WARNING! dangerous experience on Radiance Cruise!

[danceman]

Firstly, before you all lynch me....let me just say that i really love this ship!...the Radiance really is one of my favourite ships!...but i feel i should make everyone aware of our the horrible situation experienced on our 14 night Valparaiso to Buenes Aires cruise which departed on 28th March 2009.

The story starts quite light heartedly but read down to get to the really serious bits.........!!

We flew from London UK to Madrid and then changed and flew Madrid to Santiago all with Iberia (before you ask, no, i wasnt impressed with the airline.) I took a group of 33 with me for a Dancing Cruise...something i organize frequently on cruise ships. It was all packaged by RCI so all hotels and transfers were included and handled by RCI. After a 2 hour delay at Heathrow airport, we finally arrived at Santiago, very weary and with no luggage....this was still in Madrid as had not made the connecting flight.

Now, before i go on, all of the RCI staff were indeed absolutely brilliant....apart from 3! ....2 of which were the RCI reps at the airport who told me to go to the Iberia desk and fill in claim forms for the whole of my group of 33 (not something i am used to doing) which involved writing long serial numbers from small stickers still partially stuck to our boarding cards....not only for my group of 33....but for the whole of the passengers who had lost luggage...think there was about another 20!

To be honest, i think the RCI reps could have done this or at least helped rather than leave us all to fight it out ourselves!

At the same time, my wife was arrested as a sniffer dog found an apple in our hand luggage which one of my 9 year old triplet daughters had put in.

 

My wife was taken for questioning for just over an hour where the apple was weighed and she was fined $300!! To be fair, there had been an announcemnet on the plane that no fruit and veg could be taken in but it hadnt sounded a big deal and no mention of a fine was made....my wife and i hadnt realised our daughter had not eaten the apple or that the rules would be applied so forcibly to just one apple....a suitcase full of apples might have seemed more suspicious!

 

We eventually arrived at our hotel in Santiago and was met by a very efficient RCI rep who turned out to be very helpful later.

 

Its now about 1pm in the afternoon and 9 of us decided to walk out around the town and to eat out at some quaint roadside cafe. No one warned us of the dangers.

We found a cafe about half a mile from the hotel on a lively, typically Chilian street and ordered our food and drinks.

Unknown to me, my mother in law (aged 74) foolishly had £1000 cash in her handbag in dollars, chilian pesos, argentinian pesos and sterling along with her and her husbands passports, her reading glasses, hearing aid, tablets, mobile phone and my childs ipod. (She later said that she hadnt been able to work out how the safe in the room had worked and so had hurried down to reception to join us on our stroll)

Having my own children with me to look after and my own bag, i never really took much notice of my in laws and what my motherin law was doing with her handbag.

We sat at the cafe chatting and waiting for our food. My mother in law had placed her handbag on the back of her chair (i know thats a foolish thing to do but i couldnt see it from where i sat and so was unaware she had done this)

A largish Spanish looking lady came and pushed behind her and sat at the table right behind her. I looked straight at her as it seemed an odd thing to do when there were other free seats in less crowded sections and so i watched her closely thinking that she looked a little suspicious (i still couldnt see that my mother in law had placed her bag on the back of her own chair). The Spanish lady (ill call her that cos i dont know what she was...er Hispanic?) got out her mobile phone and made a call. I still watched her. Suddenly, to my right a phone started to ring and another lady started to make a commotion and jump about. We naturally all looked to our right to see. When we looked back, the Spanish lady was gone! 2 Minutes later i heard the dreaded words ' i cant find my bag'!

 

After waiting in vain for the police to come for 40 minutes, we returned back to our hotel.

The hotel staff were now quick to tell us that no one should go out in this area with money, jewellery or passports as the area is known for crime. Another of our group returned from their walk having had their necklace snatched from their neck. The hotel said someone (not in our group) had also been mugged walking out of the hotel! To be fair to the hotel, many of our other group members had been warned by the doorman and reception not to wear jewellery or take money out....but sadly, we had not been told.

 

My wifes parents were very shaken and upset. The RCI rep went with us to the police station to translate which was very kind. She then informed us that RCI would not allow them to join the ship next day! Today was Saturday, the ship leaves Sunday and the Embassy didnt open until Monday. The ship would then be at Sea until Wednesday.

