Parents, please note -a serious issue- almost a big problem on Dawn 12/19

First let me say that we very much enjoyed the 12/19 Dawn cruise. But there was a serious problem that emerged at the end of the cruise that almost ruined it for us. Some posters may not have any sympathy or empathy for this issue and I know that I can't do anything about them. Some may also not like what I have to say, and to them I would just respond in advance that we are all allowed to have our views and lets just keep the respect for those views in mind.

Here's what happened:

On this sailing, there was a group of teenagers consisting of at least two boys and two or three girls who became a threat to other passengers, especially us.

We were in one of the Garden Villas. The fascination with the villas is understandable. They are truly spectacular and we understand that many people would love to be there but can't or won't pay for it. Teenagers seem (on all of the trips we have taken in the villa) most interested in getting up to deck 14.

The ship's crew also understands the fascination and the mixed love/hate relationship that the other passengers have toward the villas. So, security is tight. One needs to use the key card to access deck 14. However, there are times when people ride up in the elevator with the butler or the guests and actually could, if not stopped, get out on that floor. The butler and the room stewards up there are ready to stop anyone who doesn't belong there from getting out of the elevator.

Now to the details and the warning to parents:

This group of teens, caught on security cameras, spent most of their time riding in the elevators or hanging out on deck 12 at the midship staircase, making a mess of the place. They clearly had nothing else to do or that they wanted to do. On the third to the last night of the cruise, the boy who was the apparent ringleader tried to force his way past the butler by saying that he was my son's cousin (he got the name through a security breach that has now been fixed). The butler didn't buy it and despite the fact that the boy continued to threaten the butler and bully him, John would not allow the teens on to the floor.

The next night, the kids tried again. This time, our tiny stewardess made sure that the boy and his little gang couldn't make it out of the elevator.

That same night, the kids tried again, but this time the room steward stopped them. The ringleader put his foot on the steward's trolley and again was "bullying." (If I say aggressive and threatening, some might be offended, but the truth is, that's what this big 16 yr old was and if some people don't like it, don't read the thread).

The chilling thing was that we had sent our son (not quite 10 yrs old) to the cabin by himself both evenings, and as we had done many times before. Only by sheer luck did he not run into this little gang. We are convinced that had they seen him use his key card for the 14th floor, they would have forced him up there and into our cabin. No one, not even those who can afford to stay in the villa, should have to deal with a threat like that. That would have been the equivalent of a home invasion.

Finally, on Weds morning at 5 am, we received two obscene phone calls from two different teenage girls from a phone in one of the halls. A review of the security camera from that area showed, guess who? the same gang of teens (ranging in age from 16-20 or so, we were later told) roaming the corridors.

So the warning to parents of younger kids is: DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE SHIP IS 100% SAFE. BE AWARE OF THE OTHER PASSENGERS AND USE YOUR OWN BEST JUDGEMENT ABOUT WHETHER YOU LET YOUR (GOOD) KIDS GO UNESCORTED THROUGH THE SHIP. Ships are small cities and all those same problems can happen.

How the ship's officers handled it:

Very well and very seriously. We informed security of the calls and learned through our butler and steward of the attempts by these same kids to reach our cabin and the other villa. They immediately went to the security office to report what they had seen and to view the surveillance tapes. They, and the security officer himself, identified the ringleader as the same person who had created havoc on deck while (apparently) weilding a Cagney's steak knife and chopping coconuts to bits. He had been spoken to by the chief security officer already and this business with the threatening bullying behavior and obscene phone calls was the last straw.

Moreover, the Staff Captain (P. Fredriksen, apologize if name not spelled right) was also informed. We had a meeting with both the Staff Captain and the chief Security Officer on Weds afternoon. The Staff Captain is not only charming, but very, very quick. Not that a lot wasn't already being done, but he made sure that every loophole was closed, every tape viewed, every person involved interviewed to make sure that this situation would be taken care of immediately. The offiicers and the rest of the staff took extra care to make sure that we and, especially, our son would be kept safe.

