Two people missing from Carnival Cruise ship as it docks in Sydney

[MicCanberra]

If they were on their own balcony then there is no way to quickly let anyone know and nor is there any flotation equipment available. If they were on their own balcony then I find it strange there is actually CCTV available

Just a few things to comment on.

Life jackets are in the closet or under the bed in each cabin.

The CCTV watches the sides of the ship to monitor anything going over the side.

The report about the girl falling and the guy jumping in after her is speculation by the family and police. It hasnot and cannot be proven unless one or nboth of them survive, unfortunately this is unlikely.

[musicorn]

Unless either or both of these people are found alive we will never know what happened for certain.

 

None of us know how we would react in this situation as we do not know the strengths or difficulties in their relationship, what was actually happening at the time, how much alcohol or other substances played a part or what was happening in their lives. I, myself, was shocked when I was told I had cancer and I asked what would happen if I did not have treatment. Prior to that day I never would have believed I would have asked that. So I think it is best not to judge what you would or wouldn't do in any situation.

 

At the end of the day it does not matter. Two families have lost somebody they love and through an incident that must be very difficult for them to understand or justify.

 

My thoughts go out to both families and friends of these two young people.

[The_Big_M]

The CCTV watches the sides of the ship to monitor anything going over the side.

 

Not just that but for any security situation such as this. It helps with things like when there is a fire or any other issue.

 

Plus on newer ships, the bridges have been extended to be able to see down each side as well.

[MicCanberra]

Not just that but for any security situation such as this. It helps with things like when there is a fire or any other issue.

 

Plus on newer ships, the bridges have been extended to be able to see down each side as well.

Yes, I think some people thought that there was a camera in the cabin.:D

[keagle]

If they were on their own balcony then there is no way to quickly let anyone know and nor is there any flotation equipment available. If they were on their own balcony then I find it strange there is actually CCTV available

 

I would have thought that there would be a phone in the cabin to call someone, although I do realise that panic would have likely over shadowed any thought of this being available.

[Sutho]

It does seem strange that panic would set in particularly a paramedic who is probably not immune to seeing emergencies, death, destructive scenes and all the traumatic events that they must encounter each day. In their position they must remain calm and calculated and work as a team to save lives. Unless alcohol has inhibited their rational thinking.

 

For me the first instance would be to notify staff that someone is over the side and throw as much in the water as possible to mark the position.

 

Jumping in the water in the dark with no help and no one aware you are jumping in is not saving anyone. It is suicidal and opposed to her possibly being saves his actions have killed them both.

[Pushka]

It was his girlfriend. Even paramedics can have lapses.

 

Throwing things in the water is a good idea. But not sure how fast you could actually alert someone.

 

Maybe there needs to be a panic button on the cabin phone that obviously alerts staff to an emergency and notes the cabin.

[dougo in oz]

I wonder how many security people are actually on the ship and how many were monitoring the monitors ... I don't think we'll ever know TBH.

 

I met a person today who was on the CS when that young couple went overboard and she said they knew nothing about it at all - certainly not at the time when they docked.

[MicCanberra]

I wonder how many security people are actually on the ship and how many were monitoring the monitors ... I don't think we'll ever know TBH.

 

I met a person today who was on the CS when that young couple went overboard and she said they knew nothing about it at all - certainly not at the time when they docked.

Most of the passengers just wouldn't know, only the family knew they were missing and informed the ships staff, then when the ship was empty and they hadn't disembarked and they then checked the video footage.

A real shame, the latest reports are that apperently they were fighting earlier in the evening. Hope the families can recover from this and their grief, it is worse with everyone speculating about how it happened.

[gek]

Jumping in the water in the dark with no help and no one aware you are jumping in is not saving anyone. It is suicidal and opposed to her possibly being saves his actions have killed them both.

 

Harsh but true.

 

Also, latest reports state that CCTV shows the woman hitting a lifeboat on the way down. If she "fell" from one of the balconies above the lifeboats I can't see how she could possibly have ended up in the water. The lifeboats don't even extend beyond the hull of the ship and the balconies are set way back. At worst she would have landed on a lifeboat then slid down onto the promenade deck. If these reports are true then she must have jumped. Under those circumstance I can't imagine either of them were thinking rationally.

 

All speculation of course and who knows if the news reports are accurate.

[musicorn]

It does seem strange that panic would set in particularly a paramedic who is probably not immune to seeing emergencies, death, destructive scenes and all the traumatic events that they must encounter each day. In their position they must remain calm and calculated and work as a team to save lives. Unless alcohol has inhibited their rational thinking.

 

However, the death and emergency he sees every day he has no emotional attachment to and let me tell you this makes a huge difference.

 

I am by no means making a judgement, just know from personal experience, what you do in your job is different when with your loved ones.

[The_Big_M]

Yes, I think some people thought that there was a camera in the cabin.:D

 

I think some have been advocating there should be. :D

[timtam2]

. If these reports are true then she must have jumped.

 

One of the news sites was saying this late today - that the CCTV shows she jumped, not fell and he followed her shortly after

[TLCOhio]

From the Sydney Morning Herald today, they have this headline: "Cruise ship couple were fighting the night they fell overboard, says police source". This has been another bad story for Carnival, but the "rest of the story" and on-ship video show that it might not be the fault of this challenged cruise ship line. On another board, someone made the point that people don't just "fall off of a ship". Usually, there is more to "it".

