Orlando Sentinel story about "inappropriate fondling" on the Dream

[Tinknalli]

Terrible situation for the child and not the best response on DCL part, however, if I had to venture to guess I would think that the delay in reporting was less about a cover up and more about the incident happening so close to sail away and the ship following it's set schedule as the investigation happened behind the scenes. In watching the video I cannot tell what is happening unless someone tells me and even then I cannot say that is definitely what I am seeing. In DCL defense we have a little girl telling a story and making an accusation, but a skeptic might say, just because a child says so does not always make it true (think Salem witch trials and other children who have made false allegations). People fabricate stories to try to make a buck off Disney all the time. In the end there was a confession so all of the story and evidence indicates the incident did take place.

Of course DCL benefits that the vacations of many continued, oblivious to what had gone on. I am sure DCL compensated the family in some way. The employee no longer works on DCL ships. The family chose not to press charges. Would the ending have been different if the report had been made in Port Canaveral? Only if the family decided to pursue it here in the USA and as reports indicate they were not US citizens it is unlikely that would have happened.

A head waiter would have worked for the company for quite some time. I am surprised that other incidences haven't been reported. I don't think someone just does something like this out of the blue.

The bottom line is there are creeps everywhere, including Disney ships, so watch your kids and don't be lulled into false sense of security because it is Disney or any other line.

 

[RGLakatos]

KashasMom;

Actually yes, it does matter. Do you want a reputable news source that gives you details and correct information or do you want a news source who leaves key elements out of their report and does not necessarily give you the whole story and instead gives you inaccurate information.

It certainly matters where the information is coming from.....don't be a follower....be a free thinker!

The point I was trying to make before is that it is important to not only receive information from a variety of sources before determining whether or not the information is accurate but also that those two news sources, Orlando Sentinel and Channel 6, are very inaccurate in the majority of their news stories. They have been known to leave out key elements of the story and really flip the reality of the story into something worse than what it is.....both sources do this for ratings as both sources have almost when into bankruptcy and closed their doors many times.

Be free thinkers not followers!!!

 

[KashasMom]

KashasMom;

Actually yes, it does matter. Do you want a reputable news source that gives you details and correct information or do you want a news source who leaves key elements out of their report and does not necessarily give you the whole story and instead gives you inaccurate information.

It certainly matters where the information is coming from.....don't be a follower....be a free thinker!

The point I was trying to make before is that it is important to not only receive information from a variety of sources before determining whether or not the information is accurate but also that those two news sources, Orlando Sentinel and Channel 6, are very inaccurate in the majority of their news stories. They have been known to leave out key elements of the story and really flip the reality of the story into something worse than what it is.....both sources do this for ratings as both sources have almost when into bankruptcy and closed their doors many times.

Be free thinkers not followers!!!

EVERY news source - including CNN - does the same thing. For that reason, it doesn't matter to me what the source - because I don't trust any of them. And in this particular case, it seems the story IS true.....so does it really matter what the source was?

 

[baleeve]

Edited/deleted

 

[cph706]

What's especially upsetting to me is that the alleged perpetrator is a server we really enjoyed on our last 2 trips on the Dream. Our daughter was 15 the first time we met him, thank god she wasn't ever by herself (with her brother or us) and that she is a first degree black belt.

Honestly, he seemed like a nice guy

 

[wcw57]

here is the strangest thing about this story:

I haven't seen it picked up by ANY other news source...

I can understand ABC not following....

but no reports on the wires or any one of the million cable news channels....not even radio! at least not that I have seen and I just passed through the morning news cycle....

 

[anna08]

Wow. I felt sick to my stomach watching the video of him walking into the elevator with the girl. I think it is horrid that Disney did not return him to US soil for prosecution - there did not need to be charges by the family with child sex abuse evidence. The video was quite clear who the perp was. Instead, they send him home to India to be free to molest girls there - makes me ill.
Please everyone, educate your girls on this kind of scenario - instill in them the confidence to scream loudly, bite, kick, especially in a busy place like a cruise ship.

Disney, shame on you. The girls in the future who meet this creep thank you too.

 

[RGLakatos]

It certainly matters what the source is....if you can't understand that there is a difference between CNN and the Orlando Sentinel I'm not sure what to tell you...all sources take their own spin and provide certain details.