 

They tearfully waved myself and my wife off, their 3 grandchildren and the other members of our group now totalling 31. I gave them all of my cash (so we had none) and instructions on how to get to the embassy on monday....not easy for upset people of their age.

The RCI rep obviously had to leave with us and so they were left alone. They were scared to go out, had to make 4 visits to the Embassy, get passport photos taken, be interviewed seperately by the commissioner of the police and endure a number of other unpleasant things. It was of course their own fault, not Royal Caribbeans and im not saying it was but i think its important for people to be aware of how this situation would impact if it happened to you.

They had to pay 3 extra days to stay in the hotel, for food and had to book flights and pay for those so that they could join the ship in Puerto Montt.

I was surprised to see that RCI offered no facillity to help them book flights or give advice on how to obtain new passports.

 

They eventually got their passports on Tuesday evening and so confirmed their flights and caught the 90 minute flight to the ship next day. Of course, there was no rep to now meet them at the airport so they caught a taxi to the ship. Myself and my family were out on a pre booked tour when they arrived but were dismayed to hear they had been refused entry to the secure compound surrounding the ship and had been made to stand for almost an hour in the pouring rain with their suitcases by their side and no shelter.

I complained to the hotel director that they should have at least been given shelter and somewhere to sit and that it was unacceptable for them to be made to wait so long. He said it was the Chilian authorities who had kept them waiting but said he would look into it.

He later offered to upgrade them to The Grand Suite from their inside cabin. It was a really lovely cabin which my in laws accepted but they were now so upset that they just wanted to go home. It was a feeling they kept for the whole of the cruise and were never their normal selves for any of the remaining days.

 

It was a sad lesson to learn and i hope you all learn from this experience. I think RCI could have handled it better though. There were apparantly 10 others who lost thier passports in Santiago! 2 got to the ship to find they could not find their passports but were allowed aboad as their passports were alledgedly in their cases.

My in laws are platinium members and have sailed with RCI a number of times.....does anyone know if there was any other way they could have joined the ship rather than be left behind to fend for themselves?

 

All that aside, everything else on our cruise was excellent, ...and i agree with what everyone says....the staff really are fantastic on this ship!

Flavia the group co ordinator was awsome and Matias the acting coach was brilliant!

[danceman]

forgot to say, we all got our luggage on sunday night...my in laws included...better late than never!

[WooWooGirl]

Firstly, before you all lynch me....let me just say that i really love this ship!...the Radiance really is one of my favourite ships!...but i feel i should make everyone aware of our the horrible situation experienced on our 14 night Valparaiso to Buenes Aires cruise which departed on 28th March 2009.

The story starts quite light heartedly but read down to get to the really serious bits.........!!

We flew from London UK to Madrid and then changed and flew Madrid to Santiago all with Iberia (before you ask, no, i wasnt impressed with the airline.) I took a group of 33 with me for a Dancing Cruise...something i organize frequently on cruise ships. It was all packaged by RCI so all hotels and transfers were included and handled by RCI. After a 2 hour delay at Heathrow airport, we finally arrived at Santiago, very weary and with no luggage....this was still in Madrid as had not made the connecting flight.

Now, before i go on, all of the RCI staff were indeed absolutely brilliant....apart from 3! ....2 of which were the RCI reps at the airport who told me to go to the Iberia desk and fill in claim forms for the whole of my group of 33 (not something i am used to doing) which involved writing long serial numbers from small stickers still partially stuck to our boarding cards....not only for my group of 33....but for the whole of the passengers who had lost luggage...think there was about another 20!

To be honest, i think the RCI reps could have done this or at least helped rather than leave us all to fight it out ourselves!

At the same time, my wife was arrested as a sniffer dog found an apple in our hand luggage which one of my 9 year old triplet daughters had put in.

 

My wife was taken for questioning for just over an hour where the apple was weighed and she was fined $300!! To be fair, there had been an announcemnet on the plane that no fruit and veg could be taken in but it hadnt sounded a big deal and no mention of a fine was made....my wife and i hadnt realised our daughter had not eaten the apple or that the rules would be applied so forcibly to just one apple....a suitcase full of apples might have seemed more suspicious!

