Watch Your Children At All Times

[sea-cruise]

I had to yell at 2 young kids once...They were wrestling and one was pretending to push the other one against the ship's railing. We were on one of the top decks. My legs went weak when I saw that because I was afraid one would go overboard. I'm sure they pointed me out to their parents later in the week, and probably said I screamed at them, but I was a very scared grandma. :(

[andnickali]

I too have had to dish out some words to unattended children- and was given dirty looks later in the week by their parents. But, it is not only because I felt they were being annoying, but they were also putting themselves and others in harms way. I'm sure that when they told their parents about the mean woman by the pool they neglected to tell what they were doing!

[Aquahound]

In 05 on the Explorer, I was up in the Viking Crown when my wife pointed out several young teenagers being rowdy in the pool. This was at about 11pm. There were no parents supervising them. I watched as one of the kids climbed up on top of the shower wall (about six ft tall) and tried to jump into the pool. He slipped and landed in the shallow, inches deep, portion surrounding the pool. He started bleeding and did not stand up right away. I quickly ran from the Viking Crown down to the pool deck to help him, along with a few others who saw it. When we got there someone was already helping him. He cut his lip open pretty badly. He didn't know his room number and none of the parents were anywhere to be found. Luckily a ship's officer came walking by and he took the kid to the doctor.

[FitzLA]

Hmmmmm, perhaps if the parents were around they would have noticed the "no children allowed in hot tubs" sign :eek:

 

A police officer no less, how disgusting!

 

###

 

They were in the sauna...not the hot tub

[cruise crazy mick]

it seems to me most people prefer the perverts ,on board rather than the kids ,it is fine for the monster to molest the kids, so long as the kids dont scream . and disturb, you sickos .hang the pervert cop,

[bplazo]

My daughter and I had an argument on our last cruise because she wanted to go off and explore the ship by herself and I did not want her to go alone. It was a hard decision but I finally told her that I expected her back in an hour.

 

I worried the whole time that she was gone but at 17, I felt that maybe she should have a little freedom. I would allow her to go sit at the pool, or go to the teenage disco and if it was at night I would discreetly go check on her.

 

She will be 18 on our next crusie and I know that I will still worry and check on her but I will have to trust that she has good judgement and will be leary of strangers.

[Aquahound]

it seems to me most people prefer the perverts ,on board rather than the kids ,it is fine for the monster to molest the kids, so long as the kids dont scream . and disturb, you sickos .hang the pervert cop,

 

First of all, Former cop. He was not a cop. It's not like the Marines (Once a Marine, always a Marine). There's probably a reason the department got rid of him. It's interesting the turns these threads take. The original posting was about unruly kids, not the unruly passengers who molest them.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Well...all I'm saying is that if they began castrating any guy caught doing such things to kids, there'd be a pretty quick end to all this nonsense.

 

:cool:

[cruise crazy mick]

Well...all I'm saying is that if they began castrating any guy caught doing such things to kids, there'd be a pretty quick end to all this nonsense.

 

:cool:

im with you on this one ,and a cup full of acid in each eye would not go amiss

[cruise crazy mick]

First of all, Former cop. He was not a cop. It's not like the Marines (Once a Marine, always a Marine). There's probably a reason the department got rid of him. It's interesting the turns these threads take. The original posting was about unruly kids, not the unruly passengers who molest them.

as per quote the beast is more popular

[Aquahound]

as per quote the beast is more popular

 

No hard feelings. I agree the guy should be castrated - very slowly. Maybe a topic for a new thread though.

[yarlenna]

I bet that the parents of those children would gladly give everything they ever had just to be there for the kids. If people care about their kids, then take care of them. This also includes supervising them while out of the country. No, you can not wrap them in cotton. I just think that parents need to realize that a cruise is not a vacation from the kids. This should be a vacation WITH the kids.

If you had a million dollars in a box that you cannot put in the bank but take care of it yourself, what would you to be able to keep it?

