Jen Smith on Oprah

[WendyinOC]

What about the part you could have paid my bill and the flight bill??. I am not saying the should not have paid it just it would not be a priority. I would want an apologize for not finding my husband. You can't really blame them for the investigation. That would be the Turkish Police and FBI. If they cleared the ship its not their fault.

Also, I hurt myself once on a RCCL ship and needed a wheelchair with security. How can she not remember? Her story does not make sense at all.

[firsttimecruiser77]

Here are my thoughts:

 

I think the idea that George and Jen could've been drugged is a very plausible scenario. IT would make sense. But, I really don't think its RCCL's responsiblilty to fly her home or to pay for her room. They are not at fault here. It isn't their responsibility, IMHO, to keep people safe from other people on the ship. Had they steered the ship directly into a storm and George fell over board because of faulty railings, then maybe I might could see such a request. But. after all, people are required to use a little common sense when it comes to their own safety. With 3,000+ passengers, I think its unreasonable to think that RCCL could babysit them all. I don't think it would make for a very fun cruise if they did! As far as how Jennifer was treated after the fact, its clear from her Oprah remarks that she fancies herself a little princess and expects everyone to cater to her. Give me a break. RCCL did what was required by the authorities and then carried out business as usual, to attempt to salvage the cruise for the other passengers who I'm sure paid a whopping sum to be there. I don't think RCCL did one thing wrong in their treatment of her. They offered her companionship and services to get her through the day.

 

On the Oprah show she made a remark to the effect that she didn't really think about George not being in the room when she got up to go to the spa because after all, she'd been passed out in a corridor only a few hours earlier. She was just too groggy. I can tell you this. If I'd been passed out in a hallway, I sure wouldn't have made it up at 8 am to make a spa appt. And the first thing I'd think if I woke up that early and my hubby wasn't next to me, would be to wonder where on earth he was. I'd be nervous. I definitely would not have headed to the spa. But, that's just me. I guess everyone is different.

[ADeputy4U]

After all is said and done, I think RCCL should put in place (on every ship in the fleet) some type of support counselor or maybe even hire chaplains for the "bad news" scenarios. If you think about it, there's the crew and each week, new passenger's come and go. The chances of this type of incident happening again is not an if, but a when. Right now, how does the cruise line deal with everyday issues, such as a crew member or passenger loosing a loved one while out to sea? Whatever the outcome, you can bet RCCL will be making some changes.

[kbt2]

OKAY...I am adding my 2 cents in as well...as far as those mentioned the "drugging" part...I really and truly think this happened, not sure why the passengers did it (for money, kicks, whatever not sure), but this is why I feel a drink drug was invloved. I had a 2 friends out w/us one night and one had had one drink and the other friend was on her 1st drink...and in literally in no time they were on the floor in a very strange manner. So we immediately were panicked and took to the hospital and by the time they reached the hospital the were unconsious. The ER had to put charcoal in their stomachs and it was may hours before they awoke, and it was confirmed they had been drugged by someone at the bar. And they remembered nothing!

So if Jen and George were at the casino in a normal manner at 2:30, then went to a bar (where they were seen together last), one of the passengers that they had been hanging out with definitely could have slipped something in their drink and that's why Jen was found on the floor, with no known thoughts of the previous late evening.

I have been very drunk myself, never had to be carried...and I find it very odd that both couples have been confirmed having to have been carried back to their cabins...how plausible is it that BOTH could have been so drunk this could happen on the same night...I really think there was something slipped in their drinks for them both to have been that out of it, especially so quickly from 2:30 to the 4ish that he was last accounted for.

Very likely like another poster said...it could have not affected him the same as he was a larger person then she and he struggled w/male passengers and something could have happened from there. Definitely a mystery. And I like others will need more facts, as I think a lot is being withheld, just like with any investigation so as not to interfere with the case.

[1corona4u]

OKAY...I am adding my 2 cents in as well...as far as those mentioned the "drugging" part...I really and truly think this happened, not sure why the passengers did it (for money, kicks, whatever not sure), but this is why I feel a drink drug was invloved. I had a 2 friends out w/us one night and one had had one drink and the other friend was on her 1st drink...and in literally in no time they were on the floor in a very strange manner. So we immediately were panicked and took to the hospital and by the time they reached the hospital the were unconsious. The ER had to put charcoal in their stomachs and it was may hours before they awoke, and it was confirmed they had been drugged by someone at the bar. And they remembered nothing!

So if Jen and George were at the casino in a normal manner at 2:30, then went to a bar (where they were seen together last), one of the passengers that they had been hanging out with definitely could have slipped something in their drink and that's why Jen was found on the floor, with no known thoughts of the previous late evening.

