Need Contact Info Regarding A Theft Onboard

[newman's dad]

Oh come on, I didn't say that, and put the darn pom-poms down. I think you are being very unfair to the OP, and maybe letting some of your personal prejudices from your work interfere with good manners and common sense.

 

 

So what do you expect the cruiseline to do? The items weren't in the safe, the day it happened is between day 1 & 10, no break-in and even the parties aren't sure by her own admission that a crime happened.

 

If they interviewed the room maid and she claims she knows nothing and doesn't have the funds do you fire them? The door could have been left open and no one from Princess had any involement.

 

What do you expect? Should they search everything in or on the ship and strip search the crew and passengers? All for something that may not be more than failue to monitor your spending.

[Ruste]

My daughter is crew on a ship so I have a fair idea of the security levels and I just wondered was there a security camera and what did that show?

 

From a personal experience, while on a cruise I lost an emerald out of my ring. I knew it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack but also knew that to claim insurance I needed to report the loss while on the ship. I had no idea where or when the stone feel out but I just went to the pursers desk explained the situation and they wrote me up a report. I was never made to feel like I had made it up but I was also quite clear about the fact I didn't expect them to find it and I wasn't looking for compensation.

 

Having said that my sister stayed at an exclusive resort in Fiji and they had a problem with the safe. It took 2 days for the hotel to fix the problem and during this time and for several days afterwards someone was carefully lifting money and underwear from their room. The person never took enough to be noticed but just enough to make them think they had misplaced something. When my sister and her husband finally worked out something was happening they went to the hotel management and sure enough someone had been entering the room. They found this out by checking the door records. I'm not sure what happened to the employee but my sister was kept fully informed at all times.

[monkeyrat100]

So what do you expect the cruiseline to do? The items weren't in the safe' date=' the day it happened is between day 1 & 10, no break-in and [b']even the parties aren't sure by her own admission that a crime happened. [/b]

 

If they interviewed the room maid and she claims she knows nothing and doesn't have the funds do you fire them? The door could have been left open and no one from Princess had any involement.

 

What do you expect? Should they search everything in or on the ship and strip search the crew and passengers? All for something that may not be more than failue to monitor your spending.

 

where are you getting this from? From the OP's posts, she makes it clear that she feels that a thief did occur.

[AAAAmerican]

 

I sincerely believe this lady ( OP ).

 

The workers aboard are just that workers, PAID.

 

 

Serving Cruisers is there job and function.

 

 

 

 

Having been on a few ships in my short life. I have seen many things.

 

Even an example a man ( not a gentleman ) was our table waiter ..he had said he was with this Cruise line ( Not any of Carnivals now or prior ) for 17 + years... and he was of a faith which prohibits the consumption and or handling of any alcohol.. but he said numerous times that if our table did not purchase the liquors, wines even cordials and such he would loose his job and be demoted...

 

No body at our Ten Top drank. Nor wanted to.

 

This was explained on the first through 12th day... he was tenacious as a terrier is.

 

Oh did you know in his faith telling mistruths is alright.. as in business thats a caution you have to watch for in contractual obligations and LOI's.

 

Truth is self evident!

 

 

 

 

[windsor26]

I have not read this thread completely yet so someone else may have already said this

 

Ona cruise from Mombasa to Seychelles I had my purse stolen from my fanny pack while on shore in the market. I reported this to the cruise director/seuciryt (small boat ) and explained I tried to tell a policeman but he did not understand english and we were getting later to return to the ship I then said he would give me a letter for me to pass onto the insurance firm

 

The letter said basically that I had reported this to him and he had reported it to the Pilot as a government official instead of the police due to the timing of their departure. He also said that I had advised of the amount of money inn the purse and added the latin bit meaning he could not check and signed this

 

I used it for the insurance claim and was paid in full so do not give up hope if you can get something from Princess confirming you had told them you could always try the insurance. Good luck

[Crown Prince]

Dear ROCHELLE,

 

Nobody ever answered your question. Post Number 2 gave you only one correct piece of advice. Go to the post office and mail your letter "Registered, Return Receipt Requested."

 

If you address it to anyone of the other 1900 employees, it will still land up in Relations; therefore, save time and send it there in the first place. It will save time.

 

Write a cohesive and concise letter and ask that Relations look at the Focus File. Don't ramble on about trivial matters. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Good Luck.

 

Princess Cruises

ATTN: Customer Relations

24844 Avenue Rockefeller

Santa Clarita, CA 91355

 

;);):D;);)

[Minoushka]

I think there is a VALUABLE lesson to be learned here

 

1. Check to see if your safe is locked EVERY time you leave the cabin .This was my son's job ...one time we locked it we thought and somehow it SANg and reopened

 

;( :( :(

 

THANK god we checked/ obviously we had not shut it properly

 

 

2.BEWARE of Cabin doors that appear locked but are not ..that happened to us and our cabin steward showed us .You really need to pull it shut and try to open each time even if you are in a rush

 

3. Carry a BIG bag to put all loose things thru security -shopping wallets etc ..I once had a problem with a loose money belt -I was wearing it thru security it rang I had to take it off -the attendant wanted to hold on to while another searched my bag .NEEDLESS to say I flatly refused to let it go out of my sight .The attendant got very agressive but I did not move till he gave me back the belt

I think he was hoping in the confusion I would forget about it .Now I LOCK everything in my bag If they need to search I open it .

