Have you Known Someone Be Put Ashore Early

[PhoenixCruiser]

Lori, the instant that I saw the title of this thread, I hoped that you would post your story again.

 

You are so wonderful to keep sharing your near-catastrophic experience with us.

 

I nominate you for the Most Courageous Cruiser of the Millennium Award.

 

I thought the same thing when this thread was started.

 

I'll second the nomination :D

 

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[Rancher Dave]

Wow, what a story & I agree with the other poster who said the kids parents were largely at fault for allowing him to go in the first place.

 

I always told my kids I was only responsible enough for THEM! lol

 

 

A while back she actually did post the entire story of what happened in great detail. I think she proved that RCCL was not mean about how they treated her which I think flavors her view of the situation as far as RCCL's involvement. I was glad that RCCL helped her make the arrangements to get home.

 

As for kids tossing things over the side... If it is done in US Waters there are very heavy fines that RCCL would have to pay if caught with anything other than ground up food and treated sewer water going over the side, i.e. chairs etc...

[PhoenixCruiser]

phtktz3....

 

What an awesome dad...and man! Congratulations...you're one of a very few with integrity and honesty. What a lucky woman....best wishes.

 

And here's to having a really fun cruise.

 

Actually she is an awesome mom :D ;)

 

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[mtncouple]

We took a 20 year old friend with our 20 yr old DS and he caused many problems between family members. At age 20 we had to be responsible for him on RCCL. I was worried sick what he would do in Mexico since drinking was legal for him there. He stirred up a little more trouble but didn't have time to get too drunk. Luckily there was no trouble to be kicked off the ship but it put a damper on things.:( NEVER again!:eek: Think twice before you bring someone. I'd known the young man since he was 2 yrs. old.

[phtktz3]

Actually she is an awesome mom :D ;)

 

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Thanks...I was reading that post about an awesome Dad and was a little confused.....but I got the drift:)

[phtktz3]

Lori, the instant that I saw the title of this thread, I hoped that you would post your story again.

 

You are so wonderful to keep sharing your near-catastrophic experience with us.

 

I nominate you for the Most Courageous Cruiser of the Millennium Award.

 

Thanks and I will accept the nomination:D I was very fearful when this first happened to share it with the boards for fear people would flame me, in fact, I used to frequent the AOL cruise travel board which is a very small group of posters and it was months before I shared with them, I think I was a little embarrassed that I had "let" this happen to my son and I, but I soon realized that there were people out there like me who love cruising and love their kids and like to give someone who maybe wouldn't have the means to cruise a chance to experience it with their friend and I just knew that I had to share this experience.

There will probably be a 100 people who take their kids friend along and will have a wonderful time and never, ever have any issues at all, but I just want the adults who take responsibility for someone elses child a chance look at what can happen if they don't ask the right questions and get medical info.

[phtktz3]

We've laid down all the rules, I AM DAD that week!

 

Good....at least you are going into it with your eyes wide open!

On another note...I noticed you've sailed the Star Princess...we are leaving on her May 4th to Alaska.

[lori450]

Lori - You have my admiration, too.

 

To the family that is watching all those kids...you might want to consider writing all the rules (including being sent home and what would warrant that) and have everyone sign it (like a contract) including the kids and their parents. No confusion. People tend to follow rules better when they sign such a contract.

[dirtgirl]

Lori - You have my admiration, too.

 

To the family that is watching all those kids...you might want to consider writing all the rules (including being sent home and what would warrant that) and have everyone sign it (like a contract) including the kids and their parents. No confusion. People tend to follow rules better when they sign such a contract.

 

 

I second that!

 

Lori, what a horrible thing to have happen to you. I have also contemplated bringing along DD's BFF, but it is a whole new kettle of fish. No way would I flame you. I'm just sorry that that restriction has been placed upon you.

 

I would have used some colourful language with those grandparents, too.;)

[RoofingPrincess]

Lori - You have my admiration, too.

 

To the family that is watching all those kids...you might want to consider writing all the rules (including being sent home and what would warrant that) and have everyone sign it (like a contract) including the kids and their parents. No confusion. People tend to follow rules better when they sign such a contract.

Our church youth group used a contract (they call it a covenant) every time they traveled together. They wrote it up themselves under the supervision of the group leaders. Seemed to work pretty well.

