ABC Primetime news

[Art]

What was everybodys opinion on the Primetime show that aired on Thursday Jan 26th?
I won't say much since I dont know all the info on the cases that are being investigated.
But I can tell you, it bothered me with what I saw on the telecast.
Would be interested to hear from the rest of you, who might be following these cases more closely than I have.

Art

[JY]

I saw the same show last night.

It looks like RC just has too many similar cases. A lot of incidents involves heavy-drinking and party. Looks like the bartenders just don't care if you're wasted or not, as long as you have your charge card with you. RC has to get the fact straight and re-train the staff.

From the cruise missing person list, most of the cases involve RC.

[farmerjohn]

I don’t see anything to worry about except that the cruise lines will suffer financially from sensational reporting by the news media.

Every travel destination—be it on land or on sea—carries a certain element of risk. Drinking too much alcohol puts you at an increased risk of bad things happening. This is true regardless of where you are when you are drinking too much. You could be in Las Vegas, New York, Puerto Vallarta, or on a ship. All in all, a ship is probably the safest place to be if you are going to consume too much alcohol.

I have been on many cruises and personally think that they are as safe or safer than a land based vacation. Just use a little common sense on vacation and you will have a great time.

[Karen Knowlton]

Well said. Someone who drinks too much or parties too hard can't blame the cruise line for their own decision! There are actually very few cases of missing people and criminal activities on cruise ships; they're likely safer than most of our own streets!

[deanejc]

Watching the show was enlightening, but it seemed that there was a common element in most of the cases... too much drinking! Cruising is very safe statistically. I'm not going to worry about it next month when we cruise RC.

[Snorkel Mich]

I tend to agree with Farmer John....

First off I pray for anyone that is missing. Here you saw a program that isolated cruise lines. Think of the number of passengers that pass through each ship every week. And on the 5 cruises that I have been on the nearest thing to a problem was teenagers running through the ship. No fights. No one sleeping in the hallways.

I have seen on two occasions people that were lost on the ship. And when I mean lost. One woman walked up to my wife and called her by another name. We had her sit down and then we tried to get information from her. She did not know whom she was. Why? Because she was suppose to be in her cabin as she was physodic. She actually had to be restrained or she would go out on her own.

Why would you bring someone like that on a cruise? Because she is your wife, your sister and she deserves the cruise as much as you do. But she is fine as long as she takes her meds.

When the medical staff arrived when we found this woman. The first thing they said "How did you get out of your room?" "Where is your husband?"

Now if this would have happened in a large city...Would anyone care? Would anyone had even noticed? Heck even in a small town. You see someone walking down the road...You would not think twice...

Luckily on the ship you are isolated and you can not go very far.

I am sure that things happen daily on the ships and we are no more the wiser.

But how many things happen daily on our college campuses and we never ever hear about them.

I have dealt with the media and if you have enough $$$$$ you can keep it out of the local paper. It is harder now with the Internet but I am sure that you know someone that did something and it was brushed under the table.

As far as the waiters and bartenders limiting your intake. I am sure they do it. In local bars if you are not driving you can drink until you can not pay anymore. But if the bartenders find that you are driving they will call you a cab. But how often do people that drink and drive CRASH. On a cruise ship you may run into a wall or fall on your bed. You will not kill a family or crash into a school bus because you are too drunk to drive.

I believe there is no more of a cover up here than anywhere else in the world.

My two cents

[Art]

I also agree that cruising is safe. But one tragedy is one too many, and one cover up is way too many. It sure sounded like the lady missing on the Alaska cruise was a coverup by
someone on board. Thats the incident that
bothered me the most. Wether the lady took her own life, or she fell over accidentally, or someone robbbed her and threw her over, she was missing after the 2nd night, no excuse is good enough for that one.
I know most of you wont bash a cruise line hard and especially the great RCI, but come on, explain how the company is handling these incidents?
I can't...

Art