 

Also beware returning to ship I make sure there are not too many people trying to get thru allow my son to go first and collect all my bags then I go thru ..Once someone picked up all my souvenirs I had to stop him .......HONEST MISTAKE???????

Now everything is in a huge bag purse cameras parcels shopping NOTHING IS LOOSE!!!

 

Someone took my mask and snorkel on an excursion right on the boat .I left my stuff to see my kids jump off the boat with a rope .POOF my stuff was GONE WE searched everywhere .Now I am EXTRA careful because I have a prescription mask I lock it up IMMEDIATELY

 

It is So sad we have to be this VIGILANt ...also my digital camera was taken from the Casino on Celebrity Galaxy ..I forgot it went back...GONE!!!Now I have bigger fancy purses to put it in

 

No fun to lose stuff or have it taken

 

Michele

[happy cruzer]

Good advice to prevent theft.

 

My concern is what to do if you find yourself in the OP's situtation??

 

You because of whatever reason think that you have had cash stolen from your cabin. What do you do?

 

1. Do you even report it?

 

If I reported it, I would know from that point on, I had made an enemy of the cabin steward whichever way the complaint was resolved. So it would mean a cabin or cabin steward change or I would be risking my safety and enjoyment of the cruise. So I don't think I would even report it.

 

2. If you do decide to report it, who do you report to?

 

I think I would try to have one point of contact such as the hotel manager. I think that is really the only thing the OP has to complain about - that she could not get good communication about her complaint. The rest of the stuff is probably normal procedure for reported thefts.

 

Anyone have any other ides of what to do after the theft occurs? We have been given lots of ideas of how to prevent a theft but what do you do if one occurs?

 

To the OP, remember to keep your complaint in writing focused on what Princess actually dropped the ball on - they did not communicate with you and wasted your time trying to get info. If they normally do not share personel issues with you (which may very well be the case) then they should have just explained their policy to you and then you would not have wasted time checking on your complaint.

[1greencar]

Wow, you say you are quite good at being a fraud investigater and yet your reading interpretation skills appear to be challenged as well as any open minded approach. In fact it appears you go into an investigation with all the answers and no questions.

 

I hope I would never have to depend on the likes of you to investigate anything for me.

 

We were in fact on the cruise with both parties and first part of the story doesn't fit. They didn't do tours in Greenock as stated they had two tours. They only walked around the town and we talked to them as they were leaving the ship and no trouble was mentioned. Both these ladies are constant talkers and wouldn't keep something like this to themselves.

 

Second' date=' We attended the Chef's Dinner with them that night again no mention of any negative thing happening. I believe they miscounted and spent the funds. Please note! The dollars that were missing are less than $500.00 how much less she doesn't have any idea? [/color']

 

My theory is they spent the funds and forgot. They spent 3 days pre cruise and a day in Bermuda and lots of time in the casino. The euro's and GBP's they simply didn't figure the cost of buying them.

 

If you don't put stuff in the safe your asking for trouble. Many times I saw cabin doors open after people left the ship because they didn't close them completly. Theft happens everywhere to the ones that don't use reasonable care.

 

From what I read there is no total of whats stolen because no one knows what was spent prior to this time.

 

Sharon had lots of jewellery with her and none was stolen?

 

Whats the cruiseline to do if someone claims cash is missing but can't for sure tell how much? Should they just believe you and give the money to you and fire the long time employee without any proof. What if the door wasn't closed all the way and another passenger came in and took the funds is it the cruislines fault that the door wasn't closed all the way and the cash wasn't secured in the safe? Should the cruiseline give money cruises or discounts to every passanger who spends more than they remembered?

 

I'm sorry but to believe someone goes through envelope after envelope of funds only taking small amounts doesn't fit, think of how long this would take. All the days except Bermuda were sea days and the thief if there was one was taking a very big risk that someone would walk in. It would be more believeable if onlt part of the dollars were stolen. If someone stole 3 different currencies it would make it so much easier to prove if caught. I believe the funds were spent on drinks and in the casino.

 

I attempted to get Rochelle to respond but she is now avoiding this post.

 

 

I'll get to the bottom of this I sent her aunt Sharon a letter to get another side of the story.

 

[jnc411]

To the OP , I am sorry this happened to you. And thank you for posting this, I for one will be more careful with my funds when traveling in the future.

Cori

[COMBOY]

I agree, lesson learned...this one with a price tag. Also that one needs to be careful with their valuables and we accept our responsibility in this.

 

My reason for writing to Princess corporate is for the way the situation was handled.

 

It would take a lot to get me to stop cruising. The incident itself was unfortunate. The process we went through led to a lot of needless and fruitless frustration. To be capped off with our dealings with the head of security which pretty much ruined our last night onboard, but we had 14 other nights on what was otherwise a great cruise with lots of wonderful memories. It won't be long before I am on another ship and it just might be on Princess.

