Visitor

[sail7seas]

Thank you for clearing that up.

 

Yes, thank you, Cheng kp.

[SFBayAreaShipLover]

Okay, I'm going to make one more statement regarding this, and then I'm gone. This is based on my professional experience with the ISPS code, since it was promulgated in the wake of 9/11.

 

 

 

Yes, people can get invitations to visit the ship.

 

 

 

No, you can't go up to the Guest Services desk and say, "when we're in port tomorrow, can my brother-in-law come onboard for a visit?"

 

 

 

Yes, there is some vetting and background checking done for every guest and this requires submission of ID in advance (how far in advance is up to the cruise line/port)

 

 

 

Is it easier to get approval if a "known personage" vouches for the guest (ship's officer, corporate official, well known TA, etc)? Yes.

 

 

 

Does this still happen today? Yes.

 

 

 

Does this vary from cruise line to cruise line, and port to port? Yes.

 

 

 

Can a cruise line okay a guest, and the port deny it? Yes, and vice versa.

 

 

 

So, that's the long and short of ISPS. If you're real interested read up on it. Know, however, that each cruise line's and each port's ISPS code is a restricted document, and onboard the ship, only the Captain, and perhaps (not always) the Staff Captain are aware of all the procedures and policies pertaining to security. So, you will never get to see a company's ISPS document, and you will never find a ship's officer who will discuss the ISPS code with someone without the "need to know" (whether passenger or crew).

 

 

 

So, enough, ladies, stop the squabbling.

 

 

 

Could not be better put Chief. It’s time folks accept the procedures and face the fact we need to abide by them and not squabble about it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Taters]

Hubby and I went on a 14 day Baltic cruise on Koningsdam last May/June. This was our second HAL cruise. We boarded in Amsterdam and several days later were in Warnemunde, Germany. Right after boarding, we went to guest services to request to have visitors on board for part of our morning in Warnemunde. We'd hosted an exchange student 12 years earlier, who was from Berlin and she, her mother and mother's fiancé were driving up to see us that day.

 

Guest Services were very accommodating. They gave us a Visitor form to fill out and asked us for copies of the visitors' passports, which we had. The next afternoon a note was delivered to our cabin stating that the captain had approved the visit! :D We were so excited!

 

We arranged to meet our "other kid" and her mom and mom's fiancé at 10 AM the day Koningsdam arrived in Warnemunde. Per the instructions we were given, we met them outside by security, where they showed their passports and were checked in on a visitor list. We all walked to the ship together, where they were given their visitor passes and went through the metal detectors and they were on board! We had the most wonderful reunion... Coffee in the Crow's Nest followed by a walk around the ship. They asked to see our cabin and so we did that before all leaving together for the day. The letter we were given approving the visit also stated that they were welcome to have lunch on board, but we all declined because they wanted to show us one of their favorite villages several miles away, where we dined in an authentic German restaurant that had been owned by the same family for many generations.

 

So HAL does indeed offer guest passes for friends and family of passengers. We made sure we submitted the request with proper documentation as soon as we were on board, giving HAL plenty of time to make a decision and conduct the necessary security checks. It was such a wonderful way to start our day. We'd missed our special girl so much, as she'd spent an entire school year living with us. To meet her mom and be treated like family was amazing. This is something we'll always treasure. :hearteyes:

[OlsSalt]

Hubby and I went on a 14 day Baltic cruise on Koningsdam last May/June. This was our second HAL cruise. We boarded in Amsterdam and several days later were in Warnemunde, Germany. Right after boarding, we went to guest services to request to have visitors on board for part of our morning in Warnemunde. We'd hosted an exchange student 12 years earlier, who was from Berlin and she, her mother and mother's fiancé were driving up to see us that day.

 

Guest Services were very accommodating. They gave us a Visitor form to fill out and asked us for copies of the visitors' passports, which we had. The next afternoon a note was delivered to our cabin stating that the captain had approved the visit! :D We were so excited!

 

We arranged to meet our "other kid" and her mom and mom's fiancé at 10 AM the day Koningsdam arrived in Warnemunde. Per the instructions we were given, we met them outside by security, where they showed their passports and were checked in on a visitor list. We all walked to the ship together, where they were given their visitor passes and went through the metal detectors and they were on board! We had the most wonderful reunion... Coffee in the Crow's Nest followed by a walk around the ship. They asked to see our cabin and so we did that before all leaving together for the day. The letter we were given approving the visit also stated that they were welcome to have lunch on board, but we all declined because they wanted to show us one of their favorite villages several miles away, where we dined in an authentic German restaurant that had been owned by the same family for many generations.

 

So HAL does indeed offer guest passes for friends and family of passengers. We made sure we submitted the request with proper documentation as soon as we were on board, giving HAL plenty of time to make a decision and conduct the necessary security checks. It was such a wonderful way to start our day. We'd missed our special girl so much, as she'd spent an entire school year living with us. To meet her mom and be treated like family was amazing. This is something we'll always treasure. :hearteyes:

 

Great story. So glad it worked out and that you got the bonus of that special restaurant too. I love German food, particularly the sausages but it is getting harder to find, even in Germany where I sense it is considered old fashioned and unhealthy. What did you order?

[chengkp75]

Great story. So glad it worked out and that you got the bonus of that special restaurant too. I love German food, particularly the sausages but it is getting harder to find, even in Germany where I sense it is considered old fashioned and unhealthy. What did you order?

 

I remember my folks touring Germany, while not speaking any German. My mom was hypoglycemic, and they had to stop often for food. They stopped in a small town tavern, and while trying to decipher the menu, my mom saw "kaltplatte", and figured this was a "cold plate". It turned out to be slices of pumpernickel bread, a large ball of lard, and slices of blood sausage, a German "plowman's lunch". She wasn't happy.

 

If you're ever in Portland, try Schulte & Herr, run by an American chef who trained in Germany and married a German girl. Very small place, BYOB, but I've never been disappointed there, and the schnitzel is fantastic.