crime on cruise ships

[jonikal]

I've found this to be an interesting link for happenings at sea:

 

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

[In2why]

And most of the rapes/attempted rapes are perpetrated upon UNDERAGE GIRLS or drunk and stupid women. The underage girls-where in the h*** are their parents???? What in the h*** was a 12 yo doing with a crew member???? Parenting does count!!!

 

And you get drunk and stupid-"Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Oh, boy, did that tell my age!!!

 

Your thought process regarding the women who are victims of assaults show your age more than your pop culture reference. I can not believe that in this day and age there are still people who blame the victim.

[In2why]

Not an ignorant post in the least. And I AM a woman. Alcohol has been involved in the majority of crimes/incidents on cruise ships. That is a fact.

 

Drunk/stupid applies to a lot of women in a lot of situations-should have seen them at the "truck driver" bar last night where I met a few of my employees. Asking for trouble and crying foul when it finds them describes about 40% of young, naive women I see on cruise ships and in various venues when they should know better. Why anyone thinks they are protected from whatever may befall them on a cruise ship if they are drunk and stupid is beyond my comprehension???

 

The US government has little authority to enforce foreign laws or even do initial investigations.

 

If you cannot realize that when you leave the USA, you are more or less on your own and at the mercy of foreign governments, foreign laws, terrorists, and criminals if you get in trouble, maybe you ought to stay home. Just one of the risks in foreign travel. Accept it or stay home!!!

 

 

How does a woman ask for trouble? Is it the clothes she wears? How much she drinks? Whether she is a virgin or a "slut"? Born on the wrong side of the tracks? Her attacker(s) are too good looking, rich, well known for it to have been unwanted?

[letscruisegd]

Maybe stupid was the wrong choice of words. And I feel empathy for your friend. But please tell me what word to use instead of STUPID...So women that don't have that day to day experience with men of every stripe need to take DOUBLE the precautions about drinking too much.

The way I look at it, their actions may be stupid but there's really no need to have a word to use to label a woman who finds herself in a compromising position. These are women who are making bad decisions because in their eyes they're "just having fun". Bad decisions generally cause stupid actions. It doesn't make them bad or stupid people; just people who made a bad choice. You have a valid point about women needing to take DOUBLE the precautions about drinking too much. We are going to be more of a target just because we're women so we have to be more cautious. This is one of the main reasons I drink very little. Over the course of a 7 day cruise I may have 5 drinks. I do that simply because I feel the need to be aware and I need to be in the right frame of mind to keep myself safe (especially when cruising solo). Unfortunately, some people feel drinking equals fun and they allow themselves to over indulge; which opens the door for bad things to happen. It still doesn't make them stupid people and it doesn't mean they asked for it.

[Aquahound]

Regardless of the woman's actions, it is still the fault of the attacker. Bottom line.

 

That being said, there is still a bit of common sense that needs to be applied. And being on vacation, common sense seems to escape some people. You are much safer on a cruise ship than elsewhere, but with a total of 5000-7000 people, there's got to be a bad one somewhere in the bunch.

[mochuck]

And most of the rapes/attempted rapes are perpetrated upon UNDERAGE GIRLS or drunk and stupid women. The underage girls-where in the h*** are their parents???? What in the h*** was a 12 yo doing with a crew member???? Parenting does count!!!

 

And you get drunk and stupid-"Looking for Mr. Goodbar". Oh, boy, did that tell my age!!!

Not only does your post display your age it also displays your ignorance. Enough people have already commented on your STUPID women remark. As for the underage girls remark and blaming their parents - kids lie to their parents. Kids are also naive and will take uneccesary risks without fully realising the consequences. And you know what - the word HELL is not a swear word.

[JolieMadam]

There is no doubt in my mind that drinking to excess makes people do stupid things. It isn't only women who do the "stupid" thing, except that women who do this leave themselves wide open for sexual advances. It's not only on cruise ships...it happens all the time everywhere...why is it different on a cruise?

 

Women need to realize they have a lot of power when it comes to men and they can call the shots, but when they are inebriated all that goes out the door and that's when things can go bad. I also fail to understand how women think that what clothes they wear (or don't wear) should make no difference to a man. You project a certain image with how you are clothed and young women, especially don't take this into consideration.

 

Also, women are known to have great instincts, but they need to use them properly for their own good.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Regardless of the woman's actions, it is still the fault of the attacker. Bottom line.

 

That being said, there is still a bit of common sense that needs to be applied. And being on vacation, common sense seems to escape some people. You are much safer on a cruise ship than elsewhere, but with a total of 5000-7000 people, there's got to be a bad one somewhere in the bunch.

 

You are correct Paul, at least one :(

 

###

[PhoenixCruiser]

Double post...

[letscruisegd]

Regardless of the woman's actions, it is still the fault of the attacker. Bottom line.