 

We eventually arrived at our hotel in Santiago and was met by a very efficient RCI rep who turned out to be very helpful later.

 

Its now about 1pm in the afternoon and 9 of us decided to walk out around the town and to eat out at some quaint roadside cafe. No one warned us of the dangers.

We found a cafe about half a mile from the hotel on a lively, typically Chilian street and ordered our food and drinks.

Unknown to me, my mother in law (aged 74) foolishly had £1000 cash in her handbag in dollars, chilian pesos, argentinian pesos and sterling along with her and her husbands passports, her reading glasses, hearing aid, tablets, mobile phone and my childs ipod. (She later said that she hadnt been able to work out how the safe in the room had worked and so had hurried down to reception to join us on our stroll)

Having my own children with me to look after and my own bag, i never really took much notice of my in laws and what my motherin law was doing with her handbag.

We sat at the cafe chatting and waiting for our food. My mother in law had placed her handbag on the back of her chair (i know thats a foolish thing to do but i couldnt see it from where i sat and so was unaware she had done this)

A largish Spanish looking lady came and pushed behind her and sat at the table right behind her. I looked straight at her as it seemed an odd thing to do when there were other free seats in less crowded sections and so i watched her closely thinking that she looked a little suspicious (i still couldnt see that my mother in law had placed her bag on the back of her own chair). The Spanish lady (ill call her that cos i dont know what she was...er Hispanic?) got out her mobile phone and made a call. I still watched her. Suddenly, to my right a phone started to ring and another lady started to make a commotion and jump about. We naturally all looked to our right to see. When we looked back, the Spanish lady was gone! 2 Minutes later i heard the dreaded words ' i cant find my bag'!

 

After waiting in vain for the police to come for 40 minutes, we returned back to our hotel.

The hotel staff were now quick to tell us that no one should go out in this area with money, jewellery or passports as the area is known for crime. Another of our group returned from their walk having had their necklace snatched from their neck. The hotel said someone (not in our group) had also been mugged walking out of the hotel! To be fair to the hotel, many of our other group members had been warned by the doorman and reception not to wear jewellery or take money out....but sadly, we had not been told.

 

My wifes parents were very shaken and upset. The RCI rep went with us to the police station to translate which was very kind. She then informed us that RCI would not allow them to join the ship next day! Today was Saturday, the ship leaves Sunday and the Embassy didnt open until Monday. The ship would then be at Sea until Wednesday.

 

They tearfully waved myself and my wife off, their 3 grandchildren and the other members of our group now totalling 31. I gave them all of my cash (so we had none) and instructions on how to get to the embassy on monday....not easy for upset people of their age.

The RCI rep obviously had to leave with us and so they were left alone. They were scared to go out, had to make 4 visits to the Embassy, get passport photos taken, be interviewed seperately by the commissioner of the police and endure a number of other unpleasant things. It was of course their own fault, not Royal Caribbeans and im not saying it was but i think its important for people to be aware of how this situation would impact if it happened to you.

They had to pay 3 extra days to stay in the hotel, for food and had to book flights and pay for those so that they could join the ship in Puerto Montt.

I was surprised to see that RCI offered no facillity to help them book flights or give advice on how to obtain new passports.

 

They eventually got their passports on Tuesday evening and so confirmed their flights and caught the 90 minute flight to the ship next day. Of course, there was no rep to now meet them at the airport so they caught a taxi to the ship. Myself and my family were out on a pre booked tour when they arrived but were dismayed to hear they had been refused entry to the secure compound surrounding the ship and had been made to stand for almost an hour in the pouring rain with their suitcases by their side and no shelter.

I complained to the hotel director that they should have at least been given shelter and somewhere to sit and that it was unacceptable for them to be made to wait so long. He said it was the Chilian authorities who had kept them waiting but said he would look into it.

He later offered to upgrade them to The Grand Suite from their inside cabin. It was a really lovely cabin which my in laws accepted but they were now so upset that they just wanted to go home. It was a feeling they kept for the whole of the cruise and were never their normal selves for any of the remaining days.

 

It was a sad lesson to learn and i hope you all learn from this experience. I think RCI could have handled it better though. There were apparantly 10 others who lost thier passports in Santiago! 2 got to the ship to find they could not find their passports but were allowed aboad as their passports were alledgedly in their cases.