 

Rochelle

 

It just sounds like the Head of Security just want you to go away. There was nothing he could do to find your money so he just blew you off. I'm so sorry you had to go through this aggravation.

 

You can write Princess Cruises Guest/passengers relations in Santa Clarita, CA and advise them of what happen to you. They should be aware of your situation. Please be very specific of what happen including copies of all documentation and correspondence from the ship. You shouldn't expect anything more than a form letter back acknowledging the receipt of your letter and that they will forward on to Princess' management your concerns.

 

I think this is a really good lesson for all us cruiser that theft does occur on board cruise ship and to keep everything locked up in our cabin safe that is of value.

[beachchick]

We were in fact on the cruise with both parties and first part of the story doesn't fit. They didn't do tours in Greenock as stated they had two tours. They only walked around the town and we talked to them as they were leaving the ship and no trouble was mentioned. Both these ladies are constant talkers and wouldn't keep something like this to themselves.

 

May I assume then that you were with them all day so that you know for a fact that all they did was walk around the town? Maybe they didn't tell you everything they were doing that day. Are you friends with them? (I'm guessing not only are you not a friend' date=' but that you don't even like them because of the way you describe them.) How do you know they wouldn't keep something like that to themselves? You talked with them as they were leaving the ship, but maybe they didn't feel they knew you well enough to tell you about the incident or perhaps they didn't want to put a damper on your day or maybe they had even figured out, based on previous conversations and your apparent bias, that you would automatically assume they were wrong/mistaken or maybe they didn't feel it was any of your business. I get the feeling that your perception of them as "constant talkers" has colored what you believe about them and what happened.[/color']

 

Second, We attended the Chef's Dinner with them that night again no mention of any negative thing happening. I believe they miscounted and spent the funds. Please note! The dollars that were missing are less than $500.00 how much less she doesn't have any idea?

 

Right, the fact that they didn't say something like, "Isn't this seared scallop and salmon pate appetizer incredible and, by the way, someone stole some money from us..." means that she is now misrepresenting or mistaken about what happened. Maybe they wanted to put it out of their minds for a while and just enjoy the gourmet Chef's Dinner (and again, not bring any negative things to the table).

 

As for how much was missing, Rochelle said that they did know how many GBP and Euros were missing:

 

"As my aunt was getting her money out she commented that she thoght for sure she had bought and brought 150 GBP and she only had 110 GBP. I agreed she had told me in our pre cruise talks that that was the amount she was bringing. She checked her Euros and it was the same 110 not 150.

 

I then checked my money and sure enough was also missing both GBP and Euros a little more than double that of my aunt. I had more money with me, as I was continuing on another cruise for an additional 24 days with a stay in London afterwards and I had not purchased it all at the same time. The difference was that my money was in little bundles, each with the receipt and currency calculator paper-clipped to the top. lt was located in three seperate envelopes inside my travel wallet. The receipt on top of each little bundle made me exactly sure of what should have been there."

 

The only thing she doesn't specify is exactly how much "a little more than double that of my aunt" was. Since she used the $US for the casino, it makes sense that she might not know exactly how many might have been missing. The others were in bundles she hadn't opened since purchase.

 

My theory is they spent the funds and forgot. They spent 3 days pre cruise and a day in Bermuda and lots of time in the casino. The euro's and GBP's they simply didn't figure the cost of buying them.

 

Don't investigators usually deal in fact and not theories. Your "theory" has not one thing to back it up except that you believe it.

 

If you don't put stuff in the safe your asking for trouble. Many times I saw cabin doors open after people left the ship because they didn't close them completly. Theft happens everywhere to the ones that don't use reasonable care.

 

Now this I absolutely agree with. However, you're admitting that onboard theft happens, but claim that it didn't/couldn't have happened to them? Interesting contradiction. Rochelle even admitted to a degree of blame for not securing the money properly.

 

From what I read there is no total of whats stolen because no one knows what was spent prior to this time.

 

With regard to the GBP and Euros, I think that is not at all what she said (see above).

 

Sharon had lots of jewellery with her and none was stolen?

 

Others have pointed out that jewelry is much easier to trace and much harder to "spend." Taking small amounts of cash is the 'best" way to steal because people tend to do exactly what you think Rochelle and her aunt should have done: "Oh, I must be mistaken and won't make a fuss about this."

 

Whats the cruiseline to do if someone claims cash is missing but can't for sure tell how much? Should they just believe you and give the money to you and fire the long time employee without any proof. What if the door wasn't closed all the way and another passenger came in and took the funds is it the cruislines fault that the door wasn't closed all the way and the cash wasn't secured in the safe? Should the cruiseline give money cruises or discounts to every passanger who spends more than they remembered?

 

No, of course the cruise line shouldn't just hand over money to any passenger who claims a loss. Rochelle acknowledged that they were not expecting the cruise line to reimburse even the amounts they were sure about. She simply didn't like being treated as if she and her aunt were criminals and liars. Yes, of course the onboard security should and must investigate and search if that is necessary. But they found time to search their cabin and yet couldn't find the time to search their stewards cabin? They found the time to go through every personal item the ladies brought, but couldn't find the time to thoroughly investigate any other possibility except that the ladies must have misplaced/lost the cash? Maybe the security staff should have strip searched the ladies to make sure that they hadn't tucked the money somewhere intimate?

