FL FL - Kevin McGrath, 26, missing from a cruise ship, Miami, 4 Sept 2023

[BetteDavisEyes]

I kept digging and found this report from just hours ago.

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

www.tcpalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE − A local man whose son disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend said Wednesday he’s hoping for information.

“Even if it's something for closure,” Sean McGrath said. “We just want to not get up every day and not know where he is or what happened to him.”...

“I spoke to him around 10 p.m. and just went to the room to give him his luggage tags and tell him to meet us downstairs for breakfast about 7:30 a.m.,” Sean McGrath said...

Sean McGrath didn’t know what could have happened to his son.

“At this point, I can't really say because it was verified that he did not go overboard, and he did not get off the ship via the (pass) being scanned,” Sean McGrath said...

“I think the worst part of this all is if we never ever see him again,” Sean McGrath said. “I'm like 60 years old, I could possibly die soon and never know what happened. We basically just want some answers.”...

So, Dad saw Kevin at @10:00PM in his stateroom. We now know that Kevin was definitely on the ship the night before disembarkation.

 

[SleuthyQ]

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

So here’s the newest article out.

 

[SleuthyQ]

I kept digging and found this report from just hours ago.

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

www.tcpalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE − A local man whose son disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend said Wednesday he’s hoping for information.

“Even if it's something for closure,” Sean McGrath said. “We just want to not get up every day and not know where he is or what happened to him.”...

“I spoke to him around 10 p.m. and just went to the room to give him his luggage tags and tell him to meet us downstairs for breakfast about 7:30 a.m.,” Sean McGrath said...

Sean McGrath didn’t know what could have happened to his son.

“At this point, I can't really say because it was verified that he did not go overboard, and he did not get off the ship via the (pass) being scanned,” Sean McGrath said...

“I think the worst part of this all is if we never ever see him again,” Sean McGrath said. “I'm like 60 years old, I could possibly die soon and never know what happened. We basically just want some answers.”...

So, Dad saw Kevin at @10:00PM in his stateroom. We now know that Kevin was definitely on the ship the night before disembarkation.

Has anyone seen an official statement about whether KM’s luggage was still in his stateroom? If his dad saw him and handed him luggage tags at 10PM then IMO he would have been in the process of getting packed up to put his luggage in the hall for pick up. According to the info from the Carnival website luggage is to be put out between 9PM and 11PM.
Preparing for Debarkation Day | Carnival Cruise Line

 

[Kakidoll]

Has anyone seen an official statement about whether KM’s luggage was still in his stateroom? If his dad saw him and handed him luggage tags at 10PM then IMO he would have been in the process of getting packed up to put his luggage in the hall for pick up. According to the info from the Carnival website luggage is to be put out between 9PM and 11PM.
Preparing for Debarkation Day | Carnival Cruise Line

And see, this can't be right either... luggage tags are left IN YOUR CABIN so Dad wouldn't have had his luggage tags. and yes, luggage HAS to be out before 11pm, they actually want it by 10pm if possible. And you don't need luggage tags if your take your luggage with you. a 3 day cruise.... i don't see you putting bags out. i go for 8 days and carry my own off... Just not adding up. JMO

 

[SleuthyQ]

And see, this can't be right either... luggage tags are left IN YOUR CABIN so Dad wouldn't have had his luggage tags. and yes, luggage HAS to be out before 11pm, they actually want it by 10pm if possible. And you don't need luggage tags if your take your luggage with you. a 3 day cruise.... i don't see you putting bags out. i go for 8 days and carry my own off... Just not adding up. JMO

IMO it doesn’t add up either. You are correct, your stateroom steward does leave your luggage tags in your stateroom for you on the last day. We are lazy and never self assist off the ship even on a short cruise but our steward always leaves them for us. I don’t understand why anyone else would have had luggage tags for him. Did they also have his brothers? None of it, NONE of it makes sense.

 

[KMouse]

And see, this can't be right either... luggage tags are left IN YOUR CABIN so Dad wouldn't have had his luggage tags. and yes, luggage HAS to be out before 11pm, they actually want it by 10pm if possible. And you don't need luggage tags if your take your luggage with you. a 3 day cruise.... i don't see you putting bags out. i go for 8 days and carry my own off... Just not adding up. JMO

It depends on the cruise line. I just cruised NCL and we picked up our tags from a table near Guest Services. We tagged our bags and then then put them in the hallway. I could have grabbed a pile and handed them out to others if I had a need. I am not sure how Carnival does theirs. RCCL and Disney bring them to you.
However a 3 day cruise.....I can't see a need for anything more than a carry on bag for such a short time.

 

[Cedars]

IMO, there must be corridor cameras that show people entering and exiting rooms. That would be the most basic aspect of security. So I think they know whether that was him entering at 3:30 am, and whether he ever left.

I don't personally have 100% faith in technology, such as 'overboard detectors'. Those are mighty big ships. And what happens if it detects something?

JMO, cruiseline will stall as long as possible, just in case. They won't rush to deliver bad news.

