'Primetime' Investigates Four Disappearances From Cruise Ships (Tonight)

[ArcticZ]

I was watching the news this afternoon and they made mention that on primetime tonight, there will be a special on the people lost at sea.

 

I just thought i would post that incase anybody who didn't know and wanted to watch would be able to.

 

sorry if this has been posted before, i didn't see anything on it yet.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1542106

[reality800]

Thanks for posting this. I will definitly be watching!!

[ArcticZ]

no problem.

 

I think primetime is on 10pm est on abc tonight 1/26/06.

[berwyn]

I hope abc gives us more fair coverage the cable news channels are so biased.

[lilbit]

Does any one know the web site that was put together for the various missing cruise ship passengers?

[jdeubanks]

I too hope that ABC will provide fair coverage. I am increasingly frustrated with all the reports that attempt to put blame on the cruise lines themselves. People are responsible for their own actions and must own up to them instead of blaming someone (or something) else. The cruise line certainly can't be held responsible for the behavior of each and every guest particularly in this day and time when they would then be blamed for invading privacy.

 

P.S. the website you are looking for is www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

[ArcticZ]

I guess there was one guy that "says" he was pushed off the ship, and he was out in the ocean for 6 days or so, just in his shorts. He's from michigan, since i live in michigan they keep talking about him here. He was drunk at the time, but knows he was pushed.. ??

[AFT_LOVER]

his show today had Mario Cuomo's son who is ABC newsman covering this with his month old baby named Mario. They start to talk about all he has learned & the people he interviewed & Bush cuts in with a press conference.

 

This will be an ad for Carnival! All the people who jump to swim to shore, or are drunk & one guy was floating for 16 hours when they got him. I hope he paid the bill!

[berwyn]

I too hope that ABC will provide fair coverage. I am increasingly frustrated with all the reports that attempt to put blame on the cruise lines themselves. People are responsible for their own actions and must own up to them instead of blaming someone (or something) else. The cruise line certainly can't be held responsible for the behavior of each and every guest particularly in this day and time when they would then be blamed for invading privacy.

 

P.S. the website you are looking for is www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

Great response.Ever since the mcdonalds 'hot" coffee case everyone seems to feel "its not MY fault".

[AFT_LOVER]

as he reported on the show. Amazing from 5 reports 3 are Carnival. But why did ABC show the "X" from Celebrity? The woman on Celebrity Mercury in ALaska and they refer to it as RCCL Celebrity showing the Crown & Anchor lit up not the "X". VERY BAD REPORTING!!! I did email ABC to tell them another reason why I do not watch their news.

 

 

I guess there was one guy that "says" he was pushed off the ship, and he was out in the ocean for 6 days or so, just in his shorts. He's from michigan, since i live in michigan they keep talking about him here. He was drunk at the time, but knows he was pushed.. ??

[wolfcathorse]

I watched and OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the Smith family hired Dr Lee (OJ forensic expert) and he FOUND something!!!!! He can't tell us what yet!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOO, imagine, evidence pertinent to the case STILL found 7 months after the [sic] crime! :rolleyes: How does he know the "evidence" doesn't belong to the passengers booked in that area since July? There ya go, no more nookie on the balconey for me...they'll STILL know what we did months after the fact. :rolleyes:

[bouhunter]

What struck me was a recurring theme among the stories that the grieving families are still waiting for the cruise lines to "do something". These people fell off, jumped off, or were thrown off and are dead. What exactly are the cruise lines supposed to "do" now?:confused:

 

When they refer to RCCL Celebrity Cruise Line, how much accuracy can you expect the story to have overall........

[jdeubanks]

As I suspected would be the case let's make the cruise lines look bad. Notice Mr. Cuomo's face when he talked to the families (sympathetic) then when he talked about the cruise lines (mean hard line reporter - they are the bad guys!!!!!). So I guess what should happen is that the cruise lines should have 1 employee assigned to every cabin to follow the guest(s) around, have a curfew and lock everyone in their rooms at night - but then they better seal off the balconies too...... Never mentioned the possible state of mind of the individuals or the family relationships.....if someone wants to disappear, they can, what is the cruise line supposed to do (see above?). Also not once did they mention that MILLIONS of people cruise each year and these examples amount to a miniscule percentage of those passengers that (A) have great cruises and (B) return home safely - because they are responsible for their actions.

[OliverTheCat]

What was up with the vampire looking attorney representing that Rusty guy. Good grief, he was enough to give you nightmares with his bowtie and trench coat attire. EEKS :eek:

[cruiseapril]

I watched the show and find it very annoying that the cruise lines are being blamed so quickly. If a person acts up on a train or plane, do people blame the transportation companies? It is frivilous to blame companies before all the facts are in. Just the facts, ma'm.

