Orlando Sentinel story about "inappropriate fondling" on the Dream

[Rogillio]

Everyone has their opinions and their own views on how things happened and how they should or shouldn't have been handled.

I never had the notion that DCL was better than most other lines when it came to service, food,etc. We paid more for DCL because we love the Disney atmosphere; the hidden Mickey's, the music as you walked down the halls, the characters roaming about... and also because I felt Disney, as a corporation, had my family's back. I believed they cared more for their customers than most other places. Naive, I know, but it was what I believed.

After this, and other recent decisions made by the higher ups on DCL, I no longer believe this. Do I believe it would have been a different situation if it had been my child or any other US child when and where it occurred? I do. But now I question how it would be handled if it were my child and we were docked at foreign port. What if we were sailing in Europe or docked in Cozumel? Would they help me in my quest for justice or would they be looking for what was best for themselves first? My fantasy has been shattered and I cruised DCL for the fantasy.

There is no reason to believe this is a systemic issue with Disney. OTOH, if your fantasy was that Disney was perfect and not run by fallible people, this was a good wake up call.....even if it turns out not to be true.

 

[Kendal]

Bottom line is in my opinion no one is perfect not even Disney as we would like to think... These people slip through the cracks all the time And we will never know if this was this guys first time or 100th time... We would like to think not.. We all need to teach our kids what to do if ever in a situation like this... This family Gould consider there selves lucky a little I would think that this guy did not take this any further than what already happened not saying what happens was right but the outcome could of been worse... These kids look to us for there safety we have to be there for them... As for Disney in my opinion they did what they had to do these guys know te rules and I'm sure they went by the rules... Like I said earlier these guys slip through the cracks we just gotta teach our kids.......

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[rhorsley]

Cleat incident appears to be the one in CA, where the guy died later. No record of the exact same thing happening to a woman in WDW. However, there was a woman with the man in CA who was also injured:

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/deaths.asp#

Also, the maxim, "no one dies in Disney" is addressed here and appears to be usually correct sans 2 issues, but not through any Disney enforcement, but process in the jurisdiction (which Disney had incorporated as a separate town I believe..hence having its own mayor)

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/declare.asp

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Cleat incident appears to be the one in CA, where the guy died later. No record of the exact same thing happening to a woman in WDW. However, there was a woman with the man in CA who was also injured:

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/deaths.asp#

Also, the maxim, "no one dies in Disney" is addressed here and appears to be usually correct sans 2 issues, but not through any Disney enforcement, but process in the jurisdiction (which Disney had incorporated as a separate town I believe..hence having its own mayor)

http://www.snopes.com/disney/parks/declare.asp

I have to stand corrected!..my error.

Seems the wife was hit as well, but the man died.

The article I read long ago (shortly after the accident) was that the woman was declared dead at the scene.!

AKK

 

[Zeppelin]

What I find interesting is the use of the word 'justice.' What is justice? Is there any real sense of justice sending a man to jail for 25 years? what if he felt no remorse and got out and did the same thing again and went to jail for another 25 years. Is that 'justice'? I find that in the United States of America, so many people get caught up with sending someone to jail or suing someone& for what? does any of that make you feel better? Is 'justice' actually served? I am definitely not saying I would just let this guy go, but 'justice' is rarely served in the USA system& in this system, someone gets money because of 'damages'& well these damages are not fixed with money, and no amount of money or legal battles will ever change that& so the next time anyone thinks that they are searching for 'justice' by hoping someone will be arrested, just think about what crime they committed and if 'justice' is actually being served...

LOL- so what "system" is justice better served in than the USA??? maybe they should just throw him overboard and let the sharks get him...but wait; according to you (page 27) the little girl did not make a scene, the inference being we'll never know.

this creep would've been given due process and the right to a free lawyer to defend himself had he been given to local authorities- and that assumes local authorities investigated the case and saw reason to prosecute....instead he got away with little other than a free trip home...

