Massachusetts Victim
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL) – December 2005
On December 18, 2005, the last night of a weeklong cruise with my girlfriend aboard RCCL’s “Radiance of the Seas”, I encountered a threatening situation after leaving the ship’s casino…
While in the casino, I had been approached twice by a crewmember (a very short male), who seemed quite curious about my girlfriend’s whereabouts. After approaching me twice at a slot machine, hanging around and asking questions about her, I began to feel very uncomfortable. At approximately 1:00 AM, I cashed-in my winnings, left the casino, and headed back to my cabin.
As I approached the elevator area, just outside of the casino, and pressed the elevator call button, I heard someone (a male) say, “Where are you going?” Startled, I turned around, only to see that same individual who had approached me twice in the casino, standing in the stairway directly across from the elevators. He was alone, but so was I… I replied, “To my cabin.” In turn, he said, “I go with you” (broken English). I responded sarcastically, “Oh, I don’t think so!” He replied, “Why? Just for little while. I go with you.” At that very moment, he stepped forward, but the elevator doors opened and I hurried into the “non-glass” elevator, quickly pressing the “close” button.
Although I was safe and alone in the elevator, my heart was racing. Luckily, I used my common sense…. By standing in front of the elevator, I knew he would be able to see the displayed floor number, if I proceeded to my deck; therefore, I chose another floor, and switched elevators. My girlfriend, who had decided to call it an early night, was sleeping when I returned to the cabin. Since nothing actually happened to me, other than being frightened, I decided not to wake her.
The following morning (departure day), my girlfriend asked, “Did you call me around 11:30 last night?” I replied, “No, I was in the casino.” She continued, “Well, someone called here, but I was too tired to get out of bed and answer the phone. I thought you might have been calling to tell me how much money you had won!” I told her what had happened to me, during and when I left the casino. That’s when she reminded me of a previous incident that occurred earlier in the week, when a “short” male followed her to our cabin, calling out her name.
During breakfast, we discussed the casino incident and I agreed to report it. Since we were disembarking very shortly, I waited until I returned home that same afternoon and contacted RCCL.
After listening to the details of the incident, the RCCL Representative questioned me, as to why I had not reported the incident immediately, while still onboard the ship. She referred my call to her Supervisor and I repeated what had happened. The Supervisor was extremely sympathetic, thanked me, and stated, “We will contact the ship immediately!”
I had provided details of where I was seated in the casino in proximity to the cashier’s area. I also provided a detailed description of the individual, along with the approximate time frames. The video would have revealed his identity, and the two times that he had approached during that period of time.
Although I have received no follow-up correspondence from the cruise line, I understand that this individual still remains onboard. I am thankful that nothing happened to me, other than being frightened, but I feel my story needs to be told to alert other cruise ship travelers of the potential dangers that can occur while being alone on a cruise ship.
