Ruby Princess police investigation

[BRANDEE]

7 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The incoming passport check we had in Sydney last year was also pretty quick. I can't recall whether they scanned our passports, probably and they also have all the info supplied by the ship.

 

Yes, airport security would have taken the honey as it would have been over 100ml per container. But, of course, the shops in the departure area have lots of honey to sell you at inflated prices! Grrrr! That always annoys me even though I can see the logic behind it.

 

Honey is one of those items that has to be checked if bringing it into Australia. I think they allow some commercial brands but you probably couldn't bring in honey from a small boutique honey producer. 

Actually, my brother asked in Napier (Hawkes Bay bee farm) and they said..no problem.  Expensive mistake.

[By The Bay]

7 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

Actually, my brother asked in Napier (Hawkes Bay bee farm) and they said..no problem.  Expensive mistake.

Inconsistent policy by Border Force. I was able to bring in a bottle of Manuka honey through the OPT.

[gbenjo]

7 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

Actually, my brother asked in Napier (Hawkes Bay bee farm) and they said..no problem.  Expensive mistake.

Reading all your posts, it appears that the honey was taken because of the size of the containers,  ie over 100ml and not permitted in cabin luggage on plane,  nothing to do with bio security  rules.

It does seem odd though that you had a passport check on level three of the terminal before collecting luggage on level one as this is only normally done on cruises "originating" from a foreign port. you say it was a "quick " check but they either process you or they dont.

[Aus Traveller]

8 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

Actually, my brother asked in Napier (Hawkes Bay bee farm) and they said..no problem.  Expensive mistake.

The advice given to you at the Hawkes Bay Bee Farm was correct. You could bring the honey into Australia, but (as I said in a previous post) you could not take it in hand luggage on an international flight. Taking liquids or gels over 100ml has been restricted since 9/11 (a restriction brought in by the USA government).

[lyndarra]

54 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

Inconsistent policy by Border Force. I was able to bring in a bottle of Manuka honey through the OPT.

It depends on whether one returns to Oz by air or by sea.

If flying back from NZ anything over 100ml goes in checked luggage and must be declared if required. Coming through the OPT I have brought back a large jar of Manuka honey from the Bee Farm in Napier. I declared it and and carried it in my back pack so that I would not have to unpack my suitcase to get it out for inspection. Quarantine  checked it for contaminants and that it was commercially bottled. No inconsistency in policy, it's just how you bring it in.

If, however, I was going from OPT to airport I would then have to pack the honey in my checked luggage as it was well over 100ml.

Edited April 21, 2020 by lyndarra
clarification of a point

[By The Bay]

24 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

It depends on whether one returns to Oz by air or by sea.

If flying back from NZ anything over 100ml goes in checked luggage and must be declared if required. Coming through the OPT I have brought back a large jar of Manuka honey from the Bee Farm in Napier. I declared it and and carried it in my back pack so that I would not have to unpack my suitcase to get it out for inspection. Quarantine  checked it for contaminants and that it was commercially bottled. No inconsistency in policy, it's just how you bring it in.

If, however, I was going from OPT to airport I would then have to pack the honey in my checked luggage as it was well over 100ml.

Thanks for the clarification.

[gbenjo]

1 hour ago, By The Bay said:

Inconsistent policy by Border Force. I was able to bring in a bottle of Manuka honey through the OPT.

No,  border force have nothing to do with matters like this, it is dept of Ag / bio security and honey is permissible but it was confiscated at the airport because of security, ie the size of the bottles in their cabin luggage, nothing to do with the honey itself.If it were in their checked in luggage there would be no problem.

[OzKiwiJJ]

You are supposed to declare honey when you bring it in to Australia so it can be checked for contaminants, which is why I said commercial honeys would be OK, but cousin Joe's home bottled raw honey might not get a pass.

Edited April 22, 2020 by OzKiwiJJ

[rickays]

21 hours ago, BRANDEE said:

As soon as you exited the port building, there were buses ready to take you to domestic or international terminals. I purchased a Princess transfer the night before but never used it..no one asked just grabbed my luggage when I said international and off to the airport. If you weren't there it is hard to explain the feeling of being rushed..After 30 + disembarkations..this was rushed.  Passengers on the bus were all in amazement at what just happened.  Everyone said..get off the ship..get out of the country.  Wow!!

 

My thought on the buses waiting to take passengers to the airport - by the time Ruby Princess arrived back into Australia all incoming passengers by plane or ship had to self isolate (as per instructions given to Ruby Princess passengers) therefore NSW Govt most probably organised buses to take disembarking passengers direct to the airport so they wouldn't wander around Sydney first.  This part was most probably rushed to keep with the self isolate rule.  So yes Brandee, you were most probably rushed out of our country - you were an incoming passenger and may have been contaminated (lol)  If you had arrived a week later you would have been put into quarantine at a hotel!

[gbenjo]

43 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

You are supposed to declare honey when you bring it in to Australia so it can be checked for contaminants, which is why I said commercial honeys would be OK, but cousin Joe's home bottled raw honey might not get a pass.