I have been very drunk myself, never had to be carried...and I find it very odd that both couples have been confirmed having to have been carried back to their cabins...how plausible is it that BOTH could have been so drunk this could happen on the same night...I really think there was something slipped in their drinks for them both to have been that out of it, especially so quickly from 2:30 to the 4ish that he was last accounted for.

Very likely like another poster said...it could have not affected him the same as he was a larger person then she and he struggled w/male passengers and something could have happened from there. Definitely a mystery. And I like others will need more facts, as I think a lot is being withheld, just like with any investigation so as not to interfere with the case.

 

I don't buy it. It's very likely they were both crocked. This was the 8th day of a drinking fest for them. Sooner or later the body will shut down.

[kbt2]

My DH and I have partied until 3am many nights in a row on our cruisies...and never had our bodies shut down. VERY unlikely both their bodies would shut down in this manner on the same night...think about it.

[1corona4u]

My DH and I have partied until 3am many nights in a row on our cruisies...and never had our bodies shut down. VERY unlikely both their bodies would shut down in this manner on the same night...think about it.

 

I have thought about it. I don't buy it.:) I bet you weren't drinking Absinthe either.

[signman]

She's so quick to castigate RCL in a situation that they did not cause or create, about what they didn't do. So using the same 20/20 hindsight she is using for RCL, heres what she didn't do to help explain the situation.

 

No one came out directly asking about drug use, either by her hand or someone else's, so holding her to the same standard she expects of RCL, did she suggest to anyone that her urine and/or blood be tested to determine what might have made her so unable to remember anything?

 

She needs to be asking herself what she should have been doing when her husband was not in bed with her when she awoke.

 

This is the first time I've ever watched Oprah; she struck me as just being a log sitting there. She had no idea at all about the subject matter. The editing was choppy, and Gayle, who started off asking a few good questions, just sat there, when she at least had a grasp of the subject matter.

[Buster27]

If George had a good deal of cash on him....has it ever been established that the cash was found in the room? Or was it on his person?

 

We sailed Royal Carribean 1 year ago and had a medical situation arise with our family and 3 members of the family had to leave the ship. We were treated VERY badly at the time, but the family did recieve a full refund of the cruise fare, which RC did not HAVE to do. So, the bitter taste that was left after the cruise was softened a little!!!!

 

I do feel that the Captain and crew's MAIN concern is to stay on schedule and keep the ship on track....but I think maybe that's what is should be?

[lilbit]

I agree with you kbt2. I also feel that they were drugged in some fashion. My husband and I have been on 35+ cruises. We party, its vacation, we want to have a good time (within reason)! I'm a little annoyed by the majority of people on these threads that are so uptight on having some social drinks. Were're not in church folks, its vacation. Too coincidental that they both pass out, have to be carried to the cabin, same nite, same time. I also think it is very important for all ships to have some type of counselor for tagic events that may take place on a cruise.

[1corona4u]

I'm a little annoyed by the majority of people on these threads that are so uptight on having some social drinks.

 

I don't think anyone is "uptight" on having drinks. I think people are bothered by the excess in drinking, that ultimately lead to this incident. The seapass bill will show, what I suspect most of us think, and probably will eventually be leaked out. Of course the Absinthe will not show up, since it was smuggled onboard.

 

If you are unfamiliar with Absinthe, then Google it. It was Vincent Van Gogh's favorite drink. Need I say more.;)

 

You are entitled to your thoughts, and opinions, no need to be annoyed by what others think.

[halos]

But, face it. Young people no longer "wait"for anything. They most likely live together.Jen and George lived together for a year and a half,before marrying. So Honeymoon's are no longer the special happening,they used to be. By the time young people marry today,everthing is old hat to them.

I understand that everyone is different, but here's my feeling on what you said.

 

I have been married for 23 years, to a man I started dating when I was 14 years old...that one heck of a lot of years.

If I were cruising with him today, and he wasn't in my cabin when I woke up, AND for some reason I had no memory of the night before I would be a little too freaked out to just get up out of bed, in the clothes I had on the night before and get myself down to the spa for a massage, without being in a panic about why I had no recollection of the night before. "Losing time' to me would be a HUGE worry and it would be impacted even more if I awoke and there was no husband in the cabin with me.

 

I'm at a loss as to why she was whining about not having money to get home...no one mentioned a theft of the Smith's belongings...didn't she have credit cards/cash?? They were supposedly showing off quite a bit of cash in the casino the night before.....

she's really trying to make RCI look bad in order to cover something. I don't think she was the one who killed her husband by any means but I do think there is a LOT more to this story that she is covering up.

[halos]

I also think it is very important for all ships to have some type of counselor for tagic events that may take place on a cruise.

