What does it take to land in ‘cruise jail’? According to one TikTok user, acting in self-defense led to big problems and a very small stateroom. But while her side of the story has garnered well over a million views on the social media site, the comment sections have been rife with debate over whether the punishment fit the crime.

How She Landed in ‘Cruise Jail’

According to TikTok user @claudette.c, the trouble unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. As she tells it, a seating dispute led to her hand being smacked by a fellow passenger. In response, Claudette admits to punching the woman in the face. “I didn’t hit her hard,” she enthuses, “just hard enough to be like, b—-, don’t touch me!’

“I coulda hit her way harder,” she adds, “but I didn’t.” 

This initial interaction later led to a confrontation allegedly involving Claudette’s aunt and the punched woman’s husband. After security intervened and interviews were conducted, Claudette says she was taken to her new quarters. There, she was watched over by a member of the ship’s crew at all times.

While allowed the occasional visitor, she was not permitted to leave. Therefore, all food and drinks were provided by room service. Claudette did, however, question why she was being kept under confinement given that the other party had opted not to press charges.

The Truth About Her Time in ‘Jail’

Because details matter, it’s important to note that the young woman in question, Claudette, was not actually thrown into the proverbial brig. While many ships do, in fact, have some form of jail, Claudette wound up in a stripped-down stateroom. Anything with which a person could hurt themselves had been removed, and she claimed one light had to remain on at all times.

Needless to say, her video generated not only a huge number of views but quite a few comments as well. Some suggested that the incident in question never actually took place, while others suggested she contact a lawyer in order to sue the cruise line.

Much of the debate in comments revolved around semantics and the use of the words “smack” versus “punch.” Claudette admits that “the only thing [security] cared about was the fact that I punched her in the face, because ‘punching’ is assault, ‘smacking’ is not.”

Should Passenger Be Banned?

In response to several queries from followers as to whether she’d been banned from Royal Caribbean, the TikToker claimed that she had not. She has also made repeated requests that the cruise line provide her with any and all CCTV footage from inside the theater, believing it ultimately will support any claim she makes, legal or otherwise.

“I was not the initiator, I did not start it,” she says, implying that the footage would show as much. However, “they said that the authorities have to request it.” 

Asked if the other person involved in the altercation was similarly confined, Claudette claimed that her family saw the other woman at various spots around the ship. “My family saw her in the casino,” she says. “My family saw her at dinner.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the 30-year-old indicated that despite not having been banned, she would not be returning anytime soon. “It wasn’t even all that,” she snarked. “Ship looked like it was built in 2001 and hasn’t been updated since.” (For the record, Libery of the Seas joined the fleet in 2007 and is slated for a refurb, ironically enough, following her current 16-night transatlantic.)

Claudette did give a shout-out to the crew. “The staff was really nice,” she concluded, ”minus the captain. He’s the one who said I had to stay in my room.”