Man closed his bathroom door on a Virgin Voyages cruise. Then the lock broke: ‘What I have learned is to never’

A man was reportedly stuck inside a cruise ship bathroom for 45 minutes on the first day of his Virgin Voyages trip after the door lock stopped working. The incident, which apparently took place on the first morning of the cruise, required the maintenance crew to intervene and force the door open, according to a video posted to TikTok by traveler Maddie, who goes by the handle @madisonsocials on the platform.

The video shows a man repeatedly twisting the bathroom door lock back and forth in an attempt to open it. Text in the video reads: “POV its the first morning of your cruise. You just took a hot steaming shower. But then the door won’t unlock. You’re stuck in a muggy, TINY bathroom for 45 mins until maintenance has to bust the door down.”

In an email to BroBible, Maddie confirmed the timeline and said the crew eventually came to help. She also confirmed that everything afterward went smoothly. “It was a crazy start to our cruise trip, [but] overall, the cruise was pretty fun!” she said.

Solo cruisers share how they have handled similar bathroom lock failures on ships

Because Maddie said she was present on the trip, she was able to alert the crew on the man’s behalf. However, the incident raises a practical concern for people traveling alone, as a solo traveler in the same situation would seemingly have no one to call for help on their behalf. Cruise cabin maintenance issues have made headlines before, including a case where a family woke up to dark chunks flooding their Carnival cruise cabin.

According to a thread on a cruising solo forum, Cruise Critic, several solo travelers said they have dealt with similar situations on cruise ships and found their way out through a combination of luck and shouting for help. One traveler, identified as Lucy R., said she booked a cabin in a quieter part of her ship and got stuck in the bathroom there. She said she tried to force the door open herself, even reportedly using a garbage can as a battering ram, but was unsuccessful.

“What I have learned is to never lock my bathroom door on any cruise ship. I also learned to NEVER book a cabin that is too isolated where people can’t hear me scream for help,” Lucy R. wrote in the forum.

Another traveler said they ended up pulling an emergency bell after getting trapped in a restroom on a deck where few people were present. A third forum user suggested a simpler preventive measure: “Why not just pack a cheap rubber doorstop?” The idea, as he described it, is to use the doorstop to keep the bathroom door safely closed without relying on the lock at all.

Maddie later posted a follow-up video confirming that her companion did eventually get out of the bathroom. Commenters on the original video responded with a mix of concern and practical advice. One viewer wrote, “Oh my goodness!!!! That is one of my greatest fears I got locked in a bathroom in Italy once and kept banging on the door until finally someone came to help. Now I have that phobia. Is there a name for it?” 

Another said, “I’m going on a solo cruise in 2 weeks … thank you for this, won’t be locking the bathroom door!!!!!!!” A third commenter appeared less focused on the bathroom ordeal and more irritated by the video’s audio choice, writing, “Quit saying saxophones Enough its ridiculous.”

Cruise passengers have also reported other room-related problems, such as one woman whose Carnival cruise cabin flood destroyed thousands in belongings, and she received only $300 from the cruise line in response.