 

Among the story details: "A couple who went overboard from a cruise ship off the NSW coast and presumably died had been fighting before the fatal incident. More information has emerged about what happened between paramedic Paul Rossington, 30, and his girlfriend Kristen Schroder, 27, on board the Carnival Spirit cruise ship. CCTV captured the couple in the ship's casino on Wednesday evening having a short but heated argument. That incident led them to skip dinner with Ms Schroder's family, who were accompanying them on holiday. Around 8.50 pm that night, CCTV captured the pair going overboard into the Tasman Sea, one immediately after the other, from mid-deck of the ship, off the NSW mid-north coast. The footage shows Ms Schroder climbing over the railing and standing on the other side of it as she faced towards the sea. Police did not reveal how long she was standing there and were unable to determine if she intended to jump or simply fell. Mr Rossington was not captured in the CCTV footage when Ms Schroder went over but can be seen moments later jumping overboard. Another CCTV camera captured Ms Schroder striking a lifeboat before she went into the water. Police called off the search for the pair late on Friday afternoon after helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, police boats and a navy ship had searched 500 square nautical miles off the coast of Forster. Carnival Australia has defended the company's safety standards, saying rails on the ship are higher than international regulations require."

 

Full story at:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/cruise-ship-couple-were-fighting-the-night-they-fell-overboard-says-police-source-20130511-2jejy.html

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 129,497 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Sutho]

This story here seems to say she climbed onto the balcony rails was standing on top of it looking out to sea, fell, hit her head on a lifeboat and fell into the sea.

 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/05/11/08/10/family-of-lost-woman-thanks-authorities

[MicCanberra]

Tragic, such a waste and a real hardship for the families.:(

[Sandielle]

I didn't see anything about her standing on top of the rail.

 

To quote the ninemsn article..............

The footage shows Ms Schroder climbing over the railing and standing on the other side of it as she faced towards the sea.

 

It would have been easy to fall off from there as the wind created by the movement of the ship would have added to danger of the situation.

 

We will never know what led to this, and I hope both families are given the privacy to grieve for their loved ones.

[rugbypopsie]

All we really know is that two mothers hearts are broken..perhaps we should leave it at that!

 

Sue

[Pushka]

All we really know is that two mothers hearts are broken..perhaps we should leave it at that!

 

Sue

 

Yes. I cannot imagine their grief and distress. Just very sad.

[Aussieflyer]

All we really know is that two mothers hearts are broken..perhaps we should leave it at that!

 

Sue

 

Agreed - speculation won't bring them back and hurts those who are left.

[MicCanberra]

Agreed - speculation won't bring them back and hurts those who are left.

So true, just very sad for all concerned.

[Xcitdcruiser]

All very sad indeed

[sherri3802]

I agree that the real pain is for the families, this must be so hard for them.

But I do think the public deserves the facts, as far as they are known. It's human nature to speculate.

Just being told that 2 people have been lost overboard is a worry. Those who haven't sailed could very well think ships are more dangerous than they are.

It clarifies things a lot to be told the woman climbed over the rail and stood there for a while, they had been fighting earlier, and he followed her after her fall.

Maybe we don't know exactly what went on between them, but in its own way, this information at least gives some answers to the family. If it happened to one of mine, I would want to know.

[The_Big_M]

Very true Sherri.

 

It's also necessary to put out there given the unjustified complaints against the cruise line. Because people throw accusations around, the details are needed to enable consideration into 'how to prevent this happening again.'

 

Of course, the reality is some things just cannot be prevented, like how many people commit suicide from bridges. People will just find ways around obstacles when they are determined to, in some situations, and in others people would just be up in arms on the restraints that are provided. e.g. We could make all cruise ships have no windows, let alone balconies on cabins, much higher walls around open decks, and therefore enable stronger security to monitor the more limited areas. But how many cruisers want that?

 

I just find it ironic how some people always demand more from others, but if they are impacted find any requests/restrictions unreasonable and unfair.

[Sutho]

I agree that the real pain is for the families, this must be so hard for them.

But I do think the public deserves the facts, as far as they are known. It's human nature to speculate.

Just being told that 2 people have been lost overboard is a worry. Those who haven't sailed could very well think ships are more dangerous than they are.

It clarifies things a lot to be told the woman climbed over the rail and stood there for a while, they had been fighting earlier, and he followed her after her fall.

Maybe we don't know exactly what went on between them, but in its own way, this information at least gives some answers to the family. If it happened to one of mine, I would want to know.

 

That is exactly my thoughts as well. The seriousness of the situation should over ride any need for privacy the family may want no matter how harsh it sounds. Incidents like this put people in a sense of unease and there are people who will get paranoid and develop fear of cruising and even some who may cancel bookings.

 

Knowing that she climbed the rails proves beyond any shadow of doubt that it was foul play or that anything untoward happened.

 

 

 

Also can anyone who has been on Carnival Spirit in Australia conform if Carnival still makes the promenade deck out of bounds while at sea. If so this could have something to do with the lack of witnesses to the incident.

 

I am assuming in overboard situations the cruise line would probably be assuming that there would be wintesses hence the lack of motion detection filming and watch keeping at the stern.