Now, as I said above, some may figure in some way that it's ok if garden villa passengers aren't safe because they're up there and everyone else isn't. I'd just ask you all to think about what happened: no one, no matter what cabin they are in, should be the target of threating behavior or should have their last day of vacation ruined because of someone elses' kids.

So where were the parents of these darling children? Good question. They couldn't be reached.

So to all of the rest of you out there and to those with teenagers, please be aware of what your kids are doing. Most of the teens were just looking to have fun and, frankly, there wasn't much for them to do onboard. Some were spitting on the carpet by the midship staircase -- clearly not well mannered, but others were just hanging out and laughing and having a good time. This is not an indictment of every kid. But you should remember that your kid may be hurt by the others on board and it is our responsibility as parents to make sure that we know where they are, what they are doing and that they are safe. The ship's officers can only do so much.

I would finally note that the family of that teenager who was the ringleader won't be welcomed back to NCL anytime soon.

Wow.....I can't believe that "kids" aging from 16 - 20 would behave that way. I'm 24 and would never even think of acting out like that. I assume it's the way a child is brought up that causes such behavior. I'm glad that your son was safe and avoided these brats whenever he went up to your room alone. I think that it's pretty pathetic for those parents not to have better control of their children's behavior as well as keeping tabs on where they are on the ship during the day. Imagine the embarassment of being basically banned from future cruises due to your "darling" child's actions....ahem, a 20 year old adult for that matter. :mad:

I am MsEscada's other half: What she has related is factual and accurate. We have been in the villa before and the attraction of teenagers to try to sneak up there and see what it's like is not new. In the past, an adult simply saying they were NOT to get out of the elevator has been sufficient. We hadn't thought much about it.

However, this was different. Clearly, this one kid became obsessed with getting up there, and was angry and resentful that he couldn't. One night, before all of this happen, there was a loud bang on one of the outside windows and I heard a bunch of (I presume) teens laughing. The other villa occupants said there was a whole bunch under THEIR windows making a racket then too.

To parents of teens I would say this: You are STILL responsible for your kids' behavior. What the heck were teens doing out roaming the ship at 5 am? Paying passengers are going to DEMAND that ships create and enforce a curfew for kids if this becomes a wider problem. We've been on ships full of college kids on Spring Break, and while they are noisy and messy (beer bottles left everywhere), and the staff dreads them, you never feel threatened. If you have a troubled teen, (as this boy clearly is) think twice about placing him/her in this situation, and, if you do, be sure to monitor them. "Oh Mom, stop treating me like a baby!" Kid, when stop acting like one, you'll earn that freedom.

We have been very proud of our 9-almost-10 yr old. We try to give him as much freedom and responsibility as he can handle. As MsEscada pointed out, we were very lucky that it didn't become a tragic mistake. HIS freedom, and ours, ended up being limited by this disfunctional teen and his gang. Nobody, from the least expensive inside cabin to the Garden Villa should have to face that on vacation.

OTOH, you MUST not hesitate to report stuff to security. Not an hour before we met with the Chief Security Officer and the Staff Captain, I saw a big, hulking teen spit on the carpet on deck 12 at the midship elevators and try to rub it out with his shoe. I said "What are you doing, spitting?" He ignored me...

Security issues on ships DO happen. This is the 3rd time in 21 cruises. Once, on one ship, the guy running the art auction was a sleaze who kept trying to put the moves on MsEscada, and other women, both guests and staff, despite being OBVIOUSLY married. He wasn't gracious or polite about it, just sleazy--they put him off at the next port! That was not NCL and it was over 2 years ago.

There was an incident 9 years ago where a staffer was pursuing our young, just recently married nanny...Scared her and it had to be handled--and it was.

