If you've ever been on a cruise, you know that you're given an ID card that you use for purchases and for checking off and on the ship at ports. You insert your card into a machine, it reads your card, beeps, and sends you on your way. After our day in Tauranga, we came back on board, I placed my card into the machine and a horrendous siren started blaring. Scared me to death! At first, I figured it was just a glitch, like when your merchandise sets off an alarm at Target and the clerk has to come over and check you. But no, they pulled me aside and said, "You need to see Security!" A Security officer soon arrived, looked at my card, asked me my name and cabin number, then told me to go to my cabin and wait for an officer to come talk with me. I asked what was going on, by now getting worried that there was a family emergency or some bad news they needed to tell me. He said he couldn't tell me and I should just go to my cabin. Of course, this set me into a near panic thinking something had happened to someone in my family and the ship had been contacted. We went to our cabin and waited and waited and no one showed up. I finally called Guest Services, talked with a woman who contacted Security and came back to tell me, "They need to talk to you but they can't come till we have set sail again, so it will be about 45 minutes." I asked if she could tell me what it was about and she said no. She then started telling me she was sure it was nothing, which completely irritated me. I asked her, "How can you know that it's nothing when you just told me you didn't know what was going on?!"
It seemed like forever, but eventually a Security officer called me on the phone to say no one was coming to my cabin but the NZ police needed to talk with me in the morning. Again, I asked what was going on and he said he would prefer that the police told me what it was. I said, "So I am supposed to just sit here all night worrying and wondering what is going on??" By then I had decided it must not be a family emergency or they wouldn't be so cruel to keep me waiting this long. He eventually said, "It's nothing you've done, but there was an incident and we need to talk to some of the passengers."
At some point, it occurred to me that it might be related to the ship's doctor, whom I'd seen early on for a urinary tract infection. It was the day before we got to Pago Pago and I started feeling like I might be getting a UTI. I tried to ward it off myself with lots of water and cranberry juice but it seemed to be getting worse and I didn't want to be miserable for the Tisa's tour. I trudged down to the infirmary and saw the doctor, who was a little odd and basically just asked me, "what antibiotic do you like best?"
During the time that norovirus was running rampant, I heard that a few women had gone to the doctor and he was very inappropriate with them during his examination. I knew that at least a couple of people had reported him, so eventually it dawned on me that this is probably what the Security guy was referring to.
The next morning, I had to go down to Security and speak with the NZ police. They were, indeed, investigating the allegations against the doctor. I really had nothing to offer since he had only spoken to me from behind his desk and did not examine me at all. It was a little anticlimactic after all the drama and secrecy of the previous day! The police officers, a very young looking man and woman, were extremely nice, thoughtful and sensitive to the situation but I think it was a little disappointing that I was no help. AND I think the ship could have handled the whole thing better, that's for sure!
After my interview, we got off in Auckland and spent the day walking around. It was a bit rainy and overcast.
Anyone for a knuckle sandwich?
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