Eurodam passenger reported missing 11/29/12

[peaches from georgia]

Here is an article posted today from the Sun Sentinel, the Ft. Lauderdale newspaper website and an interesting comment from a passenger who was on the cruise.

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-coast-guard-ends-cruise-ship-passenger-search-20121201,0,2385711.story

If Anonymous Cruiser's account is accurate and other witnesses also saw a HAL employee leading pax in a ship event while drunk there could be serious repercussions especially if the deceased was involved in any way before his death. I imagine this will be the end of pub crawls no matter what, if true.

[sasysutler]

we also were on the cruise, and I have to commend the captain and Staff on how everything was handled. I heard nothing from my fellow passangers complaining, in fact a few of us started a prayer chain.

 

As far as the ball cap.. deck ten is vey windy.. possibly blown off? the gentleman in deed was in the pub crawl as they all paraded around the lido deck during the dessert extravaganza.

Truly a sad situation

[lvz2cruz]

If Anonymous Cruiser's account is accurate and other witnesses also saw a HAL employee leading pax in a ship event while drunk there could be serious repercussions especially if the deceased was involved in any way before his death. I imagine this will be the end of pub crawls no matter what, if true.

 

I looked on the dailies deb42467? published with her Eurodam review. The pub crawl is at 9:30. I don't know how long it would last, but if he fell overboard at 3:30, he could have done a lot of drinking on his own afterwards.

 

I was not there, but I cannot imagine the HAL employee slurring as anonymouscruiser has stated. I think that could cost her her job.

 

I am not a drinker and have no interest in a pub crawl, but I think many sailings have them whether ship run or roll call oriented and this could be the first overboard connected. Maybe a need for personal responsibilty rather than pointing blame to have cause to sue as is too common in our society today.

 

It saddens me that this has happened again. I know when I am on the ship soon I will think of and pray for this family.

[cruisinsince75]

the gentleman in deed was in the pub crawl as they all paraded around the lido deck during the dessert extravaganza

 

Wow!!! At first when I read the Anonymous Cruiser report about the Pub Crawl, I thought that was crazy. By that report they would have already been intoxicated well before midnight. If this thing took place around 3am as is supposed, then how does HAL not notice there are a bunch of drunks wandering the ship for over 3 hours and does nothing about it?

[OzzieCruiser36]

Like many others I was travelling with my wife on the HAL Eurodam last week. This Caribbean vacation is something that my wife and I were looking forward to for a long time. It was my wife’s first cruise, her 30th birthday and our wedding anniversary.

 

Yes, at 30 and 36 we were among the younger passengers aboard and were even participants in the “pub crawl” event that other comments have been using as a reason for Jason’s disappearance.

 

I would like to point out several key elements that have been overlooked or unknown by other passengers commenting on the events of the night

 

1) Anaise (the African-American staff member mentioned above) at all times throughout the event and the cruise acted with the utmost professionalism and in our opinion there is no way she was in any way at fault for the tragic events that transpired. She wasn't slurring, falling over, out of control or anything else - she was a party host and acted accordingly.

 

Please keep in mind that all participants were over 21 years old, were deemed to be responsible by all legal definitions for their own behavior and Anaise was not a baby-sitter, she was a party and event planner.

 

2) The alcohol supplied during the “pub crawl” event consisted of 4 standard drinks. It was not an unlimited ‘frat-party’ though the enthusiasm and volume of the participants may have been in keeping with such.

 

Not only was the alcohol limited to four standard drinks, the event itself was only for about two to two and a half hours. The sum of supplied drinks was less than one drink every thirty minutes.

 

3) The event was run from about 9:30 to 12:00 and it was several hours after the events conclusion when Jason went missing. Surely Anaise and the event are not responsible for any choices made following the conclusion of the event?

 

4) Jason left “Northern Lights,” the ship’s nightclub shortly after 1am, at which time my wife was dancing with Jason’s wife Christine, which continued until after 2:00am.