It is much believable if the story comes from multiple news sources not just 2 sources that are almost bankrupt here in Orlando. If you cannot understand that IT DOES MATTER WHAT NEWS SOURCE is reporting the information I'm not sure what to tell you...the Orlando Sentinel has always taken a negative look at Disney and I would not put it past them to leave out crucial information to make Disney seem worse that what really happened.

It certainly matters what news sources is reporting....I'm not going to get into a "battle" here with anyone over whether the news sources matters.....I'm a bit more intelligent than that.

Also, I have to say this as well......for the poster who said "my daughters a second degree black belt"....to perfectly honest that is a joke too. I know plenty of individuals who have beat people who are "blackbelts" Martial Arts is nothing more than a way for a child or adult to get a different type of exercise.....it's a freaking joke in this day and age. Perhaps if they lived in the 1800's martial arts would be beneficial to protecting yourself but it's not anymore. I was in the military and there have been many times in combat situations where I have taken down someone bigger than me, with more advanced training, or was a black belt......it's really not a way to protect yourself anymore in this day and age...especially with weapons ever present.

 

[cph706]

I absolutely agree with your comments about martial arts training not being an absolute defense against these incidents. I would not expect her to "take down" a grown man. However, I am glad that in her 8 years of training she had the exposure to the many sessions where they reviewed stranger awareness & listening to your perceptions about danger. At least she had the exposure of sparring and hitting boys larger than herself. I have never struck anyone in self defense in my life and at least she has done that and potentially could get out of a situation.

 

[DCL Repeaters]

EVERY news source - including CNN - does the same thing. For that reason, it doesn't matter to me what the source - because I don't trust any of them. And in this particular case, it seems the story IS true.....so does it really matter what the source was?

It doesn't matter the news source here when the video speaks for itself. And to the news source who was able to obtain the video, job well done. Shame on Disney Cruise Line for sweeping this under the rug and shame on the grandmother who refused to press charges.

 

[MichelleVW]

The bottom line is there are creeps everywhere, including Disney ships, so watch your kids and don't be lulled into false sense of security because it is Disney or any other line.

So True..there are bad people everywhere! Also teach your kids that there is safety in numbers! My girls had a lot of freedom when they were younger, but they knew the "stay together" rule.

 

[TDC Nala]

There are some interesting things about the incident:

The incident occurred in August 2012.

There is a videotape.

The parent (grandparent) didn't want to press charges.

The crew member was fired and deported.

The allegation appears to be that this happened while the ship was in port, the perpetrator (a dining room server) was identified from the video while the ship was still in port, but DCL didn't want to delay departure by having a police investigation start onboard, so they didn't report it until after the ship had sailed. The perpetrator was suspended from duty, removed from the ship by Bahamian authorities and deported to India. I assume he wasn't tried in the Bahamas as the grandmother declined to press charges.

That was a bad move. The crime occurred while the ship was in port, they should have notified the local police, even if it would have held up departure.

Was sort of enjoying the comments to the article, especially the one that said children should never be allowed aboard cruise ships because it's too dangerous. Not just pedophiles, but they could fall overboard or be killed like on the Costa Concordia. Like it's the kid's fault just for being there.

 

[anna08]

I would be interested to hear what the legal perspective on this is as a frequent cruise traveler.

What is the law concerning crimes perpetrated at port?

If you were the parent, what would have happened if you called police before the ship embarked?

I read this on the Child Protective Services for Sarasota -

Florida Statutes Chapter 39 states that any person who has knowledge, or reasonable cause to suspect that a child is being abused or neglected must report that information to the Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-96-ABUSE). By law, failure to report suspicions of child maltreatment is a first degree misdemeanor, as is interfering with or preventing another person from making a report. Knowingly making a false report is a third degree felony. ALL FLORIDA CITIZENS ARE MANDATED REPORTERS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT.

As I stated before, the family did not have to press charges for the person to charged.

So does this not apply to a ship's administrator of a ship docked in port?

Can someone with maritime law comment please?

I'm starting to think that cruise ships are a lawless microcosm and I'm not liking it.

I would like to think this person will never get a visa to enter the US again, but without a paper trail, he's probably working for another cruise line already.

