Passenger Dies On Atlantis Cruise

A 37 year old passenger was found dead in his stateroom on the Liberty of the Seas while at Grand Cayman. Local police are investigating and have not released any cause of death.

http://www.cayman27.com.ky/news/item/4060

That's two cruises this year for them with a death. Wonder what the average is, as this might not be an anomoly when compared to most cruises.

That's two cruises this year for them with a death.

I hadn't heard of the other death. At the risk of sounding morbid, do you have details on that?

The one currently in the news is especially disturbing since the passenger was so young. Wonder if "foul play" was involved? I hope not. :(

I hadn't heard of the other death. At the risk of sounding morbid, do you have details on that?

 

The one currently in the news is especially disturbing since the passenger was so young. Wonder if "foul play" was involved? I hope not. :(

It's mentioned in this article. I'm sure if you then google the guy's name and the ship's, there will be more info.

http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/01/22/Man_Dies_on_Atlantis_Caribbean_Cruise/

I sort of presume that since this current man died onboard, it was not the result of an incident in the islands.

At the risk of also sounding morbid, I hope it was not the result of a drug incident.

Deaths on board cruise ships are actually quite common and most are totally unaware of the incident. Common cause is a heart attack.....passengers of a slow life style that push their limits with food, alcohol and late hours....usually the elderly.

many ships carry coffins onboard, just incase (according to the logistics officers I have spoken with).

Seems to me the last Atlantis death was drug related......

In this case...it could be almost anything...age not a deciding factor.

If drug related, it will not help the Atlantis image within the gay travel community......many think the cruises are riddled with drugs...circuit boys and all night parties...which is not the case.

Regardless...what a shame.

It is a shame.

You're right about the number of deaths on ships. Most people don't know that ships have morgues, just in case. I had to go to medical on Solstice and became aware because of all of the activity that a woman had died. We were just pulling into St. Martin and they were preparing her husband for what happens next (police interviewer, coroner, etc) in these cases. His wife had come to the medical centre the night before with a very bad headache and was dead within the hour. She had an aneurism, they thought. She was realtively young, too.

I do hope the death was not drug-related.

If this the big January Atlantis Caribbean you can be almost sure it's drug related. Let's be honest most people can't party until after hours unless they have a little something to keep them going. This is common practice in gay clubs all over the world. Accept it like it or not. A night clubbing can be fun but for a week's cruise I definitely prefer the laid back. more socially mature RSVP crowd.

I just wonder what Rich and his Atlantis people are doing about this? It's not really good for their image.

When I was on Atlantis it was pretty visible but Atlantis seem to ignore it completely.

On a side note, has the relationship between the gay community and the Cayman Islands improved since the problems with the Atlantis docking back in 1998 when they were told that they weren't welcome there? Thanks in advance for any replies.

On a side note, has the relationship between the gay community and the Cayman Islands improved since the problems with the Atlantis docking back in 1998 when they were told that they weren't welcome there? Thanks in advance for any replies.

We were on the Atlantis Navigator cruise in 2006 that was the first all gay cruise, I believe, to land on Grand Cayman following the 1998 incident. I must say, it was an interesting experience. When we disembarked, our landing area was surrounded by chainlink fence. News reporters were there in force and my partner and I were interviewed for the radio, as were many others. Protesters were gathered at Elmslie United Church across the street. There were only a small number of protesters and most of the people we met on the island were pleasant. Because of the 1998 incident, the Caymans put into place a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation (I believe this was pushed by the British government). However, there was still controversy over the Atlantis cruise last week.

You can read the newpaper article in yesterday's Cayman Compass at

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2010/01/22/Police--Cruise-ship-death-not-suspicious/ Evidently, the police do not believe the death was due to suspicious circumstances.

One of the things that surprised me about the Advocate article was that it said there were just over 2,000 people on the ship. That would imply that Atlantis hadn't manage to fill much more than half the cabins. Surely, that must be an error.

We were on the Atlantis Navigator cruise in 2006 that was the first all gay cruise, I believe, to land on Grand Cayman following the 1998 incident. I must say, it was an interesting experience. When we disembarked, our landing area was surrounded by chainlink fence. News reporters were there in force and my partner and I were interviewed for the radio, as were many others. Protesters were gathered at Elmslie United Church across the street. There were only a small number of protesters and most of the people we met on the island were pleasant. Because of the 1998 incident, the Caymans put into place a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation (I believe this was pushed by the British government). However, there was still controversy over the Atlantis cruise last week.

