Be careful what you pack

[Aquahound]

its the same type of fashion logo that have some 13 year old girls waklking around with the words PORN STAR on there t-shirts.

 

T-shirts??!! Heck no. Now it says it on their dumpsters!

[LadyRose]

Safety........................FULL STOP !

 

I worked onboard cruise ships for many years & the safety of passengers was THE BIG DEAL :mad:

 

We attend drills weekly, we have safety on our minds 24/7, we are trained to take charge of ever situation.

 

Ive been off the ships as a worker for 12yrs now but Im still alert to every emergency situation, I will always respond to fire alarms, cries for help & assist where I can.

 

If parents or adults travel with fake weapons they deserve to have the book thrown at them.......& take responsibility for their actions :mad:

 

And I was a Emergancy Room RN and my DH works for Homeland Security.

We, like you, both still/will look out for people and keep our eyes open for trouble. And that is a very good thing.

 

BUT... you still need to know when someone is making a joke. And take it as such. PantherFan was only making a not very good joke (sorry PantherFan :p ) and really didn't need his head bitten off.

[vator90]

Couldn't the authorities simply ask for the people whose cabin number was on the bag to present themselves? Interview them and have them open the bag? Everything gets so blown out of proportion anymore.

[flagger]

What an I-D-I-O-T!

 

(And that family probably couldn't figure out what the big deal was!)

 

Well, at least TSA is doing their job! Kudos to them!

Um not really.

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/223604.html

 

The toy grenade was spotted by Transportation Security Administration workers while screening luggage being loaded off the ship, said Lynn Martenstein, a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean.

So they missed this coming ONTO the ship?!? What a gross overreaction under the guise of "protecting" us.....AGAIN.

[Trekker954]

Good for TSA, but what, TSA at cruise terminals? Since when?

 

I went thru port security on my last two cruises, but NOT TSA. I guess I'll find out in a few weeks, but I was 99% sure TSA hadn't inflitraded the cruise line terminals yet.

[cruzincurt]

Why wouldn't they be checking stuff coming INTO the USA?

[Keen Kruiser]

I applaud the TSA for spotting this item in a passengers luggage.

 

In this day & age to travel with such an item is asking for trouble.

 

Luckily for all the people inconvenienced this time it was just a fake.

 

Fashion accessories & childrens toy's shaped like dangerous weapons should all be banned, they are all far too realistic.

 

 

Ditto!

[GJClay]

meaning........................the parents should have overseen the packing of their kids! If they were not watching what they were putting in their suitcases...(i'm assuming they were older, only because of the type of buckle it was) it's the parents fault. We BOTH are in charge of our kids, 24/7. Like I said , Im not condoning what happened, and My son only has a sticker, I didn't say it was a fashion joke. I was just trying to shed some light on what the "item was"..........sorry I said anything.

 

I don't think you should be "sorry you said anything", because having teenagers myself, I know how odd these styles can get, and the kid/family may not have a violent bone in their body. You were just trying to explain how it could happen. I appreciated your insight. We are all having to learn how to pack properly to get through security quickly and safely and it's not easy making certain that an entire family makes no mistakes.

[French_Fry]

If something is seen in a suitcase through an x-ray that appears to be an explosive device, the screeners are not going to open the suitcase and look at it closer. Would you? That would be foolish.

 

In the time it takes to call a bomb squad, further x-ray the bag, ion scan it for explosives, etc, the process could very well take hours.

 

That's why it's up to the passengers to not pack items shaped like bombs.

 

But the bag MADE IT ON the ship!

 

How did THAT happen???

 

No one is saying to quickly open the bag, but they have robots to get the bag out of the area. It would seem that was not done.

 

Or have we become THAT paranoid, one "bomb" 20 "bombs"

 

And all 21 would have made it ON the ship!

 

I wonder then if they are really scanning more for for bombs or drugs, has to be for drugs or the "grenade" would have never made it aboard!

 

Agreed!?!?!

[French_Fry]

Why wouldn't they be checking stuff coming INTO the USA?

 

 

Drugs!