I totally agree with this statement. The unfortunate truth is more often than not the victim is blamed instead of the attacker. I posted a story about a year ago about a stalker (and potential attacker who was crew member) I encountered and the response in some of the posts was unbelievable. I did absolutely nothing to encourage this person but some of the people who replied to my post pointed the finger at me. I posted as a head's up for cruisers to pay attention to unwelcome advances and there were a handful of replies that thanked me for posting; but quite a few of the replies were people pouring salt in a wound.

[Lionesss]

Interesting posts

Taking it one step further.

How do the cruise lines handle unruly passengers.

Do they have "bouncers" or real security, with the right to detain and lock up offenders. I guess I am asking is there a detention center, and whose rules do they follow, the cruise lines or the country they sail for.

Thanks

[Keith1010]

Maybe stupid was the wrong choice of words. And I feel empathy for your friend. But please tell me what word to use instead of STUPID.

 

Women know how much they can drink (unless they are extremely naive). They also know when they are "feeling good". Smarts come into play when you STOP drinking at the "feeling good" stage. WAAAAY too many take another drink. In my book that is STUPID/DUMB-or should have known better. Call it what you will-but you GET the point.

 

I am in a VERY male dominated field-international logistics/transportation. It is about 95% men. And I am probably the most pro-woman woman you will ever meet. But with that mantle comes a LOT of responsibility. You CAN party with the big boys, you just better know how to handle it. It is a very sad thing for me to realize that I spent a lot of years promoting women to the transportation industry and then see women act like STUPID GIRLS.

 

Two of my best employees (truck drivers) are women. Another I had to let go. She could have probably been the BEST driver I had ever had (30 years in the business). But when she got around "the boys", she forgot WHO she was. She started acting flirty and sexy and give her one drink too many and she was hanging all over "the boys". She made sexual harassment allegations and even implied RAPE. I would have shot one of my employees for anything close to RAPE. When I got to the bottom of the story, too much booze, too much flirting, and on the way down from the booze high,-"oh sh**, I really don't like this guy-what in the h*** am I doing". And these are women that spend their entire days SURROUNDED by men of every stripe.

 

So women that don't have that day to day experience with men of every stripe need to take DOUBLE the precautions about drinking too much (and acting STUPID).

 

I am truly amazed by these comments.

 

I can't see how anyone would say that those who are victims of a crime were all drunk and stupid. Just amazing.

 

Keith

[CC Help Michell]

While I agree that overall the media tends to sensationalize "bad" things that happen on cruiselines (not just crime, but noro outbreaks, etc.), they obviously have found that doing so increases their ratings. I think because only a small portion of people have ever taken a cruise, maybe there is still a "perception" out there that cruising is like the Titanic, and only for the wealthy and elite -- so by hyping the "bad" stuff that can happen the media is feeding a "haha, look what happened to those rich people" vibe. I can't figure out another explanation for the sensationalist journalism, because exactly the same kinds of things happen all over the world at hotels, all inclusive resorts, conventions, Disneyworld, college campuses, etc. and are rarely reported at all, much less extensively covered by the national media.

 

At the same time, I do see a certain value to shows like the one the OP referenced -- that would be for those who have booked cruises and may have an attitude going in of "I'm on vacation, on a cruise ship, what can go wrong?" SOME of these people tend to think it's safe to let their children roam the ship ("where can he/she go?"), and SOME may drink too much causing impaired judgment.

 

That applies to both sexes, by the way -- alcohol is a factor in so many of the bad things that have happened on cruiselines (not just sex crimes -- things like people falling or jumping overboard, the young man who died when he was trying to slide down a bannister and fell down an interior stairwell, fights onboard, and yes, alcohol was reported to have been involved in the "Smith" case someone referenced above). Obviously, the fact that someone is impaired doesn't make it "okay" to take advantage of them, or commit crimes against them -- wrongdoers are 100% responsible for their own actions -- but that impairment often makes it EASIER for those things to happen.

 

News coverage like this at least reminds everyone that the first line of defense for your safety is YOU, and not to leave your good judgment and common sense at home.

[blindrid]

I think the point was not to minimize anyone's harm but to point out that some need pointed out that you need to watch one's self wherever you are.

 

I normally do the typical things I would do in a hotel. For example, If I am staying late in a casino and my wife wants to leave I will either walk her back to the cabin or make sure she has a friend that will. In addition, since a cruise is a pretty friendly, relaxed environment, it is easy to become very trust worthy of others. Unfortunately, when we meet people they are strangers and would not put a lot of trust in them as I would not expect them to trust me. That goes for crew and passengers.

 

I have never been witness to crime and like others have said when you get a few thousand people together things are bound to happen. To the OP, I feel much safer on a ship than any metro area I've been in and I will NOT allow the minmal chance to ruin my vacation. Just be careful and have fun.