 

[Zeppelin]

The one line that everyone seems to be skipping over is the line I bolded, neither the victim nor the assailant were US Nationals, hence DCL wasn't required to report the crime. Don't blame them for following the letter of the law blame the people who wrote it.



Disney Cruise Line has zero tolerance for crime on board its vessels. On international voyages that embark or disembark in the United States, Disney Cruise Line is required by federal law to report on board felonies and missing U.S. nationals to federal agencies. For a missing U.S. national and all serious felonies (homicide, suspicious death, kidnapping, assault with serious bodily injury, sexual assaults as defined by federal laws, firing or tampering with the vessel, or theft of money or property in excess of $10,000) the incident must be reported to the F.B.I. by telephone as soon as possible, to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security electronically, and to the U.S. Coast Guard in writing. These requirements apply to incidents that occur on board in U.S. territorial waters, or on the high seas or in foreign waters if the assailant or victim is a U.S. national."

i could be wrong but i don't know about that....a crime is a crime in the US or US territorial waters..i read the "or" if the crime was committed in the high seas/foreign waters, which it wasn't, then the rules change...

if one non-US national knocks another non-US national unconscious with a bat as they are walking onto a cruise ship, is it not a crime??

 

[TLSnell1981]

You just proved my point about the media and alleged *journalists* today. IF your write a article, it should be accurate and true. I am sure there are some real and honest reporters today but with most there is little honor or interest in getting the real and correct information. When the fact don't do it they make it up.

Sorry but that is the truth today.

AKK

I have little faith in the media. Nowadays, it all about sensationalism and spin. They slant the truth to their benefit.

 

[Zeppelin]

I have little faith in the media. Nowadays, it all about sensationalism and spin. They slant the truth to their benefit.

count me in as one who has little trust and belief in most of the media- but that video is pretty damning...

 

[chateau]

I could NOT believe the grandmother dropped the charges. A phrase comes to mind from the movie "Pretty Woman" (not because of the situation, just HOW it's said)- Julia Roberts goes back to the store that rejected her, upon leaving she says "Big mistake, HUGE"- so was not pressing charges against the alleged assailant.

Yet another with little faith in most media here.

 

[billwald]

From the Bahamas Tribune today:

COMMISSIONER of Police Ellison Greenslade,

"We Did All We Were Required To Do In Disney Cruise Case"

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/may/27/we-did-all-we-were-required-do-disney-cruise-case/

 

[justmestace]

From the Bahamas Tribune today:

COMMISSIONER of Police Ellison Greenslade,

"We Did All We Were Required To Do In Disney Cruise Case"

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/may/27/we-did-all-we-were-required-do-disney-cruise-case/

Now I'M a little suspicious of the media, since at the end of the article they refer to Carnival, rather than Disney. Who edits these things??

And I don't understand the part about being docked 1000 feet from shore....???

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Now I'M a little suspicious of the media, since at the end of the article they refer to Carnival, rather than Disney. Who edits these things??

And I don't understand the part about being docked 1000 feet from shore....???

I agree, the punctuation and editing was awful. It opened with DCL and closed with Carnival... Oops... Prob should fix that. Its the last thing poor carnival needs right now...

 

[matthew517]

I would have called 911 if we were still in port at Port Canaveral or any other US port.
I don't care about the schedule my daughter or granddaughter is more important.
That Indian crew member would have been in bars before the sail away party.

 

[matthew517]

If DCL helped the guy escape I would have the captain arrested as soon as we arrived in PC. For his role in the crime.

 

[Zeppelin]

Now I'M a little suspicious of the media, since at the end of the article they refer to Carnival, rather than Disney. Who edits these things??

And I don't understand the part about being docked 1000 feet from shore....???

well- lets just hope we now get questions answered...

 

[ilovetexas]

For the record:

1. By international law the Vessel is under Bahamas flag and the Bahamas they can and apparently DID assert jurisdiction after they got to Nassau.

In Florida, local, state and/or the feds could assert jurisdiction. I see no report they ever did, even after they were advised.

2. The vessel was 100% wrong morally and I believe legally to have sailed without advising if not local, SOME authority before leaving Florida.

