Taking a drone on our cruise?

[Dizzneefan]

Next month I, DW, DS and his girlfriend on the Dream. Yesterday he bought a DJI Phantom 3 Drone and is thinking about taking it on the trip. Of course he would not use it while on board but would like to use it while in ports. Not knowing the rules of these ports I am concerned that they might confiscate it and that is even IF Carnival would allow it on board. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

[seashinesunshine]

Next month I, DW, DS and his girlfriend on the Dream. Yesterday he bought a DJI Phantom 3 Drone and is thinking about taking it on the trip. Of course he would not use it while on board but would like to use it while in ports. Not knowing the rules of these ports I am concerned that they might confiscate it and that is even IF Carnival would allow it on board. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

 

According to John Heald, they are not allowed on the ship, doesn't matter if you use it or not. I don't blame you guys for wanting to take it, I have seen some really cool footage of the beaches and ocean taken with a drone. :)

[hftmrock]

according to the Carnival Website

 

RESTRICTED ITEMS LIST (ITEMS FOR PORT USE ONLY)

 

The following items may be brought on board but can only be used off the ship, for port use only. All items must be stored in the guest’s stateroom.

 

Drone Cameras

Snorkel gear

Skateboards

Golf clubs

Fishing rods

Tennis rackets

Kites

Roller blades or skates

Collapsible wagon

Metal detectors

Boogie Boards (maximum 42 inches in length)

Beach chair

Umbrella

[Hog Rider]

Next month I, DW, DS and his girlfriend on the Dream. Yesterday he bought a DJI Phantom 3 Drone and is thinking about taking it on the trip. Of course he would not use it while on board but would like to use it while in ports. Not knowing the rules of these ports I am concerned that they might confiscate it and that is even IF Carnival would allow it on board. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

 

You can use drones in the ports. Can't fly on the boat though.

[Micahs Grandad]

You can use drones in the ports. Can't fly on the boat though.

 

Sounds like a fun thing to do:)

[Pyrate13]

you can take it on the ship but only use it in port. That being said, if it was me I would check with the individual ports to make sure it was within the local regulations. Hate to have it confiscated if the country or local laws don't allow it.

[tommytune42]

OP this is a great idea, and I wish you the best, but I want to reaffirm what others have said here. Yes, it will be allowed on the ship and, as you have already said, you will not be able to use it on the ship. The usage in the various ports will be subject to the various laws of each country. A friend and I are going to Norway in a few weeks on a cruise, and he has had to register his drone with the Norwegian Aviation Authority (just like he had to register it with the FAA here in the States) to be able to fly it legally. He was able to work through DJI to get that information. On their web site they have a link that will give you information on what countries you need to register to be able to use it. The process itself was fairly simple--took him a couple of minutes once he found the website. Your mileage may vary....

[Trumpster]

you can take it on the ship but only use it in port. That being said, if it was me I would check with the individual ports to make sure it was within the local regulations. Hate to have it confiscated if the country or local laws don't allow it.

 

They may also confiscate the drone operator. :cool: Missing the ship because you are at a police station as they sort it all out sounds not promising. ;)

[Trumpster]

OP this is a great idea, and I wish you the best, but I want to reaffirm what others have said here. Yes, it will be allowed on the ship and, as you have already said, you will not be able to use it on the ship. The usage in the various ports will be subject to the various laws of each country. A friend and I are going to Norway in a few weeks on a cruise, and he has had to register his drone with the Norwegian Aviation Authority (just like he had to register it with the FAA here in the States) to be able to fly it legally. He was able to work through DJI to get that information. On their web site they have a link that will give you information on what countries you need to register to be able to use it. The process itself was fairly simple--took him a couple of minutes once he found the website. Your mileage may vary....

 

Norway's laws and Civil aviation authority might be a bit more on the ball and sophisticated than many Caribbean government authorities. :D

[Purvis1231]

I found Mexican marines do not like to have their picture taken. I wonder how they feel about drones?

[justcrusn]

An issue might be whether it is legal to operate the radio up and downlinks there.

U.S. Radio frequencies are different than other countries.

The agency that is the equivalent of the FCC might be interested in your use of their radio spectrum! I believe there are ways to change that in the setup so be sure you use your due diligence. Then the issue of is it legal (and safe) to fly.

In the u.s. You must be 5 miles from an airport, most cruise terminals tend to be near airports so it might or might not be legal to fly there.

 

I have the same UAV as the FAA calls them, and while it's very advanced and generally safe to fly, including a feature that will automatically return and land at the take off point in case of loss of signal, it's complicated to fly legally here in the USA, I would be very careful before trying that in another country.....

[loxley]

If he is prepared to lose it, take it.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[AtSeaWithChris]

It's my understanding that you can't even bring it on the ship.

[stargate fan]

Norway's laws and Civil aviation authority might be a bit more on the ball and sophisticated than many Caribbean government authorities. :D

 

 

cruiseline dot com/advice/cruising-101/all-about-cruising/5-very-weird-things-about-cruising

 

Quoting #2:

"You shouldn’t wear camouflage.

Wearing camouflage-style clothing on many Caribbean islands (including Grenada, Barbados, Jamaica, and St. Kitts) is against the law because people have tried to impersonate local police or military officials to harass or rob people. If you’re seen wearing camouflage clothing while in port, the real police on these islands may ask you to change your clothes or — worse — charge you a fine or even arrest you."

 

If camouflage clothing is illegal, then how are drones and their operators treated?

[Pyrate13]

It's my understanding that you can't even bring it on the ship.

 

According to Carnival web site, yes you can, just cannot be used on the ship.

[hftmrock]

It's my understanding that you can't even bring it on the ship.

 

see my post above (post #3)

[moosenaroundtheship]

Next month I, DW, DS and his girlfriend on the Dream. Yesterday he bought a DJI Phantom 3 Drone and is thinking about taking it on the trip. Of course he would not use it while on board but would like to use it while in ports. Not knowing the rules of these ports I am concerned that they might confiscate it and that is even IF Carnival would allow it on board. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this?

 

Wondering if you did take your Drone and if you have any problems. We are planning on taking ours (also have a DJI Phantom 3)

[Dizzneefan]

Wondering if you did take your Drone and if you have any problems. We are planning on taking ours (also have a DJI Phantom 3)

 

Yes, he took it and had just a couple of issues. One was that the Drone itself was having some minor tech problems that he had to download a correction for that. The other was that on one of our tours to some Mayan ruins close to Guatemala, there were armed soldiers so was requested to not use it. But otherwise, he got some great video and pictures. As others have said, you can't use it on the ship of course, but while in port there were no issues other than the ones I mentioned above.

[RjayB]

This thread has a link to a great movie of the Breeze taken with a drone in La Romana

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376621

[pyroguy]

I myself was interested in this topic too.

 

I found this link to a website that has drone laws by country:

 

http://uavcoach.com/drone-laws/

 

It's not all-inclusive, but it's a good starting resource.

[dacsmom]

Yes, he took it and had just a couple of issues. One was that the Drone itself was having some minor tech problems that he had to download a correction for that. The other was that on one of our tours to some Mayan ruins close to Guatemala, there were armed soldiers so was requested to not use it. But otherwise, he got some great video and pictures. As others have said, you can't use it on the ship of course, but while in port there were no issues other than the ones I mentioned above.

 

Thank you for coming back and letting everyone know how it worked out.