Carnival to Resume Calls to Costa Rica’s Limon

Carnival will resume its calls to the Costa Rican port of Limon on its March 8 voyage after deciding to temporarily stop calling there following a February 21 incident in which an assailant was killed by a passenger.

Three men attempted to rob a dozen guests from the Carnival Liberty while on an independent tour with a local van driver in Limon.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. when, according to Carnival, the group was sightseeing at a beach and was approached by three assailants, one of whom was armed with a gun.

According to reports, one of the passengers, a 70-year-old former U.S. marine, struggled with the armed man and was able to disarm and subdue him by putting him in a headlock. Carnival said that during this struggle, the gunman’s two accomplices fled the scene. The assailant died from apparent asphyxiation. It was widely reported that the 20-year old assailant’s neck was broken.

The Associated Press reported that the passengers put the assailant in their tour bus and took him to the hospital where he later died. Carnival said the guests were questioned by local law enforcement and then returned to the ship. As soon as the ship’s command became aware of the situation, an officer was dispatched to assist the guests and escort them back to the vessel.

The Carnival Liberty was on an eight-day western Caribbean cruise that departed Fort Lauderdale on February 17 with scheduled calls in Costa Maya, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama.