Showing up to cruise without prior booking?

[Hatsoff389]

Say if I wanted to go on the Norwegian Dawn today but didnt have it booked. Could I show up to the pier with my fiancee and get on the ship if there was availability. Has anyone ever done this before, is it possible???

[johnql]

Once upon a time (pre-9/11), yes. But not any more. The passenger manifest for a cruise needs to be finalized several days before sailing so that Homeland Security can do cursory background checks on the passengers.

[Hatsoff389]

Once upon a time (pre-9/11), yes. But not any more. The passenger manifest for a cruise needs to be finalized several days before sailing so that Homeland Security can do cursory background checks on the passengers.

 

Thanks for the quick response. I dont think I would have ever tried it anyway. I just wanted to know. Has anyone on these boards ever done it before??? I hope this doesnt sound silly but what is a cursory background check? I know what a background check is but is a cursory background check any different???

[johnql]

To me, a cursory background check is one that doesn't go too deeply into your business. Basically, whether you're on a watchlist of any sort. A thorough background check could very well delve into your financial records, criminal history, travel history, circle of friends, relatives, etc.

[sjbdtz]

Thanks for the quick response. I dont think I would have ever tried it anyway. I just wanted to know. Has anyone on these boards ever done it before??? I hope this doesnt sound silly but what is a cursory background check? I know what a background check is but is a cursory background check any different???

 

Cursory, of course, means 'superficial', or 'glancing'.

 

What it means in reality is that they probably do a cross-check of names against the no-fly list, and against any other lists of 'persons of interest'.

[garycarla]

Pretty sad that you can not just show up. Might be a bit of a hassle for the cruiseline, but money is money. By the way, airlines allow walk up flyers all the time, though they usually target them for extra pat downs.

 

What is really sad is that everybody says "Okay, as long as it makes us safer". But, it does not. The "no fly" list is a joke. Fake IDs are easy to get. Test after test shows that guns get on airplanes often. And, even though frequent flyers usually know who the Sky Marshalls are and have for years, a congressional study recently released pointed this out, after spending who knows how much money? Duh! How stupid do they think terrorists are? Better yet, it appears that he American public is.... okay soap box off.

[Hikini]

I don't have any personal experience (even pre-9/11) with this, but have a customer who works for a cruiseline who could tell you all about it. He said in years past they'd have retired folks in Florida who hung out at the cruise terminals just waiting to find a cruise with space available that they could get for cheap. They'd pay only a few hundred dollars apiece and have a nice place to sleep for the week along with all the food they wanted. Then when the week was over, they'd start all over again, looking for another ship with space available. He said that some folks would do this week after week after week. (I could see myself doing that if I was retired and had the time!) But I guess we won't be able to anymore, so won't spend a lot of time thinking about it.:rolleyes: