Norwegian Cruise Ship "Loses" Autistic Boy

[OHCruiser]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened, but what else should/could NCL have done after the fact, other than what they offered/did:

 

an apology, monetary compensation, and an investigation.

 

I don't see that the cruise line was crass, uncaring, or insensitive. They took the complaint seriously and did what they could. It's not like they could go back in time and stop it from occurring.

 

The family can choose to accept some, all, or none of what was offered and then move forward. They now know that their child can escape from what is reported to be a well monitored environment, but sadly, he's unable to tell them how he did it--which would be the most helpful thing to ALL of the parties involved. Had this been a child without special needs, the parents would have been upset with BOTH the child and the cruise line.

 

Had this been me, with either of my 2 boys, I would have taken what was offered (or perhaps countered with what I thought was more appropriate [i do think the offer was just fine] and re-assessed how I handled such situations in the future.

I'd have seen it as a learning experience that, thankfully, turned out OK.

I'd have been eternally grateful to the cabin steward who was on the ball.

And I would likely have decided that my son's needs have exceeded what can reasonably be expected of general childcaretakers in large group settings--and that future cruises would need to include a dedicated caretaker for him.

[sdmike]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened, but what else should/could NCL have done after the fact, other than what they offered/did:

 

an apology, monetary compensation, and an investigation.

 

I don't see that the cruise line was crass, uncaring, or insensitive. They took the complaint seriously and did what they could. It's not like they could go back in time and stop it from occurring.

 

The family can choose to accept some, all, or none of what was offered and then move forward. They now know that their child can escape from what is reported to be a well monitored environment, but sadly, he's unable to tell them how he did it--which would be the most helpful thing to ALL of the parties involved. Had this been a child without special needs, the parents would have been upset with BOTH the child and the cruise line.

 

Had this been me, with either of my 2 boys, I would have taken what was offered (or perhaps countered with what I thought was more appropriate [i do think the offer was just fine] and re-assessed how I handled such situations in the future.

I'd have seen it as a learning experience that, thankfully, turned out OK.

I'd have been eternally grateful to the cabin steward who was on the ball.

And I would likely have decided that my son's needs have exceeded what can reasonably be expected of general childcaretakers in large group settings--and that future cruises would need to include a dedicated caretaker for him.

 

best post in three pages

[Demonyte]

This issue is heated enough without people inflaming it with political remarks.

 

The issue has been "heated" because of the way it's presented here and the personal revenge seeking by the father (see the thread in the Family Cruising subboard, the father clarly states that his objective is to "dent" NCL as much as possible).

 

I do agree that this should not have happened but as OHCruiser and few others before have stated, NCL has done everything just as they should after the mistakes have been made and will try to make sure that it won't happen again, luckily the ability to escape from the kids club was brought to NCL's attention without any actual damages happening so this might save some other kid from getting upset or even hurting themselves in the future.

[Pushka]

Where did it say he was lost? One of the staff knew where he was all the time.

[Demonyte]

Where did it say he was lost? One of the staff knew where he was all the time.

 

Who? The steward knew about his whereabouts only after he came to the cabin - nobody was tracking him after escaping and before arriving to the cabin.

[Pushka]

Who? The steward knew about his whereabouts only after he came to the cabin - nobody was tracking him after escaping and before arriving to the cabin.

 

My bad. Ok then. NCL's security needs a shake. I wonder how they are geared up for special needs children but even so I'm presuming he managed to get past some kind of security exit.

[GORDONCHICK]

My bad. Ok then. NCL's security needs a shake. I wonder how they are geared up for special needs children but even so I'm presuming he managed to get past some kind of security exit.

 

We don't know that either. As I said before, this age group doesn't stay in the kids' area on busy cruises. If Ben simply walked off, that's not really a security issue. It's more of an awareness issue. When they are moving the kids from one area to another, they are supposed to look at their check in list and compare it to the kids they have AND do an actual count. They are also supposed to count and check the list when they get where they were going.

[Beaver1975]

Suggest you google Disney Cruise line lost child, you'd be surprised what comes up!

