Shocked passengers watch violent brawl break out on Carnival cruise ship as ‘gang of drunk girls from Tampa’ turn on each other

• A passenger named Nick Richardson filmed the bizarre scenes

Dramatic footage shows the moment a huge fight breaks out on a Carnival cruise ship, allegedly between a “gang of drunken Tampa girls”, as shocked passengers look on.

A group of unruly women are seen throwing chairs across a dining room, hitting each other and dragging each other on the floor while shouting threats.

One traveler filmed the violent brawl as he made his way to one of the ship’s restaurants, declaring amid the chaos: “I just want pizza!”

Security guards are forced to intervene as the fight gets out of control, but their attempts to reason with the women seem futile as the fight continues.

When the women finally calm down and separate after a few minutes, canteen furniture can be seen scattered on the floor.

The man filming the wild scenes, who has been named as Nick Richardson, comments, laughs and repeatedly shouts “God damn it” as the fight spirals out of control.

“This is exactly what happens at three in the morning when you have a group of drunk girls from Tampa,” said Richardson, 43, who was apparently on the cruise with his fiancée and children.

The women are seen throwing each other to the ground and pulling each other’s hair in this strange melee.

The brawling women at one point appear to be moving toward Richardson, and he quickly retreats as he fears he will be caught in the assault.

Other passengers also begin to film the incident and appear in disbelief at the ferocity of the fight.

The cruise ship staff also look on, laughing in apparent amusement, as a security team arrives and sets to work separating the women.

Apparently annoyed by the disruption to his holiday, Richardson added: “The last night must have ruined it for everyone too. Welcome to America.”

The incident, which took place last month, was caught on camera and has been viewed thousands of times since it was posted on TikTok and YouTube.

In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line said: “Carnival Paradise’s security team responded to an incident that occurred on June 6.

“In accordance with our policy, we will not tolerate such behavior and the affected guests have been fined and will no longer sail on Carnival Cruise Line.”

The company has a strict code of conduct for its customers and states on its website that anyone violating this code can be fined $500.

The ship, which features several restaurants and bars as well as a water park, has a capacity of more than 2,000 passengers and travels from Tampa to several locations, including the Bahamas and the Caribbean.