Any news on missing passenger?

[Jeanie821]

So, help me understand this. I am a non-drinker who does not think the rest of the world should follow my example, but I cannot for the life of me, find a reason to get drunk for recreational purposes.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I value life and I think the loss of life is a tragedy, but WHY WHY WHY does someone smuggle alcohol in mouthwash bottles aboard a ship with plenty of the product for sale and WHY WHY WHY does someone get so drunk? I know that some of you are cheap and smuggle, and others of you are selective and smuggle, but that still does not explain getting blasted. Is life really that awful or is the buzz really that good to endanger yourself or at least make a fool of yourself with smuggled or purchased booze?

 

Seriously, I am not preaching here. I want to understand. This is totally outside of my experience yet it plays a part in this and the Smith case and in many of the anecdotes of the day.

 

I wouldn't try to understand it, RiverRev. This kind of debate would be perfect for another thread, but not this one.

 

I had pointed out something on a previous thread, but I think the thread was deleted. It's not the fact that this young man and his friends smuggled alcohol on board - it's that he was drunk. At age 21, he was old enough to be legally served alcohol on board the ship. On commercial airline flights, flight attendants will deny alcohol to those who are obviously intoxicated - why don't ship bartenders do that? The six or seven dollars they lose from that next sale will be nothing compared to what could be potentially lost if that person is injured or killed and the cruise line is sued by his family.

[SunnieD]

I will attempt to answer this. First of all he was 21. At 21 a lot of people have been known to binge drink, or just drink too much. They have not learned their limits or they just think it is fun. I enjoy a drink, but I hate it when I realize I have had way too much and I want it to go away. Now, what I don't get is the whole "falling overboard". The only way I could imagine this happening is if he leaned way way way out as to not puke on the side of the ship because the rails are high and a lot of them plexiglassed in. When it is your time, it is your time....I just can not believe his time was at 21 on board the Mariner. I hope I don't cruise with anyone that close to their time. I can not imagine having to view that tape. My heart goes out to his loved ones.

[Ocean Boy]

Forgive me if the sounds heartless, but is it realistic to expect the cruise lines to call in the Coast Guard every time someone cannot be located on a ship? The ships are BIG, and people drink ALOT. Are we expecting the cruise lines to have cameras everywhere to monitor every move we make, in case we do something foolish? Are they also expected to rush in and stop us? When are people going to start being accountable for their own reckless behavior? If someone goes out and gets loaded then gets behind the wheel of a car and kills themself, do we go after the company that sold the person the car? :confused:

Isn't this the new American culture? When something bad happens it has to be someone's fault. But it sure as heck can't be mine. Blame the bar, blame the servers, blame the distillers and brewers if you like. But it isn't my fault that I drank the stuff.

 

As for your comment about going after the auto dealers.... don't give the lawyers any ideas...

[Dreamin]

Seems like they figured out what happened:

(from local10.com)

MIAMI -- After the FBI and the Coast Guard reviewed surveillance video from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the search for a missing man was called off after it was determined that he went overboard early Monday morning.

 

Royal Caribbean released a statement saying that 21-year-old Daniel DiPiero had been drinking heavily, some of the alcohol having been brought on the ship in violation of Royal Caribbean policy.

 

The statement from the cruise line said that Royal Caribbean plans to provide DiPiero's family with grief counseling.

 

Full Statement From Royal Caribbean:

 

 

"At 9 a.m. today, five FBI agents and four U.S. Coast Guard officers boarded Mariner of the Seas in St. Thomas to investigate the tragic disappearance of a 21-year-old male guest, who has been missing from the ship since early Monday morning.

 

"The agents and officers spent four hours onboard the ship interviewing the missing man's six travel companions, other guests and crew members, and meeting with the family of the missing man. The family was flown to the ship by Royal Caribbean.

 

"Royal Caribbean learned the following from the FBI's investigation:

 

 

The young man was served five drinks over a four-hour period - from 8 p.m. to midnight Sunday. During this time, the young man also ate dinner with his six companions, at which point the seven guests shared 1.5 bottles of wine.

