A Gay Young Man Falls From The World’s Biggest Cruise Ship {Parents Talk}



Tragic: Kenneth Gemmell was said to have fell 100ft from the balcony of his 11th-floor cabin
Tragic: Kenneth Gemmell was said to have fell 100ft from the balcony of his 11th-floor cabin
A passenger who fell overboard from the world’s biggest cruise ship had a row with a barman hours earlier, his family said last night.
Kenneth Gemmell, 30, was said to have deliberately plunged 100ft from the balcony of his 11th-floor cabin when the ship, Allure of the Seas, was close to the Mexican coast.
The liner was chartered by a firm specialising in gay and lesbian holidays and the vast majority of those  on board were gay men enjoying a ‘hedonistic atmosphere’.
Mr Gemmell’s father James is ‘concerned that something untoward could have happened’ after being told by others on board that his son had an ‘altercation’ with a crew member.
The family believe that the ship’s owner, Royal Caribbean International, has been too quick to suggest that Mr Gemmell – who was reportedly ‘happy and full of life’ before the tragedy – committed suicide.
The company said it was unaware of any altercation and insists that CCTV footage shows Mr Gemmell stepping ‘on top of the balcony table in order to jump over the balcony railing’. 
But his family have been told they cannot yet see the film because of an ongoing investigation and claim they have been kept in the dark about their son’s last hours. They have had to rely on phone calls and emails from other passengers.

 
His father James added: ‘There seems to have been a mishandling of information. We are at a great disadvantage being so far away from where this all happened.’
Kenneth Gemmell, an air steward originally from Bailieborough in County Cavan in the Irish Republic, was among more than 4,500 passengers on board the ship as it sailed from Florida to an island south of Cancun.
Kenneth’s parents are appealing for anyone with information to ‘fill in what happened in the hours and minutes beforehand’. They are particularly keen to speak to a Canadian man who apparently shared a cabin with their son.
World's largest: Owned by Royal Caribbean International, the Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world
World's largest: Owned by Royal Caribbean International, the Allure of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world
Family friend Michael Hynes said: ‘His parents want to hear from the person Kenneth was sharing his accommodation with. All we know  is that he was Canadian but the cruise company will not give us his contact information.’
Mr Gemmell said his son was having ‘the time of his life’ and had celebrated his 30th birthday two days before he died. He added: ‘It doesn’t make any sense.’ His mother Colette said: ‘He was very good at his job and loyal to those he worked with and was a happy and outgoing person. He went on the cruise a very happy and jolly person. He was delighted about it and had nothing to be sad about. He was not a suicide risk.’
Royal Caribbean International denied that the family had been kept in the dark. A spokeswoman said: ‘Our care team has been in contact with the family and providing them with any support and assistance they may need. He [Mr Gemmell] was alone on the balcony in his stateroom on Deck 11 when he stepped on top of the balcony table in order to jump over the balcony railing. The footage is consistent with  the eyewitness report from another guest. 
‘We understand that this is a very difficult situation for his family and friends, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.’ 


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