Bomb Hoax a Good Test

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

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Reader comments:

• I was an American passenger on that boat, and until 8:30 a.m. they only announced that your port was closed and our dive trips were cancelled. We sat for 2 hours and watched 3 other cruise ships off load their passengers into tenders to go ashore on your island... we knew then they lied about the port being "closed". Another announcement later said we were not allowed to disembark, after they had sent 2 of our tenders ashore with our passengers… then around 11 a.m. they said everything was okay and we could go ashore. We finally got to your beautiful island about 12 noon and some local fishermen on the beach referred to our boat as the one with the bomb threat aboard. These were the only people to mention this and Carnival said nothing when we returned at 3 p.m. to the boat... and for the next 4 days of our cruise, they said nothing. Rumors flew around and there were some second hand accounts of an Arabic looking woman being held in the boat's library with police on each side.
  
  We also heard that the person who notified authorities heard her threaten to blow up the boat. Being from New York, he took it seriously and called someone. I am so disappointed in Carnival's secretive approach when we all have learned of 9/11 in New York that these things must be out in the open. I feel that their greed for money drove them to not tell 3,000 passengers who probably would all have gone to your airport to fly back home as they never mentioned the boat was searched and that it was safe. It really ruined a beautiful vacation for the next 4 days. They should have left the Pakistani woman on board to answer to our faces her real intent, which still is not clear from your article. I am happy for your professional response to the situation... perhaps Carnival Cruise Lines can learn something from the Cayman people. Thank you and I hope to return to your island someday to do that scuba diving I so missed! - Ellen Scurich
  
   
• I (a senior citizen from the United States) was on the ship with my two grown sons and their families. We heard it was a bomb threat and I wasn’t scared as I knew we would be put in life boats if it was really serious. It was uncomfortable to wait as we heard two scheduled tours canceled and wondered if we were going to get to go to shore as we really looked forward to visiting Grand Cayman. All in all, the search happened fast. Then we were alerted that the tenders would be starting up again - Betty Carte

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