JMO

 

[JenniD]

It depends on the cruise line. I just cruised NCL and we picked up our tags from a table near Guest Services. We tagged our bags and then then put them in the hallway. I could have grabbed a pile and handed them out to others if I had a need. I am not sure how Carnival does theirs. RCCL and Disney bring them to you.
However a 3 day cruise.....I can't see a need for anything more than a carry on bag for such a short time.

On carnival you pick up luggage tags if you don’t self assist . His father may have picked up tags for the whole family so they would all be in same zone and disembark together.

 

[ch_13]

I have mixed feelings about this. One thing is not like the other. This TT person is referring to a standard form that's sent to every passenger a few days after they disembark for a review of their experience. It's a standard of many industries including restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, and packaged vacations asking for feedback. If you were staying at a hotel where a guest never returned to the room the hotel management isn't going to involve all the other guests by putting a flyer under the door or calling every room about a missing guest. Just like missing people on land, between 80 and 90 percent are found or show up because there was some misunderstanding. And in this case, it doesn't help that the family can't or won't provide tighter timelines of when they last saw their family member. She's equating things that have nothing to do with each other.

Even on the ship, when the family notified the ship personnel there was a very small window of time that would have been available to advise guests. If you've ever been on a cruise ship that last morning before you disembark it's pretty hectic. There's people in the hallways dragging their own luggage out, some put their luggage out to be picked up by porters. Some people have one last breakfast. Some people wait till the bitter end before getting off. It's like getting off a plane some people are already organizing their carryon luggage and standing in the aisles the minute the plane stops moving where other people just sit until everyone's out. I don't think you can fault the ship at not advising people about KM during that small window of opportunity. All of the searching done by the Coast Guard was done after the passengers were off the ship. The ship itself would have been searched after the family advised the authorities he was missing which was when he didn't show up for breakfast on September 4th. How should they have advised the passengers in that time frame?

As you say, the feedback email is likely automated so I don't blame the cruise line for sending that out. And sure, they couldn't have notified the passengers about a missing person in that short window prior to everyone leaving the ship.

But since they have everyone's email addresses, why couldn't they have also sent out a second email saying "Did you see this person? Please contact the authorities if you have any information." It wouldn't have even cost the cruise line anything.

If they had sent out a notification within 48 hours of docking then perhaps someone might have remembered something important: Did they see Kevin drunk? Walking out on the deck? Arguing with another passenger?

In fact there's nothing stopping Carnival from sending out the email right now. It's a long shot after 10 days and I know the lines would prefer to sweep these kinds of incidents under the rug. However, in my opinion giving the McGrath family some peace of mind should trump their PR concerns.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I was curious about the layout of the ship. A view of crew quarters on a Carnival ship, including crew pools:

Places On A Carnival Cruise Ship For Crew Members Only

Want to know where the crew members hang out? The crew bar is just one of many places which are popular on a Carnival cruise ship. Let's take a look at the "Crew Only" areas.

www.cruisehive.com

Conquest deck plan and room views:

https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/Ships/CQ/DeckPlans/carnival-conquest-deck-plan-pdf

Carnival Conquest | Conquest Cruise Ship | Carnival Cruise Line

Master the art of cruise ship fun aboard Carnival Conquest. See photos, deck plans, plus room and itinerary options. Book your Carnival Conquest cruise today.

www.carnival.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"I'll stress that people don't just fall over the side," said Salerno. "There are railings and they're pretty high. It's almost always the result of an intentional act."

The CVSSA requires passenger vessels to have rails that are "located not less than 42 inches above the cabin deck." Many cruise ships complied with that even before the law was enacted, according to Cmdr. Jason Kling, Detachment Chief at the U.S. Coast Guard's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise, which conducts compliance inspections of cruise ships embarking passengers in U.S. ports or embarking U.S. passengers.

Why do people go overboard on cruises?​

Alcohol can play a role in overboard incidents, said Michael Winkleman, a maritime attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., who has represented travelers in overboard cases. "Usually, it's just people not making smart decisions because they're dramatically overserved and they end up going over," he said.

He noted that cruise lines have procedures in place to prevent overserving passengers, but in instances when a passenger believes the cruise line contributed to their going overboard, Winkleman said, they could bring a lawsuit. Most suits of that kind are resolved with confidential settlements

What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

Cruise ship overboard detection aim to cut down the response time when someone goes overboard. So, why doesn't every ship have them?

www.tcpalm.com

 

[#JUSTICE4WILDER]

Was Kevin married?

 

[branmuffin]

As you say, the feedback email is likely automated so I don't blame the cruise line for sending that out. And sure, they couldn't have notified the passengers about a missing person in that short window prior to everyone leaving the ship.

But since they have everyone's email addresses, why couldn't they have also sent out a second email saying "Did you see this person? Please contact the authorities if you have any information." It wouldn't have even cost the cruise line anything.

If they had sent out a notification within 48 hours of docking then perhaps someone might have remembered something important: Did they see Kevin drunk? Walking out on the deck? Arguing with another passenger?

In fact there's nothing stopping Carnival from sending out the email right now. It's a long shot after 10 days and I know the lines would prefer to sweep these kinds of incidents under the rug. However, in my opinion giving the McGrath family some peace of mind should trump their PR concerns.

