Orlando Sentinel story about "inappropriate fondling" on the Dream

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

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 seriously feel for you!

 

[Rogillio]

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.

Hey, I want free cruise tickets too!

Unlike some here, this has not changed my opinion of Disney in the slightest for 2 reasons.

1. There is inconclusive evidence presented that DCL did anything wrong. There is innuendo and speculation of a cover-up but I do not find any evidence of that. Certainly there is room for reasonable doubt and I'm a firm believer in innocence until proven guilty. I also don’t trust all journalists not to pick and choose what ‘facts’ they present.

2. Even if it turns out that someone did not follow Disney procedures, it was one or 2 individuals and that does not indicate a systemic problem with Disney. It just means that a couple of people screwed up doing their job. If this is the case, I’m confident Disney will fire them if the situation warrants dismissal.

Our family loves Disney. I have been a Disney fan since I was 5 years old and remember WDW being built and watching the Wonderful World of Disney where they showed time-lapse photos of MK being built! And years later my kids grew up watching Disney movies, going to the parks and on Disney cruises and seeing Broadways Disney shows, owning countless Buzz Lightyear and Woody toys, etc But I have always recognized that Disney is a corporation run by people not by fairies. Disney provides goods and services for a profit. Period. They are well run corporation and very successful but they are not perfect.

I still trust Disney more than any other company in the world with my family vacation.

 

[carpenta]

Hey, I want free cruise tickets too!

Unlike some here, this has not changed my opinion of Disney in the slightest for 2 reasons.

1. There is inconclusive evidence presented that DCL did anything wrong. There is innuendo and speculation of a cover-up but I do not find any evidence of that. Certainly there is room for reasonable doubt and I'm a firm believer in innocence until proven guilty. I also don’t trust all journalists not to pick and choose what ‘facts’ they present.

2. Even if it turns out that someone did not follow Disney procedures, it was one or 2 individuals and that does not indicate a systemic problem with Disney. It just means that a couple of people screwed up doing their job. If this is the case, I’m confident Disney will fire them if the situation warrants dismissal.

Our family loves Disney. I have been a Disney fan since I was 5 years old and remember WDW being built and watching the Wonderful World of Disney where they showed time-lapse photos of MK being built! And years later my kids grew up watching Disney movies, going to the parks and on Disney cruises and seeing Broadways Disney shows, owning countless Buzz Lightyear and Woody toys, etc But I have always recognized that Disney is a corporation run by people not by fairies. Disney provides goods and services for a profit. Period. They are well run corporation and very successful but they are not perfect.

I still trust Disney more than any other company in the world with my family vacation.

Sweet Home Alabama......great post..

 

[pyramid2000]

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.

I so feel for you Stace.
As far as the magic and pixie dust, that is what they sell. There are far better amusement parks and better cruise companies that give a better bang for your buck while providing equal services. It is the magic and pixie dust that drives people to them. And no one has to be perfect, but a truly reputable company would strive for perfection, own up to things that aren't, and fix what they've done wrong.

 

[JnDRader]

Hey, I want free cruise tickets too!

Unlike some here, this has not changed my opinion of Disney in the slightest for 2 reasons.

1. There is inconclusive evidence presented that DCL did anything wrong. There is innuendo and speculation of a cover-up but I do not find any evidence of that. Certainly there is room for reasonable doubt and I'm a firm believer in innocence until proven guilty. I also don’t trust all journalists not to pick and choose what ‘facts’ they present.

2. Even if it turns out that someone did not follow Disney procedures, it was one or 2 individuals and that does not indicate a systemic problem with Disney. It just means that a couple of people screwed up doing their job. If this is the case, I’m confident Disney will fire them if the situation warrants dismissal.

Our family loves Disney. I have been a Disney fan since I was 5 years old and remember WDW being built and watching the Wonderful World of Disney where they showed time-lapse photos of MK being built! And years later my kids grew up watching Disney movies, going to the parks and on Disney cruises and seeing Broadways Disney shows, owning countless Buzz Lightyear and Woody toys, etc But I have always recognized that Disney is a corporation run by people not by fairies. Disney provides goods and services for a profit. Period. They are well run corporation and very successful but they are not perfect.

I still trust Disney more than any other company in the world with my family vacation.

This pretty much nails it. Too much conjecture about the whole situation. Not enough facts to base a strong opinion on. If DCL made a habit of sitting on potentially damaging news and off loading suspected perps in the Bahamas then I could see being concerned. Until then, I'll continue to trust them with family vacations.

By the way, this doesn't mean we have our heads in the sand. Most of us knew that Disney/DCL simply wants our money and have their brand as a way to get it. They don't do things "the Disney way" because it's the right way but because it's proven successful at making money.

 

[DMMarla07860]

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...

