Bearnaise

My daughter is afraid to come with us with us on a cruise with her children because her fear is one of them could fall off. I keep assuring her it's not possible. They're 16 and 11.

 

Kids that age could easily jump off, but should also have the wherewithal to know better. They can also step in front of cars in traffic, jump off of high places, etc. Unless one puts a leash on them...

But you can certainly assure her that millions of kids of all ages safely cruise - with a line like Disney built completely around that market. One can easily find danger wherever one looks, but life is sure a lot more fun as an adventure.

How can you fall over unless you climb up on the railing?

That the "million dollar question" as far as the lawyers are concerned.

The fact is, it's easy to get off the ship if one is determined enough or drunk enough. The question is, where does HAL's liability begin and end?

Were the railings too short to stop a stumbling passenger? One would hope that Coast Guard regulations, etc. would establish the safety requirements and unless a railing broke, one would assume that HAL passed all required inspections.

Should HAL assume liability when passengers become intoxicated? Does the answer to that differ when HAL serves the passenger versus self-service? Can HAL possibly be liable for a suicide depending on the answer to the alcohol question, or does intentionally jumping ship override HAL's liability even if alcohol were copiously served.

Or does HAL have some sort of liability for failing to have cameras to record such events so that the truth may never be discovered?

Lots of legal issues, but the best place to explore them IMO is in court if it gets to that point, not in an accusatory publicity-seeking blog that is intended to make people wonder, gee, if I sail on HAL, will I too fall overboard?

Just because the family retained a maritime attorney doesn't necessarily mean they are only looking for a monetary reimbursement for this tragedy.

 

I am sure they feel that having an attorney to intercede for them with the cruise line, the FBI, and in general to assist them in finding out what happened seems to me to be a wise decision.

 

If this happened in my family, I would be looking for closure. I'd want to know where he went overboard, if anyone saw him and is not speaking out, where was the man he was arguing with when this happened, etc. There are a lot of questions that the family needs answers to and it's not clear how forthcoming HAL would be in a situation like this. Their attorneys will direct what information can be revealed to the family which is why it's so important for any passengers who have direct information on what happened to come forward to the family.

 

I wish them luck in finding out what happened. Since there are guard rails all over the ship, I just don't understand how someone can just fall over board.

I saw a publicity-happy firm blogging about the events before anything is truly known about it, not a diligent law firm working confidentially to protect the best interests of the family. YMMV.

But I agree that it's pretty darn hard to accidentally fall off, which is why I believe the attorney's actions may backfire here. If the husband was truly suicidal or so drunk that he fell over, does the family really want it make public by such a scandal-pushing ambulance chaser?

partial quote

 

Frankly, I don't know, and I don't care. I'm more interested in the results of the FBI investigation, and I can't help but believe the family and friends of the missing passenger are also hoping for a complete and thorough investigation by the FBI. That the family have retained an attorney is their right; I read nothing into it.

That the family would eventually obtain an attorney if continually stonewalled by HAL and the FBI investigation turned up nothing, sure. But this early in the game? And a firm that all but accuses HAL of actual wrongdoing? Clearly the law firm seeks punishment (i.e. money) not answers. To me, that means that the family is clearly out to make money rather than find answers as well. I guess that's their prerogative :eek:

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/12/articles/disappearances-1/walker-oneill-retained-to-investigate-disappearance-of-cruise-passenger-jason-rappe-from-hals-eurodam/index.html

Sharks swarm to the scene when they smell blood. That was fast.

Of course it will remain confidential for a while. No matter what went down, the litigation possibilities are very tangible. It may take an entire week before we know what happened.

In addition to the medical questionnaire asking about recent episodes of explosive diarrhea, perhaps they should also ask about recent suicidal ideations :)

You are totally correct that a suicidal person won't consider the ramifications of his or her act. In most cases, it's the ultimate selfish act. On a cruise ship, where stepping off into the black sea is so easy and so tempting... I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often.

It is very sad that a couple thousand passengers were put out because of the remnants of a couple's argument, if that's indeed what happened. Unfortunately domestic problems, suicides, whatever might have been the cause, are just as common on land. But they usually don't require the services of several coast guard ships and aircraft and having a couple thousand people miss a valued port stop. If it were truly an accident, my heart would bleed. But if it were the more likely case of being intentional, I can only think how selfish that person was to do it in such a public manner.

It would be difficult, but there are some places you could fall from.

At sometime between the wife falling asleep and 5 am, leaving baseball cap behind. Maybe :rolleyes:

Coast Guard ends search: http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1623775/Coast-Guard-ends-search-for-missing-Eurodam-cruise-ship-passenger

At this point, even in warmer Caribbean or Bahaman waters, hypothermia would have set in. No reason to continue.

That was it exactly Bearnaise, thank you. Yes, I was concerned about the doors slamming or more aptly was wondering if others thought that given the supply. My last cruise was on RCCL and was beside a crew supply room where I constantly could hear the door open and close.

 

I know the NL closes by 8:30 at the latest from posts I have read so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone, thus my confusion.

