What is the NCL policy?

[goodml]

[quote name='Cosmopolitan']Yes..I read the post...I am not so [B]QUICK[/B] to blame the OP...you should know me better than that.

Did you ever deal with a parent with alzheimers or blind?...lucky you if you have not!

Be prepared and read up on it and know how to handle it and how to travel with people who have these conditions...under any circumstances.

It is, in the end, YOUR responsibility...not the airline carrier or cruise ship or any hotel;)[/QUOTE]

You couldn't be more wrong about this. Blindness is not confusion. Blindness has no similarity with Alzheimer's or dementia whatsoever. Associated conditions are evidently not a factor for this particular situation. Blind people (especially those who have been so for a long time) are amazingly self reliant. After several days (actually several hours!) in a cabin there is no reason why anyone WITH experience in dealing with a severely visually impaired person would ever feel the need to follow them to the bathroom. If I did such a thing my relative would turn around and ask me what the hell my problem was! My apologies Cosmo, but you are way off base and you owe the OP an apology for the series of posts you made on this thread.

This thread has been a real revelation. Shocking.

[DAGVBSB]

[quote name='terri1020']I will be writing a letter to NCL today. Not to complain, blame them or any other negative suggestion, simply to inform them. The people who tell me we should have followed her to the bathroom actually make me laugh. Obviously you have never lived with a person who has a handicap and wants to remain as independant as possible. We are talking about walking ten steps to the bathroom she had gone to dozens of times before. And, who said she was confused mentally? She is NOT confused mentally, she got turned around and THAT made her confused. Please don't post your negative thoughts here on this thread. I NEVER blamed NCL, nor do I blame myself or my family. I also never asked for your opinion as to how we care for Mom. It happened and I wanted to know the policy, period.

Terri

PS Perhaps some of you could use some sensitivity training...how about volunteering at a nursing home or an assisted living facility? Might just do you some good![/QUOTE]

I too am laughing at those IDIOTS who said someone should have watched over her better and especially the fool who said follow her to the bathroom! Handicapped people pride themselves on being independent and if you take that away from them, you harm them. Besides.... not checking on an elderly person who went to the bathroom right away? Please...some elderly people can spend a long time in the restroom. (and besides, we really don't know how long she was in there.)

To try and defend a cruise line by attacking a elderly, handicapped person has reached a new low.... even for this board.

NCL's employee screwed up. My guess is that this is not their normal policy and if it is, it should be changed. If a blind person (or any other handicapped person or child) becomes lost on the ship, my feeling is that an immediate search should be initiated by part of the crew.

And for those who say NCL is not liable... you bet they would be. If something serious would have happened to that lady, NCL could easily be sued. I don't care what it says in the travel documents or any other paper....companies are still sued everyday in this country in spite of those things. Either way, NCL would be paying through lawyer fees or a settlement.

The fault here lies with NCL for basically ignoring the situation, not the old lady and not the family.

Those of you trying to defend NCL and put the blame on the family, should be ashamed of yourselves.

[goodml]

[quote name='terri1020']I will be writing a letter to NCL today. Not to complain, blame them or any other negative suggestion, simply to inform them. The people who tell me we should have followed her to the bathroom actually make me laugh. Obviously you have never lived with a person who has a handicap and wants to remain as independant as possible. We are talking about walking ten steps to the bathroom she had gone to dozens of times before. And, who said she was confused mentally? She is NOT confused mentally, she got turned around and THAT made her confused. Please don't post your negative thoughts here on this thread. I NEVER blamed NCL, nor do I blame myself or my family. I also never asked for your opinion as to how we care for Mom. It happened and I wanted to know the policy, period.

Terri

PS Perhaps some of you could use some sensitivity training...how about volunteering at a nursing home or an assisted living facility? Might just do you some good![/QUOTE]

I give you a lot of credit for the dignity you've shown here. The audacity some have shown on this thread is appalling. You have handled yourself beautifully and I hope that you do send that letter. I've no doubt it will be well received and given much consideration as I'm sure you will write it with the same level of diplomacy you have shown here. Best of luck to you, and your mom (as I'm sure she already knows) has a wonderful family.:)

[soccermommy]

One more vote for Terri...who would have thought a simple question could lead to some really mean responses? Is this what we can expect when we come here for advice??

