Poor Security Aboard Oosterdam

[cruisergrandma]

We just returned from the Sept. 9th sailing of the Oosterdam. On the final night aboard ship we discovered that one in our party had an incorrect photo on her card. The photo looked nothing like her and was actually of a woman at least 20-30 years older. This meant that every time we left or reboarded the ship the security guards looked at her, looked at the incorrect photo, and still let her board with no questions asked!!!!!!!!! Anyone could have done this. If they are this lax why bother checking at all?

[jhannah]

While I think the crew member should have brought this to someone's attention the first time it was noticed, I'm guessing that photo match-up is secondary. Their primary reason for scanning off and on the ship is to assure "all souls onboard" before casting off.

[Copper10-8]

We just returned from the Sept. 9th sailing of the Oosterdam. On the final night aboard ship we discovered that one in our party had an incorrect photo on her card. The photo looked nothing like her and was actually of a woman at least 20-30 years older. This meant that every time we left or reboarded the ship the security guards looked at her, looked at the incorrect photo, and still let her board with no questions asked!!!!!!!!! Anyone could have done this. If they are this lax why bother checking at all?

 

Unless things have changed recently, there are no passenger photos on HAL's boarding I.D. cards/room keys. Are you refering to the computer screen on the boarding stations manned by security at the gangway maybe? Regardless, you're correct in that the security officer(s) manning that checkpoint should have paid much better attention to the picture on his screen and the face/likeness of your friend. Granted on port days, it can get busy out there but they should be looking at the individual pax faces when they run the card through especially when returning to the ship!

[sail7seas]

Other than the problem about your friend's photo........

 

How was your cruise?

 

Have a good time?

 

Welcome Back.

 

[happy cruzer]

Thanks for posting that report. I think that is very serious. I thought they were really on top of checking that. I remember about 10 years ago before they had the electronic ids. I once say a fellow use a Sam's card as his picture id when reboarding the ship.

 

On my last cruise, my picture did not get loaded into the system initially. I was forced to go to security two different times to get it fixed. They did not allow me to leave or return without going to security. Of course that means the system did not work initially and then the next time it also did not take my picture but the third time that they tried they got my picture in the system. But at least they caught that no picture appeared.

[noblepa]

When we were on the Oosterdam last April, my sister Jeri and her husband, Shelley, were on the cruise with us. Somehow they got their two photos mixed up, possibly because both their names at least sound like they might be for the other sex.

 

Anyway, they went to the front desk several times to have it corrected. Each time, they were told that the front desk computer had the correct picture/name matchup. Each time they left the ship, the computer at re-embarkation showed the mismatch. I don't believe that they ever got it straightened out.

 

Other than that, the Oosterdam was wonderful.

 

Paul Noble

[Grumpy1]

I think that the degree of scrutiny of the person vs the photo on the screen probably varies from ship to ship. For instance:

Rotterdam, June 10, 2006 sailing, I was asked to remove my sunglasses every time I had them on when going through security and the person doing the scanning always did a visual match. Very good job, IMO.

 

Noordam, August 19, 2006. I had my sunglasses on when the photo was taken at the checkin counter. No one ever seemed to care if I had sunglasses on or off. Security people often did not look at the screen to compare the person and the photo. HAL tour people were often let off the ship as a group through a second exit with NO security scan. They apparently relied on the tour tickets to tell them who was off the ship. The problem is that there were people that were not part of the tour that were going ashore and just tagged along thinking that was the proper exit. They all came back through the checkin scanners, so everyone would show as onboard before sailaway, but during the stay in port there was no accurate accounting of who was onboard and who wasn't. this could be critical information in an emergency. Very POOR security, IMO.

 

Prinsendam, August 30, 2006. I did not have my sunglasses on when the checkin photo was taken, but did on several occasions when boarding or departing. I was never asked to remove them, but the screener always looked at the screen and compared as far as I could tell. There was no second exit for groups. Fairly good security, IMO.

