Checked Baggage X-ray Scanning (?)

So my friend just returned from her very first cruise on the Escape. I asked her if she brought any wine on board. She said:

"Yup, 6 bottles. Plus a 60 of vodka, 40 of rum, 8 coolers and 6 beer" Like, whoa!

She said she put them in her checked bags! Don't they x-ray those as well? How on earth would she have managed to get away with all of that?

I'm actually impressed as she must have done some amazing packing!

Yes they do xray them and will usually catch the bottles.

Yes they do xray them and will usually catch the bottles.

Someone was really sleepy that day at work! That's a lot to miss.

that everything a persons says they did is not necessarily what they actually did.

Everything is scanned , both checked bags and carry on baggage.

They are very good at what they do, and a good number of those bags that are flagged, are not carrying anything illicit. That is how thorough it is.

Not saying it did not happen as she said, but it is very questionable.

Nothing to be proud about. Sneaking stuff on the ship. They should have confiscated the alcohol and charged them for the wine.

Guns, they would have been put off the ship right then or at the next port if already underway.

Might seem harsh.....but you do not see fireworks or guns being brought on board.

If they really wanted to stop the booze and wine from coming on, make the punishment more than just a visit to the "naughty room"

Who said anything about guns? :confused: But obviously they do scan every piece of checked baggage, because otherwise there is zero security at the luggage drop-off point. The porters will happily accept anything from anybody who walks up to them, as long as the bags have something that looks like an NCL luggage tag on them. They ask no questions about your identity, or whether you are actually booked on that day's cruise, nothing.

So they have to scan everything, or else anyone could get anything they want loaded onto the ship and *BOOM* :eek:

Under these circumstances, I would hope that the scanners have their priorities in the right place, and keep an eye out more for weapons and explosives instead of bottles and rum runners, but I don't know how things actually work behind the scenes. Ideally, there would be one scan run by the port, according to CBP/coast guard guidelines, looking for truly dangerous/illegal items, and then the cruise line would be free to scan all or part of the luggage again looking for things they simply don't want us to have on board. But I think in reality there is barely enough time to scan everything once, so again the security screening has to take priority.

when you put focus in one area, you are foolish to lose focus on the others.

A common misconception that they can not and should not check for everything.

That would've been one hell of a heavy bag.

That would've been one hell of a heavy bag.

This

and the noise it would have made just lifting it into the x ray:D

Unless maybe it was in carry-ons and they were asked if they had wine, they said yes and were directed to the little table to pay for and just didn't bother. In LA we had a bottle and paid corkage, but it would have been VERY easy with all the groups of people milling about to just avoid the guy at the table who had no clue we were supposed to be seeing him.

Nevermind, I see it says the person said it was in checked bags. Well....in the future it's pretty easy to side step this in LA FYI

I'm assuming your acquaintance didn't attend a "Friends of Bill" meeting while on board? :D

They check everything and the scanners have bottle recognition. Only things packed in plastic may get thru (rum runners ). Surprised they were able to get it on.

Safe sailing

I am skeptical and I think your friend may have been pulling your leg. Six bottles of wine, a big bottle of vodka, a bottle of rum, 8 wine coolers and 6 beers? Sounds a bit ridiculous. Even with a big suitcase that would have taken up at least half the suitcase if packed properly so the bottles don't break.

The part about the wine coolers and six pack of beer sounds especially odd. I suppose some people might be beer afficianados and "have" to have their brand of beer, but a six pack doesn't go very far, especially if your friend seems as alcoholic as her story appears.

DITTO:mad:

 

 

DITTO:mad:

DITTO :mad::mad::mad:

I call bs!

Everything is scanned , both checked bags and carry on baggage.

 

They are very good at what they do, and a good number of those bags that are flagged, are not carrying anything illicit. That is how thorough it is.

 

Not saying it did not happen as she said, but it is very questionable.

In 2014 I was removing my luggage from the cab at Manhattan cruise terminal and the porter asked if he could move the first bag off the curb as I was unloading the others. Inside the airline checked bag were five bottles of wine in a cloth carry bag that I planned on removing and taking through security with me to pay corkage. When I looked up I saw the bag go down a luggage chute out of sight, the porter said it was okay as it already had a NCL luggage tag on it. At check in I asked what to do and was told they would keep the bag and call me down. Once on board I notified the concierge and our butler once in the room. He asked what it looked like and after describing it he went out for a moment and came back with the bag, wine still inside. I asked what I should do and he said to drink it and not worry. It may have helped that we had also ordered liquor and a bar setup in the room. There were also two cases of canned sparkling water in that suitcase that should have caused a look, I believe the people scanning bags are not always paying attention.

I do believe it is true. I just returned on Saturday April 30 on the Escape, here is my experience. I packed 3 bottles of win in my check luggage, I fully intended to pay the $15 per bottle corkage fee. As I exited the shuttle bus, I was immediately asked to leave my bag with the handlers, so I did. As I walked into the terminal I saw a lady at a desk with signage to declare your wine you were bringing on, I then realized that I had forgot about the wine, I asked her if I needed to do anything, she said, no, they will find it. I never saw a specific charge on the bill , so I just let it ride.