[rclcruzer]

rclcruzer,

 

Don't take offense, thank you for explaining the new fashion trend to those of us that don't have kiddos. I would have never thought in a million years that there was a new koddos fashion logo consisting of a "grenade".

thanks cruzincurt, I was a little confused by your post to me, so thanks for explaining!

No biggie. I guess when you have teens, nothing much is shocking anymore!

Now it's grenades, whats next I wonder? ;) I am only "assuming" it was this type of logo wear. Who knows? Maybe the weirdo actually had a "3-d" type of buckle, the one I am talking about is flat, flush with the belt.

Again, not smart, who would pack something like this?? It's baffeling... :confused:

[rclcruzer]

I don't think you should be "sorry you said anything", because having teenagers myself, I know how odd these styles can get, and the kid/family may not have a violent bone in their body. You were just trying to explain how it could happen. I appreciated your insight. We are all having to learn how to pack properly to get through security quickly and safely and it's not easy making certain that an entire family makes no mistakes.

Thanks. Like I said, out here, it's in some stores. Why??? Who knows....but teens buy it.

This could get into a touchy subject so I will let it lie. and thanks again from one mom to another :D

[rclcruzer]

Thanks. Like I said, out here, it's in some stores. Why??? Who knows....but teens buy it.

This could get into a touchy subject so I will let it lie. and thanks again from one mom to another :D

(assuming your the mom could be the DAD? in any regards, one parent of a teen to another!:)

[Moeve]

Oh come on it took the "experts" hours to decide if this thing was the real thing or a belt buckle??? Where in the world does one get experts like that??? Oh wait a minute didn't someone make the suggestion to Disney train this lot in future...:rolleyes:

 

Dorisday security fine but in this case the "experts" showed just how (looking for a nice way to say this...) unprofesional they really are - now you trust them to find the REAL thing - probably not in this lifetime!

[MikeNJ1109]

Note to self: Leave the cuffs at home.:D

 

Too funny...I appreciate that kind of humour.

[Azhure]

But the bag MADE IT ON the ship!

How did THAT happen???

 

No one is saying to quickly open the bag, but they have robots to get the bag out of the area. It would seem that was not done.

 

Or have we become THAT paranoid, one "bomb" 20 "bombs"

 

And all 21 would have made it ON the ship!

 

I wonder then if they are really scanning more for for bombs or drugs, has to be for drugs or the "grenade" would have never made it aboard!

 

Agreed!?!?!

 

I had assumed that the belt was purchased at a port somewhere. But then with all the screening that happens re-boarding, maybe not? I guess the question is still "how did it get on the ship"??

[Aquahound]

Oh come on it took the "experts" hours to decide if this thing was the real thing or a belt buckle??? Where in the world does one get experts like that??? Oh wait a minute didn't someone make the suggestion to Disney train this lot in future...:rolleyes:

 

Dorisday security fine but in this case the "experts" showed just how (looking for a nice way to say this...) unprofesional they really are - now you trust them to find the REAL thing - probably not in this lifetime!

 

 

I said this once and I'll say it again.

 

If you see, in an x-ray, what looks like an explosive in a suitcase, would you open the suitcase?

 

The answer is no. Protocol is, you clear the area and call in a bomb unit. And the bomb unit is also not stupid enough to just go in and open it.

 

Sheesh people, think about what you're saying. Moeve, there was alot of ignorance in your comment. :rolleyes:

[Aquahound]

For those who wonder why the "experts" couldn't spot a fake, here is a link to see what this belt buckle looks like.

 

http://www.xclothingx.com/product.php?productid=16161&cat=251&page=1

 

I've actually handled grenades and other explosives, and I can assure you I certainly wouldn't see the difference in an x-ray.

[FFKampy]

It would be interesting to hear the actual story from first hand participants.

 

MAYBE, the buckle was purchased while in port, and was shown to security when reboarding, in its actual context, so therefore no risk. Later was packed in the souvenir sutcaise without any consideration as to what I might look like to an X-ray tech (as they have already idenified this as a belt buckle to another member of security)

 

Fast Forward to the item being found in the suitcase. Bomb squads are not going to lollygag around these types of "scares", because who knows when it wont be a "scare". I am sure the events in Jacksonville are still fresh in the minds of those who respond to this type of incident.