 

As Jason left the club he spoke to other passengers around our own age range and the consensus was that while it was clear he had been drinking, he wasn’t without control of his faculties, nor falling over or staggering.

 

Like others, who commented on the various news stories, we were disappointed with missing Half Moon Cay, however in light of the tragedy we completely understand the decision and our disappointment in missing this port of call vanished in light of the sadness and concern we felt (and still feel) for Jason and his wife Christine.

 

I believe that the staff aboard the Eurodam handled this tragedy as best as they could and I was proud to watch them in action on both the Thursday and Friday following Jason’s disappearance. Many of our fellow passengers however disappointed me. From non-stop complaining about missing Half Moon Cay, to insisting that all onboard costs for the Friday be waived and borne by HAL to the spreading of rumours and gossip about Jason’s disappearance, I was sickened and the heartlessness I witnessed on those days.

 

Jason’s disappearance is a tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with Christine. I cannot imagine the feeling of losing my wife under such tragic circumstances.

 

I do believe that the absence of security cameras in the public areas of the ship is a concern that should be addressed but at all times the staff handled themselves with decorum and professionalism.

Edited December 3, 2012 by OzzieCruiser36

[OVgirl]

OzzieCruiser36, thank you for coming to this site and giving some more details of the evening before this tragedy. I also can't imagine how his wife must be feeling right now. Our thoughts and prayers for her and the family.

[vicocala]

Personally, I think there are way to many security cameras everywhere in life and they need to be removed. Our freedoms are at risk over stupid people who do stupid things and the politicians who take advantage of said stupidity.

 

That said my heart and prayers go out to this man's family and friends.

[CruiseMissives]

We were on the Rotterdam two years ago, on the 30 day South American run and were returning up the coast off Costa Rica when, at the Mariner's luncheon, our Captain suddenly changed course and announcements began about Mr. X please report to the main desk, repeated again and again. He then came on and announced that there had been a man overboard and would those with balconies please attend them and watch for someone in the water and report if seen. We sailed back to where the man had gone over, as his wife thought because he had been walking behind her at the time. We all left the dining room in silence and all down the ship side you could see people hanging over their balconies, staring, as the ship did a very, very slow 360 degree turn, everyone trying to spot the body. The seas were not calm which made it difficult to see anything that might be in the water.

 

The search planes overhead were from the US Coast Guard from Panama and they spotted the body, whereas the Captain deployed a tender to retreive him. My husband had been speaking with one of the Officers earlier who stated that rarely were they able to find the person in these cases, the search was merely for the peace of mind of the passengers and the person's companions.

 

The captain asked everyone to clear deck four as the man was brought aboard and there was a overwhelming sense of relief for everyone that at least there would be closure for that man's wife.

 

The Captain and crew of the Rotterdam were absolutely magnificant in how they treated the widow. She wanted to organize a small memorial for the Cruise Critic folk whom they had come to know, which was held the next morning in the Theatre, with staff singing, Minister giving a short Remembrance with the Widow, and everyone giving her their condolences. The most bizarre event in the midst of the sorrow, was the Captain coming on the intercom announcing that we would be delayed making our harbour at _________ because we were waiting for the tsunami after the earthquake in Chile!

 

Her son responded on Cruise Critic later stating that HAL had stepped up to the plate in ways far above and beyond. They flew the man's son and family to CR immediately that morning, helped with translation etc., it took almost a week to complete the complicated paper work, etc. at which time the family had a HAL representative with them throughout, and at which time all their living expenses were covered.

 

The sad part was that the son reported that his Dad had been in worsening health, with totally no hope of getting better and had obviously chosen this way of moving on. I won't comment on his choice for doing so, but I did weep for his widow.

 

Kudos to HAL for their sympathetic and compassionate response to this awful tragedy.