[terrymtex01]

I will say this.. At least reading some of these post have told me there are people who would just leave her in the hallway and not try to help her get back to where she is going, etc. I am sure those three people said to themselves.. "Well.. it is her family's responsibility".. etc.. instead of trying to help her. To me, this is all on NCL for not responding better and faster. You mentioned lawsuit? Can you imagine the lawsuit had something happened to Terri's Mom after calling the front desk and getting no response but to go there and fill out paperwork. Sorry.. but IMHO, no one of reason would expect a family member in that situtation to say.. "Ok.. I will be right down". I do not remember reading anywhere that when that lady fell off the side of the Dawn that the front desk asked her friend to come fill out paperwork so they could begin the search and rescue. The person at the front desk made a serious error in judgement and NCL needs to know that.

[soccermommy]

I think I'm the one who mentioned lawsuit when a previous poster said NCL shouldn't have to change their rules....people, no one asked NCL to change anything, the OP just asked what the policy is. This could have been a tragedy, but thankfully wasn't, and the response by the front desk was according to the rules, and legal, I'm sure. But it wasn't right! I'm sure if any of us were in the same situation (or boat!), we'd agree. A little kindness and sensitivity would go a long way, and not just at the front desk.

[Luckyroot]

With 14 people in your party' date=' one could certainly have made their way to reception to start the process while the other 13 looked for her. As for your disdain for filling out the "form".....NCL isn't about to change their way of tracking down missing passengers just to please your party.

 

With 14 people in your party, someone could have made sure this woman found the bathroom OK without falling over something in the cabin or having a problem getting into the bathroom.

 

So, I say shame on you - and those in your party who were present in those cabins....who left this woman to her own devices, who didn't bother to check on her until she was gone.[/quote']

 

Shame on you. Wait, that's a waste, as you obviously don't have the mental acuity to read a basic post.

 

1) The woman was gone less than 5 minutes. There was no reason to believe she was not in the bathroom.

 

2) ALL 14 PEOPLE were not standing around, waiting for Gram to go to the bathroom. They were off doing their thing. Only the OP, and the 70something aunt who was rooming with Gram (in excellent health but with a hearing problem which is why she didn't hear the doors open/close). Have you ever traveled with others? It's not that easy to get a hold of one of your party, fill them in on what has transpired, tell them to go to the front desk to fill out a form, etc. All you worry about in a time of crisis is fixing the problem.

 

3) NO one is asking NCL to change the policy to accomodate their needs. We are simply asking what the official policy is. It would SEEM that their policy is come fill out a form at the front desk. HOWEVER, that "policy" is rather pathetic given the potential circumstances.

 

"Hello front desk? My friend just fell overboard, she's missing" Come fill out a form.

 

"Help, my 2 year old is missing" Come fill out a form.

 

It just doesn't make sense, and needs clarification. That's all we ask. We don't want, or need, nasty comments from someone who doesn't know us, or the situation.

[Luckyroot]

OR...the person/persons traveling with her should not have left her alone to go to the restroom on her own.

Elderly and Blind are the operative words here..I agree..who leaves an elderly/blind person to find the restroom on their own in a completley NEW environment:confused:

Immediate attention should have been known to those traveling with her.

 

Common sense is the issue...those traveling with this poor woman should have had some common sense as to how to deal with the elderly/blind in a new environment or should they/she should have stayed home;)

 

People are so quick to blame others when they, in fact, failed!

 

Elderly and Blind mean different things to different people. Yes, this woman is almost 80. Yes she's legally blind. (She can see shadows......she would see that a person is standing in front of her, but cannot see their features). She is not TOTALLY incapacitated. Her family, in an effort to allow her to have some sense of dignity, do not hound her every second of every day. Would YOU want that? I doubt it. She is perfectly capable of maneuvering thru a cabin to the bathroom, and using it by herself. Upon exiting the bathroom, she made a mistake. And she was embarrassed and tried to "fix" the mistake, and in the effort, she got lost.

 

Some people should use common sense and not make blanket assumptions.

