Crew member death in Cozumel:(

[Trip]

A tragic death of an Allure crew member. So sad for her family, and, the crew family onboard the Allure.

Cruise Crew Member Found Dead in Cozumel - AOL Travel News

[Mike M]

I feel for her and her family. Her last name is actually my wife's mother's maiden name.

I hope they find out what happened and take the necessary action.

Take care,
Mike

[Donna]

Me too, I've always felt fairly save in Cozumel, I hope they find out what happened, how sad for the family, etc.

[ViviW]

Oh my, I'm so sorry for the family. I hope the authorities find out what happened and solve it soon so the family can have a bit of closure.

We have always felt comfortable Cozumel but I suppose things like this happen everywhere.

[Snoozeman]

Tragic. If it was foul play I would bet she knew the guilty person. It will be interesting to see how well this is investigated. It may be she just hit her head on the reef while diving. The southern end is the reef area.

[Queen of Oakville]

How tragic.

I do not at all feel safe in Mexico. We now stay close to the "shopping" area within the port.

[felix_the_cat]

We don't like Mexico at all. I will try my damnest to talk my clients out of going there. I feel it's far too dangerous. I don't know what happened with this poor young person and I doubt we will really ever do. The authorities are notorize for blaming the wrong person.

We were robbed by a couple of cops about 4 years or go or so doing a land vacation. We refused to get off the ship since then. When we were in Cozumel in December we tried getting off the ship. Hired a horse and buggy to take us around the city, but I had to go back to the ship. I realized I was scared silly. I will not get off when we visit there on the Allure at the end of this month.

I see there were two school kids shot to death today just on the border. I know there weren't on a ship - but so what - just shows how bad it is.

[Snoozeman]

It's very bad on the border. When Arizona or Texas tries to pass laws to improve the situation we are accused of being intolerant by National politicians who haven't even read the laws.

[Queen of Oakville]

I guy we met at our dinner table on our last cruise was telling us how, the cops wanted a few hundred bucks for a bogus speeding ticket, but they were willing to let him off with some "time" with one of the girls in his car. He said the whole ordeal terrified him, and he never drove back into Mexico again.

[Trip]

Here is additional information.....troubling ...

Latin American Herald Tribune - Mystery Around Deaths of Cruise Passenger, Crew Member in Mexico

[Snoozeman]

Good find Trip. I had read about the 2nd person in the hospital yesterday. At that time they said that was the tourist.

[felix_the_cat]

This is one of the wierdest things I've read. No matter if it's Mexico or where but what a strange story.

[Donna]

Wow, that article sounds so out there to say the least. I didn't know two people died the same day, one a passenger and the other a crew member...

[Mike M]

The plot thickens. Good catch Trip.

It may very well end up that neither of these were homicides. Definitely the Polish woman's death was not a homicide but it was suicide. The blows to the American woman's face and torso were after death and it is very possible it was an accident.

I hope that it quickly resolved so the American woman's family can have some closure.

Take care,
Mike (Who believes the "Latin America Herald Tribune" writer needs to go back to journalism school.)

[Ron]

Geez--what a way to commit suicide. Hopefully the police can get to the bottom of all this and the public can get the straight of what happened.
This isn't cruise related but still another death of a tourist in Jamaica. A local business man and his girlfriend were visiting Negril , Jamaica and were either walking along a road or attempting to cross
and were struck by a car. The man was killed and the girl friend very critically injured. It was reported that the man tried to shove the lady out of the way just a fraction of a second prior to the impact.They have now flown the lady back here to the hospital and per the local t.v. news this evening, people were donating money to help with the expenses. The man's body was supposed to be returned here Thursday. No real details were given, just that they had been struck by a car and the man killed.
But, with the lady being flown home and people donating money to help with the expenses, it may appear they did not take travel insurance. If you lose the cost of a trip that isn't what breaks people. It's the cost of air ambulance service that can put a dent in your wallet for sure. We certainly hope she makes it.As they drive on the opposite side of the road in Jamaica than here, I wonder if that may have played a part. It's easy to forget just for a second or two and sometimes that's all it takes.