My in laws are platinium members and have sailed with RCI a number of times.....does anyone know if there was any other way they could have joined the ship rather than be left behind to fend for themselves?

 

All that aside, everything else on our cruise was excellent, ...and i agree with what everyone says....the staff really are fantastic on this ship!

Flavia the group co ordinator was awsome and Matias the acting coach was brilliant!

 

that part alone says enough for me...you thought you were one that the laws meant nothing too...that it was no big deal UNLESS you got caught, and you did!!! I am glad you had to pay the fine, maybe next time you will listen and now have learned that they mean business!!

[whirlybird3]

OMG! :eek: What a horrible experience... Sorry for your family's experience. I am glad they are safe.

[mk-ultra]

I have a lot of empathy for your painful experience, but I've got a few questions:

 

Did you purchase trip insurance? For $70 a year I have insurance that covers pretty much any loss I could possibly incur... from trip cancellation/interruption, theft, lost luggage... all the way up to being airlifted to a first-world hospital and $250,000 worth of medical expenses from anywhere on Earth.

 

Did you review the travel alerts for the locations you'd be vacationing in? There are a number of government and private web sites that give detailed information about the risks of visiting various locales.

 

As for the fine for bringing in something you shouldn't have... sorry, no sympathy there. It's your responsibility to know the laws and make sure you (and your kids) don't violate them. $300 is a slap on the wrist. Agriculture laws (and fines) are in place for a reason. Bringing in an invasive species or pest can do MILLIONS of dollars in damage. Accept responsibility for managing what your kids do. By your own admission, you were briefed to not bring in fruit. That's pretty easy to understand.

 

I'm not trying to bash you -- but I'm a big proponent of not relying on anyone but myself to suss out the risks of visiting places... and taking out the required insurance to cover those risks.

 

There's only one person who has your best interests in mind: you.

[retiredonthesea]

What a terrible thing to have happen. Over and over again we are told not to carry valuables, wear expensive jewelry ect, I feel sorry for your in-laws. Hope they are okay from their terrible experience.

 

We are going to do a South America Cruise-- Santiago to Buenos Aires--March 14th, 2010 and I appreciate the heads-up.

 

Will you be writing a review on the better part of your cruise?

[danceman]

no, honestly we had no idea she had not eaten the apple! I didnt even know my wife had bought her an apple at the sandwich bar, my wife had given it to her, she had taken 2 bites out of it and our daughter put it back in the ruck sack! It wasnt that we knew we had it and wanted to get away with it. But had more been made of the announcement, it might have prompted my wife to say 'did you eat the apple'....but as it was, she forgot about it.

[danceman]

What a terrible thing to have happen. Over and over again we are told not to carry valuables, wear expensive jewelry ect, I feel sorry for your in-laws. Hope they are okay from their terrible experience.

 

We are going to do a South America Cruise-- Santiago to Buenos Aires--March 14th, 2010 and I appreciate the heads-up.

 

Will you be writing a review on the better part of your cruise?

 

 

Yes, will do one....but just off to bed now...its 3.31 am! Cruise was good, loved the ship but some of the ports were a bit dissapointing as rather barren. Liked Buenes Aires and Uraguay best.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Dude you get mad props from me!

 

You went through all of that and still had a good time!

 

:eek:

[amybeth4]

Dude you get mad props from me!

 

You went through all of that and still had a good time!

 

:eek:

 

Well..he DID get rid of his MIL for a few days. ;)

[danceman]

I have a lot of empathy for your painful experience, but I've got a few questions:

 

Did you purchase trip insurance? For $70 a year I have insurance that covers pretty much any loss I could possibly incur... from trip cancellation/interruption, theft, lost luggage... all the way up to being airlifted to a first-world hospital and $250,000 worth of medical expenses from anywhere on Earth.

 

Did you review the travel alerts for the locations you'd be vacationing in? There are a number of government and private web sites that give detailed information about the risks of visiting various locales.

 

As for the fine for bringing in something you shouldn't have... sorry, no sympathy there. It's your responsibility to know the laws and make sure you (and your kids) don't violate them. $300 is a slap on the wrist. Agriculture laws (and fines) are in place for a reason. Bringing in an invasive species or pest can do MILLIONS of dollars in damage. Accept responsibility for managing what your kids do.

