‘Lifes A Brawl With Carnival?’
Punch up in Carnival Dreams Caliente Club
By Mike Groves
The large fight that broke out last week on Carnival’s the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, appears to be yet another example of how the company is clearly set on putting the consumption of alcohol and the profits first before guests safety? The equally unforgivable conduct of the passengers does not escape criticism either, as the brawl was captured on a number of video camera’s and which I have viewed at some length.
You can see the first of two links below, and I agree with one passenger when he complains that some of the security staff appeared more focused on preventing his ‘democratic right’ to film what was occurring around him. The security team can be clearly seen trying to stop him filming as the brawl continued around them. You can view his video via the following link
Carnival Dream was sailing between Belize and Costa Maya when the fight broke out as she neared the western Caribbean Mexican port of Costa Maya. The vessel is based out of Port Canaveral.
Carnival would not say whether anything on the ship was damaged but as always with Carnival, their statement is always contrary to everyone else's – 'why is that I wonder?' Surely they can’t be trying to mislead the public can they by trying to give the impression that A) they didn’t do anything wrong or B) they just prefer to give the impression that all is well on board their vessels so more unsuspecting passengers will board their ships rather than their competitors?
One account stated otherwise, 'I noticed picture frames in a ship gallery shattered and security officers positioned in more visible locations throughout the ship’
'I'd sailed on other ships before, and there was never anything like this that happened on another ship. I think it's disgraceful that they allowed something like this to happen,' he said.
Other passengers reported seeing blood spattered on artwork and several people wearing bandages after the melee. Of course Carnival we believe you, you never cover things up do you?
As always ‘Carnivore’ issued one of their famous SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) statements; do you think they have a computer that does this automatically for them by the way, saying, "The safety and security of our guests and crew is of utmost importance and we will not tolerate behavior that could put any of them at risk."
I have previously expressed my concerns regarding the poor history that this particular cruise line has when it comes to the consumption of alcohol on board, and the apparent disregard towards passengers well-being as a consequence? Looking at the video it certainly appears this brawl was fueled by alcohol as a number of those involved appear to be unsteady on their feet. The ship was also known to be sailing through calm waters at the time?
However there was one other thing that concerned me when I viewed the tapes of this brawl, the actions of the security team! To be frank it was an undisciplined shambles and the security team appeared totally inexperienced or otherwise very poorly trained? There appeared to be no control whatsoever, whether through effective physical or verbal intervention but rather they (security) just ended up falling into the melee themselves. I could see no use of effective restraint holds or the deployment of additional security tools to calm the evident stormy waters on the dance floor.
Security teams do have access to pepper sprays and batons although their deployment would have been a little aggressive in this instance, however they should have taken better control as the cohesive security team they're suppose to be. In addition I could see no ship’s officers present, or anyone else in a position of authority for that matter, taking positive control of the situation.
I wonder if this security team has ever seen or been trained in the Conflict Resolution Model? When on board the Seabourn Pride I put a training package together for the company but like many things, Carnival showed no interest in advancing the security teams knowledge with further training courses. I eventually just trained the staff off my own back whenever I joined a new vessel.
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‘Lifes A Brawl With Carnival?’
Punch up in Carnival Dreams Caliente Club
By Mike Groves QGM
Cruise Bruise Security And Safety Advisor
August 28, 2010
