture of the 1980s. The 2025 lineup for the cruise also includes Christopher Cross, Sheila E., Andy Bell (one half of Erasure), Warrant, Dokken, FireHouse, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, T’Pau, Naked Eyes, Musical Youth, Sunset Blvd. and The Reflexx.
The cruise features more than 50 concerts and fans and guests can also interact with their idols. The 2024 edition of the cruise featured Wang Chung, Air Supply, Soft Cell, The English Beat, Debbie Gibson, The Escape Club and 38 Special.
The seven-day roundtrip cruise sets off from Miami and calls at Nassau, San Juan and Puerto Plata.
Katherine Turman contributed to this report.
March 4, 7 a.m. Updated with Royal Caribbean statement.
March 4, 11:30 a.m.: Updated with Kimberly Burch’s name.
