Carnival Cruise Lines Aids and Abeits in Assault and Battery Internet, Internet

21st of Nov, 2011 by User128652

On November 11th I embarked on a cruise with my husband and our best friends on the Imagination. We are all in our 40's and it was the first cruise for my husband and myself. We booked tickets on a special of 199.00 per person. Several months later, we were informed that we had to pay port fees and taxes and that was an additional 600.00....lesson learned. The first night and next day were uneventful, the room was fine except it reeked of cigarette smoke. We are all smokers but the room was like a dirty ashtray. The evening we docked in the Bahamas my husband, and our friends went to out to the clubs on the ship. In club Illusions, the 3 of them sat at the bar at around 11 and order drinks. Being that the club allows smoking, all of them lit a cigarette. Shortly after a group of 6-7 people came into the bar and stood behind our group. One of the women in the group begain yelling and screaming that the smoke was "offending her" She was seated next to my husband and yelling things like if he wanted a hole in his throat he could but she "didn't want no cancer". The real reason for her outburst was that she wanted the seats my group had for her friends. The bar is a designated smoking bar with ashtrays out and around 50 other patrons smoking. My husband turned his back on her when she pulled out a bottle of perfume from her purse and began spaying the back of his head and shirt with it. He turned to face her and she sprayed him in the eyes and mouth. At that point, he asked my friend (the woman) to switch places with him because he felt that would diffuse the situation. The woman kept screaming and my girlfriend asked the bartender if it was ok to smoke there and she said yes. Her husband was trying to ask for a manager or security. (which turned out to be in the club because of an earlier fight) The woman then began spraying my friend's head and face with the perfume. The woman then reached over to her husband to grab his shirt and thats when the real assualt happened. They drug my girlfriend off her chair and 5 girls began punching her. Her husband was scratched and punched. My husband jumped into the middle and was knocked to the floor. All were being kicked in the head by women in heels and punched by the men in the group. Security finally arrived and escorted everyone to a questioning area. This is where Carnival goes so very very wrong. My husband and friends were bloody and had bruises and torn clothes. None of the other group was injured because they were never hit. Statements were taken from all and my group made it very clear that they wanted to press charges. My husband wrote it on his statement in block letters. The security staff was not cooperative and gave no information. They told my husband that the people would be arrested in Miami. My husband was taken to medical and the report taken said he had 2 superfical scratches and smelled of alcohol. He has 6 punctures in his head, a concussion (we went to urgent care as soon as we left the boat) , a 4 inch cut down his face, multiple bruises. My husband was insistent that he wanted them arrested and put it in his statement. Being our first cruise, we trusted Carnival to take care of the situation. They informed my group that they would not be permitted to drink for the rest of the trip. They were shocked and insulted. They were the victims, but were being treated as the attackers. They told security officer John Pynadeth to review the video and see that they were assualted. He lied to them and said the club had no video. The next morning (after we left Bahamas) I had to seek out the security officer John Pynadeth with my girlfriend because no one called us to check on our health or even reassure us we were safe. I sought out Pynadeth because no one on the ship had contacted us. No one called to say what would happen to them, or to even inquire on her or my husbands health.. No care. No concern. No courtesy. I asked Pynadeth why my friends would have their purchasing blocked and he said it was company policy. He stated that my card wasn't blocked so I could buy drinks for them. My girlfriend cried all through the meeting. I asked how they would be arrested and that the ship didn't seem concerned about us. I told him she was terrified and how did they plan to protect her? He shrugged and asked me what I thought they should do. He stated he had "talked to them and they knew they were wrong and wouldn't be a problem" You reasoned with a woman spraying perfume in other peoples faces? I confronted him about lying about the video and he admitted it was a lie. He said that if they came around to call security....do you know how improbable that is? Where are the phones to call on Lido or in a stairwell? He also told me that they (the assailants) would not be allowed on Carnival again. My friend remained locked in her room for the last day. My girlfriend was absolutely traumatized that morning. She was covered in bruises, crying and absolutely terrified. She cancelled her morning spa appt because she was covered in bruises. She was looking everywhere we went, thinking she would be attacked again. They were free to walk around and had passed us several times. When we docked in Miami, we were prepared and ready for the police. Imagine our shock when the Miami-Dade police came to take our statements and inform us there was nothing that they could do, the incident happened in the Bahamas and the Bahamian police should have been notified and that Carnival has enough of these incidents to know that. They were very sympathetic and kind, everything Carnival was not. They told us we would have to contact the Bahamian embassy to pursue charges. The security officer Pynadeth was present but refused to give us the names of the people that attacked us based on "confidentiality of passengers" So Carnival has blocked the opportunity for justice and damages. The police said that Carnival knew they should have had the Bahamian called but that they didn't because they don't like incidents on their record. One officer pulled me aside and said to pursue a case against Carnival and he would be there for us. That the handling of these incidents are poor and they have to deal with the aftermath. They stated it was clear we were wronged and would help anyway possible. Now for the final insult. As we left the boat, my husband and my friend's husband were notified they would not be allowed on Carnival again. The shock set me over the edge. My husband hit no one. He is a 45 year old man. He's never been arrested or in a fight. My girlfriend stood there in a beautiful dress, covered in bruises and that was your parting concern for us. We spent over 1500 and they couldn't even say "hey, sorry". Today I'm just stunned. I'm sickened over the money we gave them. I'm a world traveler...I have never been treated so poorly. I'm devastated that this gift we planned for our friends was ruined by their policies and lack of care. Several witnesses (we have statements and now video) approached us later and said they would back us 100% in court if needed. We have the police report number, all the "medical" records and statements and now a video from another passenger. Carnival contacted us and acted as if they couldn't understand how we were faulting them. They implied it was all the fault of the people that attcked us. They people they blocked from being arrested and allowed to walk around us on the ship. Take a look at what a $1500 3 day vacation on Carnival looks like:
http://m45.photobucket.com/albums/Whobeanie/injuries/

Track this Report 0 Comment | Post a Comment