So, as MsEscada points out: Ships are small cities, and not everyone is properly behaved or can be trusted. But the more security staff is vigilant and addresses problems as they crop up, the safer we all will be. NCL's team on board did everything RIGHT to ensure a) our last day was safe b) they have new plans and strategies to protect other guests in the villas and in general c) ensure that this family will not be able to subject other NCL guests to this troubled and troublesome teen again.

msescada - I don't care if you are in the Garden Villa or the cheapest inside cabin - no one should have to put up with behavior like that. I wonder why they couldn't reach the parents - were the parents aware of the behavior and just chose to ignore any attempts by staff to reach them - maybe just didn't care? Why couldn't NCL confine him to the cabin? If cruise lines can confine people with the stomach flu to their cabins, why can't they do so when a passenger is causing problems for other passengers? I am very glad that your son did not have any encounters with this group - there is no telling what they would have done if they had had access to your cabin.

please delete this duplicate post...

JerseyMom:

MsEscada and I thank you as another concerned parent. They CAN confine the kid to his cabin--they had to find him and his parents first. I don't know why they didn't page them to come to Reception, though. And we don't know exactly what they were able to accomplish with the kid--we never heard the end of the story. But they had him on video trying to force his way onto 14 from the video cams in the foyer, the elevator and the right by the hall phone at 5am. Plus they had him for the coconut incident. And 3 eye-witnesses that are on staff...We MAY be able to find out, I don't know.

Thanks for the warning.

I would have thought that on a ship where everyone can be easily identified and found, people would think twice about acting like that but I guess I would have been wrong. After your warning I'll do things a little differently from now on, especially when travelling with kids.

MSESCADA, nobody should have to put up with this kind of crap which, sad to say, is becoming more common on ships and everyplace else. We relocated from a nice neighborhood to a nicer one partly because of an 18 year old high school sophomore who had behavior problems and attracted a bad element to the neighborhood. I stood up to the kid and his friends on behalf of my neighbors but who wants to live like that on a continuous basis? And certainly nobody wants to have something like you described spoil a nice vacation.

The only reason I bring up my story is that the kid's parents, very nice (but weak) people took the kid on a Carnival cruise and told me he was out until 3-4 AM every night roaming around the ship with a pack of kids and they never knew where he was. They thought this was great. At least he wouldn't be driving drunk.

MSESCADA: I will be on the Dawn in the GV in a few months. I am concerned about what you have posted and would like to know what additional measures have been put in place to avoid this problem. Yours is not the first post I've read about people attempting to go up to the 14th floor uninvited. I am worried that we'll have problems, as well. Do you have any other suggestions about making it safer?

Wow.....I can't believe that "kids" aging from 16 - 20 would behave that way. I'm 24 and would never even think of acting out like that. I assume it's the way a child is brought up that causes such behavior. I'm glad that your son was safe and avoided these brats whenever he went up to your room alone. I think that it's pretty pathetic for those parents not to have better control of their children's behavior as well as keeping tabs on where they are on the ship during the day. Imagine the embarassment of being basically banned from future cruises due to your "darling" child's actions....ahem, a 20 year old adult for that matter. :mad:

Obviously, I couldn't agree more. Nice to see and be reminded that there are responsible people out there.

Judyb--

First, the ship's phone system no longer displays the name of the passenger when a call is either made to a garden villa or from a garden villa phone. That way, no one can get your name unless you give it. The teens had our son's name because it was displayed on the phone when you dialed the cabin number.

Second, calls directly to the main number to the villas were blocked for the last day of the cruise. Make sure that when you board you double check with your butler (and by calling your cabin) that calls do not go through to the main number and that your name isn't displayed. You can still be reached by dialing a different number, one that I won't give out for obvious reasons. Your butler will tell you how to call each other and the cabin from the rest of the ship.

Third, make sure that the butler and the cabin stewards know who you are traveling with, who your friends are on the ship and whether anyone else should be expected to join you in the villa. John knew us from our previous trip and knew that IF we had had "cousins" on board, we would have told him. Don't leave it to chance-- tell the staff up there who's who and what's what. They'll protect you like the proverbial tigress and her cubs.

Next, don't use your key card in the elevator unless you absolutely have to. Go to 13 and walk a flight. There is a locked door at the top of the 13 1/2 floor (the half flight up from 13 by Cagneys). Go to 13, walk up the stairs to the door and make sure no one is behind you. Use your key card in the door and then you're fine.