3. The Master was aware of what was going on, maybe not the full details, but of the attack and was at best wrong to sail.

4. While in Nassau, the authorities questioned the ******* and got him to admit. What they may or may not have required regarding this ******* flown home to India (which we all know from the recent events and rapes in India, do not take this kind of thing seriously) I do not know.

5. There MAY have been a crew contract which required Disney to fly the ******* to India to face legal action there.

6. I don't blame the grandmother from wanting to stop the investigation to protect the child. We all know how corrupted the lawyers and judged have made our legal system trying to protect criminals. They would have put that child though hell!

7. I don't care how long ago this happened, its still wrong!


As the vessel had already sailed, I would have preferred they had just. dropping the ******* overboard at sea!

Pleas note my last comment was as a Father and not a Ships Officer.

AKK

This story is sickening. I just got back in the country and saw this thread; I only made it about 10 pages in. I concur 100% with everything you said!! (that's twice today, a record for us!) Justmestace is right to be upset; heaven forbid this had been another cruise line, this board would have gone nuts with accusations of blame.

The ship had no business sailing with that animal onboard. There are video cameras everywhere on these ships and an accusation of forcible contact should have had people jumping through hoops to get to the bottom of it immediately. He should have been thrown off the ship to the authorities in FL, but I prefer your idea of throwing him overboard!

 

[Rogillio]

Pretty sloppy jouralism in that Bahamian report. Not sure what the "docked 1000 feet from shore" means. Maybe they meant it was w/i 1000 feet of shore?

This statement is why I believe the police were not called in PC.

“We were told that they wanted no further action and we were not allowed to see the child and the grandmother, who spoke for her, insisted it was a done deal and they did not want any further police involvement."

The scenario I can see happending is when DCL security told the child/grandmother they said they would need to call the police, the grandmother flately refused and said they would not talk to police. At that point, security had nothing but hearsay. They had not yet seen the tape or talked to the suspect. All they had was they child/grandmother's saying the child was touched inapproiately but then they said they would not talk to police. Could DCL have called police anyway? Sure. But all they had was second hand info (or 3rd hand if the child only spoke Portuguese), no witness, no evidence and a victim who won't even talk to them. Good for DCL for investgating and finding the tape and the perp and having him taken off the ship.

 

[DMMarla07860]

well- lets just hope we now get questions answered...

I will say we prob won't get questions answered. The news never answers the questions and I haven't seen this on Fox news etc, so I will guess prob not getting news people want to hear about. IMO

 

[Zeppelin]

I will say we prob won't get questions answered. The news never answers the questions and I haven't seen this on Fox news etc, so I will guess prob not getting news people want to hear about. IMO

you could be right but in my opinion its up to Disney to answer questions at this point- sloppy journalism or not, something obviously happened on that ship- there was a report, there is a video and now there's confirmation the alleged assaulter was sent home and evidently fired...

 

[Zeppelin]

I have a life, thank you very much. It was 3 or 4 days between my last post and my most recent. And if you don't want to talk about this anymore, but some of the rest of us do....then go on with YOUR life.

Trust me, If DCL were handing out free tickets, then they would owe me big time for the 3 broken ribs and sprained wrist & torn ligaments that's never healed properly. After 12 or 13 cruises with them (including a 10 night, an 11 night and the Panama Canal), almost all in the top suites, having a wedding on Castaway Cay and paying for multiple other staterooms on various cruises, if they handed out freebies based on number of cruises or amount spent, I'd be somewhere near the front of the line, but that will NEVER happen. Although I'm not entirely sure what you meant by that statement in the first place.

I don't understand where your defensiveness is coming in to play. I still have a cruise with Disney booked. I don't hate them. I want to go on a special cruise (out of San Juan) with friends.......but I still won't trust them. The only thing I wish people would realize is that they aren't all magic and pixie dust. They aren't perfect.

heresy i say!!! heresy!!

but imagine that- people like you, i and others would actually want to know what went down....for some the head in the sand theory is much easier than actually demanding the truth...