 

On my last cruise, I let my 22yo son bring his 20yo g/f. The three of us shared a cabin. Both my son & his g/f have mental health issues (my son's are more serious than hers) but I knew that going in. I wasn't too concerned because they have a history of keeping each other level.

[Tucker in Texas]

While my story is not as horrendous as Lori's, I'm in the camp of never taking a friend along with my child.

 

A friend of mine wanted to take her granddaughter on a cruise for a graduation present. I think she was 17. She asked me to go along to keep her company. Then the granddaughter talked her mother into paying for a friend to go. I won't go into all the details of the "problems" on the cruise other that to say the two bottles of complimentary wine were gone before the ship left the port and that I came home glad God blessed me with two sons and no daughters (lol)

 

The real problem happened coming home. We had a flight at 11:30 which I knew was pushing it but it was either that or 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon. We have always been at the airport by 10:00 at the latest--this was pre 9/11--no long security lines, etc. Well, the ship did not release us until 10:30 for some reason and we missed the flight by minutes. However, our luggage made the flight. About all Delta could do was to put us on stand by. On a Saturday in Miami, this is not very promising. So we hung around the airport all day with the girls whining about us being "cheap" and not buying a walk-up ticket. I have visions of us having to check into a hotel with no luggage and two teenage girls in tube tops shorts.

 

Along about 5:00 they called the granddaughter's friend to the counter. She came over, grabbed her purse and got on the plane before we knew what was happening. Then the granddaughter told us that she had her friend's wallet in her purse. So I stood quietly to one side and waited for two gate attendants to settle their Saturday night plans and proceeded to throw myself to their mercy as nicely and politely as I could. Told them this under aged girl with no money had gotten on the plane, etc. They got on the phone and told me that they would guarantee us seats on the last flight out to Atlanta and then on the last flight to Houston. They would meet the girl at the gate and give her a voucher for a meal. Not to worry about the girl once in Atlanta as there wasn't another flight to Houston until the flight they had us booked on. So we get to Atlanta, run to the gate to catch that last flight, no girl, plane loaded and ready to go. Asking around they said she had taken a flight to Houston Hobby, the other airport in Houston. We had no time to call 'home". We stopped at Hobby on the way home to get her luggage. Hobby airport is one of the few that does check your luggage tags before you leave the baggage claim. Her luggage was not there and it was not in "lost and found". At this point, that was the least of my worries.

 

I called my friend the next day to ask if she had heard anything about the girl. Nope. We finally found out via the granddaughter two days later she had called her folks to pick her up (and they were not happy with having their plans interrupted) and sweet talked the luggage checker into giving her her luggage without a claim check.

 

I made my vow then that I would never take any one elses kid when on vacation even if it is only a weekend at a nearby resort. I saw too many things that week that happened I had no control over that could have been very serious--like guys buying them drinks and the father of one of the girls they hung out with treating them to a shore excursion on a "booze cruise" in Cozumel unbeknownst to us until they grabbed their gear and said "bye" over their shoulder going out the door telling us that they were going to the beach.

 

Tucker in Texas

[RevSmith]

Two of my husbands former friends were put off a ship 15 years ago for being drunk and unruly...that is why they are my husbands former friends...

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Tucker, what a nightmare! I would have been a nervous wreck. I would have needed sedation after that girl got on an airplane with no wallet.

 

We just took my son and his girlfriend of eleven years (yes, I know many marriages don't last that long!) on a cruise. Luckily nothing untoward happened, but when I read some of these stories, It gives me the heebee jeebees thinking of what could have been.:eek:

[sdear]

Lori, the instant that I saw the title of this thread, I hoped that you would post your story again.

 

You are so wonderful to keep sharing your near-catastrophic experience with us.

 

I nominate you for the Most Courageous Cruiser of the Millennium Award.

 

I have to agree ! What a story ! Nowdays you just never know what someone's elses child is going to do. That must have been horrible ! I am sure her story opened a few parent's eyes.

 

I also thought alot about her son after reading this, and the hard lesson he learned. Hard as it was, I am sure he learned some things that will carry him through life.

[Lynnees]

I was already to post last night but after reading Lori's story I backed away. She is a wonderful person to have put up with what she did and have the attitude she does.