 

...and Cruise Critic does not feel the need to write articles about these incidences? Go figure.

[Cruising4]

How long was he gone from the club before he was found in the room? Was it 10 minutes or 2 hours?

 

I too wonder if he wandered away while the club was on an adventure outside of the club area.

[david_sobe]

Glad it all turned out ok.

Besides the misleading headline the sentence in the middle of the article is crazy...."NCL officials were not aware when the child ESCAPED"

 

You escape from jail, the Berlin wall, North Korea, or anyplace that deserves escaping

Is the kid camp that bad that the child was forced to "escape?" Maybe so, but that does not make the NCL kid camp look so good LOL

[turning40withMickey]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened, but what else should/could NCL have done after the fact, other than what they offered/did:

 

an apology, monetary compensation, and an investigation.

 

I don't see that the cruise line was crass, uncaring, or insensitive. They took the complaint seriously and did what they could. It's not like they could go back in time and stop it from occurring.

 

The family can choose to accept some, all, or none of what was offered and then move forward. They now know that their child can escape from what is reported to be a well monitored environment, but sadly, he's unable to tell them how he did it--which would be the most helpful thing to ALL of the parties involved. Had this been a child without special needs, the parents would have been upset with BOTH the child and the cruise line.

 

Had this been me, with either of my 2 boys, I would have taken what was offered (or perhaps countered with what I thought was more appropriate [i do think the offer was just fine] and re-assessed how I handled such situations in the future.

I'd have seen it as a learning experience that, thankfully, turned out OK.

I'd have been eternally grateful to the cabin steward who was on the ball.

And I would likely have decided that my son's needs have exceeded what can reasonably be expected of general childcaretakers in large group settings--and that future cruises would need to include a dedicated caretaker for him.

 

Excellent post!

It was a mistake, and a learning experience....thankfully no one was hurt. Learn and move on.

 

I would like to know what the parents think is fair, as the parent post on page one says the NCL offer was a "slap in the face".

[punkincc]

We don't know that either. As I said before, this age group doesn't stay in the kids' area on busy cruises. If Ben simply walked off, that's not really a security issue. It's more of an awareness issue. When they are moving the kids from one area to another, they are supposed to look at their check in list and compare it to the kids they have AND do an actual count. They are also supposed to count and check the list when they get where they were going.

 

I swear the father has already posted here or in another string that they hand picked the activities their son was allowed to participate in to exclude any activities in which the children would leave the secure kids club area. If that is the case then endless speculating about him wandering off in transit is meaningless. Like that would have been OK, anyway! That would not be a "security issue"? They "lose" your kid at school between the playground and the classroom and that is not a security issue? Why play word games.

 

It was stated they left him for what was to be a 2 hour period while they went to dinner. The family knows what time they dropped him and what time they returned to the cabin. I assume the room steward knows the time Ben arrived at his own cabin, so the time period he was on his own is known. Somewhere between 2 hours and 5 minutes? It really changes nothing. Some problem with the staff or procedures allowed him to leave the supposedly secure kids club.

 

As much as I love NCL, their Corporate response to sensitive issues seems to be lacking. I can't speak for the family, but my impression is that NCL's here's $1,500, sign this nondisclosure statement and we're sorry but you will get no further explanation from us did not sit well with the family and they decided to go public. So now NCL has some bad publicity and maybe they will lose some

cruisers with children?

 

 

 

And the reason you may not have read about any incidents on Disney or any other cruise ship is that they probably took a cash payoff and signed a non-disclosure statement which it has been stated the parents were asked to do.

[punkincc]

Excellent post!

It was a mistake, and a learning experience....thankfully no one was hurt. Learn and move on.

 

I would like to know what the parents think is fair, as the parent post on page one says the NCL offer was a "slap in the face".

 

It comes across a little as "hush money" to me since they were asked to sign a nondisclosure statement along with it and were given NO explanation of what happened and only promises of an "investigation".

 

Not sure what day of the cruise this happened on, but I don't think it would take that long to get to the bottom of what happened. Would not be surprised if security cameras are not used in the club. They probably had determined whether it was a staff error, procedure problem, equipment failure or a combination before the family ever departed the ship. A simple explanation and apology along with assurance that steps were being taken for correction would probably have done a great deal to soothe the family.