[felix_the_cat]

What a shame. Two Canadians died of drowning in Mexico less than 2 weeks ago. Things happen - and you are so right - insurance, insurance, insurance. The most important thing you can buy for your vacation.

It is difficult to remember to look properly when crossing the road. I'm English and go back and forth so I found early on "look both ways" is absolutley necessary. I do it no matter what country I'm in. It takes but a split second to swing your head in both directions and perhaps, save your life.

[cbatsea]

Originally Posted by Snoozeman

It's very bad on the border. When Arizona or Texas tries to pass laws to improve the situation we are accused of being intolerant by National politicians who haven't even read the laws.

Very true! I would not go into any of the border towns, especially Ciudad Juarez. There are travel warnings from the State Department for all these border towns.

[Skeeter]

Looks like they found her killer!

Man arrested in cruise ship worker's death - Travel - News - msnbc.com

[Trip]

This story is very confusing..this quote frrm the previous link says this: this story is not over I think....


"Meanwhile, Markiewicz died Monday night in the Cancun hospital from lesions caused by the metallic brooch – about 5 centimeters (2 inches) in diameter – that she swallowed, Alor said.
"

[Snoozeman]

The AP confirmed original story version yesterday.

I thought she knew her assailant. It wasn't random.

[Donna]

Ok, the story is making some sense and it wasn't a random or robbery gone bad....There is a thin line between love/hate, sounds like an argument gone wrong, way wrong.

[Queen of Oakville]

But wait a minute, I thought Markiewicz (sp?) swallowed a brooch was in the in hospital?

[Donna]

I thought I read that she actually died from her injuries.....These two stories are bizaar to say the least...

[Trip]

[Mike M]

This is confusing and why I said that the Latin American Herald writer needed to go back to journalism school. His article is really hard to follow but it "seemed" that the Polish woman had committed suicide and that an American woman, Samantha Page Thomas, was the one washed up on shore.

I'll have to go looking for more information.

OK: I've read a couple of more articles and there is NO mention, other than the Latin American Herald article, about Samantha Page Thomas. I also did a news search on "Samantha Page Thomas" and the Latin American Herald article is the only hit I get on that name.

This is weird or just bad journalism.

Take care,
Mike

[Snoozeman]

Man Charged With Allure of the Seas Crew Member's Death -- MIAMI, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

[Trip]

The AP, makes no mention of the American.....the reporting on this, from every angle so far, stinks like old fish.

Guess she swallowed that darn brooch

[Paul Motter]

This is sad - I see that you have all been following this much more than I. I did not see the story about her swallowing a brooch, and now I am confused as well.

The final story made it sound more like a story of a lover's argument. (or some kind of relationship - hard to tell).

I never heard of a crew member getting romatantically involved with an islander before - pretty strange.

In any case, I have gotten to the point where I can't feel empathy for every thing that happens in paradise just because the victim has some kind of remote connection to a cruise ship. There are plenty of web sites that take every little slightly-cruise connected event and try to make it look like organized crime. I am just personally exhausted by the muckraking. I plan to just focus on ships in the future.

[Queen of Oakville]

While I agree with you Paul, what fascinates me is the inconsistency of this story.

From the link that snoozerman posted:

"We thank the Mexican authorities for their commitment to quickly solving the murder of our crew member, Monika Markiewicz. Her untimely death is tragic and has saddened all of us at Royal Caribbean. We have informed Monika's family in Poland of today's news update and we will continue to be in contact with them and to support them during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends," said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International

And the "Mexican Authorities" are to be trusted? I think with everything that is going on ni Mexico right now; you can't trust the "authorities" nor the media. Who knows who controls the truth? The story is what they want us to believe. Interesting that there is no other mention of Samantha Thomas(?)

[Trip]

It appears in this article, they were on 2 different sailings. I dined with Cynthia Martinez, the RCI spokesperson, on the press cruise for the Eclipse..I enjoyed our discussion, very much..She certainly has been busy;(

2nd Royal Caribbean Cruise Passenger Dies on Ship Docked in Cozumel, this Time from a Safety Pin - Hispanically Speaking News