[Marion B]

We weren't on the Pub Crawl, but after reading the anonymous cruiser's comments in the Sun Sentinel article, I was able to reach two people who were part of the event.

To say that they disagree vehemently with anonymous cruiser is an understatement; they are in complete agreement with OzzieCruiser36, that this was not an out-of-control, frat party group, being lead by a drunk HAL employee.

I don't doubt for one minute that OzzieCruiser came in contact with the whiners and complainers. I figured that they were out there, but we were lucky enough to have not come in contact with them.

 

Marion

[innlady1]

Thank you, Ozzie, for coming here and giving a first hand account of the circumstances.

Edited December 3, 2012 by innlady1

[superoma]

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/12/articles/disappearances-1/walker-oneill-retained-to-investigate-disappearance-of-cruise-passenger-jason-rappe-from-hals-eurodam/index.html

 

those of you that were on the cruise and part of the pub crawl may have information to pass on. See the above link if you can help.

 

Sincere condolances to the Rappe family.

[Typhoon1]

Sad way to spend a cruise. As we all know, s*** happens.

[Bearnaise]

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/12/articles/disappearances-1/walker-oneill-retained-to-investigate-disappearance-of-cruise-passenger-jason-rappe-from-hals-eurodam/index.html

Sharks swarm to the scene when they smell blood. That was fast.

[JLC@SD]

In this case they seem to have a great deal of information, more than usual. Hopefully his wife and the family can also learn the answers to the how and why questions of this tragedy.

[Salacia]

It has been reported that the FBI is involved in investgating this missing person case. The contact information for those passengers who signed up for the pub crawl would be known to HAL since cruise cards were used for the purchase. Wouldn't the FBI have that information by now, and be in the process of interviewing the passengers on the pub crawl, unless they were already interviewed by the FBI before disemarking?

 

Just my personal opinion, but if I had any information that I thought might help, I would relay it to the authority conducting the investigation before sharing it with others.

 

My understanding is that detailed results of the investigation would be shared with the family (and their lawyers) after the investigation is complete. Please correct me if I am mistaken. Thanks.

[DFWGUYZ]

Sad way to spend a cruise. As we all know, s*** happens.

 

:cool:

[Tarpeian Rock]

Sharks swarm to the scene when they smell blood. That was fast.

 

 

 

You've got that right. And to think that some people think Great Whites are the scariest kind of shark..........

[lvz2cruz]

Sharks swarm to the scene when they smell blood. That was fast.

 

This was the law firm that reported him missing early on. Their first article paints HAL as a line that routinely loses people and never solves the "mystery".

Think they waited til the wife was off the ship to offer their services?

[michmike]

This fella who will be 65 on Thursday is here to tell those who were bemoaning 40 that they are still kids... wife will tell you that that is the problem w/ me as well *L*

 

will be proudly wearing my jimmy buffett "growing older, but not up!" t-shirt when Nieuw Amsterdam calls at Ocho Rios next week and we visit Margaritaville

[pms4104]

This fella who will be 65 on Thursday is here to tell those who were bemoaning 40 that they are still kids... wife will tell you that that is the problem w/ me as well *L*

 

will be proudly wearing my jimmy buffett "growing older, but not up!" t-shirt when Nieuw Amsterdam calls at Ocho Rios next week and we visit Margaritaville

Did you post on this thread in error?

[Salacia]

partial quote

...Think they waited til the wife was off the ship to offer their services?

 

Frankly, I don't know, and I don't care. I'm more interested in the results of the FBI investigation, and I can't help but believe the family and friends of the missing passenger are also hoping for a complete and thorough investigation by the FBI. That the family have retained an attorney is their right; I read nothing into it.

[Bearnaise]

partial quote

 

Frankly, I don't know, and I don't care. I'm more interested in the results of the FBI investigation, and I can't help but believe the family and friends of the missing passenger are also hoping for a complete and thorough investigation by the FBI. That the family have retained an attorney is their right; I read nothing into it.