[Cruising89143]

it seems to me most people prefer the perverts ,on board rather than the kids ,it is fine for the monster to molest the kids, so long as the kids dont scream . and disturb, you sickos .hang the pervert cop,

 

No one here is defending what this man did. We are just stating that folks need to watch their kids a little more. It seems that the parents that have a problem with this are the ones that are guilty!!!!!;)

[cruzr4vr]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. He was a cop and actually a liason for the police department and he was doing so much PR work he got a better offer from a TV station and jumped ship..what he did to those children was horrific beyond my or anyone elses imagination but on the flipside I would never have allowed my 2 young children to be in a sauna by themselves. I would have been in there or my husband or they could wait until one of us was able to escort and stay with them. I am not saying the parents are at fault at all but in this crazy world nowadays you can't trust anyone around young children and even young adults in big cities, small towns, rural Amish country, or on cruise ships and that's the main point..there are nut cases all around us.

[meripour]

This is a very unfortuante and ugly thing to happen. No one ever expects this on a vacation, but then being on a ship is like being in a city where you have a little of every type of person on board. I feel if we say we are shocked, we should ask ourselves why should we be? We go on trips and relax and leave our cares behind - and sometimes our vigilence about safety.

 

I have read on previous threads that it is not uncommon in the men's sauna for things to happen between adult men - and not necessarily 'outed gay' men either mind you, but that is a whole other topic. Whatever happens between consenting same sex adults, married or not, is a different matter. To assault a child is inexcusable.

 

Parents, keep your kids close and by all means monitor where they are. Personnally I think this is next to impossible on a ships the size of these and I dont think your kids are always going to be honest about what/where they have been. But if you have not already and before you make the trip, be honest & GRAPHIC with your kids that there are Deviates everywhere! It is unfortuanate, but in this day and time you have tell your kids nice people are not necessarily nice and that there are people out there that want to find a way to do nasty things to them. Remind your older kids about this as it relates to 'date rape' and being involved or trusting with people on board - crew or PAX. Not to mention drinking and being out of control on a floating city where no one knows you. Dont think it cannot happen to your kid, no matter the age, no matter how good and trustworthy. A lot goes out the window on vacation for some reason and kids are no exception. They meet up with other kids, and it never fails.

 

That being said, perhaps this will put parents at a higher alert of their responsiblility to their children. Before all of you with kids get defensive, there is another thread out there on the top of the boards right now that talks about a cruiser's horribile experience due to the kids running wild - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=426625

(How to complain about a bad cruise experience) As I said in my post on that thread - parents cannot be everywhere, and when the cats away, either where the kid or the Deviate are concerned, things can happen. The ships are so big. Even the best of kids sometimes make the wrong choice, and why shouldnt they? They are still KIDS and learning how to make decisions. More times than not, if you say something to someone elses kid about what they are doing or bad behavior you are called on for interferring and confronted by the parents in a very ugly way. I have seen this more times than not with the elevators, solarium adult only pool, and hallways. There is no more 'It takes a village' where all of us watch out for each other because it is not politically correct. This guy probably encouraged them to come on into the sauna and no one else said a thing about why they were in the area to begin with. They were probably curious about the area, the naked man asked them in and before all was said and done a kids curiosity lead to a Deviates opportunity.

 

For those of you who have not been in the sauna area, most people are in towels only, if even with a towel at all. Some are totally comfortable butt-naked. I have never seen anyone in bathing suits - and this is in the woman's sauna. I can only imagine the spectacle in the men's area.

[TXRed]

it seems to me most people prefer the perverts ,on board rather than the kids ,it is fine for the monster to molest the kids, so long as the kids dont scream . and disturb, you sickos .hang the pervert cop,

 

I am sorry but this is a ridiclous statement. Had the parents been supervising the children they would NOt have been in the sauna with the pervert. This is about keeping children safe. Please don't try to make it into something else. This HAPPENED..it's REAL...and hopefully will serve as a warning to other parents to watch their children.

[TXRed]

First of all, Former cop. He was not a cop. It's not like the Marines (Once a Marine, always a Marine). There's probably a reason the department got rid of him. It's interesting the turns these threads take. The original posting was about unruly kids, not the unruly passengers who molest them.