[AFT_LOVER]

he stated that he found a SCRAPE on the canopy. Hello, a pressure washer that is used daily to clean floors as the canopy may have done it, a works belt or watch, whatever.

 

 

I watched and OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the Smith family hired Dr Lee (OJ forensic expert) and he FOUND something!!!!! He can't tell us what yet!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOO, imagine, evidence pertinent to the case STILL found 7 months after the [sic] crime! :rolleyes: How does he know the "evidence" doesn't belong to the passengers booked in that area since July? There ya go, no more nookie on the balconey for me...they'll STILL know what we did months after the fact. :rolleyes:

[1corona4u]

What exactly are the cruise lines supposed to "do" now?:confused:

 

Pay them, I suppose....

 

I've read the "human life" is worth about 1.4 MIL....maybe they're waiting for that...........

[rokcop]

Here is a little insight into missing persons:

 

Missing Adults Statistics

According the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Crime Information Center (NCIC) there are 47,842 active missing adult cases, with 30,622 missing adults missing one year or more (as of 7/30/04).

 

THEY CAN'T ALL BE MISSING FROM CRUISE SHIPS!!!!

[newhampshiregirl]

Here was my take on the show. Why didn't the reporter specifically ask the guy (from Michigan who was in the water for 16+ hours) if he was drunk and /or drinking that night? I felt that the piece inferred that happened, but felt the reporter should have asked directly.

 

Sounds like the woman that went to Alaska and never returned committed suicide. But why did the cruise line never notify anyone that her belongings were left in the room and they believe she disappeared? They seemed to have stonewalled the family with incorrect or no information.

 

The George Smith case got very interesting when they introduced one of the guys that was with him. There is so much more to this story...and I have no doubt that alcohol had a major role in it.

 

But the one that bothered me the most was the woman traveling with her parents and daughter when they found her pocketbook and drink on the deck and the surveilance camera covered.

 

In the end I believe we all have to take personal responsibility for what happens when we travel. But I do believe that when there is a missing person or a tragedy on a cruise ship that the cruise line cannot cover up information in order to protect the image of their business. It is what it is.

[1corona4u]

Sounds like the woman that went to Alaska and never returned committed suicide. But why did the cruise line never notify anyone that her belongings were left in the room and they believe she disappeared? They seemed to have stonewalled the family with incorrect or no information.

 

 

From what I heard previously, she left no emergency contact info, or innaccurate info, or something to that effect. But I will say, that they should have notified the police in the city she came from, and they would have had that info.

[Guest cvbart]

As I suspected would be the case let's make the cruise lines look bad. Notice Mr. Cuomo's face when he talked to the families (sympathetic) then when he talked about the cruise lines (mean hard line reporter - they are the bad guys!!!!!). So I guess what should happen is that the cruise lines should have 1 employee assigned to every cabin to follow the guest(s) around, have a curfew and lock everyone in their rooms at night - but then they better seal off the balconies too...... Never mentioned the possible state of mind of the individuals or the family relationships.....if someone wants to disappear, they can, what is the cruise line supposed to do (see above?). Also not once did they mention that MILLIONS of people cruise each year and these examples amount to a miniscule percentage of those passengers that (A) have great cruises and (B) return home safely - because they are responsible for their actions.

 

Most of you seem to be the same way as the media you complain about.

 

You already have your minds made up.

 

The truth is usually found somewhere in the middle and it's best to keep an open mind untill you know all the facts.

 

But that never stops the media..and most of you.

[jonnyc020385]

From what I heard previously, she left no emergency contact info, or innaccurate info, or something to that effect. But I will say, that they should have notified the police in the city she came from, and they would have had that info.

 

 

If the case was she left no contact info at all, that seems strange because I JUST today did all my online check in paperwork formy first cruise and I did not fill out that part about the emergency information. I then thought I was done, but it would not let me continue without filling out the emergency info part, so this seems unlikly this was the cause.

 

But like you also stated she could have simply put innaccurate information and away you go.

[1corona4u]

If the case was she left no contact info at all, that seems strange because I JUST today did all my online check in paperwork formy first cruise and I did not fill out that part about the emergency information. I then thought I was done, but it would not let me continue without filling out the emergency info part, so this seems unlikly this was the cause.

 

But like you also stated she could have simply put innaccurate information and away you go.

 

Mybe she didn't fill them out online. This wa on a Clebrity ship too, and I'm not sure they even had any online forms, when this occured. Remember, she told no one she was going, so that's a bit strange too. I don't know who goes on a cruise and tells no one...