[Luckyroot]

Sorry. The fault is with the family who waited to long to check on this poor woman to see if she found the bathroom OK....after all' date=' being blind and elderly and with some obvious confusion issues, you'd think they'd keep an eye on her.[/quote']

 

And how long is too long? Would you appreciate someone knocking on the door 4.7 minutes after you entered the bathroom to see if you were okay? Would you appreciate them walking in on you, to make sure you're washing your hands correctly?

 

I think my time will be better spent going forward helping my friends in writing to the powers that be at NCL, at least they (hopefully) have a compassionate, intelligent head on their shoulders.

[G'ma]

Why has this turned into fault? The OP isn't denying they had any responsibility in the fact that grandmother "got away". It's about how it was handled after-the-fact, when they needed assistance.

 

I didn't bring up the "fault" issue. OP is faulting NCL...and it's not their issue. The family skrewed up royally and is trying somehow to lay the whole thing on the ship's personnel.

 

When OP called for assistance, she was told what she needed to do - and she didn't do it.....plain and simple. THAT is not NCL's fault..so she shouldn't try to blame them for it.

[Evilmille]

I must say I am surprised at the level of hostility towards the OP concerning this issue. Some people have no idea what it's like to care for an elderly family member. My mother used to travel with us regularly. She was not blind but up there in years. One day at the beach, the left the condo to come to the beach to find us. She got lost. A nice lady found her wandering and we happened to look up and see her. If we had gone to the room and found her gone, I would have alerted the lifeguards and trust me, they would not have made us go to another location to fill out paperwork. They would have begun a search.

 

To say that grandma might be in the casino playing craps and drinking scotch is just insane. We are all allowed human dignity and grandma wasn't out of her head. She was lost. Shame on the posters placing blame to somehow make their own lives better and shame on NCL for not immediately sending security to help search for grandma.

[goodml]

G'ma, it's looking fairly obvious you must have missed this post the first time around as apparently, the shovel is still well in hand.:rolleyes:

 

 

G'ma - number one rule when you find yourself in a hole, PUT DOWN THE SHOVEL

[G'ma]

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it."

 

— Lou Holtz

 

Finis!!

[Evilmille]

I think you figured it out .Something is really wrong here.

 

How in the world did you come up with your screen name :confused:

Nothing evil about you just the opposite;) :)

 

Evil Mille is my cat. I am a rather nice person who really hates bullies who are on this board and attack posters for voicing opinions or asking questions.

[Luckyroot]

I didn't bring up the "fault" issue. OP is faulting NCL...and it's not their issue. The family skrewed up royally and is trying somehow to lay the whole thing on the ship's personnel.

 

When OP called for assistance' date=' she was told what she needed to do - and she didn't do it.....plain and simple. THAT is not NCL's fault..so she shouldn't try to blame them for it.[/quote']

 

Which is where you got it wrong right from the start. OP NEVER faulted NCL. She explained the situation, and asked what their policy was, and expressed some surprise and concern that in a potential emergency, a form is required before assistance is offered. Note the TITLE OF THIS THREAD: What is the NCL Policy?

 

Then you stepped up and turned it into a "who was wrong" thread..........and the rest is history.

[Evilmille]

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it."

 

— Lou Holtz

 

 

Finis!!

 

Well you certainly dropped the ball on this one. Do you know for a fact that this is NCL policy? Or are you just defending the indefensible? Show us in the rules when a child or elderly person is lost that you have to first fill out paperwork before NCL will assist? I doubt that his the rule. I think the receptionist was lazy and didn't want to do her job. How about that? If it turns out that the rules don't require forms before a search is conducted will you apologize to the OP and all the others that you offended with your selfish insights?

[Luckyroot]

Well you certainly dropped the ball on this one. Do you know for a fact that this is NCL policy? Or are you just defending the indefensible? Show us in the rules when a child or elderly person is lost that you have to first fill out paperwork before NCL will assist? I doubt that his the rule. I think the receptionist was lazy and didn't want to do her job. How about that? If it turns out that the rules don't require forms before a search is conducted will you apologize to the OP and all the others that you offended with your selfish insights?

