ATTACKED ABOARD NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY - AND THEY TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY

We were very excited to go on the Norwegian Cruise Line - specifically, the Norwegian Breakaway out of New York.  It was my girlfriend's first cruise.  We went with a party of twenty.  My sister, brother-in-law, his sister and her family, as well as all the kids.  With this group we have gone on numerous cruises - typically on Carnival - and always loved it.  We saw the Breakaway, wanted to go to Bermuda - and so we switched cruise lines and went with it.  We had no idea what we were in for.  This cruise and everything about it was all about the profit of the cruise line, and not the comfort of its passengers.

On our third night aboard the ship, having already encountered a braick wall at every turn due to a completely overbooked ship -- my girlfriend and I were sitting in the area of O' Sheehan's restaurant - overlooking the Atrium - and watching a movie.  I had just ordered a hot dog - drinking my ginger ale, when suddenly I heard someone a few feet away from me SCREAMING 'are you f***ing kidding me???'  Startled, I turned to my left and saw this man, whom neither one of us had ever seen before - covered in tattoos, bald, gotee mustache - was screaming this at my girlfriend.  He started to walk away, then abruptly stopped, turned and came storming back.  He was screaming the same thing at her - now louder and more menacing than before.  She was very frightened - a realization that prompted me to jump off my stool and tell him to clear out.  At this point, he ran around her while also swinging at me and screaming like a madman.  He must have made contact with the bridge of my nose with a ring, as I felt something cut me.  Fortunately, I was able to quickly subdue him with a headlock.  When he finally stopped struggling, I let him go, as other passengers had come to assist in calming things down.  NONE of the staff working nearby came over to offer any assistance - now a good eight minutes into the incident.  For another 5 minutes or so, he was pacing around the entrance - menacing - pointing fingers - making threats.  Then he went off somewhere out of sight.  FINALLY the security team arrives - and listened to the story.  All witnesses providing accounts of my restraint, and our innocence.  Not too mention, there was a surveillance camera nearby.  They managed to track him down, and isolated him to his stateroom for the night.  My girlfriend and I were escorted down to the infirmary to get some neosporin.  Upon arrival, the person on duty in that area provided the ointment, and then asked it I wanted to see the physician.  I though, why not - just to be sure?  WOULD YOU BELIEVE that he tried to charge me for that - and then dug in and ARGUED with me about it???  Yes, that is what happened folks.  Not only was I attacked by a roving lunatic who also terrorized my girlfriend - moving about the ship in what I was later told by security was an alcohol-induced blackout (God forbid -- what would have happened to her if I was not there?) - now they are telling me that I WOULD HAVE TO PAY for medical services to get myself checked out AND when I tell the guy on duty my thoughts on it - he starts telling me I am wrong - and was HELL BENT to have the last word.  I.e, trying to win an argument.  WOW!!

Next day, my son (15) wanted to go on the zip line.  My cousin took him (adult) along with his son.  They told him his bathing suit was too wet.  So, he went all the way down to his stateroom - changed, and went back up  -- only to be told the SAME THING while wearing a DRY bathing suit!  WAIT - it gets worse.  He then REACHED INTO MY SON'S BATHING SUIT to try and prove his point - which my cousin told me smacked of MOLESTING HIM!!  He went off at this point, did my cousin.  They immediately brought in reinforcements, and down to guest services they went.  A formal complaint has been filed.

I, too am considering filing charges for what happened to my girlfriend and I.

NOT ONLY THAT - they have been repeatedly charging my girlfriend's credit card a $259 charge.  It was taken off TWICE at guest services - with apologies (oh, we are very sorry) - and yet - today when we got home and she checked her card - they CHARGED IT AGAIN!!!

Then - she checked the card that she had originally booked her cruise with (she has two children of her own - we are about to be engaged and this was our first big trip together as a full family) AND NORWEGIAN IS TRYING TO CHARGE HER AN ADDITIONAL $1200!!!

This poor girl - all she wanted to do was go on a nice vacation with her kids.  She was terrorized, experienced terrible room services, and now - forget about the little shops in Bermuda trying to rip her off - that did not happen - it is NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES that is acting as though they stole her credit card information and are attempting and re-attempting to charge her for things she never AUTHORIZED!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention - the guy who attacked me was 'disembarked' -- thrown off the ship in Bermuda along with his wife who, it turns out, resembled my girlfriend.  SO, he had a fight with her, she stormed off, he was roaming the ship in a blackout and in a rage looking for her - saw my girlfriend - and was ready to attack her.  HOW MUCH ALCOHOL DID THEY FEED THIS CLOWN?  It is their job to provide a safe environment.  This guy and people like him are buying the unlimited beverage package - which gives them access to an unlimited supply of alcohol.  You would think that -- at some point, they would flag people.   The head of security -- who shall for now remain nameless - told me flat out that the guy was roaming the ship in a blackout.  He remembered nothing of the incident.  What if he had a knife?  For a period, my  girlfriend and I had not idea if he had gone to get one, or to get more friends - as security was - again, 10-15 minutes into it - STILL NOT PRESENT.  People in and around the general area were commenting aloud .. "isn't there any security personnel on this ship?"

NOT ONE PERSON from Norwegian apologized to us.  And the night before we left the ship - when we went down to guest services to voice our complaints and ask for something to make our trip a bit easier to swallow - the highest level person they considered this to be worthy of getting the attention of was...an ASSISTANT MANAGER.  WOW.

Of course - her position was a scripted and all about their bottom line as they moron in the infirmary.  "I'm sorry sir, we do not provide any form of relief or compensation for anything that occurs on the ship".  Oh, she listened to me tell the story, and waste my breath -- for about 15 minutes - but her response was a foregone conclusion.  And if we want to follow-up, we have a card for the same customer service line you would get if you went in through the main website.  

UNBELIEVABLE.  

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES SUCK - they are all about their own profits - they cared NOTHING and showed no compassion whatsoever for my girlfriend and what she went through - or for me and what I went through.  They did not care.  

STAY AWAY.  THEY ARE TERRIBLE!!!  Carnival was a MUCH better experience.  Smaller and older ship - but good staff who seemed genuinely interested in the customers enjoying their experience - not just charging them for whatever they could REGARDLESS of circumstance,

I will likely follow up with my attorney.  It cannot stand.