The trouble happens when you are going up to 14 and someone gets on at 12 trying to go down. It's really rude to tell them not to get on the elevator. Most folks just don't want to wait so long, so they ride up to 14 and go straight down. If someone does hitch a ride (esp. teenagers with an attitude), make sure they don't get off with you. Carry your hand phone and at any sign of trouble, dial 911, the emergency number on the ship.

Also, be aware when you call the elevator to come to 14 to go down that others may be hitching a ride up in order to go down. The elevator won't always be empty when it opens on 14.

Generally, tho, the security up there is pretty good. And "Garden Villa" are the two magic words on the Dawn (or the Star, for that matter). Courtesy to the staff (good tips that are well deserved) helps. There is no limit to what they will do for you, but they really understand that safety is a real priority.

This may also have been a particularly obnoxious/unruly bunch: there was also a fistfight among the teens in the Garden Cafe toward the end of the cruise. Suffice it to say that security was very busy during this trip.

Also, if you're not going during school vacation week, you probably won't have as many kids on board to begin with.

MSESCADA, nobody should have to put up with this kind of crap which, sad to say, is becoming more common on ships and everyplace else. We relocated from a nice neighborhood to a nicer one partly because of an 18 year old high school sophomore who had behavior problems and attracted a bad element to the neighborhood. I stood up to the kid and his friends on behalf of my neighbors but who wants to live like that on a continuous basis? And certainly nobody wants to have something like you described spoil a nice vacation.

 

The only reason I bring up my story is that the kid's parents, very nice (but weak) people took the kid on a Carnival cruise and told me he was out until 3-4 AM every night roaming around the ship with a pack of kids and they never knew where he was. They thought this was great. At least he wouldn't be driving drunk.

And good for you too, standing up to the kid. But at 18 they're not kids, they're adults. But you knew that, too. Hope the new neighborhood is nice and peaceful.

The previous posts confirm the wisdom of our decision NEVER to take a cruise when school is not in session.

Well, we have a school-age kid so that's when we HAVE to do it. This is the FIRST time there has been a serious problem with a teen--out of 21 cruises. The only way to be guaranteed you'll have no problems is charter a private yacht and hand-pick the crew. You cannot guarantee that there won't be SOME schmuck somewhere, whereever you go, just avoid the obvious. I've heard Disney Cruises are terrific because the kids are busy all day---but they are an obvious magnet to families--(Big DUH on that!) so you never know WHAT kind of families will be aboard.

But the cruise lines that cater to couples and seniors tend to a) have very little for kids to do or b) ban kids entirely. So...unless your kid is really good at entertaining himself/herself APPROPRIATELY and mingles well with adults, a) is a tough choice, and b) is out of the question unless you leave the kids.

masescada: Thanks so much for the info and the extra tips. I had started wondering about this sometime ago and your post brought it back to mind. I will be having a conversation with the butler first thing about who should be allowed up. I will also be reading the riot act to my son, just in case he thinks he will have free rein on this trip. This situation had to be real scary for you. The idea that somebody was targeting you had to be awful. I'm glad that the staff took this seriously and acted appropriately. Makes me feel alot better. I hope the parents of these kids learned a lesson and take it to heart. No passenger should ever have to deal with this type of behavior. I hope the rest of your trip was good. Thanks again for the great info.

What they (the ship's company) should've done is put the kids and their parents ashore at the next port.

In this country people raging in age from 15 to 19 seem to think the rules to do apply to them and anything that they do can be corrected with daddy's credit card.

Judyb

You are most welcome.

It was scary. Not because we can't take care of ourselves, but because it was unexpected and targeted.

On the other hand, there are so many wonderful things about staying in the villas, I would hate for your trip to be ruined or adversely affected by our experience. Take advantage of all the services that Dawn has to offer in the villa. It's ok. The staff expects it.

