Crew member missing from DCL's Wonder

[peaches magee]

This story has me so distraught. It is very sad that she is just gone and no one really seems to know what happened.

Investigators continued to search for the Disney Cruise Line employee who went missing last week from the Disney Wonder as it was sailing from California to Mexico.

The 1,754-passenger Wonder returned to its homeport in Los Angeles Sunday, as family members of the 24-year-old crewmember met with authorities, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a statement, Disney said "We have been doing everything possible to find Rebecca Coriam including conducting multiple shipboard searches, the latest one as recently as Saturday. In addition, we have been working with all of the appropriate authorities. Rebecca's disappearance has been difficult for everyone at Disney Cruise Line. We've been in close contact with the Coriam family, and we're assisting them in any way we can."

Coriam, a native of Chester, England, works in the Wonder's youth center. The ship was on a seven-night sailing to the Mexican Riviera last week when Coriam failed to report for duty on Tuesday as the ship was at sea heading to Puerto Vallarta from Los Angeles.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force, in charge of the investigation because the Wonder is registered in the Bahamas, said in a statement, "The investigation is still ongoing. Disney is fully cooperating."

The L.A. Times report said that Coriam's father spoke briefly Sunday morning with local television station KABC-TV, saying, "It's just, just very, very painful. And the thought of not seeing her again, I don't know, it's frightening to think about it, really."

Disney said that the Wonder departed the Port of Los Angeles yesterday as scheduled for its next seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise. The Wonder began operating seven-night cruises along the Mexican Riviera in January.

usatoday.com

[azam527]

That is sad. Hopefully she is found and is alright. My prayers are definitely with her family

[peaches magee]

Just caught this newer article... I guess they have officially called off the search. Very sad indeed.

Disney Cruise Line says the Mexican Navy has called off the search for the crewmember who has been missing from Disney Wonder since Tuesday. The 1,754-passenger ship returned to Los Angeles as scheduled on Sunday and is now sailing on its next Mexican Riviera cruise.

The BBC names the woman as 24-year-old Rebecca Coriam, a youth counselor from Chester, England.

According to Disney spokeswoman Christi Erwin Donnan, the crewmember was reported missing Tuesday morning when she failed to report for duty. Several thorough inspections of the ship were conducted, one as recently as Saturday.

The line's latest statement says it has "been working with all of the appropriate authorities. Rebecca's disappearance has been difficult for everyone at Disney Cruise Line. We've been in close contact with the Coriam family, and we're assisting them in any way we can."

ABC News reports that Coriam's parents and aunt flew to Los Angeles to meet the ship. "We just don't know what happened to her, do we?" Rebecca's mother, Ann Coriam, said in an ABC television interview. "And that's just the worst. We've got to find out what happened."

According to the Coriams, Rebecca's roommate says Rebecca placed a phone call to a friend early Tuesday, just hours before failing to show up for her shift. "They say they know what the conversation was, but they're not telling us," her cousin, Trish Davies, told ABC. "They say they've got to wait for the investigation." However, the Coriams say they aren't sure that Rebecca was ever on the ship at all and would like proof.

The line has been in contact with the F.B.I. and the Bahamian Maritime Authority, which is leading the investigation on this matter. (Disney Wonder is registered in the Bahamas, and so the flag state takes the reins in this case.) The Mexican Navy out of Cabo San Lucas conducted a search along the ship's route, which has now ended. Authorities have also "spoken with the crewmember's colleagues to gather as much information as possible," according to another Disney statement.

Disney Wonder was sailing a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise out of Los Angeles. The ship was at sea Monday and Tuesday, when the crewmember went missing.

cruisecritic.com

[1rocky]

that is so sad
thoughts and prayers are with rebecca and also with her family as everyone tries to find her.

[mbblong01]

This is way past sad.

[tigger for 4]

wow makes you think especially after that one guy went missing on his honeymoon (there is a lifetime movie about it, something honeymoon, it was just recently on) on a cruise ship, but this is now a second one and then we have the Natalie Hollowell (sorry if I misspelled her name) story, that we are not as "safe" as we think when we travel and sad things happen to good people and we have to be so much more pro active of our surroundings. thank you peaches for sharing this story and my heart goes out to this family and I hope this is just a huge misunderstanding and she is somewhere safe.

[Return_of_Phos]

This sounds sketchy especially in the second article where it said that the family thinks that she never got on the ship and they want proof that she was on it

I guess the girl became suicidal and jumped off the ship

[tigger for 4]

I know as a passenger as you exit and enter the ships you have to slide you key card and I would think they would make the staff do the same, on some ships they also have your face on the key for extra reference, I noticed that it is strange that Disney is not one of the ships that partakes in that extra security. So either someone else got on the ship as her or they didn't check or they as staff don't need to swipe a card. Hope they get this all taken care of and the end result is a positive one, that family must be in pure agonie right now.

[SirScott99]

That's so weird..... its freaking scary and sad . I can't believe a person just randomly disappeard thats a mind stumper isn't it? The thing thats messed up even more is that the family isn't being told the contents of the conversation between Rebecca and her roommate and that the family also said they don't believe she was even on the ship in the first place

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

Huh?? I'm a bit confused about the family saying they don't know if she was ever on the ship at all. The ship leaves on Sundays from the Port of LA, she wasn't missing until Tuesday morning...so obviously she was onboard. One of her fellow crew members would have noticed in those two days.

And the day before she went missing was a sea day, so it's not like they were in port somewhere in Mexico and she was killed in port.

I agree with Phos. It's really the only likely thing to happen. Although, pretty sure you don't just "become" suicidal. Also, supposedly they have cameras EVERYWHERE including pointed overboard, so yea. It's still really sad

Tigger, if you're over 18 you also need your a photo ID when get on and off the ship. They also take your picture when you check-in that comes up when it's swiped. Not really sure why it would be necessary to have 3 pictures.

And I think what people aren't realizing is that they're not dealing with the US Authorities, but the Bahamas ones which have a completely different set of Laws and ways they go about investigations which probably explains about the phone call thing.

[Phylers]

I don't mean to sound flip, but it could be foul play. Hasn't everybody seen The Lady Vanishes? Or any number of past news reports? It's not common, but I wouldn't call it rare for people to go missing from cruise ships.

It's a little disheartening that the ship didn't immediately return to port, though. Likewise that it launched for the next cruise before authorities could really investigate it. Personally, I see this as a pointed issue when considering cruise ship licensing. Sure, you can drink underage and smoke Cuban cigars (and the companies get fat tax breaks), but - heaven forbid - anything goes wrong, you're stuck with foreign police forces.