 

You can read the newpaper article in yesterday's Cayman Compass at

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2010/01/22/Police--Cruise-ship-death-not-suspicious/ Evidently, the police do not believe the death was due to suspicious circumstances.

Interesting, thanks so much for the reply. I wasn't aware that Atlantis had been back to the Cayman Islands since 1998 and even chose not to disembark the ship on a cruise there in the fall of 2008 because of what my post recollections. Honestly, I am still not anxious to spend any money there.

Back on topic, seems to me it would be prudent to wait for the final word to come out regarding the passenger's death before assuming a cause.

First off... the people of the Cayman Islands are great hosts. I went there for a graduation present for one week in 2001 and I had a great time there staying just on the island. I've since returned numerous times via cruise ship and have received nothing but nice treatment from the locals. I think they're the cleanest and safest place to visit in the Western Caribbean.

Second off... the Liberty of the Seas doesn't turn around until tomorrow in Miami and I have friends onboard this charter (as well as new friends I met on the Sky who were sailing the following week on the Liberty) and I can't wait to hear what they have to say.

Third... I wouldn't be surprised at all if drugs were the main cause. As others have said there is a reason why the parties go from 10PM until well after sunrise the next day (as is the case for the White Party). Some of us can do it on Red Bull and eating a lot of calories the previous evening but others cannot and use other illegal methods. Does it give Atlantis a bad rep? You betcha!

Fourth... I don't know what is going on with the Atlantis bookings lately but they've dropped off quite a bit. I don't know if it's just the economy hitting him or he's just chartering too large too frequently. Irregardless if he keeps up at the rate he's going for this year for capacity I don't know what 2011 will bring for him. I will not be on the Solstice this year because it's the wrong week as Spring Break is one week later for me. I like the Atlantis product but the prices are outlandish in comparison to hetero cruising with NCL.

One of the things that surprised me about the Advocate article was that it said there were just over 2,000 people on the ship. That would imply that Atlantis hadn't manage to fill much more than half the cabins. Surely, that must be an error.

It wasn't an error... the Liberty of the Seas didn't sail at capacity. It doesn't look like the Solstice will either.

One of the things that surprised me about the Advocate article was that it said there were just over 2,000 people on the ship. That would imply that Atlantis hadn't manage to fill much more than half the cabins. Surely, that must be an error.

We have about 2500 passengers onboard, they are about 1200 short. No problems in the Caymans that I have heard, actually saw a lot of Welcome Atlantis signs but that is most likely a marketing move.

We were told of the death onboard but no details, since it happened in Cayman waters thay had to investigate, As we entered the ship in Miami there must have been 20 border patrol lined up along with one BIG dog sniffing everyone boarding

The weather has been perfect although windy today. Can't wait for Allure next year!

Most people don't know that ships have morgues, just in case.

Took this picture on the Eurodam during a behind-the-scenes tour during an RSVP cruise:

At the time we were told that the florist was using it to store flowers. IIRC our guide told us they could store 3 bodies.

The weather has been perfect although windy today. Can't wait for Allure next year!

Really? Did they make an announcement? As usual, I'm sure Atlantis will be one of the first charters taking the class out. Hope they manage to fill her because I expect that is one expensive rental.

I think too many ships were chartered considering the economy. Contracts may have been signed when a turn around was expected. Ships are so big now...even the cruise lines themselves are having to use bargain prices to get people on. This has to be hurting the charter business......mainstream cruises are priced so low the gay charter is too pricey for many.

For 2011,I looked at the Nieu Amsterdam which RSVP has chartered,,,,as a single I could sail a mainstream cruise for substantially less than half what I would pay on the gay charter. At some point the budget kicks in.

I hope Atlantis is breaking even with the ships not selling out..if not I would expect a scale down in the number of cruises per year.

Alure? Chartered? That just may sell out, but may eat up the business for any Feb/ March charter....just so many cruisers not impacted by the economy.

First off... the people of the Cayman Islands are great hosts. I went there for a graduation present for one week in 2001 and I had a great time there staying just on the island. I've since returned numerous times via cruise ship and have received nothing but nice treatment from the locals. I think they're the cleanest and safest place to visit in the Western Caribbean.

The Caymans are beautiful, the diving is spectacular (I've been spoiled by them), and the people are friendly. I have a timeshare and have been going to Grand Cayman every year or 2 since 1985 and absolutely love it. We have not had any problems. Once in a while we see a car with a raibow sticker on it.

We also saw welcome signs on the island and most of the shops had rainbow stickers in the windows (they know where the money is). Actually, one older woman was telling everyone to come back and that she loved us and was hugging us as we waited to board the tenders back to the ship.