Yes, but checked by dept of Ag , not Border Force,... if the passenger ticks yes  on their arrival card to honey then they will be directed by border force to bio security for checking.

[gbenjo]

24 minutes ago, rickays said:

 

My thought on the buses waiting to take passengers to the airport - by the time Ruby Princess arrived back into Australia all incoming passengers by plane or ship had to self isolate (as per instructions given to Ruby Princess passengers) therefore NSW Govt most probably organised buses to take disembarking passengers direct to the airport so they wouldn't wander around Sydney first.  This part was most probably rushed to keep with the self isolate rule.  So yes Brandee, you were most probably rushed out of our country - you were an incoming passenger and may have been contaminated (lol)  If you had arrived a week later you would have been put into quarantine at a hotel!

I don't believe the coaches were organized  by the NSW govt. Princess (in fact most cruise lines) have coaches chartered  to take pax to the airport from the ship, as Brandee said, he purchased a transfer from Princess.Space is as at a premium at the OPT and  pax are "hurried" through to the coaches to limit congestion in the forecourt outside the terminal.Nothing more sinister than that  I think.

[OzKiwiJJ]

12 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

Yes, but checked by dept of Ag , not Border Force,... if the passenger ticks yes  on their arrival card to honey then they will be directed by border force to bio security for checking.

Yes, which is what I said way back in the thread.

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

I don't believe the coaches were organized  by the NSW govt. Princess (in fact most cruise lines) have coaches chartered  to take pax to the airport from the ship, as Brandee said, he purchased a transfer from Princess.Space is as at a premium at the OPT and  pax are "hurried" through to the coaches to limit congestion in the forecourt outside the terminal.Nothing more sinister than that  I think.

That's a good point. That forecourt area does get very crowded at times and the terminal staff are very good directing people to the lifts up to the taxis, to the buses, and encouraging them to move away from the entrance doors. 

[rickays]

19 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

I don't believe the coaches were organized  by the NSW govt. Princess (in fact most cruise lines) have coaches chartered  to take pax to the airport from the ship, as Brandee said, he purchased a transfer from Princess.Space is as at a premium at the OPT and  pax are "hurried" through to the coaches to limit congestion in the forecourt outside the terminal.Nothing more sinister than that  I think.

But they never checked that it was a Princess transfer they just asked "domestic or international".  When I have used Princess transfer we have to meet in a certain area onboard and get taken off together not just exit and then go find a bus.  I am not saying there is anything sinister about NSW Gvt organising buses, just that they may have because of the self isolation rule.

Edited April 22, 2020 by rickays

[Cruisegroover]

This came up on my t*witter earlier - The special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess disaster has begun this morning, with the ship's doctor currently giving evidence via video link with NSW government officials.

 

I am following it - a 7News reporter Taylor Auerbach is tweeting what is being asked. I am sure it will be appear on the news cycle shortly.

[BRANDEE]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

You are supposed to declare honey when you bring it in to Australia so it can be checked for contaminants, which is why I said commercial honeys would be OK, but cousin Joe's home bottled raw honey might not get a pass.

We went to a very nice "bees farm" in Hawkes Bay..You know the tour that they also claim the passengers from the Ruby infected New Zealand tour guide.  Anyway, everything was sealed and packaged and my brother did ask about bringing it back to Sydney, then US.  Obviously, my brother didn't read about putting it in checked luggage,  It was glass bottles and probably concerned about them breaking .  They didn't take them at terminal so guess he completely forgot, until security at airport.

[BRANDEE]

15 minutes ago, rickays said:

But they never checked that it was a Princess transfer they just asked "domestic or international".  When I have used Princess transfer we have to meet in a certain area onboard and get taken off together not just exit and then go find a bus.  I am not saying there is anything sinister about NSW Gvt organising buses, just that they may have because of the self isolation rule.

Too bad we wasted money on transfers..never had complimentary government transportation before.  lol

[gbenjo]

3 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Too bad we wasted money on transfers..never had complimentary government transportation before.  lol

Nah, they weren’t’ govt buses.

[BRANDEE]

12 minutes ago, Cruisegroover said:

This came up on my t*witter earlier - The special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess disaster has begun this morning, with the ship's doctor currently giving evidence via video link with NSW government officials.

 

I am following it - a 7News reporter Taylor Auerbach is tweeting what is being asked. I am sure it will be appear on the news cycle shortly.

Are they actually calling it a disaster?  Some of the reporting I've read..is disgusting in their accusation of passengers and crew members.  I'm on a thread with other passengers and feel very sorry for some from parts of the world other than the US.. that feel isolated and ashamed that they were part of the cruise. Part of the death ship..Part of the ship that killed Australians.  One gentleman has not been allowed back to work...his boss would rather he continue to stay home. He is now suffering depression and feels isolated and people avoid him.  That is just horrible.  Thank goodness here in NY they celebrate every recovered covid patient..no shame, no finger pointing, just thrilled you made it out alive.