Personally, I think it would be counterproductive to send out such an email to the passengers on the cruise. First of all, eye witnesses are notoriously unreliable. And asking someone to recall something 10 days later when they could possibility have been inebriated would just send LE on a wild goose chase to verify the information.

I can't believe it's taken 10 days for the family to provide the information re the luggage tags. Ten days later we're adding that piece of information to the timeline. Information is being eked out by family members in fits and starts. Forty people at a celebration and so far we've only heard from a couple of them. Why? Why haven't they joined forces to provide a cogent timeline of Kevin so there is somewhere to start? Like I said earlier, I believe the hesitancy to provide an accurate timeline is because they are just as in the dark as we are in regards to Kevin's movements.

The reality is that no one expects a tragedy to occur on a fun-based outing. The focus is living in the moment not tracking someone's activity. It's possible Kevin did go overboard regardless whether the cruise line says otherwise. They don't say he didn't go overboard, just that their security systems didn't register that.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

On carnival you pick up luggage tags if you don’t self assist . His father may have picked up tags for the whole family so they would all be in same zone and disembark together.

This makes sense when people are traveling with a large group. Some years ago, DH and I went on a AAA President's cruise with about 200 guests from metro Detroit. One of the AAA travel agents we worked with for various trips was going on the cruise and encouraged us to join her. Hosts from AAA handled everything to make our flights/cruise/hotel accommodations an enjoyable experience. While on a much smaller scale, Kevin's parents might have worked in tandem with Carnival staff to make the group trip go smoothly. JMO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Was Kevin married?

Divorced, with two children who live with their mother in Tennessee. Will get link...

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

www.tcpalm.com

...Sean McGrath said Kevin McGrath served six years in the U.S. Army and went to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. He is divorced and has two young children living with their mother in Tennessee...

 

[Kakidoll]

On carnival you pick up luggage tags if you don’t self assist . His father may have picked up tags for the whole family so they would all be in same zone and disembark together.

On carnival you pick up luggage tags if you don’t self assist . His father may have picked up tags for the whole family so they would all be in same zone and disembark together.

you COULD pick up extra luggage tags.. but they ARE delivered to your stateroom attached to a letter about disembark timelines etc. I truly doubt ALL 40 people left at the same time. <modsnip> Did they all drive together? Did some fly in? bus? Its hard enough to find everyone at one spot the last day. There are lines at elevators, lines to scan your sign and sail to get off the ship, then go thru customs. People are split up for different lines. I cruise with 1 or 2 people, solo and also with groups of a 100plus. Those we say our goodbyes the night before...
If Dad saw him at 10pm in his cabin... he left his cabin at LEAST once after. Many are out the last night partying for teh last night. Club is packed, comedy, Pizza..... If he was single i bet he made friends....... who know WHO he was with that last night <modsnip>

 

[KMouse]

"I'll stress that people don't just fall over the side," said Salerno. "There are railings and they're pretty high. It's almost always the result of an intentional act."

The CVSSA requires passenger vessels to have rails that are "located not less than 42 inches above the cabin deck." Many cruise ships complied with that even before the law was enacted, according to Cmdr. Jason Kling, Detachment Chief at the U.S. Coast Guard's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise, which conducts compliance inspections of cruise ships embarking passengers in U.S. ports or embarking U.S. passengers.

Why do people go overboard on cruises?​

Alcohol can play a role in overboard incidents, said Michael Winkleman, a maritime attorney with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., who has represented travelers in overboard cases. "Usually, it's just people not making smart decisions because they're dramatically overserved and they end up going over," he said.

He noted that cruise lines have procedures in place to prevent overserving passengers, but in instances when a passenger believes the cruise line contributed to their going overboard, Winkleman said, they could bring a lawsuit. Most suits of that kind are resolved with confidential settlements

What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

Cruise ship overboard detection aim to cut down the response time when someone goes overboard. So, why doesn't every ship have them?

www.tcpalm.com

I would like to know how many times his card ma have been scanned for drinks. I have seen people overserved and it's a liability waiting to happen. I complained to guest services on my last cruise and they told me all their bartenders are trained to recognize these situations.

 

[branmuffin]

I would like to know how many times his card ma have been scanned for drinks. I have seen people overserved and it's a liability waiting to happen. I complained to guest services on my last cruise and they told me all their bartenders are trained to recognize these situations.

If people continue to tip many servers continue to serve. It happens on land, too.

 

[modesty blaise]

Kevin and tamia's are such strange cases.

 

[LadyL]

My general thoughts are that none of the celebrants had ever been on a cruise ship and didn't really know the protocol. That protocol being that arrival back at the ship goes a lot smoother if each passenger has their own ID on their person to go through security instead of a whole gaggle of individuals crowding around the gangway causing slowdowns. Maybe something like that might work at Disney when a lot of kids are involved but not when the cruisers are adults. If you want to keep the ID for your young children that makes sense but one person holding on to upwards of 40 ID cards is ridiculous and just causes mayhem.

did she hold them for the entire party? I thought she held them for her immediate family members only