 

I'll see if I can find anymore info about it...it's out there.

 

Here is a transcript from Anderson Cooper, last year;

 

COOPER (voice over): She was, her father says, vivacious. And at 41 financially independent, Merrian Carver loved to take cruises.

 

KENDALL CARVER, MERRIAN CARVER'S FATHER: I would say cruises were probably Merrian's most favorite activity. I mean, she was very sophisticated, loved to get dressed up, and she really like to take cruises and that is something she did probably, maybe once a year.

 

COOPER: A year ago last August, Merrian Carver, divorced, and the mother of a teenager, boarded the cruise ship, Mercury, in Seattle, bound for a seven-day cruise to Alaska and back. It was the last time her parents, her ex-husband, and her daughter ever saw her again.

 

K. CARVER: She did not tell me she was booked on a cruise. And I -- she didn't necessarily -- Merrian was a private person, wouldn't necessarily share everything she did. I have four daughters. They don't share what they're doing this coming weekend. Merrian did not share that with me.

 

COOPER: This grainy black and white photograph from a security camera is the last known image of Merrian, taken as she boarded the ship. Only one day out of Seattle, the cruise line says the steward assigned to her cabin reported her missing to his supervisor. Each day, the steward later said, in a deposition, he reported her missing. And each day, he said the supervisor's response was the same, quote, "You do your job. You continue to do your job."

 

For its part, the cruise line says they do not monitor guests. And it is not uncommon for people to stay in rooms not belonging to them.

 

CAROL CARVER, MERRIAN CARVER's MOTHER: We had no idea where she was, whether she was -- where she was. I mean, it is just, you know, unbelievable that you could lose somebody.

 

COOPER: Her father says Merrian Carver had been emotionally distraught because of her divorce. And at first, they didn't even know she was missing, because she hadn't told them of her plans. The first, they say, they knew of her disappearance was when they're granddaughter phoned.

 

K. CARVER: Their daughter called me and said that she'd tried to call her mother. They talked, I don't know, every day or every other day, and didn't get an answer. She said, do you know where mother is?

 

COOPER: They did not. But they ultimately filed a missing person's report with police here in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Merrian lived in this apartment building. The police checking her credit card purchases, learned about the trip onboard the Mercury. Purchased, said the cruise line, only two days before departure. The first time anyone knew for sure she was missing.

 

K. CARVER: So, I called the cruise line. And said, gee, you know, our daughter has bought a ticket on your ship. Was she on your ship? And about three -- roughly, three days later -- we're now 27 days into the time this had started -- they called back and said, yes, we've got her bag in storage. We found it in storage. It has her name, her Social Security number, it has some computer discs in it. And you know, we'll mail it to you.

 

COOPER: Not until September 30, more than a month after the disappearance did the cruse line file this report with the FBI. A disappearance the company says it was not aware of until the family intervened.

 

C. CARVER: The whole story is the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line just absolutely -- every time we turned a corner trying to find a piece of our puzzle, trying to find out daughter, we were the only ones interested.

 

(END VIDEOTAPE)

 

COOPER: Well, still to come on 360, more on the mysterious disappearance of Merrian Carver. Should the cruise line take responsibility?

 

 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

 

COOPER: Welcome back, before the break we told you about Merrian Carver, a cruise loving woman who set sail from Seattle a year ago, and disappeared. Her family has been grappling with the mystery, trying to find out what happened to her aboard that ship and hoping that somehow, some way, they may find her alive. The investigation has only lead to frustration. A lot of it directed at the cruise line their daughter traveled on, because the cruise ship never informed them that she was missing.

 

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

 

K. CARVER: There are other people involved in that corporation. There is a board of directors, who have some responsibility to the passengers. And I would hope that they would say, gee, we've got to make sure this doesn't happen to some other family in the future.

 

COOPER (voice over): For Ken and Carol Carver the disappearance of their 41-year-old daughter Merrian, onboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Mercury, has been both emotionally and financially devastating. They say they've spent 75,000 in fees for attorneys and private investigators in the 15 months since she disappeared. The Royal Caribbean ship she sailed on was crowded, 2,000 passengers. A floating small town.

 

KRISTOFFER GARIN, AUTHOR, "DEVILS OF THE DEEP BLUE SEA": There is one thing you have in every small town in the country, which you will never see on a cruise ship and that is the police. An impartial third party, whose job is to investigate and solve crimes with no financial conflict of interest.

 

COOPER: Kristoffer Garin is the author of a newly released book on the big cruise lines.

 

GARIN: This is not something they like to see. It can cost their cruise line hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, an hour a day, when they have to stop these cruises for an investigation.