[johnsak123]

OMG people

What the hell is wrong with you

How can you blame the parents for this. It is the fault of NCL and theirs only.

I read the fathers response how he wants NCl to take responsibility and they should.

If you trust your child to the "day care" then they should be responsible for every child there.

Shame on you parent bashers.

[kerrytens]

Like I said earlier, I am truly sorry for my initial comments.

 

I would be very interested in hearing about the plans for change that NCL will introduce because of this incident. It is quite obvious now that something very wrong happened.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was just wondering if there were video cameras at the check-in/out point for the kids club that might have caught the child's exit so that they could have seen how the he was able to get out. It seems like that is something that they would have in place.

 

If they don't, they should. An alarm by the door, which buzzes when people enter & leave is also a must have.

 

We have such a device in the museum, where I volunteer.

[iheartbda]

OMG- are some of you out of your freakin' minds?!?!?! A child ( it matters none that he is autistic) was able to walk out of the supposedly secure children's club. Not only was that bad enough but the " solution" was to tell a cabin steward who may have had absolutely no child care experience and may not even have had proper child care background screening to "watch over him"??!?!?! ***?!?!!

That's rather over the top. Child care experience is really not needed, just simple common sense human to human caring for a child in need. Do you really think the steward was going to do something to this child when his supervisor knew of the situation?

[dwjoe]

The issue has been "heated" because of the way it's presented here and the personal revenge seeking by the father (see the thread in the Family Cruising subboard, the father clarly states that his objective is to "dent" NCL as much as possible).

 

Since you mentioned it, I went and looked it up. Here is the thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1778201

 

Here is the "dent" quote:

 

I agree with you abut the what ifs. My goal is to warn people about what happened. If NCL won't take responsibility, then I feel responsible to make sure as many families I can reach out to are made aware of this situation. This probably won't make a dent with NCL, but every little bit could make a difference. I appreciate your response.

 

You are misreading the term "dent". To "make a dent" is an American idiom meaning to make a small amount of progress. It does not mean to cause injury or take revenge.

[Demonyte]

You are misreading the term "dent". To "make a dent" is an American idiom meaning to make a small amount of progress. It does not mean to cause injury or take revenge.

 

Ah, figures. I apologize to Rzelden for my misunderstanding about that. :(

 

But still, I do think that the discussion here is really out of proportion remembering that no actual harm was done. The incident is really unfortunate but given how passionately some of the members here are discussing about the matter, I'm pretty sure that people at NCL are smart enough to actually do something to prevent this happening again.

[dwjoe]

Ah, figures. I apologize to Rzelden for my misunderstanding about that. :(

 

But still, I do think that the discussion here is really out of proportion remembering that no actual harm was done. The incident is really unfortunate but given how passionately some of the members here are discussing about the matter, I'm pretty sure that people at NCL are smart enough to actually do something to prevent this happening again.

Demonyte, props for your magnanimity. :)

 

I do agree that NCL is smart enough to review and improve their processes to prevent such an incident from re-ocurring, once it gets executive attention (and it will, now that it's on CC). But I believe NCL's response was clumsy. There were no actual damages, so they didn't need to offer money, they just needed to show they cared. Requesting nondisclosure may be routine corporate policy, but it could be perceived as "hush money" i.e. a bribe to keep quiet. A better response to Rzelden's letter would be to have a manager call and say "Here's what we were able to find out, we probably won't be able to know exactly what happened, but we've disciplined the staff involved and are reviewing the following processes..." I think NCL missed an opportunity there to defuse this.

 

I am quite confident that had the NCL hotel director on board been directly informed, he/she would have handled this incident better. Rzelden is new to CC so might not know, but the HD usually makes themselves known to pax at the CC Meet & Greet onboard and encourages people to call with any concerns.

