A passenger on a Caribbean cruise has been arrested after a hidden camera with video of dozens of people, including children, was discovered in a public restroom, officials said.

Jeremy Froias was arrested last Wednesday in Puerto Rico and charged with video voyeurism and attempted possession of child exploitation material, according to court documents.

According to a criminal complaint filed in San Juan federal court, Froias boarded Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas in Miami on April 29 for a seven-day cruise. The ship was set to make land calls at Sint Maarten, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas before returning to Miami this past Saturday.

A day after the voyage began while the ship was in international waters, Froias put a hidden Wi-Fi camera in a public restroom on the ship's top deck between a surfing simulator and a bar, officials said. A day after that, another passenger spotted the camera and alerted the ship's crew.

"The matter was immediately reported to local and federal law enforcement, and the guest involved was removed from the ship by authorities for further investigation," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

The ship's security personnel seized the camera and found several hours worth of video files on a memory card, officials said. Footage included Froias hiding the camera and aiming it toward the toilet. More than 150 people, including at least 40 children, appeared in the videos, investigators said. Some were at least partially naked. Froias and the camera were eventually turned over to the FBI in Puerto Rico.

A defence attorney for Froias declined to comment on the case.