Does disney need to answer questions at this point? Sure some, but they could just say yes they messed up and they changed. I could be wrong and maybe the news will be good for once(though is the news ever good? In my life it only seemed like they were good at giving all facts when there was a terrorist)

 

[justmestace]

I think the one thing that bothers me about the posts on here....and it's true....there really is one person to blame, the sick CM....and maybe whoever it was who should have called the Florida authorities. But what is irritating and interesting is that DISers are the first to start screaming about how horrible Carnival (in its entirety) and other lines are, when they have a similar situation.
So someone tell me why, in this case, DCL itself is not to blame, but if it happened on another cruise line, people here say the whole cruise line is crap?
What's the difference?

 

[Rogillio]

Does disney need to answer questions at this point? Sure some, but they could just say yes they messed up and they changed. I could be wrong and maybe the news will be good for once(though is the news ever good? In my life it only seemed like they were good at giving all facts when there was a terrorist)

If I were the head of Disney or DCL, I would not. This is NOT national news. If Disney responds (even if the provide evidence exhonerating DCL), they make it national news. And regardless of how they handled it, the national headlines still read "....child molested on Disney Cruise ship by crew member".

Based on the DIS cruise meets and such, I'm guessing DIS members make up less than 0.5% of people sailing on DCL. So that the vast majority of people have never heard of this story. It was run locally in Orlando and a few others cruise related website picked it up and ran the same report.

 

[Rogillio]

I think the one thing that bothers me about the posts on here....and it's true....there really is one person to blame, the sick CM....and maybe whoever it was who should have called the Florida authorities. But what is irritating and interesting is that DISers are the first to start screaming about how horrible Carnival (in its entirety) and other lines are, when they have a similar situation.
So someone tell me why, in this case, DCL itself is not to blame, but if it happened on another cruise line, people here say the whole cruise line is crap?What's the difference?

LOL. Are you suggesting we here at the Disney fan site play favorites?! I take a stab at it.

Say you hear of 'kids at school vadealizing school property'. We want to believe it was the OTHER kids, not OUR kids! And you'd better have irrefutable evidence before you accuse my kid of something like that! I raised him to respect other people's property! Now, that Johnson kid downt the street.....that rat, yeah, he prolly did it! ;-)

 

[GoofyTwinDad]

If I were the head of Disney or DCL, I would not. This is NOT national news. If Disney responds (even if the provide evidence exhonerating DCL), they make it national news. And regardless of how they handled it, the national headlines still read "....child molested on Disney Cruise ship by crew member".

Based on the DIS cruise meets and such, I'm guessing DIS members make up less than 0.5% of people sailing on DCL. So that the vast majority of people have never heard of this story. It was run locally in Orlando and a few others cruise related website picked it up and ran the same report.

This is a fact of business. Any business that is a leader in it's industry will have to continously use every trick in the bag including lying, stealing secrets, thuggery, in this case hiding dirty laundry, etc, etc etc... Disney is one of those companies that will do whatever it takes to save the brand. The less people who know of this, the better it will be for them. Until a charge is filed, DCL will never speak a word of this. As much money as Disney puts into the local and state economy, I highly doubt the prosecutor will go after DCL for failure to notify authorities in a timely matter.

 

[Zeppelin]

If I were the head of Disney or DCL, I would not. This is NOT national news. If Disney responds (even if the provide evidence exhonerating DCL), they make it national news. And regardless of how they handled it, the national headlines still read "....child molested on Disney Cruise ship by crew member".

Based on the DIS cruise meets and such, I'm guessing DIS members make up less than 0.5% of people sailing on DCL. So that the vast majority of people have never heard of this story. It was run locally in Orlando and a few others cruise related website picked it up and ran the same report.

so another words, don't address concerns until it becomes a national story?? got it- lessen the PR damage rather than getting to the bottom of the matter and letting people know what took place...fact is there are a number of people on this forum and in this thread who have called/emailed DCL with their concerns...

Hey, I want free cruise tickets too!

Unlike some here, this has not changed my opinion of Disney in the slightest for 2 reasons.

1. There is inconclusive evidence presented that DCL did anything wrong. There is innuendo and speculation of a cover-up but I do not find any evidence of that. Certainly there is room for reasonable doubt and I'm a firm believer in innocence until proven guilty. I also don’t trust all journalists not to pick and choose what ‘facts’ they present.

2. Even if it turns out that someone did not follow Disney procedures, it was one or 2 individuals and that does not indicate a systemic problem with Disney. It just means that a couple of people screwed up doing their job. If this is the case, I’m confident Disney will fire them if the situation warrants dismissal.

Our family loves Disney. I have been a Disney fan since I was 5 years old and remember WDW being built and watching the Wonderful World of Disney where they showed time-lapse photos of MK being built! And years later my kids grew up watching Disney movies, going to the parks and on Disney cruises and seeing Broadways Disney shows, owning countless Buzz Lightyear and Woody toys, etc But I have always recognized that Disney is a corporation run by people not by fairies. Disney provides goods and services for a profit. Period. They are well run corporation and very successful but they are not perfect.

I still trust Disney more than any other company in the world with my family vacation.

don't think anyone is really pointing a finger at Disney as a whole or condemning an entire cruise line for this one incident...

fact is there are many, many Disney fans and Disney families on this forum- I could run through my own life experiences but don't want to bore anyone...

bottom line is something bad, potentially terrible happened on this ship before it left port- and yes; an adult grabbing the breast of an 11 year old girl is terrible....people, those who spent and will continue to spend $$$ on Disney vacations, deserve answers- until that happens the innuendo and speculation will continue...