One nice little perk is being able to bring the poolside barbeque up to eat in the garden. Our butler was almost a little insulted that we didn't ask him to help us do it on our first trip with him. Then he realized that we were able to do just a couple of things for ourselves. He'll bring you drinks from the bar (you get 6 bottles in the villa anyway) and just about anything else you ask for. A pina colada, sun and an outdoor family picnic is an unexpected pleasure in the villa.

Also, when you arrive on the pier, be sure to say the magic words when you get there to the first NCL person you see. You'll see what happens. The fact that NCL is willing to do this extra for the villa passengers may be part of the reason that one can feel the resentment building from the other passengers. But, the truth of the matter is that there are lots of different categories of VIPs on board. Villa passengers are just one of them.

Our neighbors in the other villa were absolutely delightful people who had never been in the villa before. They had to get used to the level of service up there (including letting the stewards make the beds and not having their teens do it -- some difference between those lovely young ladies and the bully, huh?). We had to also when we first saw the villa on the Star. It is almost too much space for the three of us (we were going to be more).

Anyway, don't let anyone ruin your precious vacation time with your family. Enjoy the ship to the hilt, just be sensible in your precautions about who you tell about how to reach you.

One more thing, when taking the stairs up or down through 13 1/2, make sure that the door locks behind you. Just to be safe.

Have a great time. Oh, and yes, we'll be back next year.

Bad Penny,

My son and his friends are 15 and certainly don't think that they can do anything that they want. Sorry, but I hate stereotypes!

We are taking our 15 year old and one of his friends on a cruise this Easter. While I want them to have some freedom, they are not going to have the run of the ship with no supervision.

While I blame the teenagers that were causing this problem, I blame the parents as well. If you want to take a vacation and not have to worry about your kids and what they are doing, leave them home!

As someone who works with young adults, I have seen a steady decline in respect for society and authority in general. It is a sad comment on our world today, but it is a reality.

msescada, thanks for your thoughts. No, it won't ruin my trip, but being forewarned is forearmed. I have sensed some, not much, animosity, however it's always so great when I do come across any info about the villas. Learning as much as I can, because it is definetly a different experience. I hope this doesn't sound the wrong way, but I have to ask: With 2 villas being occupied, did the maids and butler have any time issues? I wouldn't want to impose on their time. I did find out about the liquor and in suite dining. As I go along these threads, I've been able to pick up some tips and hints. Any information you can pass along is so greatly appreciated. Also, I have been just trying to guess as to what's appropriate for tipping. The who and how much? I know this can be a very volitile subject and is a personal issue, but if you could share any experience on this topic, it would be great. My personal email is jbaisly@aol.com if you would rather contact me privately. Thanks again for your input and have a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

On my last NCL cruise I encountered two teenage boys that were spending the day riding up and down the elevator sitting on the floor. When I questioned them they said they had nothing else to do and they were going to ride until they got sick. The language they were using was not very nice.

Verbally complaining about the cruise.

I do think SOME parents think its a free ride to just let the kids wander about and do whatever they please. I had teenagers not that long ago. Come On Parents you have to check on your kids and see what they are doing during those unforgetable years! I also have to comment that sometimes even when we think we know what they are doing, we're wrong.

I will not hesitate to report these behaviors to security in the future. I hope everyone will do the same.

On our Dawn cruise a teenager who was older looking was being abusive and obnoxious and agressive towards people, and especially certain teenage girls. After being warned, probably several times, he and his family were put off the ship in one of the ports (I don't remember which), but the Dawn security and staff handled it very well.

I think the situation was clearly one that went on too long. The ship's staff seemed to do a good job but a couple of comments make me think they should have done more.

First, about "the parents could not be reached", unless they were ashore I think they could have easily been paged, and should have been. Certainly they would have been located in their cabin during the night.

Next, when the moment the perpetrator is identified, the staff could have scared the living daylights out of him, or even ejected the entire family off the ship. I heard they did that routinely on the non-smoking Carnival Paradise. merely for smoking. Just dump the whole family at the next port - that is what should have happened after the 1st warning.

As was said, this is a small city and you have all types. No way to prevent it except to leave the city. But there can be strict and fair enforcement of rules.