That the family would eventually obtain an attorney if continually stonewalled by HAL and the FBI investigation turned up nothing, sure. But this early in the game? And a firm that all but accuses HAL of actual wrongdoing? Clearly the law firm seeks punishment (i.e. money) not answers. To me, that means that the family is clearly out to make money rather than find answers as well. I guess that's their prerogative :eek:

[mamaofami]

Just because the family retained a maritime attorney doesn't necessarily mean they are only looking for a monetary reimbursement for this tragedy.

 

I am sure they feel that having an attorney to intercede for them with the cruise line, the FBI, and in general to assist them in finding out what happened seems to me to be a wise decision.

 

If this happened in my family, I would be looking for closure. I'd want to know where he went overboard, if anyone saw him and is not speaking out, where was the man he was arguing with when this happened, etc. There are a lot of questions that the family needs answers to and it's not clear how forthcoming HAL would be in a situation like this. Their attorneys will direct what information can be revealed to the family which is why it's so important for any passengers who have direct information on what happened to come forward to the family.

 

I wish them luck in finding out what happened. Since there are guard rails all over the ship, I just don't understand how someone can just fall over board.

[Cruzin Terri]

Just because the family retained a maritime attorney doesn't necessarily mean they are only looking for a monetary reimbursement for this tragedy.

 

I am sure they feel that having an attorney to intercede for them with the cruise line, the FBI, and in general to assist them in finding out what happened seems to me to be a wise decision.

 

If this happened in my family, I would be looking for closure. I'd want to know where he went overboard, if anyone saw him and is not speaking out, where was the man he was arguing with when this happened, etc. There are a lot of questions that the family needs answers to and it's not clear how forthcoming HAL would be in a situation like this. Their attorneys will direct what information can be revealed to the family which is why it's so important for any passengers who have direct information on what happened to come forward to the family.

 

I wish them luck in finding out what happened. Since there are guard rails all over the ship, I just don't understand how someone can just fall over board.

I agree that one needs a professional to deal with a corporation such as HAL and Carnival. And the earlier the better, before people forget what they saw.

Terri

[smooth_sailor]

I'm new to these boards, and don't usually post anything on forums, but felt I needed to speak out about what I saw as well:

 

I happened to be passing by one of the bars that was on the same floor that Northern Lights was on, I believe it was The Queen's Lounge, on my way to freshen up in our room after dinner, and saw the same thing that "Anonymous Cruiser" mentioned in the link someone posted on here. I was pretty shocked to see that the young black girl who was emceeing on the stage was acting drunk. I hung around long enough, out of pure curiosity, to find out if she actually was an employee or not. It became clear that she was.

 

When we met up again, I told my boyfriend about what I'd seen, and that I had the feeling that the young lady would get into trouble for being in that state while working even though she was leading a party. He said it was probably just part of the job, and that she probably was allowed to party with the rest of them. I guessed he might be right, but it sure seemed like a powder-keg situation, given how little prodding some people need for overconsumption.

 

The atmosphere in the bar was surely one of excess from what I saw. The bartender laid out rows of shot glasses, and poured straight down the lines to fill every glass--two different kinds of liquor, and then people were called to the bar to drink. That's when I left, just in time to get out of their way.

 

When I woke up to the announcement in the middle of the night, I could scarcely get back to sleep. I lay awake, and replayed the events from my visit to the bar, and just prayed that nobody had been harmed. It just seemed like a perfect storm for somebody to fall overboard. We all have seen how reckless people can get when they've imbibed too much.

 

In light of the tragedy that happened later that night, I started googling when we finally made our way home to see if anyone mentioned anything about it. I figured, with so many people onboard that somebody else certainly would mention it somewhere. I'm glad to know that people are talking about it, even if there are differing opinions about what happened. I wanted to put mine out there for what it's worth, from the perspective of a non-participant.