Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Should I be concerned about my safety?

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Should I be concerned about my safety?

Fellow travellers, I am apalled by the latest news on the staggering amount of sexual crimes against women travellers by cruise lines crew members (Specifically Carnival Cruises). My husband & I booked a cruise on the carnival TRIUMPH and were very excited. Now, we don't know what to do (I love jogging early in the AM, etc...) Any experiences, advice/safety tips. I am not looking that you ease my mind, but that you share honest and useful advice, so we can make a desicion. Thanks.

I've been following this story with interest since I've wondered for several years whether all incidents get reported. I've been on a wide variety of cruise lines and have both experienced firsthand and seen/heard of a lot of fraternization between employees and passengers. Clearly, fraternization and sexual crimes are far apart, yet the environment lends itself to problems. The same problems with defining harassment and her word vs. his word, etc. exist on the sea. During my 21 cruises, I've observed... On many ships, officers flirt/come on to single females. Sometimes it's just flirting that clearly stops before there's any physical contact - it's a form of small talk. Other times, they become very graphic about what they want to do to you and pushy. (Of course, as on land, the woman could walk away but may choose not to - flattered, embarassed, don't want to appear naive, etc.) THere are also many, many, many shipboard romances/flings with both parties understanding the limitations. With officers, one of the key things to remember is that these men have a career, and, since they see a new batch of women almost every week, if someone rebuffs them, they aren't going to risk their career over it. They just stop; I've never heard of anyone being stalked by an officer. Other ship employees are a different matter, and some don't know when to stop and can make the remainder of a trip unpleasant (e.g. comments, poor service, following). It can be a matter of national (or macho) pride for them. You mentioned early morning jogging and I had a problem with exactly that scenario. On a Princess ship, the same crew members were cleaning/working on the deck when I was jogging and one man was clearly checking me out and as I jogged past, would mutter something and glance slyly at me. After 4 or 5 days of this, I was uncomfortable enough to mention it to the officer at my table and he immediately asked for details, wrote them down and said the man would be reassigned, with no mention of me. The next morning, the man was gone and I was pleased by Princess' zero-tolerance. Some lines (such as Carnival) have a rather libertine image and crew members' actions may reflect this; also, passengers' actions may contribute to this belief. As on land, I can easily see how a flirtation could proceed to an unpleasant conclusion and the question of blame is difficult to pin down. I do agree with Carnival that the proportion of reported incidents compared to the total number of passengers is very small. I wouldn't cancel a trip because of it, however, just be aware of situations and if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, tell the purser's desk immediately. If no reaction, make an appointment to see the captain. You shouldn't feel odd or anxious on your vacation and the cruise line wants you back! (Hope this doesn't sound contradictory - bottom line is... people flirt at sea, use poor judgement, and serious problems can develop. But, you're not going to be snatched into a dark corner or fondled in a stairway!) Actually,

Vickie is absolutely right in her post, but I would suggest in addition to make sure that you report incidences quickly. I have cruised on Celebrity, NCL, Princess, and Carnival and the only place where I had any feeling of inpropriety was on Carnival. The crew on Carnival was IMO very unprofessional and more like a bunch of fraternity boys on vacation. I chose to never cruise Carnival again, and have never regretted my decision.

Dear Maira, I am a travel agent that has sailed on 52 cruises. Vicky is absolutely correct. You must know how to handle aggressive or leering males. My observations are as follows: Most molestations occur due to the fact that parents NO NOT supervise their underage children. Some parents, I observe, actually buy them drinks. I see girls and boys as young as 12 literally passed out. They are bought drinks by any adult old enough to purchase. They are accosted by not only passengers but officers and underclass officers. Naturally, when they relate the story to mommy and daddy, a lawyer is hired. ALL cruise lines have this problem. Since Carnival is the largest and receives the most press they naturally have the most incidences. The cabin stewards, waiters, busboys and maintenance crew can not and will not approach female or male passengers. It is the officers that are allowed to fraternize with the passengers and are allowed in all public areas including the bars. Although quite a few females like the attention of the officers (someone to dance with and buy them drinks), I, for one, would like to see all cruise lines restrict their officers. This is an abbreviated version of the letter I received from the president of CCL: During a 5-year period in which CCL carried more than 6.5 MILLION passengers,there were 16 passenger allegations of rape (average 4 per year, 1 per 406,000 passengers). During that same period there were 6 allegations of rape made by CREWMEMBERS. There were another 86 alegations of a less serious nature, such as an unwanted kiss, which was the basis of 26 alledged incidences. Most allegations were made by guests via phone or letters after the CRUISE WAS TERMINATED. MOST WERE UNFOUNDED. Someone is more than 100 times safer on a CCL ship than in a similar-sized US city (police records). The letter goes on to say ALL incidences are reported to US law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. You see, Carnival reports the incidents, that is why the bad press. One should know, when one attends a function that has many singles with alcohol available, one has to be on guard and not drink excessively. Enough said. Paul

To all who answered (so far): THANKS for your valuable advice. I will be reading and re-reading it prior to leaving. Thanks again!!

As a single woman who travels alone all the time, I have encountered this attitude too. It is not limited to cruises, can happen on land resorts too. I agree with most of what has been posted - as a married woman, flash your wedding band conspicuously and you should be alright. I think most of these encounters are native men looking for a possible meal-ticket to the US. In fact, in one land resort I had a bellhop tell me flat out he intended to eventually marry a US guest and get out of his country. As a solo woman, you are automatically assumed to be "wealthy and desperate" since you are traveling alone, and therefore a prime candidate to be hit upon. I have had lots of comments, but since I understand the rules of the game, and do not encourage anything, I have had no disastrous consequences. In reply though to Paul, one of the worst offenders in my book was a cabin steward on Holland America who followed me everywhere for several days. Bar waiters and cabin stewards can and do make more of the comments than the officers. They are the underpaid staff looking for the jackpot. For the single travelers, here are my favorite strategies for discouraging unwanted attention: 1. Wear a fake wedding ring - sounds corny but it does discourage comments. 2. Seek out an older couple and ask if you can sit with them at a meal or at the bar. Most older women are anxious to help you and will "adopt" you as their daughter. This generally gets rid of would-be suitors. Worked like a charm on Holland America and on St Lucia. It actually is my favorite strategy since you get to meet a nice couple in the process. 3. Be pleasant, but do not say anything that might be construed in any way as an invitation to continue a flirtation. If you do not encourage them, they will move onto easier conquests. You are only going to be there a week. Most of these incidents though are at the nuisance level and really not dangerous as long as you do not lose your head. I certainly do not intend to stop traveling just because a few island men believe that they are God's gift to women and can't be resisted. They can be resisted with a little common sense.