You are so wrong. It should never be a bartender’s responsibility if someone drinks too much. I agree that our liberal government have made that the case, but it doesn’t make it right.

Personal responsibility – where has that gone? Am I the only one who still believes in it?

Anyone serving drinks on the cruise is responsible for not over-pouring and not over-serving patrons of the cruise, as is the establishment for which those servers are working. I would also like to think cruise ships are as responsible for their passengers’ safety as an airline is for mine when I board my next flight.

The bottom line is, when you are dealing with a large number of people–adults, children or otherwise–in an enclosed space for any given time, liability is an issue, as is overall safety, and I think anyone–be it one person or 98–falling off a ship for ANY REASON while that ship is cruising demands appropriate attention and remedy.

Chris, I’ve been there before with the kids. Point blank, you lock the balcony door and the kids are not allowed out on the balcony without an adult. Never turn your back on a kid near the railing. My kids are teens and I tell them they aren’t allowed on the balcony without me around. A few years ago, I caught one of them clowning around standing on a table leaning over the rail, I went completely bat$hit on them. Sometimes you have to be mean to keep the worst from happening.
:)

Anita

One assumes he was a young child at the time – but how does one explain an adult climbing on balconies?

What I do not understand is why any adult would try to cross from one balcony to another when she can walk 15 feet (or less) across the cabin to the door? I do think the majority of these incidents can be chalked up to poor decision making…

From the AP:

Cruise Line: Missing Passenger May Have Been Climbing On Balcony
NEW YORK – The FBI is looking into the disappearance of a woman off the side of a cruise ship Sunday night, trying to determine whether the incident was foul play or an accident. The operator of the ship, Norwegian Cruise Line, said Tuesday that initial reports indicate that 46-year-old woman was attempting to climb from one exterior balcony to an adjoining balcony and subsequently fell overboard some 45 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, N.J.
Investigators say the woman and her boyfriend had a stateroom adjacent to a different stateroom occupied by friends. The woman was apparently attempting to climb from one balcony to the other when she fell from the Norwegian Dawn cruise liner headed for Bermuda.
While FBI and Coast Guard officials declined to identify the woman, a source familiar with the case has identified the victim as Mindy Jordan, of New Jersey.
An FBI spokesman said agents with the FBI’s New York office would speak with witnesses to try to learn the circumstances surround the woman’s disappearance.
However, the FBI will not meet the ship when it docks in Bermuda on Wednesday. Authorities in Bermuda will talk to witnesses and employees.
The cruise operator said it is cooperating fully with authorities investigating the cause of the incident.
Rough weather Monday forced the U.S. Coast Guard to stop searching for the missing woman. The cruise ship was headed for Bermuda from New York City when the woman went overboard at about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, just five hours after leaving a Manhattan port, cruise officials said.
In a statement, the cruise line said the ship immediately began a search and rescue operation, but did not provide further details. On Monday, the Coast Guard said continuing winds over 50 mph and heavy rain prevented it from resuming the search. Coast Guard officials said helicopters based in New Jersey and Cape Cod were able to search for the woman fro several hours. Officials said the water temperature was in the 50s and that a person wound not likely survive more than a couple of hours in those conditions.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time,” said Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.
At midnight Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard released the ship and took over search and rescue operations.