CBS News confirmed that both were Carnival Cruise ship passengers on Caribbean trips with their families. They were sailing on the Mardi Gras and Carnival Elation ships. CBS described Celebration Key as "a private resort on Grand Bahama Island that only Carnival cruise passengers can use."

To many cruisers, 5:30 or 6 p.m. is the ideal time to eat dinner on a Carnival cruise because of the evening entertainment schedule. “If we eat any later, we miss everything because food service tends to be slower later in the evening,” Jessica Garbutt explained.