 

As a side note, I always pause at the scanner and make sure that my picture comes up. there are times that there has been a delay of a few seconds before it does come up. If people are rushing through, they could be several feet away before their picture shows. There's no way to make a good visual comparison when the subject is no longer there and the screener is already scanning another card.

 

As to the OP's situation, it's possible that the correct photo was coming up on the screen all week long and some sort of glitch caused an incorrect photo to come up on the last day, but I suspect that the security is more relaxed on the Vista ships as a compromise between security and getting people on/off quickly.

[KAKcruiser]

Maybe when you looked at the screen it was the picture of the person before or after you.

[lougee1043]

Maybe when you looked at the screen it was the picture of the person before or after you.

 

thats what i was thinking that it was the person before you------------there was no way however that it could be the person after you

[noblepa]

thats what i was thinking that it was the person before you------------there was no way however that it could be the person after you

 

Sure it could. The screens face inboard, so when YOUR card is scanned, you are probably still standing outboard of the screen. By the time you walk around the podium, the crewman may have already scanned the card of the person behind you.

 

Then again, maybe not...

 

Paul Noble

[jhannah]

I almost always look at the screen, too, Grumpy. What I've noticed is that there are two photos on the security screen: mine and the person who was ahead of me.

[booboo29]

On our March Volendam cruise we had a similar experience. DH and I and another couple were traveling together and the first time we got off the ship we noticed that the photo that came up when our friend scanned off the ship was not him. It was another man who was much older, balder, and heavier than our friend. We doubled checked when we got back on and pointed out to the security guard that the photo that was popping up was not our friend. He ended up going to the Front Office and they took the photo again and the photo problem was settled.

 

Everything was fine until we reached St. Thomas and they called for people that had not yet cleared customs over the loud speaker. The called for a mans name and said he was from the same cabin as our friends. At this point, we guessed that the man's photo that showed up was likely a passenger from the previous cruise and they did not properly check him out of the system. That was our guess anyway.

 

Our friends were just hoping he wasn't charging too much to the cabin:eek:

 

Jennifer

[cruisergrandma]

I don't believe by scanning your key that they are just checking to see that everyone is onboard. I believe they started taking photos as a security measure. This photo was not of someone in front since there was no one there. It was not of someone behind because I was the person behind her. Point is she could have walked off that ship, handed her key to any person she chose and they could have walked onboard the ship. I sure don't feel as secure as I did before this cruise. I will not stop cruising but, this is a point that should be made LOUD and CLEAR to HAL and all other cruise lines. Apparently security personnel is not properly trained or they just don't care.

[peaches from georgia]

Photo ID and matching the ID pic to the person standing in front of them HAS to be the primary reason for the scan and the primary manner in which to ensure security of pax boarding the ship. Otherwise why bother with any ID. Sure they want to know if everyone has returned to the ship; what they MUST know is WHO has returned to the ship.

 

There is no excuse for lax security at the gangway!

[sail7seas]

The next obvious statement has to be:

 

Just because someone paid a cruise fare and is a 'legitimate passenger' on the ship......there is no guarantee of 'their character'. Anyone with the money can buy a cabin for the week.

 

No one, no company, no government authority can guarantee anyone safety anywhere, any time. Living is a risk. Cruising is very low risk IMO but any thinking person in today's world knows danger can lurk anywhere.

 

 

[Copper10-8]

I don't believe by scanning your key that they are just checking to see that everyone is onboard. I believe they started taking photos as a security measure........

 

It's a combination of both but, regardless it is most definitely the job of ship's security personnel at the gangway to verify that whoever comes onboard is a) a passenger who has been screened, b) a crew member, c) a person or persons who has/have a need to be onboard i.e. the local authorities, d) an official visitor with visitor's I.D. IMO they should be checking screen photos with that person(s) actual appearance especially in these post 9/11 times even though doing that will probably lengthen the process of pax getting off/on the ship!