 

I will however now tell what I saw. We were on the Serenade out of San Juan. It was about 1 am when we were woke up by flashing lights and screams. Turns out someone had jumped off the back side of the ship. That man was the luckest man I've ever laid eyes on as they did fish him out alive. We watched all this from our balcony. We had been listening to him hollering in the water for at least 20 minutes before they located him. He walked off the skiff under his own power so he obviously wasn't too hurt by his jump.

 

The next morning we arrived in St. Thomas. My DH is an early riser. He called me out to the balcony about 6 am. The jumper and his wife were on the pier with all their belongings.

[moknits]

I'm sure I've posted about it here before, so sorry if you're hearing this for the second time:

 

We were on a RCCL cruise out of San Juan around Christmas a few years ago, when a man tried to commit suicide by jumping off one of the upper decks, but he ended up hitting a lower deck. We were in a public area, when crew rushed through and told everyone to stand to one side. Then they were running through with a family, and an older man was saying "I know he was drinking a lot," and they were asking him how much and he said something like "non stop since we got on." This was maybe the 2nd or 3rd day of a 4 or 5 day cruise. Then a few minutes later they rushed back through with a young man (early 20s?) on a gurney. Again his family was following behind him, I heard one of them saying "I know he's been depressed, but this vacation was supposed to cheer him up."

 

At our next port, we noticed that the whole family (10 people or so) was disembarking with their luggage. I have no idea whether they were all asked to leave, or just decided they wanted to leave together.

 

Coincedentally, we had met a woman early in the cruise who had a son in the ship's band. We ran into her again the next day with her son, and we were asking them if they knew anything. The son said it (people attempting to jump) happens more often than most people would guess.

 

Not to be an armchair psychologist, but I guess there are a lot of people who think a vacation can "cure" depression, and in reality it could make the situation worse (heavy drinking, less structure, being with family 24/7, adapting to new situations, or maybe they stop taking meds thinking they won't "need" them because they'll automatically be "happy" on vacation). If anything, I think it might be *more* depressing when an unstable person realizes, "If I can't be happy on *vacation*, maybe I can't be happy ever."

 

Finally, to take it one step further, seeing this has given me more reason to be skeptical about people who blame the cruise lines when people disappear off a cruise ship. How can a cruise line be responsible for everyone's mental health? Is your town or city responsible when people intentionally hurt themselves there? Just my two cents on this tangent.

[lori450]

"Finally, to take it one step further, seeing this has given me more reason to be skeptical about people who blame the cruise lines when people disappear off a cruise ship. How can a cruise line be responsible for everyone's mental health? Is your town or city responsible when people intentionally hurt themselves there? Just my two cents on this tangent."

 

 

Great point and great metaphor! Thank you.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

I thought the same thing when this thread was started.

 

I'll second the nomination :D

 

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A third nomination! ;)

 

Lori, I remember your first post on this and reading your post here again gave me just as many chills as the first time I read it!

I hope you have a great "family cruise"...and congrats on getting married!!! :)

 

 

***

[Amlee]

After about 4 hours of him being out there, the Captain comes into the area in his robe and slippers, he sticks his head out there and tells Krammer he has 30 seconds to get his ass back in this ship or he will personally come out there and throw him off the back of it.....and yes within about 10 seconds Krammer climbed back in.

 

Good for the captain! When I started reading your post, I had the exact same thought of action. Someone like that is just looking for attention. Someone who is going to truly kill them self will do it, and you will only hear about it after the fact.

 

I did call his grandparents and asked them for a credit card # so we could get our flights changed from Miami to St. Louis which they did pay...however, on that Saturday his grandpa called me to ask me when I would be sending the money for that bill.....once I apologized for the colorful language I was about to use....I asked him if he was out of his &^%$# mind! If it wasn't for his grandson hanging his tootie off the back of ship I would still be on deck sippin' a cocktail!

 

I'm usually the last person to tell anyone to sue, but I would have that young man in front of Judge Judy so fast his head would spin!

[Granny J]

I'm sure I've posted about it here before, so sorry if you're hearing this for the second time:

 

We were on a RCCL cruise out of San Juan around Christmas a few years ago, when a man tried to commit suicide by jumping off one of the upper decks, but he ended up hitting a lower deck. We were in a public area, when crew rushed through and told everyone to stand to one side. Then they were running through with a family, and an older man was saying "I know he was drinking a lot," and they were asking him how much and he said something like "non stop since we got on." This was maybe the 2nd or 3rd day of a 4 or 5 day cruise. Then a few minutes later they rushed back through with a young man (early 20s?) on a gurney. Again his family was following behind him, I heard one of them saying "I know he's been depressed, but this vacation was supposed to cheer him up."