But, having been a rowdy and obnoxious teen once myself, I do think the first warning was justified for anything less than violence. Trickery, prank calls, verbal abuse, etc. deserves a stern warning (including parents) and the next time they should be tossed out. No third chance!

Are there any fun activities provided for the teenageres on board? There is no excuse for the forementioned behavior or for the parents not knowing what their children were doing, but when we cruise in April, I'm hoping that there are some fun, interesting activities for my teenager on board to help keep him busy and having a great time with other teenagers. The Dawn does seem to promote itself as a family cruise, so I hope an attempt is made to provide all passengers with a great experience. I'm sure we'll find fun things to do as a family, but have others found a lack of activities for teenagers?

Hi,

I also was on the 12-19-04 dawn cruise. We had an issue arise also on this sailing. There were many teenagers from 18 to 21 on board as it was Xmas time. My teenage sons, 18, 19, and 20, at first seemed a little bored, but then they began to mingle. They started having a great time, meeting kids from other countries and enjoying each other's company. They exchanged e-mail addresses and took pictures and plan to keep in touch.

They all hung out at night at the Spinnaker Lounge On the second to the last night of the cruise, my 19-year-old was in the Spinnaker lounge. I guess from the statement of my son and other witnesses an encounter ensued because my son was not interested in a girl. Her 2 counsins, both boys, approached my son and were giving him a hard time. Another teenager grabbed my son from behind to remove him from the situation. An uninvolved teenager came out of nowhere and attacked my son. Security called us and we went down there. He had a severe black eye, totally closed shut. Security insisted that we bring him to have the doctor look at him, then tried to charge us $100 for the 3-minute look. My husband refused to sign. Video tape was reviewed, but not clear as it was very dark in the club. All witness statements matched my son's story of the events, and the offending teenager admitted hitting my son. The girl who presumably like my son left an apologetic voice mail on his phone indicating she apologized and her cousins shouldn't have gotten involved and what happened to him was fair and she asked her cousins to apologize.

My son had made many friends on board, and they were all outraged and wanted to retaliate, including my son. I had a long discussion with him and explained that two wrongs don't make a right and other measures could be taken. The security office with whom my husband dealt with the night of the occurrence, Steven (I believe Neill) was very cooperative and recommeded that we press charges, but it was our choice. Needless to say, it put a damper on the end of our trip. After conferring with my son, who was embarassed by everyone staring and talking about him, made the choice that he would like to press charges. Security Officer Steven told us that the police would be waiting for the offending teenager when we got off the ship, but they needed to know our decision. Before my son made his decision, we heard from Security Officer Steven and they had set up a meeting in the board room with Staff Captain Frederiksson, Security Officer Steven, my son, my husband and myself and the other teenager and his guardian so that the offending teenager could apologize. Unfortunately, my son did not want to be in the same room as the other teenager as he was still angry and embarrassed.

Once we got to the board room and discussed my son's intentions with the Staff Captain, he recanted on everything Security Officer Steven had told us. He told us we would have to make our own arrangements and had no direction for us, but told us he thought we may have to contact the FBI but he was unsure. I asked him for the name and address of the offending party and told him we would like to fill out an incident report and additionally requested that he find out who had jurisdiction over this matter for us, as we were on vacation with our family and they should have available to them the resources to attain that information for us. Staff Captain Frederiksson told us he would look into it and get back to us personally within an hour.

My husband waited in his cabin for 3 1/2 hours -- no response. He went down to the front desk. We were told he was in a meeting and would call us back in a half hour. A half hour went by, no call back. Down to the front desk we went again. This time I spoke to Security Officer Steven, and he said asked what question I wanted answered. I repeated my requests. I was once again told that we had to pursue this on our own, but he would get back to us with the name and address and leave us an incident report in our door. We requested another meeting with Staff Captain Frederikkson, and he met us in the lobby. We told him we were very disappointed that, busy or not, they didn't even have the courtesy to call us back and how accommodating other cruise lines had been in our past (specifically Royal Caribbean last year when we missed our ship due to 2 feet of snow in Boston and they gave us many perks due to the mishap -- on-board credits, paid for plane fare 2 days later to Jamaica and put us up in an all-inclusive for a night, provided a bus the next day to meet the ship, VIP tickest to the ice ship, and a special cocktail meeting with the Captain of the ship.)