 

I'm sorry but to believe someone goes through envelope after envelope of funds only taking small amounts doesn't fit, think of how long this would take. All the days except Bermuda were sea days and the thief if there was one was taking a very big risk that someone would walk in. It would be more believeable if onlt part of the dollars were stolen. If someone stole 3 different currencies it would make it so much easier to prove if caught. I believe the funds were spent on drinks and in the casino.

 

Yes, someone certainly could take the time to do that. Stealing always carries risks, and yet thieves do it every day. I am curious, what makes you "believe" that the money was spent on drinks (are there even any places onboard that take cash for drinks?) and in the casino (where only US$ are used--not GBP and Euros).

I attempted to get Rochelle to respond but she is now avoiding this post.

 

Gee, I can't imagine why...:rolleyes:

 

I'll get to the bottom of this I sent her aunt Sharon a letter to get another side of the story.

 

And if Sharon tells you exactly the same story, then what?

Pardon me! But I investigate fraud every day and I'm extremely good at what I do. I have 1st hand knowledge of the cruise and the parties involved and it didn't happen as stated.

 

Unless you were there for every single aspect of the incident and investigation' date=' you do not know that it didn't happen as stated. You have knowledge of the cruise and you know the ladies, so that means you know everything about what happened? I think not.[/color']

 

If you or I or anyone has things stolen from their cabin the first thing anyone would do is warn others of the theft. Had either one mentioned the theft I would have contacted Princess Secutity people I have worked with in the past to help resolve the issue. I would have also given both the ladies the money they lost had they mentioned it small potatoes.

 

No, we wouldn't immediately warn others if we had something go missing on a cruise; we would attempt to confirm that we didn't simply misplace the items and then we would contact onboard security. We certainly wouldn't contact fellow passengers about it. We would believe it to be an isolated incident and would consider it our private business during the cruise. We also wouldn't want to make anyone else feel bad or have a negative impression because of it. What happened to them in no way endangered the lives of other passengers.

 

First they did have two tours in Greenock.

 

They did or did not have two tours? You've written both. And again, were you with them all day? Did they tell you they didn't have tours? And if so, why on earth would Rochelle claim they did? Or perhaps they were a tad upset and decided at the last minute to skip a tour?

 

Second the cruise ended 4/25/09 6 weeks before this was posted.

 

So what? So Rochelle and her aunt tried to deal with it without involving CC members. Sounds to me like she only brought it up at all because she needed advice about what to do next and who would be the best person to write to at corporate headquarters. In fact, she didn't give any details in her OP, but only asked for contact information. I suspect that she only detailed what happened because some members started probing for details (and questioning what happened).

 

Third: Very careful to put certain amounts in different envelopes with register tapes on top. But not careful enough to count and keep track of the US dollars.

 

Again, so what? She wasn't using the GBP and Euros at that point and specifically wrote that those were in their original "packages" with the receipts attached. She wrote that she had been using US$ for the casino, so she didn't know exactly how many of those were missing. What she wasn't careful about was securing all cash safely, and she acknowledged that was her responsibility.

 

I was there and peronally believe there was nothing else for the cruiseline to do. How do you fire or charge someone when all you can say is less than $500.00 how much less?

 

You don't fire someone over an unprovable event. Didn't sound to me like that was what Rochelle was upset about. Sounded to me like she and her aunt were upset about how they were treated by the security staff.

 

Lets see you believe you have money stolen but not sure is you spent it or not. Your not sure if it was taken by a employee or a fellow traveler.

What do you expect the cruiseline to do hand out money or free trips everytime an allegation is made without proof? Where is your responsibility?

 

Example: Your at the ATM to make a deposit, you make out an envelope

for deposit. Tou then make the deposit get you receipt and walk away. Several days later the bank says the cash wasn't in the envelope. The bank reviews the video and you failed to put the cash in the envelope and left it laying on the ATM and walked away. The next unidentified person takes the money should the bank or you be responsible for you neglience?

 

I not calling anyone a theif because I don't believe there was a crime, only a mismanagement of money.

 

You seem to be stuck in your "belief" about what happened and that they were careless or mistaken. The fact that they didn't secure the cash properly in no way means that they "deserved" to have it stolen.

 

A final note, I don't know Rochelle or her aunt; I don't know you; I wasn't on this cruise and only came to this thread as a link from another one. But your harping on and on about things that Rochelle was not even requesting or worrying about, and your criticizing Rochelle repeatedly made me take an interest in this. I hope you are more sympathetic and unbiased than the impression I got from this thread, and I'm sure you're a perfectly nice person to cruise with.

 

beachchick

[newman's dad]

Beachchick,

 

Why do you feel people shouldn't be responsible for their own carelesssness? I never said I didn't believe some of the story. Lets explain it better for the simple minded.

I do beleive cash is missing do to poor bookkeeping and careleessness. I don't believe any one outside the two in the cabin took anything.