[luvtheships]

OMG- are some of you out of your freakin' minds?!?!?! A child ( it matters none that he is autistic) was able to walk out of the supposedly secure children's club. Not only was that bad enough but the " solution" was to tell a cabin steward who may have had absolutely no child care experience and may not even have had proper child care background screening to "watch over him"??!?!?! ***?!?!!

my exacts thoughts. Thanks for thinking clearly on this one. The cabin steward thing really bothered me as well.

[luvtheships]

That's rather over the top. Child care experience is really not needed, just simple common sense human to human caring for a child in need. Do you really think the steward was going to do something to this child when his supervisor knew of the situation?

if he was of the predisposition to hurt a child in any way then he really wouldn't care about the supervisor.

 

don't pedophiles claim they are sick and can't control themselves therefore they shouldn't be held accountable?

or is that just their excuse which many bleeding hearts tend to buy into?

[ttnc4me]

A better response to Rzelden's letter would be to have a manager call and say "Here's what we were able to find out, we probably won't be able to know exactly what happened, but we've disciplined the staff involved and are reviewing the following processes..." I think NCL missed an opportunity there to defuse this.

Maybe, but it sounds like the family wouldn't have been happy with that. From the dad's posts, they seem to want exact answers (rightly so) but also significant compensation as well (unfounded).

 

My understanding is that there are cameras in every single part of the ship so NCL certainly knows what happened. I can certainly envision one of the staff not necessarily monitoring the door for a minute while dealing with another child & the child walking out. My experience with NCLs kids' clubs are that they can have employees that are quite laissez faire and one time on the Pearl actually professed their desire to not be there. They did in fact join the younger kids <6 with the older <12 often and my kids frequently chose not to go accordingly.

 

I would agree that staff reprimand and employee retraining is due. The family is 100% right to inform others to ensure that this doesn't happen to another child, but more personal compensation is just greedy.

[Demonyte]

That's rather over the top. Child care experience is really not needed, just simple common sense human to human caring for a child in need. Do you really think the steward was going to do something to this child when his supervisor knew of the situation?

 

if he was of the predisposition to hurt a child in any way then he really wouldn't care about the supervisor.

 

don't pedophiles claim they are sick and can't control themselves therefore they shouldn't be held accountable?

or is that just their excuse which many bleeding hearts tend to buy into?

 

Come on! If, if, if, if, if. This has nothing to do with the topic in hand, you could what-if just as much for the barely non-teen counselors at the kids clubs etc. :eek:

 

The what-iffing in this thread is getting way too ridiculous to me, I'm gonna unsubscribe and hope that the upcoming cruises can make me forget I ever opened this thread. :(

[dwjoe]

Maybe, but it sounds like the family wouldn't have been happy with that. From the dad's posts, they seem to want exact answers (rightly so) but also significant compensation as well (unfounded).

I don't get a whiff of greed at all, and I've read every single post rzelden made. Here's a comment he posted on the news article page:

Greed? Let me make this very clear, I'm NOT looking to be paid off. We wanted an explanation and a heartfelt apology, not to be paid off. I'm doing this because they offered me money with a stipulation that I not tell anyone. Why should I keep quiet about this?

 

I see an extremely concerned parent who wants assurance that NCL takes this incident seriously and who wants to advise other parents that NCL's child signout process is not 100% foolproof. From that perspective, NCL's offer of money and nondisclosure could come off as trying to sweep it under the carpet. I don't think that was NCL's intent, just a routine corporate gesture but it wasn't the right response here.

 

My understanding is that there are cameras in every single part of the ship so NCL certainly knows what happened. I can certainly envision one of the staff not necessarily monitoring the door for a minute while dealing with another child & the child walking out. My experience with NCLs kids' clubs are that they can have employees that are quite laissez faire and one time on the Pearl actually professed their desire to not be there. They did in fact join the younger kids <6 with the older <12 often and my kids frequently chose not to go accordingly.

 

I would agree that staff reprimand and employee retraining is due. The family is 100% right to inform others to ensure that this doesn't happen to another child...

On the Gem, the entrance to the kids club was a half dutch door with a latch. The youth staff were always guarding it when I went, but I concur that a moment's inattention might suffice for a child to let themselves out. I am sure NCL is having a careful rethink about special needs kids and foolproof exit controls to assure the safety of all children.