 

I am sorry..the original post was about 2 children allegedly molested by an 58 yo man in the sauna....no one said the children were unruly...but they were certainly not being attended by a trusted adult. See the paragraph below from my original post. No one is blaming the parents or the children for the alleged assault...the post was simply to illustrate that things can and DO happen to children when parents and/or trusted adult supervision is not utilized.....yes even on a cruise ship.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~But law enforcement sources with knowledge of the arrest said Bernsen, 58, was suspected of molesting two 12-year-old boys in the ship's sauna. One or more of the boys' parents confronted Bernsen and notified a ship investigator, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Aquahound]

So often we see children this age (12) and younger all over the ship without parental supervision. Most times if anyone mentions this fact they are flamed and we hear...oh not MY children...yadda, yadda, yadda......read on.

I am still amazed that parents allow their children free run of the ship. Now I will do some ducking and hiding for a while. ;-(

 

Bottom line is, The cruise lines need to start holding parents accountable.

[CruisingCatherine]

Here is a link to a news story about the incident:

 

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4478084?source=rss

[Retired not Expired]

This sicko would prefer to wait until "after" the trial before we hang anyone. Even more important now that lately so many who have been in prison for years are being found inocent by DNA.

 

It's easy to see why so many lynchings have happened down through the years.

 

And yes, I believe anyone "proven" guilty of molesting a child should never see the light of day again.

[KFL]

A large group of you crack me up here. According to you, the man is guilty based on the extreme little you know. Well I'd advise you to talk to any teacher's organization about the false charges that are brought against them daily claiming assualt. In Virginia there were 2 cases in the last year where the charges were found to be untrue. In one case the teacher an ROTC instructer has filed a large lawsuit naming the teen & her parents as defendents.

 

The bottom line is that kids do lie, especially when they are not getting their own way.

 

My advice is for all of you to chill out, ans wait to see what happens next.

[Aquahound]

A large group of you crack me up here. According to you, the man is guilty based on the extreme little you know. Well I'd advise you to talk to any teacher's organization about the false charges that are brought against them daily claiming assualt. In Virginia there were 2 cases in the last year where the charges were found to be untrue. In one case the teacher an ROTC instructer has filed a large lawsuit naming the teen & her parents as defendents.

 

The bottom line is that kids do lie, especially when they are not getting their own way.

 

Very, Very, Very True! Noone knows exactly what happened and the news doesn't always have the whole, or accurate story.

[sea-cruise]

Well...all I'm saying is that if they began castrating any guy caught doing such things to kids, there'd be a pretty quick end to all this nonsense.

 

:cool:

 

I TOTALLY agree with you, and have been saying this for years!

Also, parents, please keep an eye on your young ones... There are just too many things happening out there. It's scarey.

[HunnyBunnyTink]

I have been following this thread for three pages and find it rediculous that everyone is blaming the parents for the incident. Well, according to Royal Caribbean's Adventure Oceans policy anyone in the program that are age 12 and over can come and go as they please. Now, I am not a parent, but I believe that parents want to have a good time on their vacation too and should not have to hover over their children 24/7. I would say that the parties at fault for this incident are the alleged molester and the boys that were in the sauna. At age 12 you should know enough that if you come into a situation that you encounter a total stranger and you are not in a place with many other people, you should not put yourself in that situation. Now, I'm not saying either that it is the boys' faults that they were attacked, just that better judgement on their part could have prevented the whole incident.

[RoofingPrincess]

There is (at least one) thread on this subject in the Floataway Lounge; one posting had this link

http://www.nbc4.tv/download/2006/1010/10046080.pdf

to what appears to be an official document, containing summaries of the FBI agents' interviews with the two boys. If you read these, you'll be amazed. These boys supposedly repeatedly went back to the sauna at all different times of the day, and this guy was always there. They even took additional, younger family members with them on one trip. One of the boys' father was supposedly in the sauna with the boys for a short while when the supposed molester was in there, and chatted with him.

Please read the document.

If the molestation truly did occur, then I agree that this man should be thoroughly punished. But there are oddities in this story that are making a lot of people wonder....