When people create stories they get caught in lies. Rochelle claims they both had two tours on the morning we arrived in Greenock. They both told us as they were leaving with us they were only walking around the town for the day. Rochelle took very few excursions because of how long she was staying away. She never stops talking and couldn't and wouldn't kepp quite about this type of thing. She left on this cruise 4/10/09 and never returned home till 5/25/09 after two additional cruises. Fact they both had forien currency with them but Rochelle told me spent almost all her dollars in Ft Lauderdale but wouldn't need more until she arriverd in the UK!

 

There is alot of other things I know about the aledged incident but you'll never understand because you never met her or her aunt.

[bhopal21]

Dear ROCHELLE,

 

Nobody ever answered your question. Post Number 2 gave you only one correct piece of advice. Go to the post office and mail your letter "Registered, Return Receipt Requested."

 

Just a little point but send the letter "Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested" as Registered Mail is very expensive and used for sending things of great value (valuables, jewelry, cash, etc.) and your letter will have no monetary value but you do want proof it was delivered.

 

Mike:)

[Spender Nui]

I've read too much of this thread but it seems that the OP is sincere in what she thinks ... but the safes are there for your valuables and should be used. Doesn't make it right but we all have to bear some responsibility for our actions.

 

I always feel badly when a post such as this comes across and sympathize with the offended person.

 

Shouldn't happen but it does and we all have to watch out for ourselves.

[rochelle_s]

Oh low and behold the original poster is back and is a little shocked....

My first post was a request for contact information. I would like to say thank you to AAAAmerican, Crown Prince, COMBOY and bhopal21, for providing specific information and suggestions on contacting Princess.

When asked within this thread I did provide more details about the incident that we experienced from which there has been much discussion in regards to the best ways to safeguard belongings while onboard a ship and what to look out for. From these discussions I have learned a few things, such as about the existence of 'focus files' and the importance of securing items that one might not consider of monetary value, in particular prescriptions. I for one carry quite a bit of pain medication, some of which has a very high street value (oxycotin). In the past I have always placed my prescriptions in the washroom on a shelf. I will definitely be looking at a more secure place for them in any future travels.

Many people also posted with kind words of support and understanding for which I would also like to say thank you. It was not necessary but greatly appreciated.

There were others who posted with disbelief and minor criticism. I accept this as much as I accept our responsibility in the entire matter as there is always two sides to any story. There is also two sides to any good discussion for which you have provided the 'other' side. The positive side being that hopefully someone else will learn from what happened to us, as well as all the comments on this thread for whichever side you 'believe' and can hopefully prevent it from happening to themselves. so to these people thank you also.

There was mention of possibly posting crewmembers names and info. What I was looking for in my original post was contact information for individuals in the corporate offices, which should be public knowledge and that I am obviously unaware of. Not sure if the reference was in thinking that I would post here and accuse anyone of anything. The assumption of many people would be that it must have been the cabin steward. I would like to say publicly that I am not accusing our particular cabin steward of anything. In fact my aunt and I discussed this in great detail and we both found it hard to believe that he would have been the one to do this. He was in fact one of the best stewards I have had on any ship.

The first reason we did not suspect him was that he would be the obvious first person to look at. This cruise started on Good Friday and on Easter morning I had left a bag on my bed filled with chocolates etc. and a note to him saying the Easter bunny had left this for him. When we returned later to the cabin he had taken the bag with him but had left a note questioning whether this was really for him. On other occasions, when we had asked for anything extra, such as wine glasses for the cabin or a bottle of wine to be delivered to the dining room we had to insist that he accept the few dollars offered for these additional services. When we noticed the money missing, informed the front desk and were told of the procedures involved to investigate we did have a discussion with our cabin steward regarding the invasiveness of cabin searches to not only ourselves but to him also and apologized for this. At all times in our dealings with our steward he was a professional and we have no complaints about him.

Whether others believe we were the victims of a theft or not is irrelevant. The fact that my aunt and I, without a doubt believe this, is. It is a serious complaint that we would not have made if we were not 100% sure. We did the right thing and reported it. We never thought the money would be returned to us and were more than willing to let the matter drop. We were encouraged to let the investigation go through and the importance of this. We agreed and the process was started with a search of our cabin. Although this feels very much like an invasion of privacy and tends to make one feel a victim again we did understand that this was the first necessary step. The people who were in our cabin during this acted very professionally and again we have no complaints here.

Our complaints lie with how the situation was handled after this. They did not find the missing money in our cabin. A reading of our door was done and that showed someone other than ourselves and the cabin steward had entered the cabin for a 'delivery'. We were never contacted to confirm or possibly deny any such delivery. No further investigation was done. The only contact made with us after this was a message on our phone asking us to come to the purser’s office, which we did, to be faced with much confusion and lack of knowledge about the situation. This was to be repeated again. When we finally insisted on speaking to someone in charge of this type of matter we were confronted with what I would consider a very unprofessional head of security, who on the one hand is saying how he considers the theft of even one dollar a serious offence is also telling us that he has been "too busy" among other, what I consider lame excuses for the way the situation was handled. It was even us who had to ask for the discussion to be taken somewhere more private, not the middle of the front desk in the early evening on the night before disembarkation.