 

At our next port, we noticed that the whole family (10 people or so) was disembarking with their luggage. I have no idea whether they were all asked to leave, or just decided they wanted to leave together.

 

Coincedentally, we had met a woman early in the cruise who had a son in the ship's band. We ran into her again the next day with her son, and we were asking them if they knew anything. The son said it (people attempting to jump) happens more often than most people would guess.

 

Not to be an armchair psychologist, but I guess there are a lot of people who think a vacation can "cure" depression, and in reality it could make the situation worse (heavy drinking, less structure, being with family 24/7, adapting to new situations, or maybe they stop taking meds thinking they won't "need" them because they'll automatically be "happy" on vacation). If anything, I think it might be *more* depressing when an unstable person realizes, "If I can't be happy on *vacation*, maybe I can't be happy ever."

 

Finally, to take it one step further, seeing this has given me more reason to be skeptical about people who blame the cruise lines when people disappear off a cruise ship. How can a cruise line be responsible for everyone's mental health? Is your town or city responsible when people intentionally hurt themselves there? Just my two cents on this tangent.

This post prompts an admitted newbie cruiser to ask the obvious: Don't cruise ships attempt to identify obviously intoxicated cruisers, band them and refuse to sell them any more alcohol for the remainder of the day? If not, why not? :confused:

[mgkdk]

phtktz3....

 

What an awesome dad...and man! Congratulations...you're one of a very few with integrity and honesty. What a lucky woman....best wishes.

 

And here's to having a really fun cruise.

 

Sorry phtktz3...read this thread really late at night and had a glass of wine....should have known better...or read better!

 

So to correct my statement.....

 

What an awesome MOM and woman!!! Congratulations....you're still one of a very few with integrity and honesty....

[SunRae]

Lori - I remember reading your story previously, and, as I was the first time I read it, I am really impressed with your attitude and response to the whole horrible situation. You handled the friend and grandparents with a lot more grace and class then I would have ever been able to. And your son's actions show that he has taken after you in that regard. Congratulations on your marriage and I hope ya'll have a truly wonderful family cruise!

 

As far as personal experiences with people being thrown off the ship, I have two.

On my first cruise (on Carnival Fantasy), there were three separate pages for an occupant in the cabin next to ours. The next day, we were returning to our cabin to get something and a bunch of security were standing in the hallway by the cabin. Turns out the woman had caused a huge scene in the casino screaming that they had stolen her money, etc., etc. That turned out to be the final straw. Security was posted at her door the rest of the afternoon. The next morning my room steward informed me that we would not be troubled by our neighbors anymore (not that we ever really had been), that they (the wife, the teenage son (who had also caused some type of trouble), and the husband) had been personally escorted of the ship that morning as soon as we had pulled into port (in Nassau).

On my last cruise (EOS), we noticed a person sitting on the dock with all of his luggage (again in Nassau). Talking to the bartenders that afternoon, turns out the guy had been kicked off 'cause he caused a disturbance in the Viking Lounge the night before (the first night). He had been cut off and didn't agree with it so he threw some glasses at the bartenders and punched one of them in the chest.

[BobbyK]

Thanks so much for sharing that story Lori. Sadly, I can identify with that type of situation but it was never to that extreme.

[SherriZ366]

On our recent FOS cruise, they held the ship for a half hour before departing and DH saw someone disembark with his luggage. Don't know if he was being put off the ship or had a family emergency that he had to fly home for.

[marcyjane]

I was on a cruise where some kids and their parents were put ashore. It was on the Mariner a few years ago on a President's Day week cruise (lots and lots of kids). One of the kids decided it would be cool to throw deck chairs overboard and got some of his friends to help him. I guess it was all caught on camera and the kids and their parents had to leave the ship. It was either in St Thomas or St Maarten.

 

Tim

 

I had some friends on the same cruise and remember them telling us about that when they go home.

 

I was on an evelator with a man & woman and 2 teenage boys on the Mariner in 2005 and they had their luggage. I ask them if they were leaving the ship early and the father said yes "Thanks to our boys we are" I didn't say anything else, but I thought that's going to be a loooong ride home for that family.

 

Marcy