 

BTW, I am one of those who booked before final payment, the up buy happened after final payment. So I include myself in that comment. Some people are so touchy, but the internet doesn't always convey the same inflections and facial expressions of the poster. While trying to either make light of something or joke about something wrong impressions sometimes get sent, thus why I apologized.

Hey, I'm jealous of your SA upgrade too! But I wouldn't take it out on you merely for asking a noise question. Of course I could tell you that it's really noisy where your SA cabin is and that maybe you'd be better off swapping it with my yet unknown cabin, but I don't think you'd buy that :D

On the other hand, I don't begrudge people for getting upgraded nor for paying less than others because they booked at the last minute. My cruise was totally spur of the moment and the flash sale was too tempting to pass up. Should I volunteer to pay more money because others paid more for my cabin category? Hell no. I'll make up for it at the bars!

There have been those cases of possibly helpful spouses....

In which case she would hardly deserve anyone's prayers. I'll wait until more details are known before deciding where to express my sympathies, except that I do feel for any passengers put out by the search if it causes them to miss a port stop.

Sadly, I haven't been able to find an updated report on the search for the missing passenger. Please, let there be good news soon. -S.

Aren't most of these overboard incidents suicides? In that case, what is the good news?

If not a suicide, number two reason is drunken stunt.

Has any one ever actually fallen overboard sober and by accident?

So if you've never stayed in one why would you come up with a comment about noise? I don't know about you but most of us do book before final payment. I think you better quit while your ahead and just enjoy your wonderful up sell/or up grade.

Obviously the poster was concerned about possible noise from the Neptune Lounge and posted about that concern, just as people ask all the time whether there might be noise under such-and-such deck, because they've never stayed there before.

I don't know about you, but if "most of us" do book before final payment, why are there so many open deluxe suites that they're practically giving them away on our cruise? Your envy over vicocala's score is palpable. Maybe your [sic] the one who should quit while your [sic] ahead?

P.S. When someone apologizes to you, it's terrible form to kick them in the face.

One would think HAL would like to know who on the ship might have the most issues getting off the ship in case of an emergency so they can target those passengers for extra assistance if necessary. Maybe a special indoor safety briefing for passengers with standing or mobility issues would be best - the rest of us can grumble outdoors but it won't hurt us, and HAL won't have to worry about finding indoor seating for the entire cruise pax.

The new drinks were available on our 11/26-12/3 Oosterdam cruise and we sampled quite a few thanks to Jonathan at the Pinnacle Bar.

I noticed the price had gone up a bit from our May cruise, but with fresh-squeezed juices and top shelf liquors, they're still a bargain. Another poster said the prices are comparable to their local bars, but that's relative. Especially in a hotel setting in a large city or resort area, the prices would be much higher, easily in the $9-12 range or more.

If you preorder your drink cards, make sure you have them in your cabin on your first sea day otherwise you will have to pay tax if you are in port.

Have a wonderful cruise:D:D

You don't have to wait until the first sea day to avoid taxes AFAIK. Just request delivery "at sea" instead of "in port". From what I've heard (and I'll find out for sure on Saturday) the card will usually still be delivered to the stateroom while it's in port, you just don't pay the tax.

I guess I just assumed when I booked Holland that it had followed these contemporary society changes with regard to smoking but it seems I was wrong, if I am to believe these reviews. Gambling is a big part of my crusing experience and I spend several hours each evening in the casino at the blackjack tables.

I'm not sure which contemporary society has gone smoke-free in their casinos. Certainly not American contemporary society. Vegas casinos are as smoky as ever and Atlantic City didn't get very far trying to ban smoking.

How much does a photo costs to a photographer?

 

I really don't know how the world should be run, but I know when a price is exaggerated big time, don't you?

You could say the exact same thing about the auction art. How much does canvas and paint cost? $50 at most? So why do they want thousands for a painting?

Clearly some people believe that art has intrinsic value beyond the cost of the physical components.

That's too bad. On our recent 4-day Oosterdam cruise (May 3-7), we dined in the MDR on the 2nd and 3rd nights (reserved PG for the other two nights). The first time we showed up around 6:30 pm and were seated right away at a requested table for 2, but we were given the impression that we "lucked out" - also, we were seated upstairs where they were normally seating fixed-time tables. When I asked, we were advised by the maitre-d' that it was better to arrive before 6 pm in order to be assured of no wait, but when we arrived at 6:15 pm the next night, we again were seated without delay, this time on the lower floor.

Also, service was excellent both nights in the MDR as was the food for the most part. We almost decided to cancel the PG on our last night, but ended up going back for those sublime filets.

We cruised Australia/New Zealand last year with RCI. 2 of our table companions (who we have become firm friends with) had never cruised before, didn't realise the dress code and had not brought formal clothes. Whilst they were allowed in MDR in their more casual attire, they both felt very uncomfortable. And they did stick out like the proverbial sore thumb!It was actually worse for the gent as he only had short sleeved shirts with him! The lady was able to get away with some smarter dresses. I know it wouldn't bother other people but it did them! Both loved cruising and swore to invest in a couple of formal outfits in future.

Isn't that what rentals are for?