As stated in earlier posts we do accept responsibility for not having had our safe immediately looked at when we encountered problems so that we could ensure that our valuables were secure. This does not negate the fact that someone entered our cabin, went through our belongings in what we feel was clearly a very deceptive manner and stole money from us. This plain and simply is wrong.

We know exactly how much was taken in GBP and Euros. We do not know who took the money, whether crew or fellow passenger. Nor do we know exactly when it was taken. We also don't know how they gained entry into our cabin. A proper investigation might have provided answers to any or all of these questions. This was not done and the way it was handled and the manner in which we were treated is why I am contacting Princess. As has been requested from others, when I hear back from them I will provide an update here.

Finally at the beginning of this post I stated that I was shocked and indeed I am. When one posts on a public forum it is to be expected that others might not agree with what you are saying. This is fine as everyone is entitled to their opinion. Ordinarily I would take such comments in stride and more than likely not respond with what most would consider to be a 'flame'. Newmans_dad did not just state his opinion, nor did he post what I would constitute a flame. He went beyond this and crossed way over the line of what I consider acceptable. I will follow up with a separate post to him, but I would like to thank those who came to my defense in my absence and especially to beachchick who wrote a very detailed response that was just bang on!!

Rochelle

[rochelle_s]

-- The port In Greenock, Scotland

 

-- My aunt on the tour bus

 

-- David McKelvie --tour guide

 

-- Andrew Pearson -- tour guide and my aunt

 

--Ann MacLoed -- afternoon tour guide and president of the group

 

Just a few pics for a future post...

[rochelle_s]

-- Iain Gillespie--afternoon tour guide, my aunt and one of our tablemates

 

-- various Inverclyde Tourist Group members prior to sailaway -- the 3rd lady from the right is Dorothy-- my contact pre-cruise

 

 

 

a couple more pics....

[Colo Cruiser]

Well unfortunatley when you make a post such as this you get opinions from every direction, like em or not it is what it is. :)

[maritimer]

Hi Rochelle, I believed your story (even before the photos of Grennock:) ) and I cannot believe how rude and offensive some people can be on these boards.

 

Lesson learned for me - never reveal that you use Cruise Critic to your fellow passengers in case they turn out to be ... trying to think of a word that won't be too bad and get my post removed ... how about egregious?

[WCAB]

Was reading through the posts and got to this one. For some reason, the tone of this is upsetting. This would seem to be the kind of question you would offer in private, rather then on a board, where you could create a feeing of doubt. It could be the OP was not the type to bring a negative situation up to other cruisers.

 

 

 

Rochelle' date=' How did this happen and why did you not mention this to the rest of the cruise critic group? We were all on the same ship and all we ever heard is how mush you loved the cruise never that you were having problems with theft on board. Could you and Sharon spent the money in the casino and forgot?[/quote']

[spongerob]

...I will follow up with a separate post to him, but I would like to thank those who came to my defense in my absence ...

You have no need to defend yourself. Let it go. Some people are not worth the trouble.

[Colo Cruiser]

You have no need to defend yourself. Let it go. Some people are not worth the trouble.

 

Like I said I would hate to be an automatic guilty party in one of his investigations. :eek:

[rochelle_s]

**This post is for newman's dad and anyone else interested in reading it. It is my response to posts made by him within this thread. A note to the hosts. If this post goes against the rules of the boards I do apologize but I would request that you leave it in place. Things have been said about me, which have been read by others and I would very much appreciate the chance to defend myself. Thank you.**

`

Bob,

It is very obvious, for reasons beyond my comprehension, that this thread concerns you greatly. When in fact, what occurred on the ship is really none of your business. I started this thread asking for contact information. I was asked for more information from other posters and provided it as I can understand why my posting would cause others to be curious. This led to comments in support of, in disbelief of, or suggestions being made to avoid someone else experiencing something like this. Your postings became something else entirely. Your original posts in the thread sounded concerned. I was not able to respond to these so have no idea how your posts escalated into what I feel is an attack on both my aunt and my personalities, very minor considering you went on to denigrate my character and integrity.

I shared postings with you on our roll call, exchanged email and cell phone numbers for contact in Fort Lauderdale, had dinner with you, your wife and a few others from our roll call the night before our cruise and spent some time conversing onboard the ship as well as being in attendance at the same Chef's dinner. We also crossed paths in port and spent afternoon playing cards at your invitation. We spent 15 days aboard the same ship and you post on here that you know me. I don't think so.

I am a firm believer in everyone having a right to their opinion. You crossed over the line of opinion and have come at me personally. For what reasons I am sure only you know.

You said in your first post; "I'm confused you and you aunt never mentioned anything about money misssing to us the entire cruise. When we last saw you two the last evening you never mentioned anything. What happenned? "

In your last post in response to someone who came to my defence you said; "There is alot of other things I know about the aledged incident but you'll never understand because you never met her or her aunt."

Also; "I was there and peronally believe there was nothing else for the cruiseline to do".

You have contradicted yourself here. The truth is, your knowledge about the 'alleged incident' is exactly the same as anyone else's on this thread. This entire matter was never mentioned nor discussed with you onboard. I don't think there is a need to defend why we chose to keep the matter a personal one. We were on this cruise to enjoy ourselves and that is what we did.