I hope Atlantis is breaking even with the ships not selling out..if not I would expect a scale down in the number of cruises per year.

Alure? Chartered? That just may sell out, but may eat up the business for any Feb/ March charter....just so many cruisers not impacted by the economy.

If the Allure of the Seas is booked for next January then I'll bet you that the March cruise will not exist. The Allure probably will sell out because the ship is of interest to so many and Rich was asked about that on the Solstice cruise (about the Oasis actually). He said it was too big and wouldn't work for the type of entertainment that he provides. I guess he figured something out. Now if he'd only do the Norwegian Epic which I think would be a much better ship for diversifying the nightlife with different DJs on the top deck in different areas. :) I do agree with you on the sentiments about the prices at this time. Budget-wise, hetero cruising is much more affordable and for me who is a cruise-a-holic then it makes more sense to go more frequently for less money. :D

We also saw welcome signs on the island and most of the shops had rainbow stickers in the windows (they know where the money is). Actually, one older woman was telling everyone to come back and that she loved us and was hugging us as we waited to board the tenders back to the ship.

Glad to hear that the Caymans have gotten even more friendlier! I would love to go back and stay at the Sunshine Suites again. It was a nice trip and the hotel has since changed it's name but it was a great way to get to the Caribbean and to see cruise ships for the first time. A month later I took my first cruise (another graduation present) and now I'm just hooked on cruising! :D Sandra at the Front Desk was just fantastic at the hotel though. I'd get up early each morning and swing by and say hello and walk 7 mile beach. Oh the memories!!

Are you just off the Liberty today?

Does Atlantis take any precautions to have medical staff on the ship who are familiar with drug overdose scenarios? I doubt the average cruise doctor has much experience in those matters.

I haven't dabbled in the circuit scene in a few years, but last I noticed "Tina" was still the drug of choice (clever name for crystal meth). It's hard stuff compared to X and coke.

If the Allure of the Seas is booked for next January then I'll bet you that the March cruise will not exist. . :D

The March 2011 cruise will be on the Celebrity Summit out of San Juan

Does Atlantis take any precautions to have medical staff on the ship who are familiar with drug overdose scenarios? I doubt the average cruise doctor has much experience in those matters.

 

I haven't dabbled in the circuit scene in a few years, but last I noticed "Tina" was still the drug of choice (clever name for crystal meth). It's hard stuff compared to X and coke.

Here in Europe GHB is more the problem. It's a liquid which has be very carefully dosed and should only taken at certain times. Needless to say very easy to OD. It's actually some sort of paint thinner which you can easily take with you.

Thankfully the Tina epidemic hasn't hit over here as everybody was already aware of it when it hit the US.

During my Atlantis cruise i was a bit surprised that it seem to be completely ignored while you could see it was very present. There was a Dr Bob and Bill W meeting scheduled as always but that was all. (I think that's more for people with alcohol problems, correct me if I am wrong)

Coming from the Netherlands I am used to a more open and pragmatic approach. However something I do not expect in the same way abroad.

We were told that someone died, there were tons of rumors. I don't personally think knowing the cause of death would make it any easier. It was a man in his 30s and it is unusual for someone to die that young. But people die on cruiseships all the time.

Even if it was a drug overdose, I do not see how it reflects poorly on Atlantis. Those drug queens are going to do their drugs whether they are on a ship or in a club. I assume the people dancing until 11AM are on something, but I don't really know. I think most guests are not on something illegal. No one I met has ever mentioned drugs.

On the 2011 topic, I am excited about Allure. I know a few couples who cancelled this year because they'd already been on Liberty in 2008 and they also had this same itinerary a few years back on Voyager. Rich said that he originally thought Oasis would not work, but once he was on her he was blown away at the concept and was excited to charter this class of ships. Rich also said that he never considered combining the January and March cruises as they serve difference audiences. There was a long line of people booking Allure.

On the 2011 topic, I am excited about Allure. I know a few couples who cancelled this year because they'd already been on Liberty in 2008 and they also had this same itinerary a few years back on Voyager. Rich said that he originally thought Oasis would not work, but once he was on her he was blown away at the concept and was excited to charter this class of ships. Rich also said that he never considered combining the January and March cruises as they serve difference audiences. There was a long line of people booking Allure.

Just curious where they will hold the parties. If they do it downstairs around the theatre pool I can't imagine it must be fun having a boardwalk balcony cabin. I suppose the Central Park shrubbery will be very well utilized :D