[Volunton]

Interesting posts

Taking it one step further.

How do the cruise lines handle unruly passengers.

 

All ships have 'security officers' who are in charge of making sure people 'behave'. They are seen most often when embarking/disembarking the ship. They circulate throughout the ship but they keep a low profile so as to maintain anonymity and not panic passengers about the ship being unsafe.

 

Do they have "bouncers" or real security, with the right to detain and lock up offenders. I guess I am asking is there a detention center

 

Cruise ships have 'brigs' or at least a room where someone can be placed should they cause potential harm to themselves or someone else.

 

 

and whose rules do they follow, the cruise lines or the country they sail for.

Thanks

 

 

Like all cities nowadays, video surveillance on ships can capture most if not all public areas of the ship. Luckily, staterooms (as far as I know ... and hope!) are still off limits (much like your house where you are the "King" or "Queen" of the Castle). In that case, it is up to us as individuals to exercise proper judgment. Sometimes one has a 'lapse' in judgment either as the victim or as the perpetrator.

 

 

Other people have noted that, on a cruise ship, there is nowhere to hide - this applies to both the potential victim and potential suspect.

 

Should someone do something wrong, the odds are very high that they will (eventually) be caught as they either have to disembark the ship at a port of call or most certainly when the ship arrives back at port.

 

One may be able to hide in a stateroom for the duration of the cruise, but by day seven, they will be forced out of the stateroom and forced to 'walk the plank', hopefully into the waiting arms of the law. :)

 

P.S. "Common sense" should prevail - for all parties on a cruise ship!

[Moeve]

First off it has been mentioned often enough but some just don't get it Incidents happening on cruise ships make just much better national & international news than incidents in your neighbourhood bar.

 

Simple question - how often if ever have any one of YOU called security while onboard a ship when you saw someone drunk and certainly no longer in full pocession of his/her wits??? I'll bet with you most of you have seen such a person but none of you have even thought of getting someone to make sure this person gets to their cabin safely right????? It is like everywhere else in life too - keep your eyes open and not only for yourselves! Cruise ships are like any small city in the world full of strangers and one needs to take the same precautions one would in a strange city anywhere ashore. Why is that soo difficult to grasp?

[WELSH WIZARDS]

I think what we need is some perspective here. Yes , rape is bad, and it goes on where ever you are, and you should always be on your guard. Why, therefore could rape not happen on a cruise ship.? Does it happen , of course it does. Does it happen a lot less on cruise ships than a city street at night, absolutly without a doubt it does.

A cruise ship is way safer than a city at night. but people, both men and women, are not totally safe from rape , even on a ship.

If it was a huge problem there would be people on these boards, where they have anonymity, posting and warning fellow members as they do about everything else.

[standby 06.30]

Maybe stupid was the wrong choice of words. And I feel empathy for your friend. But please tell me what word to use instead of STUPID.

 

Women know how much they can drink (unless they are extremely naive). They also know when they are "feeling good". Smarts come into play when you STOP drinking at the "feeling good" stage. WAAAAY too many take another drink. In my book that is STUPID/DUMB-or should have known better. Call it what you will-but you GET the point.

 

I am in a VERY male dominated field-international logistics/transportation. It is about 95% men. And I am probably the most pro-woman woman you will ever meet. But with that mantle comes a LOT of responsibility. You CAN party with the big boys, you just better know how to handle it. It is a very sad thing for me to realize that I spent a lot of years promoting women to the transportation industry and then see women act like STUPID GIRLS.

 

Two of my best employees (truck drivers) are women. Another I had to let go. She could have probably been the BEST driver I had ever had (30 years in the business). But when she got around "the boys", she forgot WHO she was. She started acting flirty and sexy and give her one drink too many and she was hanging all over "the boys". She made sexual harassment allegations and even implied RAPE. I would have shot one of my employees for anything close to RAPE. When I got to the bottom of the story, too much booze, too much flirting, and on the way down from the booze high,-"oh sh**, I really don't like this guy-what in the h*** am I doing". And these are women that spend their entire days SURROUNDED by men of every stripe.

 

So women that don't have that day to day experience with men of every stripe need to take DOUBLE the precautions about drinking too much (and acting STUPID).

As a male are you trying to say that a woman has not got the right to say NO. no matter what the preamble was, if you are and judgeing by this and your previous post, you are a disgrace to your gender.

 

Your sort of perverted logic restrains women from reporting rape.

 

Rape is intercourse without consent, NO IS NO

[Moeve]

Stand by ok no is no - but sadly most of these cases involve large amounts of alcohol on both sides so in most cases we are down to the lowest of human instincts. In most cases both sides no longer have all their wits - so no doesn't always make it. Unfortunately this is a fact.

