Cruise Diva's FOCUS
is on
Cruise Travel Safety & Security
Embarkation--Your
Cruise Port & Ports of Call
If
you ever considered just showing up at the pier with your
luggage in hopes of booking a last minute discounted cruise,
forget that idea.
|
It seems almost naive to worry
about whether you can sneak a forbidden bottle of liquor in your
cruising carry-on these days. No one seems to care about contraband
alcoholic beverages in the aftermath of 9/11. Instead, cruise lines
are operating at an ultra high level security mode. Not since
October 1985, when four armed terrorists seajacked the Italian
cruise liner Achille Lauro, have cruise passengers been so
concerned about safety.
Expect heightened security measures
in your embarkation port and ports of call. At check-in you are
liable to notice an increased police and security presence and even
Coast Guard escorts as your ship leaves port.
Cruise lines worldwide have
instituted stricter security procedures, some of which you won't
even be aware. Regent Seven Seas Cruises announced the following
actions for their fleet after 9/11 and other cruise lines have
followed suit:
-
No Guest Visitors
will be permitted aboard any of our vessels. Only visitors
authorized in advance through our Operations Department will be
permitted on board.
-
Identification of
every person embarking a Radisson Seven Seas ship will be
carefully checked. Proper photo identification is required in
all instances to board the ship.
-
All hand-carried
items of both crew and passengers are hand searched in every
port.
-
All luggage is
being scanned.
-
All packages and
provisions brought onboard are scanned with hand-held detection
equipment.
-
Security personnel
are stationed at all points of entry to the ship.
-
In addition, every
ship has professionally trained on-board security officers as
well as many other measures in place to ensure the safety
of all of our guests.
Most cruise line security personnel
are former navy or marine officers with extensive maritime
experience. Some cruise lines recruit on board security personnel
from the ranks of former British Gurkha Regiments. From Nepal, the
Gurkhas are renowned as soldiers of the highest calibre.
With tightened security, passengers
can expect to experience some delays, both during the initial
boarding process and when coming and going in ports of call.
Vehicles may be searched before entry into the port area and luggage
will be scrutinized, either by hand or x-ray. Be prepared to carry a
photo ID along with your boarding pass at all times.
Passenger Sandy
McCluskey
sailed from Los Angeles shortly after 9/11 and
found "Security was amazing." She said, "I was all
but strip searched each and every day, both boarding and getting off
the ship. In addition, Sandy reported, "There were check points
in each port to go on the ship and also to leave the ship. We walked
though the x-ray machine and our bags were searched. No one
complained and the process was amazingly fast. Port Police and Coast
Guard were constantly around the ship in US ports and their
equivalent was present in Mexico. I felt very safe cruising."
And passengers aren't allowed to
embark without proper identification. Sandy stated, "In the
past people have been able to slip on without their birth
certificates or passports, sometimes only bringing a copy of their
passport or birth certificate. Now, don't even think about doing
that! Invest in a passport--we may be using them more and more in
the future anyway. Also you will need a picture ID to get on and off
the ship daily, along with your boarding pass." We're glad
these procedures, and Sandy's advice, are still as important as
ever.
Gone are the days of simple paper
boarding passes. Modern boarding identification cards and scanning
equipment record passenger comings and goings on the majority of
ships. With a swipe through a credit card-like machine, security is
aware of who is on board the vessel at all times. On most vessels, boarding passengers' images are recorded digitally. When
leaving or entering the ships, boarding passes are inserted into
machines which then display passengers' likenesses on screens manned
by security officers.
Futuristic biometric devices, which
involve fingerprints, eye characteristics, or facial landmarks, may
some day be utilized by cruise lines as well as airports. A common
database created by law enforcement agencies could provide instant
identification.
And, if you ever considered just
showing up at the pier with your luggage in hopes of booking a last
minute cut-rate cruise, forget about it. Cruise lines will no
longer accept bookings at the dock.
Back
to Cruise Diva's FOCUS
on Safety & Security
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