Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

A 15-Year-Old Girl Served Alcohol on Cruise Ship Falls Overboard

Cuizer2

By Cuizer2,
in Costa Cruises

Recommended Posts

letscruiseagain

letscruiseagain

Posted
Posted

I saw this story on the TV early this AM.

 

While I feel sorry for the family with the lost of a child. I agree that

the crew member serving minors was in the wrong and should have been

fired as costa said it occured short after this issue. I disagree that

the ship necessary failed.

 

Why do you you let a 15 year run the ship at late hours?

Why do you send your 12 year old sister to look for her? The father said

he did not go look for her at midnight but his other 12 year old child.

 

If she was only 15 year old do you leave her and a 12 year old in the

cabin to spend the night? Why wasnt one of the parents in the room

with their children, at this pointed have proven they could not be trusted.

 

Is seems to me the parents failed to be parents first the thier children. My guess that this is not the first time that she had been drinking. I never

have drinked myself, but to purchase so many drinks in 90 minutes I think

she may have had a little experience. But this in only IMHO....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Britters

Britters

Posted
Posted
I saw this story on the TV early this AM.

 

While I feel sorry for the family with the lost of a child. I agree that

the crew member serving minors was in the wrong and should have been

fired as costa said it occured short after this issue. I disagree that

the ship necessary failed.

 

Why do you you let a 15 year run the ship at late hours?

Why do you send your 12 year old sister to look for her? The father said

he did not go look for her at midnight but his other 12 year old child.

 

If she was only 15 year old do you leave her and a 12 year old in the

cabin to spend the night? Why wasnt one of the parents in the room

with their children, at this pointed have proven they could not be trusted.

 

Is seems to me the parents failed to be parents first the thier children. My guess that this is not the first time that she had been drinking. I never

have drinked myself, but to purchase so many drinks in 90 minutes I think

she may have had a little experience. But this in only IMHO....

 

Actually the article states that the older sister was sent to find Lynsey. The twelve year old sister was the one who went to the parents room to let them know of the girl going overboard.

 

On our cruises (as we got older) our parents would let us go to the disco or wherever without supervision, and if one of us didn't meet back at the designated spot before hand, it was one of the other siblings who went to search for them.

 

If the cruise line didn't drop a boat to search in the area where the initial report was, then they didn't do everything in their power to locate the girl. However, I've seen many different reports about this particular story, so it's hard to say what went on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jolimont

Jolimont

Posted
Posted

As I read the story I thought the blame was overwhelmingly on the staff/Costa.

 

Strike one: A bar tender shouldn't serve a dozen drinks to a grown man, let alone a young woman! Cruise lines have a strong interest in paying attention to excessive alcohol consumption because nothing good happens when people are horribly drunk. They can easily track how many drinks per hour with the room card. But this kid was a minor, she shouldn't have been served drink one!

 

Strike two: Safety drills are not for the birds. Even Wal-Mart has procedures and drills for bad situations. You'd think Costa could train their staff well enough to react professionally.

 

It's possible this news was not reported accurately, there may be much more to the story, but as it is reported now, it's not looking good for Costa. Poor kid and poor parents... I'm sure the parents will blame themselves forever, but short of hiring a PI to investigate Costa's policies towards kids and alcohol, how could they have known? Unless they helped their daughter break the alcohol rules, they didn't do anything wrong as I see it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ILov2cruise

ILov2cruise

Posted
Posted

She had more than a dozen drinks in 90 min. Either she really didn't or was use to drinking that much. A 15 year old who never drank should have been passed out after the 4th drink. How was she able to walk to her cabin after 12+ drinks.

Most 15 year olds today look 21. We don t know how she was dressed and could have looked 21. I don t know any 15yo who would sit in a bar by themself

 

I had read she jumped, now it says she was vomiting and fall over. The balcony on the Med was pretty high for her to have leaned over and fallin.

Knowing she was that drunk her parent/big sister should have stayed in the cabin with her.

