Rapists & Thieves & Murders...ON VACATION?!?! Oh My!

After listening to the news report about a 14 year old girl who was raped by a waiter employee while aboard a Cruise ship vacationing with her parents, my mind was racing to the point where I felt like I was in a mental fog.  Who is thinking that something so terrible could happen, and to their child of all people, while on vacation?

As someone who specializes in and advertises for Group Cruising, my thoughts are all over the place. Have I really even thought enough about the possibility of crimes being committed at sea or anywhere else while on vacation for that matter? I know it's a possibility but after researching a little deeper, apparently crimes and other mishaps at sea are somewhat common.  Although most Cruisers have an enjoyable experience, there are some who do not.

OK, so after taking a few deep breaths, I begin to gain some clarity on this subject. Not wanting to scare people off and far away from taking their first or next cruise but with society being what it is, I realize we must always remind ourselves that wise and safe precautionary measures must be taken before, during and after we go anywhere. As easy as it is to let our guard down while vacationing, we must always stay mindful to the fact that we really know absolutely nothing about the other people we are surrounded by while traveling.

It's unfortunate, but we live in a time now where the same safety practices and procedures we take during our normal daily lives must also be taken while on Vacation. Whether you are taking a Cruise, visiting Disney World or vacationing on a Beach somewhere, cautionary judgment must remain the same. Criminal element is just about everywhere and someone's Criminal Background check only uncovers previous crimes that have been caught so gainful employment of a pervert can and does happen. Most criminals are not caught on their first few crimes committed so we never know what the mentality is of someone just because their background check came back clean enough for them to get a job.  Remember this, a background check is not required to travel in and around the US and criminals like to vacation too!

While there are many crimes that are not preventable, let's not give those with less than good and honest intentions a door open to an opportunity to wreak havoc in our lives at home and certainly not while on vacation.  Use wise and cautious judgment while traveling and stay safe while vacationing and Cruising.

Cruise Ship Security: CrimeDoctor

Cruise Ship Crime: "He Raped Me" - ABC News

Most Cruisers have a great experience while sailing but there are a few incidents happening at sea which are not so great - read Cruise Ship Horror Stories.  Many of these mega ships are just floating cities so keep this in mind, the entities that are present on a Cruise Ship are the same entities that are present in your normal daily lives. Good, Bad and Ugly.
I believe in full disclosure and don't want to sugar coat the realities of traveling in general so visit: CruiseBruise for past and current not so pretty Cruise happenings.

If I haven't scared the crap out of you, which was not my intention, I just believe in staying informed, and you are interested in putting together a Group Cruise, contact me.

Tina Little-Coltrane
Group Cruise Consultant
Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Inc.