A couple from Northern Ireland were surprised when after boarding the Norwegian Jewel, they opened the door to their cabin (# 10039) and were confronted with strangers having sex on one of the beds.

The cruisers in question, Bobby and Mary Jackson, are from a small town north of Belfast and were about to begin their first cruise on what they hoped would be a dream vacation. According to the Sunday Post article titled The Boat That Rocked: Scots Holiday-Makers Stunned to Find Crewman and Mystery Woman Making Waves in Their Cruise Ship Cabin, the cruise couple was embarking on a cruise from Singapore to Thailand when they encountered the two strangers making jiggy jiggy in their cabin.

Ms. Jackson told the newspaper that she was “horrified, what I witnessed was extremely unpleasant.”

The attendant for their cabin subsequently identified the man as a crew member, although the woman engaged in the faire une partie de jambes en l’air was not identified. There is a question whether she was also a ship employee.

The couple complained to guest relations who explained that the ship was full but offered them a £100 ($128) on board credit, which they say “insulted” them. When the Jacksons contacted NCL after the cruise, the cruise line increased its offer of compensation to £200 ($257) each toward a future cruise. (Ms. Jackson also reportedly contracted a gastrointestinal illness during the cruise).

I have written about all type of foolhardy behavior during cruises – read Marketing “Sex at Sea” on Cruise Ships; I suppose that this couple received less than they bargained for on their first cruise, particularly at a cost of £4,800 (around $6,175).  But at least they were not with young kids who saw the spectacle such that they would had to explain for the remainder of the cruise what they witnessed.

NCL appears to be notoriously skimpy when issuing compensation for most inconveniences, if it does at all. But $500 in a credit to two guests for temporarily being delayed entering their cabin while amorous crew members did the deed, does not seem particularly unreasonable, although fresh bed linen would seem to have been in order.

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January 21, 2019 Update:  Here’s the latest – NCL now denied that the incident ever occured, as explained in an article titled Norwegian Cruise Line denies claim crew member used passenger’s cabin for sex.  “The thorough investigation undertaken, including full review of security footage of the corridor where the stateroom was located, does not corroborate the allegation,” the line said in the statement.  In its statement, Norwegian said it operated its ships at the very highest standards. “Any incidents that may fall below these standards are thoroughly investigated and actioned appropriately,” the line said.

The truth of the matter is that few cruise lines keep CCTV images for as long as 4 months, even when crimes are alleged to have occurred. And it does not appear that NCL conducted any type of serious, timely investigation, at least not until the story went viral . . . .

Photo credit: A.jo – Public Domain, commons / wikimedia.