Regina family's dream vacation in Cuba turns to 'nightmare'

Regina family's dream vacation in Cuba turns to 'nightmare'
The Morrison family says money, jewelry taken from the safe in their
hotel room
By Peter Mills, CBC News Posted: Feb 05, 2016 10:30 AM CT Last Updated:
Feb 06, 2016 8:45 AM CT

Members of a Regina family say their dream vacation in Cuba "turned into
a nightmare".

Kelly Morrison, her husband Steve, and their two children, stayed at the
Memories Resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.

"Everything was great for the first few days," Kelly Morrison said in a
news release. "That all changed, however, last Saturday."

'It was clear they didn't believe our story. They thought we made up the
whole thing.'
- Kelly Morrison

On the morning of Jan. 30, Morrison opened their hotel room safe and
found her wedding rings and money were nowhere to be found. She said
about $170 Cdn and 130 Cuban convertible pesos (worth slightly less than
$200 Cdn.) was missing.

When Morrison reported it as a theft to the hotel staff, they were told
to fill out a report. That's when Morrison said she was interviewed by
the resort's staff.

"Rather than an interview, it became an interrogation," she said. "It
was clear they didn't believe our story. They thought we made up the
whole thing."

Morrison said security staff at the resort then went to their hotel room
to search the family's belongings. The missing items were not found.

According to Morrison, they were then told by the resort staff to leave
everything in their rooms, including their passports. The family was
moved to another part of the resort.​

Peter Mills @TweeterMillsCBC
Morrison says language barrier didn't help things, but when she reported
theft, she says resort made her feel guilty
6:24 PM - 5 Feb 2016

After a few hours of waiting, Morrison said the resort told the family
they could move back to their room and get their belongings, but only if
they withdrew their statement alleging a theft from their safe.

"Obviously, they were only interested in keeping this incident quiet,
rather than helping us," Morrison said. "They refused to believe anyone
else was in our room. They even threatened to kick us out of the hotel
if we 'made a scene' and told other guests about what happened."

'I'm more upset about the loss of my three rings, including my wedding
and engagement bands.'
- Kelly Morrison

When Morrison reached the Canadian embassy in Varadero, Cuba, they were
told it would be best to retract their statement.

After the less-than-relaxing winter getaway, Morrison said it's not the
missing money that bothers her the most.

"I'm more upset about the loss of my three rings, including my wedding
and engagement bands," she said. "But worst of all, by far, is the way
we were treated. Obviously, I would advise everyone to stay as far away
as possible from Memories Santa Maria. I guarantee we'll be choosing
another destination for our next family vacation."

On their next family vacation, Morrison said the family will also be
leaving their valuable belongings at home.

CBC contacted the resort for comment, and the company said it will be
issuing a statement later today.

Resort and Sunwing Vacations respond

Sunwing Vacations, which Morrison travelled with, replied to CBC in an
email. It said a destination representative assisted Morrison from the
time it was reported, to the time of her departure.

"Unfortunately Sunwing cannot assume responsibility for items which are
lost or stolen in destination, but our destination services team acts as
an advocate on behalf of the customer to work towards the best possible
outcome for any matter which is reported to us," the email reads.

A spokesperson with Blue Diamond Resorts also emailed CBC, saying there
is a protocol to be followed every time a customer reports a theft. This
includes "clearing and documenting the scene, pulling and reviewing the
relevant activity logs on the door and/or safety deposit box, filling
out an incident report, contacting the destination representative from
their tour operator, and involving the local authorities."

"We are very apologetic for the situation," the email reads. "But the
matter was turned over to the local authorities, with whom we've fully
cooperated."

Corrections

An earlier version of this story said 130 Cuban pesos (approximately $7
Cdn.) was missing. CBC was told Kelly Morrison was using the Cuban peso.
In fact it was the Cuban convertible peso, which would convert to
slightly less than $200 Cdn.
Feb 05, 2016 7:25 PM CT

Source: Regina family's dream vacation in Cuba turns to 'nightmare' -
Saskatchewan - CBC News -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/regina-family-dream-vacation-cuba-turns-to-nightmare-1.3435425