 

[Zeppelin]

This is a fact of business. Any business that is a leader in it's industry will have to continously use every trick in the bag including lying, stealing secrets, thuggery, in this case hiding dirty laundry, etc, etc etc... Disney is one of those companies that will do whatever it takes to save the brand. The less people who know of this, the better it will be for them. Until a charge is filed, DCL will never speak a word of this. As much money as Disney puts into the local and state economy, I highly doubt the prosecutor will go after DCL for failure to notify authorities in a timely matter.

you are correct and i must sadly agree with you...

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

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.

I can understand the Grandmother. We are talking about a 11 year old girl, from a foreign country, scare out of her wits and had already been asked a lot of questions about something she's been traumatized about.

You know with our screwed up legal system, with all the judges and lawyers busy making things best for the predator and not the victims. They would have put that poor girl though hell and back is interviews and testimony in a trial.

The grandmother was to my way of thinking was protecting the child.........I understand your feelings in asking why did she do press charges, but I can see and understand she was protecting her granddaughter.


AKK

 

[GoofyTwinDad]

I can understand the Grandmother. We are talking about a 11 year old girl, from a foreign country, scare out of her wits and had already been asked a lot of questions about something she's been traumatized about.

You know with our screwed up legal system, with all the judges and lawyers busy making things best for the predator and not the victims. They would have put that poor girl though hell and back is interviews and testimony in a trial.

The grandmother was to my way of thinking was protecting the child.........I understand your feelings in asking why did she do press charges, but I can see and understand she was protecting her granddaughter.

AKK

Don't forget travel costs if a trial was necessary.

 

[TDC Nala]

You know with our screwed up legal system, with all the judges and lawyers busy making things best for the predator and not the victims. They would have put that poor girl though hell and back is interviews and testimony in a trial.

The trial would not have been in the US, but in the Bahamas. Grandmother refused to press charges in the Bahamas. Don't know enough about the legal system in the Bahamas to say how that would work. Had he been arrested in Florida, there would have been proceedings whether the grandmother agreed to press charges or not. Not sure how far it would have gotten if the girl did not appear for trial though.

 

[DMMarla07860]

so another words, don't address concerns until it becomes a national story?? got it- lessen the PR damage rather than getting to the bottom of the matter and letting people know what took place...fact is there are a number of people on this forum and in this thread who have called/emailed DCL with their concerns...

What concerns do people have? Even after this story I'd feel safer on the ship then other places I have been, lets just say those other places make me stay alert Guess that is what the news is for to make people worry more

 

[Rogillio]

so another words, don't address concerns until it becomes a national story?? got it- lessen the PR damage rather than getting to the bottom of the matter and letting people know what took place...fact is there are a number of people on this forum and in this thread who have called/emailed DCL with their concerns...



don't think anyone is really pointing a finger at Disney as a whole or condemning an entire cruise line for this one incident...

fact is there are many, many Disney fans and Disney families on this forum- I could run through my own life experiences but don't want to bore anyone...

bottom line is something bad, potentially terrible happened on this ship before it left port- and yes; an adult grabbing the breast of an 11 year old girl is terrible....people, those who spent and will continue to spend $$$ on Disney vacations, deserve answers- until that happens the innuendo and speculation will continue...

The question is, why is it NOT a national story? Why haven't any other news agencies vetted the story and/or did their own investgative jouralism. I don't buy everything that is printed or that new people report. I just don't. I've seen far too many times recently (hint NBC news) where tapes were altered specifically to make a news story totally twisting the facts! It happens all the time! Not saying it happened this time but when you only have one source, it is suspect.

If you think you "deserve answers" then let Disney know by not vacationing with them. You are right, the innuendo and specualtion will continue but until you get a national audience, it's down in the noise and won't compel Disney to do anything.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

The trial would not have been in the US, but in the Bahamas. Grandmother refused to press charges in the Bahamas. Don't know enough about the legal system in the Bahamas to say how that would work. Had he been arrested in Florida, there would have been proceedings whether the grandmother agreed to press charges or not. Not sure how far it would have gotten if the girl did not appear for trial though.

Hi there Nala,

In was referring to when the vessel was still at the dock in PC. However your point is well taken, the Grandmother may have been just as afraid about any trial. anywhere!

The fact is the girl would have been put though a terrible ordeal in testifying.

AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

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 want to make one thing perfectly clear Stace!

I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT ARTICLE!

AKK

 

[Bella29]

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!

Texas is so right! This is what it comes down to.... they had the information and the time to let the FL police handle it, but they chose not to. From all appearances this was an intentional act to keep the crime quiet at the expense of letting a child molester escape US jailtime. I would like to hear from Disney whether this was an error on the part of the Captain/someone in the DCL head office (and the mistake has been appropriately dealt with), or if this is their standard operating procedure.