Mar 5, 12 Cruise from Hell: Drugged on Shipboard - International Cruise Victims - ICV Community Home

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TOPIC: Mar 5, 12 Cruise from Hell: Drugged on Shipboard - International Cruise Victims

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Date: 12:10 AM Mar 6, 2012

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Cruise from Hell -- Drugged on Shipboard By Arlene Pretty What better way to celebrate your 52nd birthday than going on a cruise? When friends suggested that my husband, Ed, and I join them on a 14-day Southern Caribbean excursion, avid cruisers that we are, we couldn't say no. My birthday fell on our third formal night. We started the day as usual: sleeping in, having breakfast, checking e-mail, and wandering around planning the day. We went to see an ice-carving demonstration, followed by a pool volleyball game between ship staff and passengers. Great fun! After happy hour on deck we headed to our cabin to prepare for dinner at 6. We got ready and headed for our usual drink-before-dinner spot in the Rendezvous Lounge. Our regular table was waiting, as was the waiter to take our order. The DJ came by to wish me a happy birthday, asking if we would be up in the Reflections Lounge later that night. Of course!" was our response. After dinner came a nice little birthday cake and a chorus of "Happy Birthday" from the staff. We then headed to the martini bar, where I had a special birthday martini. After a friend took some pictures and we had a few toasts, we went to Reflections to hear the band at 10:30. When the band started we were up dancing right away. After a song or two, the band acknowledged my birthday, what another nice surprise. We danced and danced and danced some more while the band played. It was a great evening: calm seas, good music and great fun. At 12:15 a.m., the band was done for the evening and the DJ, Angelo, took over. I was on my way to the washroom when Angelo started playing "Happy Birthday" and called out my name. I stopped, hid behind the pole from embarrassment, then came out and waved to the crowd of other passengers wondering who Arlene was. Another bar waiter, Kevin, came by to wish me a happy birthday and said that the last drinks were on him. He was heading out as the party was winding down and fewer waiters were needed. I thanked him and off he went. Then the worst thing ever happened to me, though I wouldn't realize it yet. I ordered another drink for Ed and I, along with two glasses of water. Ed was dancing with Katie Jo, a passenger from North Carolina. According to the time stamp on our bill, the drinks were ordered at 1:36 a.m. The waiter brought the drinks; I signed for them and went back on the dance floor. While we danced, I was watching our table closely. There was no one around the table or that side of the lounge. There was only a group from Britain sitting on the other side of the lounge. Im still not sure why I was watching our table so intently; the only thing there was my purse, with nothing in it, and our water and drinks. We were sitting enjoying the music and having our water and drinks. For some reason, I suddenly decided it was time to leave -- NOW. So off we went. What follows is a bit of a blur. As we were walking towards the elevator, Ed noticed that I was staggering a bit. He thought that odd, as I had been fine a few minutes before while dancing. When we got out of the elevator, four decks below, my staggering got a lot worse. I still didnt notice anything wrong, and Ed didnt mention it. We got into our room, got ready for bed and thats when everything changed. I was having a hard time breathing. I rolled onto my back, but then couldnt feel or move my legs! Next. I couldnt feel or move my arms. I saw a big ball of blue flame and wondered what was happening. Then my face started going numb. The last words I said were, Oh my God, Ive been drugged! Then I started to hyperventilate. If Ed hadn't been there, I dont know what would have happened to me. He called for medical assistance right away and got a paper bag for me to breathe into. It helped with the breathing a bit, but I was still completely paralyzed. Not a good feeling at all. It seemed like it took forever for help to arrive. When they did, it was someone from housekeeping with a wheelchair. At this point I couldnt see anything either! Although the staff member was useless, Ed was well trained in getting unconscious people onto stretchers and out of difficult spaces and knew what to do. He covered me with a beach towel and off we went. When we arrived in sick bay, Im told, Ed helped the nurse get me on a bed. I dont recall any of this, being still blind and paralyzed at the time. The doctor came in, and the first thing he did was complain about being awakened from a deep sleep. Not the thing to say to retired emergency personnel! I recall trying to speak and telling him that I had been drugged and I believed it to be a date rape drug." He asked some questions which I recall as bizarre; for example, did I know who did it. Of course not! He then saidI was hyperventilating and needed to calm down. I told him while convulsing that I was calm. My jaw was chattering uncontrollably. I recall them taking my blood pressure and temperature, which both proved normal. Then they wanted to take a blood sample. The nurse took my arm and asked me to make a fist. I couldnt. I still had no feeling or control in my limbs. My speech was back, but almost incoherent at this point. I remember feeling I was going to die. I managed to turn my head to Ed and said Help." He recognized the look in my eyes and knew I was in serious trouble. I felt the staff didnt have a clue what to do, and thought I was going to die then and there! The doctor kept popping in and out, asking questions and saying he was consulting with colleagues. About 3 a.m. they gave me Valium to calm me down. I don't know if it was the wisest thing to do, mixing drugs like that. The nurse asked me to provide a urine sample. I told her that I might be able to but I would need help walking. She said not to worry about it, and to do it when I got back to my room and bring it in the next day. I was released from sick bay about 5 a.m .and was taken back to our room. I then filled the sample cup and left it on the counter for Ed to deliver the next day. About 10 a.m., he took it to sick bay. I stayed in bed, partly because I was still exhausted and partly because I was terrified to leave the room. When Ed brought the sample in, the doctor called him into his office and closed the door. Ed told me the doctor then agreed that I had been drugged and said security would be calling us in our room. When they did, around 11:15, we went to give statements. We then went back to sick bay. I was still having tremors from the drugs in my system and was extremely nauseous. The doctor asked me what I had eaten the night before, what medications I have ever been on, and so forth. I then had to provide another urine sample, this time a supervised one. A nurse and a female security officer were present in the bathroom with me, but did their best to put me at ease. However, tests of the sample revealed only the presence of Valium, nothing else. Apparently tests for "date-rape drugs" such as GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) must be done in a lab. As there are no labs on cruise ships, the sample could not be tested until we reached port in Fort Lauderdale on the 11th, the next day. Then they gave me a shot to help with the nausea, which was becoming extreme, and I returned to my room. Ed called the doctor about 6 pm to give him an update on my condition. He said local authorities would come on board the next morning. He also said that he was sending the samples taken from me forward for GHB testing. That was a relief; someone was actually listening and doing something. Or so we thought. When our ship arrived in Fort Lauderdale, we waited on board for the authorities. They turned out to be from the Port Everglades sheriff's department. We had been told that they would page us, but that never happened; we went to Guest Services to find them. Upon pointing out that we never were paged, we were told that they would simply have stopped us when we activated our room card to show that we were leaving the ship ... in other words, taken aside like a suspected criminal. We told a female officer what had happened. She already had copies of our statements to ship security. She told me there was nothing she could do and gave me the number of our file; we later learned that the FBI had declined to investigate, so the file was 'information only.' When we told her that we both had worked in emergency services she asked if we were actively employed in the field. I think it might have mattered; unfortunately, we are retired. We then left the ship and headed for our hotel to wait until the next day to fly home. Our children had researched GHB for us, and e-mailed some of the information to us. I learned nothing new; I had experienced every single effect of the drug when mixed with alcohol. Now the hard part: proving that someone had given it to me. GHB Side Effects Abrupt, intense drowsiness Decreased body temperature Vomiting Slower, deep respiration Giddiness, silliness and dizziness Temporary amnesia Interference with mobility and verbal coherence Diarrhea Semi-consciousness Seizure Decreased heart rate Coma Sleepwalking Death When we got home to Vancouver, Canada, I went to my personal doctor. I told him what had happened and my symptoms; neither he nor I doubted that I had been drugged. I told him that my urine samples were to be tested and I would try to get the results to him. He then filled out the paperwork for hair testing for GHB." I went to our usual lab, only to find that they dont do that kind of testing there. The technician referred me to Cantest, who said they dont do it either. They referred me to BC Center for Disease Control, but they also dont do it. I couldn't find anyplace that did! An Internet search came up with a couple of places in the U.S. that would, but one test would cost at least $400, assuming they would handle a Canadian. On the 17th, an investigator for Royal Caribbean Cruises, which owns the cruise line in question, called me. He was concerned and apologetic. Unfortunately, cruise lines are not law-enforcement agencies, and lack the authority and powers of regular police. Then he told me shocking news: The samples taken on the ship, which were supposed to be forwarded to a lab, instead were presented to the police officer on board for testing, but she declined to arrange this. So after all this time, they were still on the ship! (I later learned that the FBI decided not to investigate, test the samples, or get involved at all. That's why the police officer who interviewed me was told to do an "information only" file. Ed and I had no idea which authorities were informed, or who was responsible for doing what, nor was there any way to find this out at the time.) By now, unfortunately, the ship was on another 14-day cruise, and was in port in St. Maarten. It wouldn't be back in Fort Lauderdale until the 25th. Because of the passage of time, the samples would be useless by then! I have requested a copy of my medical report from the ship, and will see where that goes. On the 12th a member of the Royal Caribbean 'Care Team' called my home to ask if I had arrived back safely, but I missed the call as I was still in Fort Lauderdale. I returned the call on the 16th and left a message, but have heard nothing back. The 'Care Team' contacts passengers who have been involved in a traumatic incident, but so far I don't feel truly 'cared for.' I have learned that, despite a second request, as of February 25 the FBI was still not planning to take any action in my case. The female police officer of Port Everglades told me she doesn't think her office is following up, but will check with detectives and let me know. The Royal Caribbean investigator was planning to do shipboard interviews with crew members, but so far no news on that either. The urine samples won't be back in Fort Lauderdale until March 10. I am convinced that I was drugged, and am confident that it was GHB. But how can I prove it when the urine samples are spoiled and I have no way to get a test done? Even worse, as an avid cruiser I was shocked to find out that this kind of thing happens all too often. I have been on 19 cruises over 20 years, and this is the first time anything like this has happened to me. It was the first time Id heard of anything like this happening on a ship, but in doing research I came across case after case of assaults, sexual assaults, robberies and worse. It still sickens me. I know that cruise lines are required by law to report anything that happens on board, unlike hotels, motels and resorts. This happens everywhere, but some cases are reported and some are not. Whether at an all-inclusive resort, camping, or a five- or two-star cruise, be careful when you travel! If you suspect that you have been drugged, seek emergency medical attention right away. And be aware that some perpetrators use such simple things as Benadryl and sleeping pills to drug drinks. If you are the victim of a shipboard crime, good luck proving it and getting any form of justice. There are websites out there with tons of information on what to do. I found this one the most helpful: International Cruise Victims Association : http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org/ There are lots of very useful links on there as well. Most of them seem to be aimed at Americans, though. Almost all cruise lines have head offices in the U.S., so it can be difficult for Canadians to get legal assistance. You can also Google cruise line lawyers and may find some help there. Another word of caution. You dont have to be on vacation to be the victim of GHB or any other date rape drug. It happens locally as well. I was shocked to read that our own lovely city of Vancouver has issues with these drugs. Unfortunately, emergency personnel can be lax in responding to such claims. You can imagine how difficult it was for us to hear that. I was the one to send help, now I find out that the help you are sending arent willing to do anything about it. Read the websites of Vancouver Rape Relief and Womens Shelter. http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/resources/ghb-and-women-we-have-some-things-tell-you. Im sure youll be as shocked as I was. __________________ News Editor

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