 

I'm not trying to bash you -- but I'm a big proponent of not relying on anyone but myself to suss out the risks of visiting places... and taking out the required insurance to cover those risks.

 

There's only one person who has your best interests in mind: you.

 

Well yes, you are right. I dont know what insurance my in laws have and will certainly re look at my own for my next cruise now to see what is covered....i bet a lot of people dont really know wht they are covered for!

 

Nope, didnt review the travel alerts....never even thought about them or knew there were any....will do next time.

 

Apple, well obviously, we are going to be a lot more careful in future....a tough lesson but now learnt! I would still have thought it was clear though that this was a mistake.....do people really try and smuggle one apple in with 2 bites taken out of it? If we had had a bag of apples i could have understood it more.

[mariefisher]

I feel so sorry for our parents. I have to say I probably could have forgotten about an apple also. But I think someone should have stayed behind to help your elderly parents in a strange dangerous place. If they insisted everyone go ahead without them, I would have been waiting for them at the cruise ship when they arrived, just to make sure they arrived okay. Maybe there is something I am missing and if you read my posts I have never been critical of a poster but I don't think RCCL should be held responsible in this situation. I know my children would never have gone off and left my husband and I to fend for ourselves in this situation. Like I said maybe there is something I am misreading but I have to say Shame on you.

[DMRick]

I have a lot of empathy for your painful experience, but I've got a few questions:

 

Did you purchase trip insurance? For $70 a year I have insurance that covers pretty much any loss I could possibly incur... from trip cancellation/interruption, theft, lost luggage... all the way up to being airlifted to a first-world hospital and $250,000 worth of medical expenses from anywhere on Earth.

.

 

Sounds like a nightmare..so sorry!

Ultra..where do you get travel insurance for $70 a year? Does it cover just the one trip, or a years worth?

Thanks.

[danceman]

I feel so sorry for our parents. I have to say I probably could have forgotten about an apple also. But I think someone should have stayed behind to help your elderly parents in a strange dangerous place. If they insisted everyone go ahead without them, I would have been waiting for them at the cruise ship when they arrived, just to make sure they arrived okay. Maybe there is something I am missing and if you read my posts I have never been critical of a poster but I don't think RCCL should be held responsible in this situation. I know my children would never have gone off and left my husband and I to fend for ourselves in this situation. Like I said maybe there is something I am misreading but I have to say Shame on you.

 

Ah, it wasnt that easy. This was a working cruise and we were both contracted to teach the group. They bought an advanced level dance cruise which included workshops each day and group chaperoned excursions...they paid extra for this which included us performing cabarets and dancing with the group members each evening.

Also, we would have not been covered for our own expenses had we stayed behind....for 2 adults and 3 kids it would have been very expensive to stay 3 extra nights and then also fly 5 of us to the next port and pay for food on top....get real....suppose you know what its like with triplets and a group of 33 to look after?

And i dont hold RCI responsible for what happened but i do think that once it had, they could have helped a little more. It was me who run up over $500 in emails and phone calls booking flights from the ship, who spoke to them numerous times each day, who gave them all our money. My wifes parents did say we were not to stay in Santiago with them ...it was after all, doubling as our childrens holiday too.

[mk-ultra]

Well yes, you are right. I dont know what insurance my in laws have and will certainly re look at my own for my next cruise now to see what is covered....i bet a lot of people dont really know wht they are covered for!

 

Nope, didnt review the travel alerts....never even thought about them or knew there were any....will do next time.

 

Apple, well obviously, we are going to be a lot more careful in future....a tough lesson but now learnt! I would still have thought it was clear though that this was a mistake.....do people really try and smuggle one apple in with 2 bites taken out of it? If we had had a bag of apples i could have understood it more.

 

Heh... I doubt anyone tries to smuggle one apple. The ag fines are in place to make people aware of the financial impact one "accidental" apple can have on the economy of an entire region. All it takes is a couple of fruit flies... or (on a boat) a zebra mussel... to do serious harm to an ecosystem. I live in an area where threats like these are a reality, so I guess I'm more aware of them. I'm glad you're posting here so others can understand why these rules are a big deal and enforced.