 

The missing man and his three roommates brought three bottles of liquor onboard the ship, which they concealed in their luggage in violation of Royal Caribbean policy. The young men concealed some the liquor in two large mouthwash bottles. One bottle contained Crown Royal, the other, a combination of two liquors - one named Hypnotic and the other Hennessy cognac. The young men also brought a bottle of Bacardi rum onto the ship in their luggage.

 

The four young men consumed the alcohol Sunday afternoon and that evening in both their stateroom and that of their guardian.

 

The four videotaped themselves as they drank the alcohol.

 

The FBI and Coast Guard thoroughly reviewed the digital video recording captured by the ship's security systems, which recorded the young man alone on an outside portion of deck four on the starboard side of the ship between 12:12 a.m. and 2:16 a.m. Monday. The FBI and Coast Guard indicated to family members that the young man went overboard at 2:16 a.m. Monday and that he was alone at the time.

 

"We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of this young man," said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International. "They remain in our thoughts and prayers as they move forward from this tragic event."

 

"The young man's stateroom and the deck four area were fully reviewed by the FBI and were released back to Royal Caribbean. The agency also gave the ship permission to continue with its sailing.

 

"The ship is delaying its departure until midnight tonight (by six hours) to accommodate a visit by the young man's sister. Royal Caribbean continues to assist the young man's family with a guest care team and grief counseling."

[whiskey girl]

My understanding in the delay of reporting to the Coast Guard had to do with the fact that they had already tendered many people to the private island before it was reported by his friends at 11 am. Not only did they have to check the 3,000+ cruisers but had to check the ship and the island.

[andnickali]

This is indeed a tragic loss for a family, as a mother I can only imagine what it would be like to feel as though you have successfully raised your child through the tough teenage years only to have something like this happen.

 

Unfortunately it appears that, although he was legally able to drink, he was unable to make mature decisions about consuming too much. Many young people feel as though they are invincible and their decisions are being made with thought and consideration about the consequences.

 

Only age, experience and hindsight allow us, as adults,the ability to analyze his actions. I am sure that almost every person reading or watching the news about this man has some event in thier past that could have ended in tragedy had it not been for the grace of God or some other intervening factor. And sadly that act may have not been in the distant past for some- just think of all the drunk drivers that are stopped and arrested by police. (Being married to a police officer I know just how many there are driving amongst us) Had it not been for them being pulled over they could have ended thier life or yours.

 

My thoughts are with a family who is now suffering from the greatest loss- that of their child.

[DebbieO]

Our local news in Cleveland this morning, http://www.newsnet5.com, indicates the FBI found footage of the young man going overboard (no foul play). He and his friends concealed liquor in their luggage in mouthwash bottles and all were drinking heavily the day of the accident. Our prayers to the family of Daniel DiPiero.

[pcur]

If Deck 4 is the Promenade Deck then he could very easily have gone over if he was leaning over the railing to vomit. It's a direct drop down to the ocean. If he was tall, then his center of gravity could easily cause him to go over if the ship swayed toward the ocean as he was leaning over.

 

Sad, sad, sad.

[AdamKnows]

I hope that he didn't suffer much. It sounds like he was so intoxicated that I doubt he suffered very much. May god be with him and his family.

[clerky96]

This is sooo sad. I have 3 grown daughters, and have seen all of them in a state of alcoholic stupor (or stupidity) when they were a little younger. :mad: Unfortunately, young people think they are invincible and never believe anything bad will happen to them. Guess RCL needs to start enforcing their own policies. Although, short of going through each persons luggage, I don't know how they could do it. And I believe that if the young men hadn't had the alcohol with them, but had to pay for it, they probably wouldn't have drank near as much. Just my opinion.

[SunnieD]

If the luggage had not contained the alcohol, then they would have gotten it at the bar. Why should it matter where it came from? Go to one of those "pour liquor straight in your mouth" kinda bars on shore and the same could have happened. My DH's cousin had too much to drink one night and stepped out on his own balcony, of his bedroom at home. lost his balance an dfell over the rail. He landed on the back stairs/sidewalk and suffered a terrible head injury. Just as he recovered from it, pnuemonia set in and he died. It could have been anywhere, but there is the one common denominator...TOO MUCH TO DRINK!