 

Therefore wouldn't it be prudent for ANYONE to be very much more careful when the comsumption of alcohol is involved???

[standby 06.30]

Stand by ok no is no - but sadly most of these cases involve large amounts of alcohol on both sides so in most cases we are down to the lowest of human instincts. In most cases both sides no longer have all their wits - so no doesn't always make it. Unfortunately this is a fact.

 

Therefore wouldn't it be prudent for ANYONE to be very much more careful when the comsumption of alcohol is involved???

Moeve I have been around a long time, women are not unknown to me, and I have in my early days been involved in nightclub security, it does not wash with me and any self respecting human being to say that because of any earlier behaviour a woman has been involved in, whether it be alcohol or flirting or dress etc, that these actions may if she has said NO allows a man to rape her and then utter those words " she asked for it"

 

I for one having drunk enough to as you put it have lost my "wits" at that stage I would have lost my erection as well! no excuses it is rape! regards

[greatam]

As a male are you trying to say that a woman has not got the right to say NO. no matter what the preamble was, if you are and judgeing by this and your previous post, you are a disgrace to your gender.

 

Your sort of perverted logic restrains women from reporting rape.

 

Rape is intercourse without consent, NO IS NO

 

I never said any such thing. And NO means NO. But why put yourself in the position of "FENDING OFF" the guys and having to go through the "NO is NO" scenario to begin with? THAT IS THE POINT. Alcohol/drugs are usually the culprit and women often just don't think far enough ahead to equate that "one more" puts them in a bad situation.

 

By the way, I was watching "Law and Order, SVU" a couple hours ago. Guess what one of the VICTIMS said-"I got DRUNK AND STUPID" after her video dancing naked on a bar ended up on the internet and she was in danger of loosing her college scholarship. By no means was she a STUPID person, but drinking to excess made her loose her smarts. Sure, TV writers wrote the script, but it is pretty common terminology.

[Keith1010]

I never said any such thing. And NO means NO. But why put yourself in the position of "FENDING OFF" the guys and having to go through the "NO is NO" scenario to begin with? THAT IS THE POINT. Alcohol/drugs are usually the culprit and women often just don't think far enough ahead to equate that "one more" puts them in a bad situation.

 

By the way, I was watching "Law and Order, SVU" a couple hours ago. Guess what one of the VICTIMS said-"I got DRUNK AND STUPID" after her video dancing naked on a bar ended up on the internet and she was in danger of loosing her college scholarship. By no means was she a STUPID person, but drinking to excess made her loose her smarts. Sure, TV writers wrote the script, but it is pretty common terminology.

 

Your presumption that alcohol/drugs is the culprit is a poor generalization. Just like anything in life there is no silver bullet as to the cause or solution to issues. Crime does not happen to people just because they drink vs. not crimes to those who don't drink.

 

The bottom line to all of this is that overall cruising provides a fairly safe environment. But, with that said, crime does occur on cruise ships. I wouldn't leave my room open with a nice piece of jewelry on the bed whether on a cruise ship or in a hotel room. People are people and some are tempted to do things that are wrong.

 

And, do some people do stupid things when they drink? Yes. And do some people not do stupid things when they drink? Yes. And do some people do stupid things when they don't drink? Yes. And do some people do stupid things when they don't drink? No. It's never good to label people and it's never good to throw out generalities. In the end, people are people. Each person is different from which cruise line they enjoy, to the clothes they wear, to their values, etc.

 

Keith

[blindrid]

OK - enough of the social commentary of the day.

 

As to the OP's question, crime is typically not an issue if normal precautions are taken.

[TravelGal22]

I will be cruising with my boyfriend yet I will still be very careful. I don't plan on walking to and from our cabin on my own. If I was traveling without him, I would be very careful about how much I drink, not that I normally drink much anyway, or who I talk to. I am 43 and I have become wiser through the years. However, in my youth, I put myself in some very dangerouse situations that when I look back on it now it really frightens me. Some people when they are young don't think anything bad can happen to them. This does not make them stupid, just inexperienced. I have spoken to my daughter about many possible situations in which she could become a victom and I feel I have prepared her well to protect herself. I don't think I have made her paraniod but she is always aware of her surroundings and I hope, careful. All of this being said, regardless of how bad a situation we may put ourselves in, NO ONE has the right to take advantage of us regardless.

[Neil Down]

I will be cruising with my boyfriend yet I will still be very careful. I don't plan on walking to and from our cabin on my own.

 

Now I am getting concerned, not about the crime situation but by the fact that you would not consider walking to or from your cabin on your own. This, surely, is taking things to an unnecessary level. I know I'm a bloke but my nearest and dearest would consider me paranoid if I suggested she should walk to or from our cabin alone. There are precautions that are worth taking but extremes like this would make life intolerable. Lighten up folks ....Neil