A cruise line passenger has made a seemingly startling discovery of security cameras overlooking balconies on her ship, sparking a heated debate on TikTok.
The video, posted by user @mommashive on Jan. 21, has already racked up over 15.5 million views and over 3,000 comments.
The video begins with the TikToker, her hand covering her mouth in shock, as she films herself on her cruise balcony. An onscreen caption reads, “When you look at your cruise balcony and you see this.”
As the video continues, the camera zooms in on what appears to be a security camera mounted discreetly on the side of the ship, pointing directly at the balconies of other passengers.
In a subsequent caption overlay, @mommashive humorously remarks, “I should’ve charged them,” implying that the camera might’ve intruded on her own privacy.
In the comment section of the video, some viewers expressed their concerns at the presence of surveillance cameras in such a seemingly private setting.
“I wonder how many times they see stuff,” one commenter wrote.
“They got a free show…” a second added.
“That’s the reason we didn’t get too freaky the wife noticed the camera,” another claimed.
However, other commenters offered explanations and reassurances, with one saying, “I’m a crew, that camera has sensors for people falling overboard. Nobody is watching you.”
“It records the side railing. Not the railing taking place on the side,” another echoed.
“It’s because so many people fall over board,” a third wrote.
“You are not on the radar unless you trying to die,” one more added.
So, do cruise ships typically have cameras pointed at balconies? According to a CruiseOverload article, the answer is yes.
The article states, “While there won’t be a camera specifically monitoring your individual balcony, cruise ships have cameras installed throughout the ship for passenger safety. This means that even a “private balcony” can be monitored. It’s important to note that without these cameras, cruise ships would have no way of knowing if someone went overboard.”
Adding to the list of bizarre cruise ship experiences captured on TikTok, another video recently went viral after a cruise ship passenger claimed their ship was being surrounded by pirates.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @mommashive via email for comment.