[the2ofus]

I have to admit that I rarely look at the picture on the screen. I am usually occupied on divesting myself of whatever I'm carrying so it can be scanned. Thank you for bringing up this issue. I will definitely be more aware in the future.

[Toad]

Could it be that we all look alike?

[SanDiego Single]

I sure hope they get my best side. Can I retake the picture if I don't like it? Can I have 5x7's and wallet size made if I do? Do you think they will sell my pictures to the pappazazzi? Gee all of theses I have never thought of before. :D

[OceanLiner]

We were on the Volendam in March and when we were getting off at St Thomas I noticed that there was some sort of system glitch with the people behind us. What I didn't know was that the system did glitch and it never registered that I had left the ship. Have you ever tried to get back on the ship when they think you are already on board? Yikes!

 

When we came back serveral hours latter the whole family passed through with their cards and then mine sounded the ultimate danger warning. I was definitly persona non boarda. They were VERY nice to me, but there was no way possible that I was getting on their ship until this was sorted out. It took awhile, some calls, an officer or two, and some sort of review of their security (possibly the tape), but eventualy I was most cordially welcomed back aboard.

 

I didn't mind at all, in fact I was glad of the security and everyone was really nice.

[Jim Gallup]

To get into nearly every cruise port in the world, you MUST show a valid Government-issued photo ID with a name that matches the name on your Cruise Cabin Key AND a photo that matches your face. That gets you into the secure area of the port, and satisfies the Security People that you are who you claim to be.

The photo check at the gangway is not required by any government; it is merely a secondary check on your ID. But it is critically important to the ship at that point that they verify that you are back onboard.

[Tinknock50]

I don't believe by scanning your key that they are just checking to see that everyone is onboard. I believe they started taking photos as a security measure. This photo was not of someone in front since there was no one there. It was not of someone behind because I was the person behind her. Point is she could have walked off that ship, handed her key to any person she chose and they could have walked onboard the ship. I sure don't feel as secure as I did before this cruise. I will not stop cruising but, this is a point that should be made LOUD and CLEAR to HAL and all other cruise lines. Apparently security personnel is not properly trained or they just don't care.

 

It is still possible that it was someone ahead of you. Perhaps the picture lingers there for a time until the next person is scanned. Not familiar with how it works technically, but just a guess on my part.

 

I have noticed someone elses picture on the screen before mine popped up.

[danabanana612]

We just returned from the Sept. 9th sailing of the Oosterdam. On the final night aboard ship we discovered that one in our party had an incorrect photo on her card. The photo looked nothing like her and was actually of a woman at least 20-30 years older. This meant that every time we left or reboarded the ship the security guards looked at her, looked at the incorrect photo, and still let her board with no questions asked!!!!!!!!! Anyone could have done this. If they are this lax why bother checking at all?

If the picture was wrong, why did it take you to the final night to notice? I read your review of the Oosterdam and you didn't have a very good time and I am sorry about that but HAL isn't the cruise line where people go missing or fall overboard. Being safe is not just the cruiselines responsibility it is an individual's responsibility as well. Not noticing it until the last night tells me you felt pretty secure the rest of the cruise.

[peaches from georgia]

If the picture was wrong, why did it take you to the final night to notice?

Probably because the photo is not on the card itself, it only shows up on the security computer screen and that is not something a pax really even has any reason to look at. The security officer is facing the screen and the pax so he can compare, but the pax himself is not facing the screen and would have no reason to check is computer photo.

[dakrewser]

Probably because the photo is not on the card itself, it only shows up on the security computer screen and that is not something a pax really even has any reason to look at. The security officer is facing the screen and the pax so he can compare, but the pax himself is not facing the screen and would have no reason to check is computer photo.

 

You are facing the screen when leaving the ship. Perhaps it's just me, but I always look to see what the picture looks like.