 

If it's any comfort, your $300 fine has probably done more to alert people to these risks than $300,000 worth of public service annoucements about it. Your post here will reach a heck of lot of fellow travellers.

 

As far as trip insurance goes, I can wholeheartedly recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network). They have insurance plans specifically tailored to SCUBA divers, but also have plans that are just generic trip insurance... and their reputation is fantastic. Everyone I've known that has ever had to make a claim with them has been thoroughly satisfied, especially when they've needed medical assistance. For $70 (the top-level plan they offer), I am covered for a full year's worth of travel. I've read plenty of posts from folks who have had to collect on DAN insurance -- and *every* post I've read has been positive. I did have to pay ~$30 to join... so my first-year cost was ~$100, instead of $70.

 

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/compare.asp

[Coralc]

Well....I would focus on the apple because I am an agriculture inspector and you probably signed a customs declaration (legal document) saying that you weren't carrying any fruit. It is a very hard and expensive lesson. But in any case..

 

I am more concerned and interested in the info about pickpockets and thieves. We are doing a transantlic next year, and I am concerned about the safety of our belongings. My elderly mom was disappointed that we didn't invite her to go with us...I can't even imagine trying to keep track of her and her stuff. I'm glad your inlaws were able to join you after all the disappointment and stress. I sincerely appreciate the warning and the information.

 

EDIT: I see someone locally was posting as well. Your apple could do major damage to our agriculture. The reason you were fined...is because you didn't declare it. Everyone blows off the custom form, and then you are asked verbally...and then you are fined. In California, we are are dealing with major imported pests.

[danceman]

Well....I would focus on the apple because I am an agriculture inspector and you probably signed a customs declaration (legal document) saying that you weren't carrying any fruit. It is a very hard and expensive lesson. But in any case..

 

I am more concerned and interested in the info about pickpockets and thieves. We are doing a transantlic next year, and I am concerned about the safety of our belongings. My elderly mom was disappointed that we didn't invite her to go with us...I can't even imagine trying to keep track of her and her stuff. I'm glad your inlaws were able to join you after all the disappointment and stress. I sincerely appreciate the warning and the information.

 

Apparantly, the thing they do now is thow ketchup over you as you sit at a table and as you just up to start to clean up, they take your bag and emply your pockets....so watch out!

[WooWooGirl]

Well....I would focus on the apple because I am an agriculture inspector and you probably signed a customs declaration (legal document) saying that you weren't carrying any fruit. It is a very hard and expensive lesson. But in any case..

 

I am more concerned and interested in the info about pickpockets and thieves. We are doing a transantlic next year, and I am concerned about the safety of our belongings. My elderly mom was disappointed that we didn't invite her to go with us...I can't even imagine trying to keep track of her and her stuff. I'm glad your inlaws were able to join you after all the disappointment and stress. I sincerely appreciate the warning and the information.

 

EDIT: I see someone locally was posting as well. Your apple could do major damage to our agriculture. The reason you were fined...is because you didn't declare it. Everyone blows off the custom form, and then you are asked verbally...and then you are fined. In California, we are are dealing with major imported pests.

 

thank you!! someone else sees my point...

 

I saw other things about this thread (as many of you posted you seem to think this was ALL I saw) but the OP seemed to think this was no big deal..I thought he seemed to think the the law was not for him to follow yet like the above post, he signed a paper stating he wasn't bringing in something yet if he was he was aware of the fine...he brought it in = fine..

[RCCL_NVcruiser]

I feel so sorry for our parents. I have to say I probably could have forgotten about an apple also. But I think someone should have stayed behind to help your elderly parents in a strange dangerous place. If they insisted everyone go ahead without them, I would have been waiting for them at the cruise ship when they arrived, just to make sure they arrived okay. Maybe there is something I am missing and if you read my posts I have never been critical of a poster but I don't think RCCL should be held responsible in this situation. I know my children would never have gone off and left my husband and I to fend for ourselves in this situation. Like I said maybe there is something I am misreading but I have to say Shame on you.

 

I know this is none of my business... but the OP did post the story... and I agree with MarieFisher's post. I was surprised that you left your in-laws alone...and then did not meet them when they did finally arrive at the boat. But, I could be misreading....

