I would like to thank Carnival Cruise Lines for their handling of the incident that took place the week of January 12-16 2009. I was aboard the Carnival Paradise that called at Santa Catalina Island and Ensenada Mexico. At some point during the voyage an elderly couple was discovered missing, however there was no announcement made to the passengers. I recognize the sad nature of the event and send my thoughts and prayers to the family, but it was nice to complete our vacation without the burden of this sad news.
I have spent the last several minutes reflecting on the layout of the ship. It must have been difficult for the couple to commit this act. The news report stated that their balcony door was open and the main door to their cabin was double locked from the inside, which suggests that they departed from their balcony door. The only rooms with Balconies that I am aware of were on the Lido deck near the Bridge. These rooms were above and set back from the Promenade deck; in order for them to jump overboard, they would have had to jump down from the Lido to the Promenade and then get around the enormous lifeboats and hoists that they are attached to. The bridge has windows that face toward this deck area on both sides of the ship. I would think a member of the bridge crew would have caught a glimpse of an elderly couple climbing down the railing to the lower deck before they jumped. Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts.