 

Now you just made me laugh out loud! Her apologize? You're so cute. :D

[terri1020]

G'ma, you are so off base! NEVER did I BLAME NCL (saying this for the 4th or 5th time already)! NEVER did I say this was anyones fault! It happened, period. I wanted to know the NCL policy on this situation. The only thing I questioned was the fact that they wanted me to go to the front desk to fill out a form instead of sending someone to the cabin with the form. Since they sent someone to the cabin if we needed extra pillows, if we wanted food, if the toilet broke, etc, I assumed it was NOT unreasonable to ask them to bring the form to me.

 

Go pick on someone else. If you don't know the policy, just keep quiet. I didn't ask for, or want your opinion. You and your followers should be ashamed of yourselves. You need a new hobby. Good bye.

[terrymtex01]

G'ma, you are so off base! NEVER did I BLAME NCL (saying this for the 4th or 5th time already)! NEVER did I say this was anyones fault! It happened, period. I wanted to know the NCL policy on this situation. The only thing I questioned was the fact that they wanted me to go to the front desk to fill out a form instead of sending someone to the cabin with the form. Since they sent someone to the cabin if we needed extra pillows, if we wanted food, if the toilet broke, etc, I assumed it was NOT unreasonable to ask them to bring the form to me.

 

Go pick on someone else. If you don't know the policy, just keep quiet. I didn't ask for, or want your opinion. You and your followers should be ashamed of yourselves. You need a new hobby. Good bye.

 

Terri.. PLEASE do not feel like you have to defend yourself.. You are not at fault, nor is your family at fault... just ignore those that say you are and move on.

[iheartbda]

And I (we) handled more than that. We did not blame anyone else when we/she faltered. Understanding and compassion are one thing...legal documents are another.

I assume, you knew how to handle it in any situation and did not blame anyone else when you/she faltered!

 

No, I did not blame anyone in my situation nor did the OP. You are the one doing all the blaming here, along with a another poster.

 

It's very easy to "monday morning quarterback". How nice it must be to know and do exactly what you think is correct in each and every situation.

 

Apparently your situation was different with someone that DID need to be supervised every single second. My mother was a fiercely independent woman in spite of her handicap, and it would have been an affront to her dignity to be accompanied to the bathroom and reminded to wash her hands, neither of which she needed and seemingly the OP's mother didn't either.

 

Not that it can change anything, but you're definitely in the minority on this one. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but yours certainly came across as unduly harsh.

[goodml]

G'ma, you are so off base! NEVER did I BLAME NCL (saying this for the 4th or 5th time already)! NEVER did I say this was anyones fault! It happened, period. I wanted to know the NCL policy on this situation. The only thing I questioned was the fact that they wanted me to go to the front desk to fill out a form instead of sending someone to the cabin with the form. Since they sent someone to the cabin if we needed extra pillows, if we wanted food, if the toilet broke, etc, I assumed it was NOT unreasonable to ask them to bring the form to me.

 

Go pick on someone else. If you don't know the policy, just keep quiet. I didn't ask for, or want your opinion. You and your followers should be ashamed of yourselves. You need a new hobby. Good bye.

 

Terri, not sure if you're familiar with the ignore feature here. I'm never a fan of using it but in this case I've decided it's the way to go. Once you put them on ignore you never have to read their drivel again unless someone happens to quote them.

[LEET44]

Evil Mille is my cat. I am a rather nice person who really hates bullies who are on this board and attack posters for voicing opinions or asking questions.

 

Yes you are and I bet Millie is pretty sweet too.;)

[Cruising89143]

Terri, not sure if you're familiar with the ignore feature here. I'm never a fan of using it but in this case I've decided it's the way to go. Once you put them on ignore you never have to read their drivel again unless someone happens to quote them.

 

 

I too have just used it on this person. Not worth getting my blood pressure up over this person. :rolleyes:

[LEET44]

I give you a lot of credit for the dignity you've shown here. The audacity some have shown on this thread is appalling. You have handled yourself beautifully and I hope that you do send that letter. I've no doubt it will be well received and given much consideration as I'm sure you will write it with the same level of diplomacy you have shown here. Best of luck to you, and your mom (as I'm sure she already knows) has a wonderful family.:)

 

I couldn't agree more with you goodml.

[LEET44]

I too have just used it on this person. Not worth getting my blood pressure up over this person. :rolleyes:

 

It is very upsetting to me also . I hope the original poster does the same .