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Confiscated walking cane Oasis last week


firefly333

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I had my little extension cord confiscated and was in the line to retreive items they took. My lighted dial alarm clock could not reach the edge of the desk without it. Like new and its a little 6 footer attached to the clock.

 

They hand searched all the luggage we carried on, and I only did carry ons, so that means they went thru all my underwear and everything else. Just as a warning if you plan to bring anything private. They hand searched everyone's luggage when I was boarding.

 

Their reason was with the extension cord, people might commit suicide. Yep, thats the reason they told me they took the little NEWish 6 ft cord. "people commit suicide with them".

 

... but I think its going a bit far to take away someone's solid wood cane they need for walking. A elderly person who needed it was not allowed a solid wooden cane as it was deemed it could be a weapon. (the guy was in his 70s or 80s and had to do without the support the whole week). So, bring a doctors excuse if you really need your cane.

 

Other than being way too hot for me, and the crazy security at the ship and airport, fabulous cruise.

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... but I think its going a bit far to take away someone's solid wood cane they need for walking. A elderly person who needed it was not allowed a solid wooden cane as it was deemed it could be a weapon. (the guy was in his 70s or 80s and had to do without the support the whole week). So, bring a doctors excuse if you really need your cane.

 

 

You know, if it was almost anyone else, I would cry foul on this report. It just sounds too preposterous to be true. But I believe you, and I am shocked. This is absolutely unacceptable!!

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Actually, RCI had better take a good hard look at the liability issue of taking away a necessary walking aid and then having the passenger fall and get hurt.

 

Goldstein, I am becoming more and more amazed at some of the dicisions being made by this company. How about THIINKING before acting?

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Actually, RCI had better take a good hard look at the liability issue of taking away a necessary walking aid and then having the passenger fall and get hurt.

 

Goldstein, I am becoming more and more amazed at some of the dicisions being made by this company. How about THIINKING before acting?

There has to be more to this story. I have a hard time following what the OP says but if I read it right they saw the cane when they went to retrieve their own item and weren't present when it was confiscated. I have a friend who collects canes and many of have hidden features. I wonder if that was the case with this cane.

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Actually, RCI had better take a good hard look at the liability issue of taking away a necessary walking aid and then having the passenger fall and get hurt.

 

Goldstein, I am becoming more and more amazed at some of the dicisions being made by this company. How about THIINKING before acting?

 

I am starting to wonder about this company. I love the ships and crew but the management leaves a lot to be desired. We are now looking at RCI less and less. They are no longer the same company that they were when I started cruising with them. Sad.

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Hmmm...I can understand hightened security for 9/11, but taking an elderly person's cane is going way too far, unless there is more to this incident than the OP knows.

 

Hi,

I would agree with you, that there might be more to the incident.

Sometimes some of the rules do not make any sense to 'me' because I do not know the whole story.

Cruise lines do not want to make my vacation / cruise any more difficult or stressful, but if safety is the concern ( and I might not see it that way) they have to do what they see as necessary.

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There has to be more to this story. I have a hard time following what the OP says but if I read it right they saw the cane when they went to retrieve their own item and weren't present when it was confiscated. I have a friend who collects canes and many of have hidden features. I wonder if that was the case with this cane.

 

The OP did make an estimate as to the person's age. I would think that means that its being taken away was witnessed or the person was spoken with sometime during the cruise.

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Wow. I think that's a first I've heard about someone using it to commit suicide. And then taking someone's cane saying it can be used as a weapon? Seriously.. Both those reasons don't make sense for embarking a cruise ship.

 

I'm guessing they have some people who are not properly trained and are guessing. They may have been told about the cord not being allowed but forgot why. And that maybe a baseball bat can't be brought on but was confused with a cane because it was a long stick.

 

I work major events and things like this happen at the arena/stadium/ballparks I work at. The security makes mistakes all the time because the either can read (it's spelled out on the box in front of them) or they aren't trained properly, or they just don't care.

 

Firefly - you can ask for an extension cord from your cabin steward next time if they take your cord.

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The OP did make an estimate as to the person's age. I would think that means that its being taken away was witnessed or the person was spoken with sometime during the cruise.

I think they might have seen the person picking up the cane at the same time they were retrieving their extension cord, not sure though.

 

I still think there is more to this than meets the eye. I wonder if they cane owner left it behind somewhere and was retrieving it. I had to go to a mall in my area to see if the mall office had my mother's friend's cane that she had left in a shopping cart. She had laid it on the rack under the basket when she went into the store and had pushed the carriage out to her car after shopping so had never needed the cane to get around. Her floral cane was not turned into the mall office but they had at least a half dozen other canes that had been.

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I think they might have seen the person picking up the cane at the same time they were retrieving their extension cord, not sure though.

 

I still think there is more to this than meets the eye. I wonder if they cane owner left it behind somewhere and was retrieving it. I had to go to a mall in my area to see if the mall office had my mother's friend's cane that she had left in a shopping cart. She had laid it on the rack under the basket when she went into the store and had pushed the carriage out to her car after shopping so had never needed the cane to get around. Her floral cane was not turned into the mall office but they had at least a half dozen other canes that had been.

 

That all makes sense. I just hope that you are right. My father never would have been able to get around on a ship without the aid of a cane to help with his balance. If they ever tried to take away his cane I'd be more than just a little upset.

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Just about anything not locked down on the ship can be a weapon.

 

Cruise lines need to be careful they don't cross the line and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

I am not sure that the act applies to foreign registered ships.

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That all makes sense. I just hope that you are right. My father never would have been able to get around on a ship without the aid of a cane to help with his balance. If they ever tried to take away his cane I'd be more than just a little upset.

My dad would have hit them with it if they tried to take it.:eek::D

 

Maybe the OP will come back and explain more of this story but if they are going to start taking canes, everyone should unload their stock now before all the lawsuits start rolling in from people falling because they couldn't keep their canes.

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I have expierenced first hand secuirty taking my mother's cane away as she was boarding the ship. At times, she has no choice but to walk with it and this partcular time she desparately needed it. The security originally took the cane and placed it through the scanner but then told her to walk through the metal detector....hello, she couldn't even walk the few steps, she needed her cane. After they scanned it, I went and handed it back to my mom so she could walk through the metal dector and they started yelling at me no, she had to walk through on her own. Needless to say we were fighting with the security because my mom was unable to walk without the cane. I even tried to assist her walking the few steps and they would not allow me to assist her through even though I already went throught the metal dector! It wasn't until a RCI employee came over and told the security to let her use the cane to get through.

 

I work for a police dept and totally understand about safety and making sure everyone gets scanned. They could have very easily taken my mom aside and searched her if secuirty was not able to get a true read with the metal dector because of her cane. I know it happens, but as to the elderly person not getting it back, who knows. After the original boarding, she had no problems getting on the ship at the couple of ports we got off at. They scanned the cane then I gave it back to her to walk through. Secuirty on board just kinda doubled checked her as we came back on board.

 

Tina

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When we went to Haiti we purchased a handcarved skull walking stick for my BIL. When we boarded the ship they took it and said we could claim it upon disembarking. I had never given it a thought as a weapon, just thought it was unique for decoration. :(

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Well, in RCL's defense .. only somewhat. I did see the cane, and it narrowed near the end that is on the ground, so maybe having it have a blunt tip maybe was the problem. I saw it. I waited in line about 30 minutes to get my little tiny cord back with all the other rascals. I was in no hurry, so I was letting people get in front of me and seeing the items confiscated.

 

A metal cane is all the same from one end to another, but this cane was carved so it tapered a bit near the end. I saw the cane and the wife who was the one retreiving it who was showing it to us and upset that her husband had to do without.

 

Maybe it was the whole 9/11 and this hand sorting thru my luggage is not typical either.

 

I can only think it was because it was made of wood and not metal and carved in a way they did not like?

 

They confiscated both my wine openers in Miami boarding Liberty OTS last fall too, and I let them go, but I use the cord on my clock at home and wanted it back.

 

Most of the items were obvious.. a large blue candle in a glass. irons, that sort of thing. Interesting and I wasnt in a hurry. I had a friend coming for me to spend the day in Ft. Lauderdale, so I was just getting my cord too, because I wasnt in a hurry this time.

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Wow, I would be upset too, must be more to the story. I always try to find unique canes, never had a problem bringing them on a RC ship, but always had them inspected by security, during disembarking.

 

My sister uses a cane too, but a metal one, that they always send thru the xray machine separately.

 

It really could have been the stepped up security for 9/11 too, or how it was carved. I saw the cane, and it was just a solid wooden cane.

 

Iv also never seen them go thru all carry ons by hand either like they did this time.

 

I dont think we will ever know the whole story, but I did see the cane with my own eyes.

 

PS I see people were wondering why I didnt come back and post more details. I didnt get home until past midnight florida time last night and trying to get caught up today. I just got off the ship yesterday and had a late night flight home to Dallas.

 

As I said my best guess is how the cane tapered near the bottom, they thought it could hurt someone being solid wood.

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