You have, in your posts, made statements and various allegations about the 'truth' of the matter as well as my personal habits. You came on this board as if you had all the facts. I found your comments full of inconsistencies. If you are going to state 'facts' perhaps you should get them straight.

You made many references to what my aunt and I did or did not do in Greenock, Scotland. What this has to do with a theft onboard is beyond me. The only reason I can see for you continually bringing this up is to paint me as a liar.

I stated that my aunt and I had two tours planned for the day. You, in your infinite knowledge, claim that we did not. We did in fact get off the ship early that morning to have a short walk around the town, nice to feel the ground under our feet after six straight days at sea. Afterwards we returned to the terminal building where we were to meet up for our tours. Posts #92 and #93 on this thread are from me. They are;

1. A picture of the terminal building in Greenock, Scotland

2. My aunt on what is obviously a tour bus.

3., 4., 5., and 6. are pictures of the tour guides we had that day. One is taken on the tour bus. In another it is clearly evident that the guide is dressed in his kilt. As this was our only stop in Scotland, I wanted it to be clear to you that I had not mistaken the day and I saw no one dressed in a kilt in our other ports of call being England, Ireland and France.

7. This picture was taken before reboarding the ship and sailaway. The lady 3rd from the right is Dorothy, who I contacted via email prior to the cruise.

I have 345 pictures from this day and seven videos. If you need more proof I can provide it.

These tours, that you claim I did not take, were through the Inverclyde Tourist Group. This is their website; http://inverclydetouristgroup.co.uk/

I think that right after you write your letter to my aunt, that you should follow up with a visit to their website. You can contact via email through the website. In the aforementioned postings I have included the names of our tour guides. Feel free to contact them to confirm that my aunt and I were indeed there. I am sure they will remember us, as I don't think they found our personalities annoying, but friendly and outgoing. Just say hello from Sharon and Rochelle in Canada.

In the same posting you followed with; "Second, We attended the Chef's Dinner with them that night again no mention of any negative thing happening."

beachchick gave a very plausible explanation why we might not have, on the evening of the Chef's dinner, disclosed what had happened to us. In fact I rather liked her answer, but seeing as we are now verifying your truths, I will give the 'real' reason why nothing was mentioned at the Chef's dinner.

As I have stated earlier we noticed the missing money on the morning of Greenock, Scotland, which we reached on April 20th.

I still have my invitation from the Executive Chef, Joel Directo asking me to meet with the Maitre d' at 7:00 pm. I also still have my copy of my invoice for onboard expenses. Perhaps you don't have these, but your wife, as well as all ladies at the dinner, was presented with a copy of the Courses cookbook. Inside the cookbook should be a copy of the menu. All of these items have a date on them... April 18.

So, in actuality, you did not have dinner with us on the evening in question but in fact two nights earlier, ergo why it was never mentioned as the theft had not even been discovered yet. If you do not have the above documentation of 'proof' I can provide it.

You have made numerous references to the fact that time was spent in the casino or had spent the money elsewhere;

"They spent 3 days pre cruise and a day in Bermuda and lots of time in the

casino."

"I believe the funds were spent on drinks and in the casino."

"Lets see you believe you have money stolen but not sure is you spent it or not."

"little information as when it happened and what exactly was missing goes."

"a mismanagement of money."

"I do beleive cash is missing do to poor bookkeeping and careleessness."

 

You are certainly claiming to know a great deal about us, our money and our spending habits and management of our own personal funds. We did have drinks on the ship and yes I did spend a good deal of time in the casino, mostly late at night and alone. Reason being I do not sleep well due to pain. You insinuated that my aunt also spent a great deal of time there, which is in fact not the case. She is not much on casinos, but sometimes would come with me while I had a cigarette as it was one of the few areas on the ship I could smoke. My aunt never used cash in the casino just her cruise card on which she uploaded funds once. I myself stated on this thread that I enjoy the casino and this would be the reason I had more American cash on me. I also freely admitted that I spent U.S. funds in Fort Lauderdale, Bermuda, in the casino and for tipping onboard. This being said I would not be able to say to the exact penny how much U.S. cash I should have had on the 20th of April. I also clearly stated and as others have pointed out to you that neither I, nor my aunt ever claimed any missing U.S. dollars. The funds that were known by us to be stolen and which were reported were GBP and Euros.

"Fact they both had forien currency with them but Rochelle told me spent almost all her dollars in Ft Lauderdale but wouldn't need more until she arriverd in the UK!"

I would love to know when we had this supposed conversation. ?? First off most of our purchases and expenses in Florida were paid by credit card. Secondly, it is very unlikely that anyone who books a holiday for seven weeks would spend almost all their money in the first 3 days. Finally even if I had done this, which I most certainly did not, I certainly wouldn't be telling a virtual stranger about it.

I believe, and I would assume that most would agree, that an individual’s finances are a personal matter and should be kept as such. Hence, I did not feel a need to disclose the exact amount of money we reported stolen from our cabin. We, on no occasion once leaving home, spent or misplaced our GBP and/or Euros.

You also stated;

"The euro's and GBP's they simply didn't figure the cost of buying them."