 

I think that is a bit extreme. if people need counseling they can wait until they get home. What I really believe is that people should be held accountable for their own actions. If you're going to party hard and something happens it's your own fault, not the fault of the cruise line or the bartender. We live in a blame filled society...it's always someone else's fault.

[larasmom]

no one was there. no one know what really happened. you all are going on speculation and talk........not facts

 

maybe they were hanging out with people they thought were honest and nice and fun but were thieves.

 

maybe george was winning big at the tables and there was something slipped in their drinks and that is why jennifer did not appear drunk at 2:30pm.

 

when i was on my cruise in december there were so really strange characters all over the ship. lots of drunks doing stupid things.

 

i will wait to hear more information before i make up my mind or point fingers.

[skitrail]

Seems that she needs a reality check! Read your cruise ticket, what does it say? Read the fine print!!! It's a release/disclaimer! People need to be reminded that when you embark on a vessel that YOU have responsibilities as a passenger! You're responsible for your kid's behavior.

 

RCCL offers a great program for kids but, NOT for adults (as they're expected to act responsibly). I was on one RCCL Navigator cruise where the kids onboard destroyed the disco sound board, used a lighter a turn on the sprinklers in the Kid's Internet room and even threw over life rings and chairs!!!

 

The Captain came on everyday to give a report and let parents know that they'd better control their children. No doubt, at every port entire families were being put off the ship and no doubt, the paid for their children's damages (not to mention expensive last minute flights to get home).

 

In the case of Smith...they acted totally irresponsibly, they got drunk, they fought, she passed out in a hallway, he fell overboard and then RCCL owes her an explanation, an apology, an airline ticket home, a security escort and what else????

 

This what she claimed took place! Then we have another couple who states they were not drunk and just lovely people. Here's another possible scenario:

 

I do believe the guy did get drunk, got up on the rail, sat down, lost his balance, fell, hit his head, passed out, got groggy and woke up dazed and confused and rolled overboard. This would explain the amount of blood on the canopy.

 

I also think she has no memory of the incident, as she might have blacked it out, as she might have been in the room when he fell, went into shock, ran from the room, passed out in the hallway and was found, escorted back to her room, put to bed and she wakes up and goes for a massage, as if nothing happened. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is possible.

 

Or, the two of them got so drunk that they got into a fight, she stormed out of the room, passed out in the hallway and he just fell overboard. If she hit him in the groin what's to say she did not hit him in the face hence, all of the blood.

 

No matter how you think this one through, they were supposed to be responsible adults. Should RCCL now offer a pre-cruise psych test to ensure they're not bringing onboard a potential lawsuit?

[dad son team]

My thoughts are like the other stated with being drugged. As many of us know, if you go out the night before and tie one one to the point that you pass out in the hallway, you are not getting up 4-5 hours later to get to a spa appointment. Usually you are too sick to move for a day. However, if you are slipped a "micky", you get loopy for a few hours, pass out, and forget about it. I believe this is what happened. They gave it to George and Jen. She passed out right away and left her somewhere, while they helped him back to the cabin. He was obviously in good shape and it did not totally work on him so they hit him on the head to knock him out to steal his casino winnings. After they hit him, he started bleeding and as with all head lacerations, they bleed alot, and then they threw him over because they feared he would remember too much. Not realizing that there was a canopy below his cabin he landed on it. After a few minutes of bleeding on the canopy, he eventually tried to get up, lost his balance and fell off.

Could RCI have done more? Maybe. I don't know about anyone else, but I think you would have had to drag me kicking and screaming to get off that ship without my wife, not to mention out of Turkey. I have had the unfortunate experience of losing my wife, and when she died it was in a hospital and even then I had a hard time leaving her there. Now I'm not saying she had something to do with what happened to him, but I do think it was a little cold of her to just go.

I watched Greta the other night when she was on the BOS and interviewed some of the crew and had them walk through what they did in the hours following this event. All said that they could not discuss what the balcony looked like. The one officer said that everything in the cabin was iin place, but eluded to the fact that something was amiss on the balcony but could not go into details. Hmm?

[1corona4u]

[quote name='dad son team']All said that they could not discuss what the balcony looked like. The one officer said that everything in the cabin was iin place, but eluded to the fact that something was amiss on the balcony but could not go into details. Hmm?[/quote]

That's not exactly right. He said that he could not comment on the location of the chair. Nothing was said about the balcony in general. I'm in the car right now, but when I get home, I'll watch it again and tell you exactly what he said.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I don't understand why there is any confusion about whether she had been drinking or had been slipped something. I'm sure that their on board account would reflect the drinks that they had both had...I mean, sometimes people buy drinks for each other, but generally not enough to get them both so drunk. If there were not a large number of drinks on their ships cards for that evening, surely that information would have gotten out.