[Merrilymeggily]

Hi, all... I'm an X cruiser but had to stop by here to send my condolences to the family of this young man. Since I don't know or can't contact his true family, I thought sending them to the "family" of Royal Caribbean cruisers was the next best thing. My heart goes out to all involved, as it does to this group of people who I assume are as attached to your cruise line of choice as I am to mine. If this happened on an X ship, I know I would feel a special kind of sadness, over and above the sadness about it happening at all.

[AdamKnows]

This is sooo sad. I have 3 grown daughters, and have seen all of them in a state of alcoholic stupor (or stupidity) when they were a little younger. :mad: Unfortunately, young people think they are invincible and never believe anything bad will happen to them. Guess RCL needs to start enforcing their own policies. Although, short of going through each persons luggage, I don't know how they could do it. And I believe that if the young men hadn't had the alcohol with them, but had to pay for it, they probably wouldn't have drank near as much. Just my opinion.

 

As large as these ships are it wouldn't be practical to search evey bag and test what is in every mouth wash bottle. People need to take personal responsibility and know when to say when. I am 28 and enjoy an adult beverage when at sea but I know where my limit is. Royal Caribbean will never be able to control stupidity.

[cruise3122]

As a 20 year old college student, alcohol was the first thing I thought of when this case hit the news. I have seen many people on cruises that are way beyond the point of safe drinking, but that is their own choice.

 

As far as blaming the Bartenders for not cutting him soon enough, this should not be the case. I have seen many bartenders on cruises stop serving drinks to people that are heavily intoxicated. This however does not stop him from going back to his room to get another drink because they had the alcohol in their staterooms. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this man, this is a horrible tragedy!

[TRadle]

If the surveillance tape showed him going overboard why did it take so long to say that is what happened?

It truly is a very sad.

[SherriZ366]

If the surveillance tape showed him going overboard why did it take so long to say that is what happened?

It truly is a very sad.

It may have taken RCCL a long time to go through the tapes. I remember that there were about 79 hours of tapes that were handed over to the FBI in the Georgre Smith disappearance. But more importantly, the tapes probably had to be reviewed by the FBI (which happened in St. Thomas on Wed.) before the conclusions were made public.

[zotzer]

If the surveillance tape showed him going overboard why did it take so long to say that is what happened?

 

 

I think it was a courtesy to the family, to wait until they flew in and could show them what happened before releasing the full account to the press.

 

Tracy

[Iamthesea]

The four young men consumed the alcohol Sunday afternoon and that evening in both their stateroom and that of their guardian.

Not that the young man needed a "guardian", but don't you know they are devastated! :(

[JTJ]

I can't remember do you ding off the ship at coco cay?, if so why the need to search it?

[SissasMomE]

Can you survive if you go overboard like that or is it pretty much a given that you would be killed?

[SherriZ366]

I think it was a courtesy to the family, to wait until they flew in and could show them what happened before releasing the full account to the press.

 

Tracy

Even better observation than mine.

[jimc_usa]

Maybe it's just the way I think - (and although it IS the crusie lines policy)but does anyone else think that the statement;

"The missing man and his three roommates brought three bottles of liquor onboard the ship, which they concealed in their luggage in violation of Royal Caribbean policy. The young men concealed some the liquor in two large mouthwash bottles. One bottle contained Crown Royal, the other, a combination of two liquors - one named Hypnotic and the other Hennessy cognac. The young men also brought a bottle of Bacardi rum onto the ship in their luggage."

is already a legal defense.

[time4u2go]

Can you survive if you go overboard like that or is it pretty much a given that you would be killed?

I'd imagine you'd survive for a while (depending on how far the fall was), treading water, but then what? Nobody would be able to find you, even if they knew what area to look in. Nobody would even know you fell overboard until hours later. How long could you tread water? Then there's the sharks. Sad way to go. I'd think it's pretty much a given that you'd die. That's probably why they called off the search once they established that he definitely did fall overboard.

[Iamthesea]

I do hope the man hit his head on the way down and was knocked out so that he didn't have to suffer.

[TRadle]

It is a shame they don’t watch those cameras like they do in casinos. I guess that would be a huge undertaking, but they would see in real time when someone goes overboard.