 

COOPER: The Carvers have filed a lawsuit alleging negligence against Royal Caribbean, and because of it, the company said in a statement to CNN that it was, quote, "somewhat limited in what it could say in response." It said the Carvers have suffered, quote, "an inconsolable loss", but added, cruise line authorities believe that Merrian Carver, quote, "appears to have committed suicide on our ship".

 

Her parents say that even if Merrian did jump overboard -- and Carol Carver, for one, does not believe it -- it is immaterial. Authorities on the ship, they say, should have quickly informed them of her disappearance.

 

C. CARVER: We're hoping that maybe some people that were on the ship, maybe someone is out there seeing this program, that maybe they saw something that might tell us, you know, what happened to Merrian. Did they see her get off at one of the ports? You know, was she, maybe -- you know, you'd think in the middle of the night, was she drugged? You know, someone could drug her and literally walk her off the ship.

 

COOPER: Royal Caribbean fired the supervisor who failed to report Merrian Carver's disappearance. But added, sadly, "even if he had shown better judgment -- which we wish he had -- there is no reason to believe we could have averted the tragic outcome."

 

She is not the first American to disappear at sea on a cruise ship. According to a magazine, the "Business Journal of Jacksonville", eight other passengers have disappeared in the past five and a half years. A small number among the millions who have taken vacations at sea, say cruise ship operators who insist they can't monitor the comings and goings of their passengers.

 

GARIN: The cruise lines do not take responsibility for their individual guests. They check in as adults, they behave themselves as they behave themselves.

 

COOPER: There will be congressional hearings about all of this, about Merrian Carver's disappearance and about the disappearance of a young newlywed from Greenwich, Connecticut, George Allen Smith, who disappeared while on his honeymoon on a Royal Caribbean vessel, off the coast of Turkey.

 

(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: We'll keep you updated on the story.

[Scott1]

I can't get over how callous people are being in this thread. Basically you just want the media attention to end so you can resume your cruising, is that it? I understand that you enjoy cruising, but defending the cruise companies for their actions when you don't know the whole story is baffling to me.

 

Cruise companies operate with near impunity - with the exception of complying with certain safety and environmental laws and running life drills, cruise companies are not legally obligated to report or investigate crimes and basically police themselves.

 

It's dumb to assume that people just got drunk and fell overboard. Alcohol may have been a factor, but foul play is possible too. It would be extremely easy to push someone overboard - you needn't lift them up as one person in this thread said, they'd just tilt/rotate over the railing. Maybe that's what's happening, or maybe people are falling overboard - who knows, because the cruise companies do everything in their power to prevent the public from finding out the truth. It's very, very bad for business to have people talking about this stuff.

 

It's not so hard to believe that 14 people went missing from cruise ships in 2 years. What is hard to believe is that all are a mystery as far as I know. Even the one man that survived doesn't remember how he ended up in the water. He didn't say he got pushed (as one person said here), he said he either fell or was thrown overboard but he doesn't remember which. I find it disconcerting that people are disappearing with no explanation - drinking too much is one thing, drinking so much that you black out and end up in the ocean is another. IMO, for this most recent husband and wife to have both had so much to drink that they blacked out is hard to believe - seems like foul play to me.

 

All I want, and probably most people, is to know what is causing these people to go overboard. But the cruise companies are standing in the way of the truth ever becoming known. Saying that the stellar Turkish authorities were done with their investigation and thus they could clean off the guy's blood and muck up a potential crime scene is a joke - those guys could probably be bought off with $500 and probably have terrible skills as it is. They didn't even interview the people that were staying in staterooms on either side of the accident scene, one of whom heard the "thump" and commotion. A cruise ship that obtains 99% of its revenue from the U.S. should be required to undergo a full investigation by FBI personnel when crimes occur, not a crappy investigation by some incompetent and disinterested foreign police.

 

Just in case anyone thinks Turkish police are necessarily honest folks, see below. Kudos Royal Caribbean for relying on these people, at least they helped you get your boat underway quickly:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest_international.cfm?id=2456792005

http://www.tesev.org.tr/mart/mar2.html

[Tarius]

Does any one know the web site that was put together for the various missing cruise ship passengers?

 

lilbit...

Although the reply to your post provided a very interesting website, the answer that I think you were looking for is the cruisevictim site reported on the program.

 

Here it is...

 

http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org

 

My appologies if I'm stepping on any toes here.

 

 

The site appears to be in its infancy as none of the links worked for me. It does state that it is under construction so perhaps you will have to wait for a while.

 

While you are waiting, the site posted by jeudbanks is very interesting and is now bookmarked on my machine. Here it is again...

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html