[ByeBye1]

I'm sorry about your theft, I had a similar incident in Buenas Aires last year. After it happened the hotel said we shouldn't have headed to the left but only to the right. Like you it was an RCL all inclusive. Many people on our sailing were robbed at that prestay in Buenas Aires..

RCL had no obligation to help your parents and shouldn't have. If they assigned a person to help passengers in all of these type emergencies how many support personnel would they need with 70,000 passengers sailing every week. Every single passenger would have to literally kick in (higher fares) for the benefit of a few. It was clearly your MIL's doing but unfortunate never the less. You have a lot of cruises in your signature, you're an experienced traveler.

Sorry about your misfortune.

[CocaCola19]

It is amazing how unintelligent people can be...Some people can't look past their own judgements to see the the point of the story...

Thanks for sharing your situation and reminding people to be diligently prepared wherever they go. I will remember this story when I travel abroad, and will learn from your misfortune. I’m sorry your parents were robbed of their valuables. I hope you have peaceful vacation next time.

It is unfortunate that every move honest people make must be painstakingly thought-out because of the greediness of others.

[RCCL_NVcruiser]

I am more concerned and interested in the info about pickpockets and thieves. We are doing a transantlic next year, and I am concerned about the safety of our belongings. My elderly mom was disappointed that we didn't invite her to go with us...I can't even imagine trying to keep track of her and her stuff. I'm glad your inlaws were able to join you after all the disappointment and stress. I sincerely appreciate the warning and the information.

 

I travel often all over the world for work. No matter where I am - either in the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East, etc, I always exercise extra caution with my personal belongings.

Ladies - never hang your purse over the back of your chair, or even sit it down beside you. Always keep it on your lap where you have control over it. Not the most comfortable thing to do - but well worth it when compared to the risk of having it stolen. Also - when you are walking around, keep your purse close to your body - not just slung over your shoulder. Don't be an easy target.

Men - move your wallets to your front pockets. Not as easy to be pick-pocketed this way. Also - if you are walking with women, walk on the side that they are carrying their purses - this makes it more difficult for someone to steal your ladie's purse.

 

Just my 2 cents and information gathered from reading MANY international travel books.

[luvscruising2007]

OP I appreciate you posting your story. I am so sorry your family had to deal with this. I will definitely be more alert to my surroundings. I have heard warnings about jewelry and cash before, so I usually don't carry much cash and don't wear expensive jewelry.

I am glad you were able to enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for your warning, I hope we all have learned from it and can be prepared on future travel.

[mk-ultra]

It is amazing how unintelligent people can be...Some people can't look past their own judgements to see the the point of the story...

 

Thanks for sharing your situation and reminding people to be diligently prepared wherever they go. I will remember this story when I travel abroad, and will learn from your misfortune. I’m sorry your parents were robbed of their valuables. I hope you have peaceful vacation next time.

 

It is unfortunate that every move honest people make must be painstakingly thought-out because of the greediness of others.

 

I *really* hope I didn't come across as "one of those people who can't look past their own judgments."

 

I travel to some really "outback" parts of the world... as well as scuba dive in these places... and the ONE thing I've learned from this is that when going anywhere, I don't rely on anyone else to assess my risks for me.

 

If you want to travel safely, you have to accept that it's your responsibility to research and understand the rules and the risks of the places you plan to visit. If you think that this is the responsibility of your travel agent or anyone else, you're eventually going to get burned.

 

IMHO, you should invest the time to research the places you want to visit (and things you want to do), and decide whether or not you're okay with the risks. If you're okay with the risks, you should cover your butt with enough insurance to handle unexpected contingencies.

 

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

[Guest shaverg]

I am really sorry this happened to you. Anyone can make a mistake. And so sorry about your Inlaws, I know how scarry it is in a foreign port when something bad happens.

 

I can't believe how mean and judgmental some of these people can be. they are usually know it alls. Just because they have elite status or have cruised a few times, they know everything.

 

One of the points of these boards are to make people be aware. They should appreciate the info and maybe they won't make the same mistake. Although I will say that little evil part of me almosts that it does happen to those that are so mean and critical.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience, those of us that are willing, will learn from it.

 

Thanks.