I can assure you that I most definitely did figure in the cost of buying them. As well as the cost of purchasing the Turkish Lira I had and American dollars. As like most Canadians who travel, I am well aware of the costs of converting money to foreign currencies, we do it all the time. American dollars are a foreign currency to me. I know exactly what rate of exchange I paid for each. I paid 1.854 for my GBP and 1.753 for my Euros. I had the receipt and the currency calculator attached as I previously said. I don't know what my aunt paid for her money as she lives 2000 miles away and we each purchased our own foreign currencies. Not that it anyone's business but as it seems to be such an issue for you and apparently imperative to my 'honesty' I calculated a loss of $364.74 CDN

once the conversion was made back to my own currency.

You also made comments regarding compensation. Here is one of them;

"What do you expect the cruiseline to do hand out money or free trips everytime an allegation is made without proof?."

Please show me where it is that said I was looking for compensation of any kind. This was my first cruise on Princess and other than this experience I enjoyed it immensely. I was in no way bashing the company or looking for a freebie.

You made a couple of other comments that I find totally ridiculous;

"If you or I or anyone has things stolen from their cabin the first thing anyone would do is warn others of the theft. Had either one mentioned the theft I would have contacted Princess Secutity people I have worked with in the past to help resolve the issue. I would have also given both the ladies the money they lost had they mentioned it small potatoes."

Really???

I feel that my aunt and I did exactly what we should have done given the circumstances. We reported to the proper authorities and co-operated fully with their investigative procedures.

If there was a need for other passengers to be warned about anything I would think that this would and should come from the cruise line. Any comments made by us before an investigation was completed would only lead to gossip and/or rumours. Again you illustrate that you don't know us as this is not the type of people we are. Would it not make more sense to keep quiet, let the investigation happen and let the facts speak for themselves?

Why would we seek out fellow passengers who might have some 'friends somewhere'? There was absolutely no indication when we initially reported the incident and the searching of our cabin that the situation would not be handled professionally.

Small potatoes? You would give your own personal funds to us? You would replace the money lost due to a theft, which you do not believe occurred, to two people you have shown through your comments on this board that you don't respect or even like for that matter. Amazing.

You have also made more than one reference to your profession as a fraud investigator and how good you are at it, but you consistently ignored or misinterpreted what I had posted. You jumped to conclusions based on nothing. You claimed things were a certain way as absolute fact from your first hand knowledge whereas I have provided proof to the contrary.

"Since you and your aunt both know I'm a fraud investigator I can't believe you never mentioned any of this to us. "

What does this have to do with anything? As you are aware my aunt is a retired VP of a large insurance company here in Canada. She is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the field including fraud investigation. We did not need the services of a fraud investigator. What we were doing was reporting a theft.

I do not know why this turned into a personal attack, in particular towards myself. Almost like a vendetta.

Both these ladies are constant talkers and wouldn't keep something like this to themselves.`

Rochelle .... She never stops talking and couldn't and wouldn't kepp quite about this type of thing.

It is unlikely you will like everyone you meet in this world but we certainly were not forcing you to spend time with us. You apparently consider this side of us as personality flaws. We and the people we consider our friends might consider our talkative side to be friendly, outgoing and personable. You are certainly entitled to your opinion.

You, from appearances, have tried to paint me as something of a troll.

 

I attempted to get Rochelle to respond but she is now avoiding this post.

 

the cruise ended 4/25/09 6 weeks before this was posted

But at the same time you acknowledge;

how long she was staying away

She left on this cruise 4/10/09 and never returned home till 5/25/09 after two additional cruises.`

So you were obviously well aware when you made your post regarding it taking me 6 weeks exactly why it would take me that long to come to cruisecritic. I was still on vacation! Explanation enough I would think. Although you did, once again, misrepresent facts with my date of return. I have a plane ticket London to Toronto that says otherwise. Close enough and neither here nor there.

I don`t feel I should have to explain my absence from these boards but just for clarification purposes I will. As you mentioned I was away a long time. Once returning I busied myself with catching up and talking with my family. I also had several appointments, medical and otherwise I had scheduled before leaving. I spent a week at the hospital having various tests done. A dog who had to have two major surgeries in a span of four days. Basically I have a life that does not revolve around the cruisecritic boards. This should also explain why I have not already sent along the Chef`s dinner pictures you were enquiring about. When I get the time to forward pictures I will.

People are often not who they appear to be. On the roll call, at dinner the night before the cruise and onboard the ship you were friendly and pleasant enough, albeit a quiet man. Once you get behind a keyboard you take on a whole other persona which frankly is just plain rude. If you were truly concerned as you originally posted you could have contacted me privately, as you have my email and phone number. For some reason, you preferred to post publicly here with a great deal of mis-information. The reasoning for which is obviously your own. You attacked my character and integrity and I felt the need and justification in responding in the same forum.

I have now had my say in the matter and it is likely the length of this will irritate you as it shows my `chatty cathy`side. C`est la vie.

Rochelle

[julia]

Wow!

 

I was a supporter (way back on the beginning pages, mostly because I didn't like how everyone was "preaching" at you), but now I'm pretty much in awe! :)

 

YOU ROCK, ROCHELLE!!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to set the record totally straight!