 

[Silverfox97]

I guess I'm thinking that once identified at 4:48pm, the ship has already begun to cast off. In any case, he was identified then. Then, he needs to be found and questioned as part of DCL's international investigation. He wasn't found & questioned until 7:50pm (which is interesting because he's a head server, so he would've had main dining at 5:45pm). Action was taken when he finally confessed on the Nassau port day.

So, I'm thinking, DCL or her family would've had to call police immediately after it happened in order to involve PC police?

I liken it to settling out of court.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Oh my goodness. I saw this article on my email and came to the boards and certainly found the curious questions and disgust over the situation. But I am really disturbed that there is a video that was RELEASED of a MINOR being attacked and am more disturbed that random people feel they have to watch it and JUDGE. Give this girl some privacy. Judging and pointing a finger is not doing anything for this girl or the situation. Watching her attack is victimizing her again...and again...and again... I am so thoroughly disgusted that this video is allowed to be on the internet and that people are watching it. Let her be.

 

[disprincess4ever]

While Disney didn't call the authorities while in port, the took care of the situation that day and have proof. They didn't ignore it, they didn't let it go on. Disney did what they should have. Sure they could have called the authorities a few minute sooner, but in the end they did more than most other lines would do. I think this shows that disney as a company is trustworthy and responsible, but that doesn't include employees. It's not like disney can every workers thoughts.

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

Oh my goodness. I saw this article on my email and came to the boards and certainly found the curious questions and disgust over the situation. But I am really disturbed that there is a video that was RELEASED of a MINOR being attacked and am more disturbed that random people feel they have to watch it and JUDGE. Give this girl some privacy. Judging and pointing a finger is not doing anything for this girl or the situation. Watching her attack is victimizing her again...and again...and again... I am so thoroughly disgusted that this video is allowed to be on the internet and that people are watching it. Let her be.

I agree! That poor girl.

I think that we may all be jumping to conclusions until we hear the other side from Disney. The article keeps saying what the girl told them etc. etc. , but we don't even have any direct quotes from her or her family either. It will be interesting to see what happens when this is all over.

 

[donalduck]

Why didn't the grandmother press charges? Is she really that stupid?

 

[justmestace]

Why didn't the grandmother press charges? Is she really that stupid?

If DCL had done their job properly, the grandmother wouldn't have HAD to press charges, the State of Florida would have done that for her.

There are a few reasons that women don't press charges....the biggest one being that they want to put the whole episode behind them and try to heal and move on, and not put themselves (or their daughters, granddaughters, whatever) through the hell of what happens when a young girl is molested or raped. I know this process from experience, and in looking back, would have handled a similar situation in an entirely different way. Yes, I'm admitting that I would have had someone meet the perp (perv) in a dark spot one night and taken care of things.

Until you go through it, you can't imagine how unbelievably humiliating, horrifying, demeaning...you name it....the whole process is.

Plus, since the crew member had already been dismissed, what would this family have had to go through in order to prosecute?? Where would they have had to travel for interviews, a trial, etc??

I get sick to death of people blaming the victim.

The blame for this one lands squarely on the perpetraitor and on DCL.
You can't tell me that it took HOURS to identify one of their own employees, especially one who is not "behind the scenes" but is recognizable at every single meal. What a crock.

And to anyone who is defending DCL, shame on you. They KNOW the law and they chose to ignore it. Money and power can make people believe that they are above the law. Not wanting to hold up the ship and "ruin other people's vacation" has never been an issue in the event of medical emergencies....I've seen it happen.

As far as the news station not being reliable....that's a moot point, too. There is PLENTY of documentation and an ADMISSION OF GUILT.....and it makes NO DIFFERENCE in this case, what outlet reported it, nor what their motives were.

If this had happened on another cruise line and had been posted here, we'd see 20+ pages of outraged posts by now.

 

[justmestace]

I agree! That poor girl.

I think that we may all be jumping to conclusions until we hear the other side from Disney. The article keeps saying what the girl told them etc. etc. , but we don't even have any direct quotes from her or her family either. It will be interesting to see what happens when this is all over.

AS IF Disney would make a public statement!

There ARE direct quotes, there IS a report from DCL Security, and there is a confession from the crew member.

It IS all over. The crew member was allowed to leave the ship and return to his home country to continue his pedophile ways. He's not being charged, so there won't be more to the story. Just an attempt to cover up a blatant crime by Disney.