[Cruisegroover]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

Are they actually calling it a disaster?  Some of the reporting I've read..is disgusting in their accusation of passengers and crew members.  I'm on a thread with other passengers and feel very sorry for some from parts of the world other than the US.. that feel isolated and ashamed that they were part of the cruise. Part of the death ship..Part of the ship that killed Australians.  One gentleman has not been allowed back to work...his boss would rather he continue to stay home. He is now suffering depression and feels isolated and people avoid him.  That is just horrible.  Thank goodness here in NY they celebrate every recovered covid patient..no shame, no finger pointing, just thrilled you made it out alive.

That's typical 7 News reporting. I saw a comment from someone of their F....book page saying you are destroying my profession as someone who works in the travel industry by your frenzied hyped up reporting. I hope once Ruby leaves which is supposed to be tomorrow that this type of headline will stop kind of out of sight out of mind. I am appalled by all of this.

[rickays]

3 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

 Thank goodness here in NY they celebrate every recovered covid patient..no shame, no finger pointing, just thrilled you made it out alive.

That's the way I feel.  I am disgusted the way the media has been carrying on with their sensationalising and trying to find blame.  I don't think anyone is to blame, not the person who bought it onboard (unless they knew they were sick and didn't report it) not the Captain, Doctor or Staff of Ruby Princess, not any NSW Government or Department, NO ONE.  This virus has been a disaster for the whole world, everyone is trying their best in how to deal with it, some mistakes may get made but they are not deliberate mistakes, they are just mistakes in this unknown.

[DiamondFour]

17 minutes ago, Cruisegroover said:

That's typical 7 News reporting. I saw a comment from someone of their F....book page saying you are destroying my profession as someone who works in the travel industry by your frenzied hyped up reporting. I hope once Ruby leaves which is supposed to be tomorrow that this type of headline will stop kind of out of sight out of mind. I am appalled by all of this.

I have been travelling my entire life. I have always loved living in Australia and would always think it was the best place in the world to live. Now I am totally ashamed to be Australian and wish I was not in this country at all.

 

It is not just the attacks on cruise lines.

 

Small communities are ganging up and attacking caravan owners who had to bunker down at the last minute (the grey nomads). Those communities survive off tourism and now they are throwing rocks, damaging with graffiti the caravans of the retired who have just had to park up, get supplies and wait until it is over.

 

Then there are the foreign backpackers that come out here and work on farms picking fruit at rates equivalent to slave labour just to get an extended or longer visa period to stay here. They do their time in the farming communities picking fruits and then explore and move around Australia. It is good for our economy and good for tourism. Now those backpackers caught up in this are fearful to leave their remote hotel/motel rooms for fear of being attacked, verbally abused because the locals are worried about their supplies. They seem to forget very quickly how tourism and those backpackers brought money to their small community and kept them thriving.

 

The government demands that all cruise ships leave our waters, comments like "never come back", "glad to see them gone" is nothing short of disgraceful. I believe it is 5 billion per year the cruise industry generates for our economy and provides countless jobs in the supply chain and tourism sectors, despite all the money they have given and the short notice this disaster and government gave all businesses by shutting down in the blink of an eye and not offering assistance is nothing short of disgraceful. 

 

This is a case of every man woman and child for themselves and screw everyone else. In times of war we looked after POW's better than we are treating the innocent tourists caught up in this mess. I believe tourism in general generates 47.5 billion for the Australian economy. We are happy to take but when the world is in crisis we are not prepared to help at all.

 

As a person who loves travel I feel ashamed to be Australian and wish I could leave this country for another that shows more respect to humans. I do not care if the virus is worst in another country. I feel that this country that I was born in is something I will feel ashamed of being a part of for the rest of my life.

[The_Big_M]

Agreed. Then in x months when it's over, it's back to 'all the tourists should come back here straight away, spend their dollars, how can we boost business for ourselves, we're the best place to visit/be.'

 

Unfortunately this isn't the first time I've seen this selfish, me first behaviour here. But community values aren't encouraged, so that's the result you get.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, BRANDEE said:

We went to a very nice "bees farm" in Hawkes Bay..You know the tour that they also claim the passengers from the Ruby infected New Zealand tour guide.  Anyway, everything was sealed and packaged and my brother did ask about bringing it back to Sydney, then US.  Obviously, my brother didn't read about putting it in checked luggage,  It was glass bottles and probably concerned about them breaking .  They didn't take them at terminal so guess he completely forgot, until security at airport.

Such a shame. It probably would have been commercial enough to pass biosecurity but that 100ml limit is a real gotcha. We're experts at packing wine bottles in our checked luggage, and anything else that is liquids, gels, or pastes more than 100ml.

[BRANDEE]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Such a shame. It probably would have been commercial enough to pass biosecurity but that 100ml limit is a real gotcha. We're experts at packing wine bottles in our checked luggage, and anything else that is liquids, gels, or pastes more than 100ml.

Probably passed biosecurity at port because it was commercial enough.  Didn't pass airport because of weight. Had we continued on our original plans..Fiji cruise and more time in Sydney at the Marriott..he might have realized to pack it in checked luggage.  We ended up buying so much at airport..what else to do in 8 hours.  Eat and shop.  lol