[JerseyMom]

[quote name='GranysT']The woman passenger on the show,said she saw and talked to both of them around 2:30 am,and neither seemed at all intoxicated. She had supposedly just met them on the cruise,so why would she lie to cover up for them?[/QUOTE]

This contradicts other eye witnesses from around the same time who stated that Jennifer was so drunk she could hardly stand up. I think this woman may be confused about the day and/or time. Just like the neighbors of Laci Petersen who swear that they saw Laci walking her dog after Scott left to go fishing or golfing or whaterever his story is. I don't think the woman was lying - I think she was just mistaken about the day and/or time.

[Grumm]

[quote name='ADeputy4U']Above Sea, here's my opinion on this hole thing. This case reminds me alot of the Scott & Lacy Peterson case. It's started off in a simular manner and if you think back, Scott stayed real cool throughtout the entire investigation. Just too many things in this case that make you stop and say "hummmmmm." I don't think your going to be too far off in your thinking when all is said and done. So now folks, I guess there are two of us who are like minded. Please be gentle with us.[/quote]

I don't suppose he could have been accosted by three ruffians?;)

[canucks4]

Or George blew a wad of money, earned and unearned, in the casino - got drunk, argued with his wife who blew him off and went elsewhere, and was dumped back at his cabin with his trolling buddies. They left, he got more angry at losing money, the unknown whereabouts of his wife and started punching walls, yelling at himself...went out to the balcony to have smoke and calm down and oops, over he went...just as plausible.

[KKeeganS]

[quote name='1corona4u']That's not exactly right. He said that he could not comment on the location of the chair. Nothing was said about the balcony in general. I'm in the car right now, but when I get home, I'll watch it again and tell you exactly what he said.[/QUOTE]

That could be very important if it turns out the chair was in a position near the balcony to allow someone to step/jump over the railing, or if it was pushed out of the way as if two people had needed the space to push/throw someone over the balcony. Then again, if the chair was near the railing it could indicate George jumped, or someone tried to get onto the life raft to throw his body into the water.

Interesting.

[OliverTheCat]

[quote name='GranysT']From watching Oprah today,this is my thoughts on what might have happened. Prior to Oprah today,I felt,well they both were drinking heavily and fighting,so who knows. Now, I feel this way.
It has been mentioned,tho not today,that George had quite a bit of money with him.I think at some point,in the cruise,he was flashing it around,or bragging about having it in the cabin. The wrong people heard him do this,and decided to relieve him of it.
The woman passenger on the show,said she saw and talked to both of them around 2:30 am,and neither seemed at all intoxicated. She had supposedly just met them on the cruise,so why would she lie to cover up for them?
I think someone,or someones,put something in their drinks. Jen staggered off and passed out in a hallway. George was able to get back,or was helped back to his cabin. He was expected to pass out also,but was stronger than Jen,and fought back. He was hit with something(big thud)probably too hard,there was panic,and he was pushed overboard. I do think it strange that they were apparently spending nights apart,and she wasn't more concerned about where George was. But, face it. Young people no longer "wait"for anything. They most likely live together.Jen and George lived together for a year and a half,before marrying. So Honeymoon's are no longer the special happening,they used to be. By the time young people marry today,everthing is old hat to them.
I agree with Goldstein,that RCL did everything they could,under the circumstances,with 1 exception. Leaving her in Turkey(a foreign country) to get home,however she could, was heartless. They should have seen that she had a plane ticket and a definate way back home. However, once the Turkish police cleared the ship,and told them they could reopen the cabin and sail,why wouldn't they? Expecting RCL to fly 3000 people home,and keep the ship in Turkey is ridiculous. I do hope we find out an ending to all this.[/quote]

I think you have very good and valid points on the drugging possibility. Best I have read yet. Did ANYONE ever test her to see if drugs were in her system??! If not, why not?

I MUST disagree with you about the part about young people marrying today dont treat a honeymoon as a special happening because they live together first. Not so. I just married in May 05, and am in my twenties...was with husband 8 years before marriage. Treated honeymoon as a very VERY special event, as we did our vows. I think its a sterotype to say "young people in general" treat honeymoon and marriage the way you described. Maybe some do these day, but DEFINITELY not the majority from what I have seen in my age group. Just my opinion though....

[C 2 C]

I'm surprised Oprah did not get the couple in the adjacent room to describe the noises.. male/female/ partying, shouts etc.... as opposed to the two who described a saint two hours before she was found sleeping ? in a hallway

[tngirl1979]

RCI did what they were required to do and if she had not rushed off the boat they might have done more. I have a hard time believing that anyone would sleep away from their husband during their honeymoon. I also have a hard time believing ANYONE would not carry insurance on vacation. Alot would have been remedied if she had not partied so much. For all we know the fight was so bad that he jumped himself.