I received a phone call from Security Officer Steven asking if I had received the incident report. (It was a piece of paper with the word statement typed at the top and the word Witness and date typed at the bottom) I suggested I could have done that myself, and I expressed my disblief that such a big organization doesn't have a formal incident report I could fill out to put on file with them. I was told one did not exist. Then I followed up and asked for the name of the teenager who attacked my son, and I was given the name, but no address or any other information. He said believe it or not, we don't have his address on file in our computer system, and he apologized for the situation, suggested we take pictures, and he empathized with us, but his hands were tied as he had only been there a month and he was only following the directions of the heirarchy. I expressed my disblief once again that they would not have that information on hand as it was a requirement that all passengers fill out a form indicating such 2 weeks prior to disembarkation.

Additionally, in our first meeting with the Staff Captain, he told us there were rumors going on around the ship that many, many teenagers wanted to assault the offending teenager in revenge and he wouldn't tolerate any harassment on his ship. He made a statement to us that if anything happened, we could be locked up in the brig (I think that's the term.) I told him I met some of these teenagers earlier that morning and had talked to a large group of unknown teenagers and asked them all to leave this offender alone, that we would abide by the law and take appropriate action. My husband got quite upset that the security would try to hold us responsible for the behavior of teenagers whom we didn't even know and had no control over and that it seemed like NCL's goal was to only protect the offending party, and not offer any assistance to the victim (which I believe NCL should have offered assistance to both parties to keep them safe and afford the victim with the information needed to proceed with any legal action, if we so desired, so that we could make the necessary contacts).

The next morning I contacted the NYPD, and they indicated it was out of their jurisdiction, I could contact Customs. I did that, and they indicated that it was out of their jurisdiction. Next I tried the FBI -- and yes, it was their jurisdiction. I explained the situation, and the agent was very knowledgeable and honest. He told me had my son had a broken nose or more severe bodily injury than a swollen shut black eye, they could take some action. He also indicated he deals with the cruise lines all the time and that it seemed like we were getting the run-around. He told me that they definitely should have a formal incident report for us to fill out and the cruise lines usually contact the FBI the day before arrival and let them know of the situation and when they will be coming in ( just as previously expressed by Security Officer Steven in our first encounter).

I was very disappointed with the handling of the entire situation. My son's first inkling -- like many teenage boys -- is to retaliate. After a long talk with him, I convinced him it was the wrong choice (and still believe it is the wrong choice). There were about 40 teenagers that couldn't believe that nothing could be done. They are all of the belief now that the system does not work and that they should have beat the kid up when they had the chance ( which I don't condone at all). Now it has put a fear in me that if a silmilar situation is to ever arise again, my son may act inappropriately and end up with a record which can hinder many opportunities to him for his future. I'm sure it has given many of these other teenagers the same mindset, and I am totally disgusted that young impressional young men and women have been exposed to such flawed system.

Additionally, I've been told that there was drinking going on in this this underaged teenager club. I checked my on-board invoice, and we did not have any charges for any alcohol, thank goodness. If there was any drinking going on by these underage teenagers in this club, I don't know how it was happening, but it seems that it was.

Overall we had a good time, but I just want anyone else who is traveling with teenagers to be aware of what goes on. NCL was more concerned about their own welfare. I just want everyone to know that you do not have the same rights at sea as you do on land. I wonder if a similar altercation had happened with adults, if the result had been the same.

I'm sorry to hear about the problems that went on up in the villa, but I'm glad you got more of a response from security than we did. As a matter of fact, the teenage boy from the other villa is one of the boys who were hanging around with my son. They all seemed like a bunch of really nice kids -- I'm sure not in any way involved with the problems you had.

Well, Happy New Year to all!!