 

I'd think since this was not the first night on board she must have had a drink on other nights didn t her parents check their account. When I was on the med we checked our account every night on the TV.

 

Costa is NOT the only cruise line that has served underage children. I've seen them drunk on other lines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NORTHPOLE810

NORTHPOLE810

Posted
Posted

I have never sailed Costa but I know on RCL, Carnival, and Norwegian the cards of the "too young to consume alcohol" have stickers on them or holes punched in the cards to alert the bartenders. Our table mates last year had 3 children with them - the two boys were 18 - so they were allowed to purchase beer but not alcohol and somehow it was noted on their seapass card. Like I said I have never sailed COSTA but I can't imagine that they do not have some kind of controll like that on their cards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Kindlychap

Kindlychap

Posted
Posted

Not all of Europe insists on the age of 21 for drinking. It is 18 in the UK - unless in a restaurant when age isn't material.

 

As Costa is, I believe, an Italian line then presumably their minimum age applies.

 

Many continental European countries assume drinking from an early age - but in moderation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
susanp

susanp

Posted
Posted

Just a note--Beer IS alcohol--but, drinking or not--it seems risky to me to leave teens unsupervised on a ship, though it sounds like it's common practice. I was on a Celebrity cruise where every single dancing venue was overrun by teens brakedancing after midnight, and it was impossible for adults to dance. Celebrity staff asked the teens to leave repeatedly, but they returned, and parents were nowhere to be found. I have seen posts on this board where parents refer to teens out late in dance clubs as "culprits"--and I'm just surprised the parents think it's cute, and feel so comfortable about it--when clearly unsupervised teens are NOT always safe. Different approaches, I guess. But thinking about this situation, wouldn't you want to personally make sure your kid was safe and sober at all times? It's not worth taking the chance, I think.

God bless the parents dealing with this loss--it's the most horrible experience a parent ever has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kchesneylover

kchesneylover

Posted
Posted

How does one exactly fall overboard. Maybe she was sitting on the railing. That what seems likely.

 

Its really sad - the whole situation. I feel so badly for people who's families are affected by sudden tragedy.

 

The whole thing is horrible. I hope they are doing alright.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
packercruising

packercruising

Posted
Posted

Jim, I'm having a problem following your point on this thread. So far it looks like everyone is just expressing their views. There are enough other threads that talk about underage drinking and partying in the disco to make one think that the parents feel it is acceptable behavior. I'm not gong to pass judgement on that. Maybe post #65 on the link you provided isn't so far off in expressing the views of many.

 

Now, I have not seen underage drinking on our cruises but it must be present seeing as how there ar parents on this board that readily admit to it.

 

JMHO

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hadleys9538

hadleys9538

Posted
Posted

We just got off the Magica last week, and we could buy a drink for our 18-year-old, but he was unable to purchase any alcohol or beer himself. Cards of all minors on board were punched for this reason. However, there were 50 underage girls travelling in a huge party from Mexico and they literally spent the entire cruise inebriated. Max, the cruise director, said that they had had to call security on them several times, and could not figure out where they were getting all of the liquor. Our son told me later that the girls were bringing it on board in water bottles. These girls were stumbling around, completely out of control. Their parents were nowhere to be seen. It was just an accident waiting to happen. These were very cute girls (and Lord knows our son loves girls); however, he was totally disgusted by them by about day three.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marla07860

Marla07860

Posted
Posted

I believe both sides are to blame and this is why

 

The cruise line Because the Guy gave the girl alcohol. And search fast enough, they prib could have been faster at it. But also, I see it this way the ship is going pretty fast and she falls off it takes time to turn around and I know they say they didn't put life boats in the water and stuff, but yeah idk

 

I think the girl is also to blame, because one she was 16 years old, if I 16 year old is smart, then they would only drink one drink and be responsible, but they said she had a dozen drinks, two how could she have fallen overboard, she had to have been standing on something, and wouldn't the parents be smart and lock to door i know on all the cruise ships I've been on they had locks on the doors but yeah that's what I think

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...