 

I respectfully submit that there was no malicious intent on the part of the "luggage holder", and while it may cause some minor to major inconvenience, the responders cannot be criticized for their response to this situation.

Then again, I could be wrong.

[Saracruise]

We had priority departure and carried off our own luggage so we were in the first 10 people to get off of the Majesty of the Seas yesterday morning. We got right through customs and then went outside to get a taxi to the airport. As we were leaving the port we were pulled over by a police office who looked at the drivers and our ID's, asked us what we were doing in the port, checked the trunk and then let us on our way. The driver explained what had happened on Sunday but it was still a little bit unnerving at the moment. It's for our own safety at the ports though I guess.

[Onessa]

Hey MOM...why would you let your kiddos buy something like that? Who is in charge in your household. . . .

 

One - I'll call you on the sexist remark. Since when is it entirely "mom's" with all the responsibility??

 

Two - since this is a snow boarding company's logo, the belt in question is more likely a young adult's rather than a true child's. I'm fortunate that my DDs only 12YO and still pretty much in my "control" -- I feel for the parents of teens! We were all teens at one point in our lives. Just think back to the really STUPID things you did and the times you did things you knew mom or dad did not approve of. It is highly likely this was someone acting without fully contemplating the full range of ramifications. Whether it is a teen/young adult not understanding that the hand granade belt buckle would be a concern or the running group (adults) who were marking their race course by spreading flour out of a brown paper bag through the parking lot of a strip mall one night - lot's of people do stupid things, not maliciously but just because the full range of possibilities has not gone through their heads.

 

Before you start judging the actions of others think about how some of what you do could be misconstrued by others. Think about things you may pack and what they might look like to screeners. Talk to your traveling companions (kids and adults) to let them know that luggage IS being screened and that they should think twice about what they pack.

[wraithe]

Seems like some are missing a couple points, just because it's in a bag on the way off the ship, doesn't mean it was in the bag on the way on the ship.

 

1) The "youth" could have been wearing it on the way onto the ship, and the screener saw that it was a belt buckle when the "youth" took it off while going through the metal detector. On the way off the ship, in a suitcase, another screener isn't going to ask around and see if anyone remembers it from a week ago before they announce the alarm.

 

 

2) Weapons are available on the black market overseas, who is to say that "people" wouldn't buy black market weapons and try to "smuggle" them into the US? There are signs on the beach in NJ right now warning people not to play with the unexploded ordnance pumped onto the beach this year in an effort to replace sand. They dredged offshore in an area used in WW1 for weapons training and inadvertantly pumped numerous rounds and other things onto the beach, and you don't think people pick these things up? If it could happen in NJ, it could happen in the Caribbean.

 

3) We all know how notoriously inaccurate first reports in the newspapers are, it's entirely possible that the "toy grenade" was in a bag on its' way to the ship, checked by a passenger in line to board the Freedom. This makes much more sense than they were x-raying stuff coming off the ship. In that case, bravo to the screeners for finding it, and again, so much for all the comments of "they can't screen every bag going onto a Freedom class ship" for booze, weapons, whatever else.

[SheriNtexas]

For those who wonder why the "experts" couldn't spot a fake, here is a link to see what this belt buckle looks like.

 

http://www.xclothingx.com/product.php?productid=16161&cat=251&page=1

 

I've actually handled grenades and other explosives, and I can assure you I certainly wouldn't see the difference in an x-ray.

 

 

Good grief!! When I first heard about this story, I guess i was thinking a belt buckle as in a flat belt buckle in the shape of a grenade, but nothing like that!!:eek: I wonder if something like that was bought during the cruise, but can something like that be bought anywhere?? Did the person own it before the trip, then how did it get on the ship?? Thanks for the link because i had no idea just how real that looked!!

[bunting]

 

3) We all know how notoriously inaccurate first reports in the newspapers are, it's entirely possible that the "toy grenade" was in a bag on its' way to the ship, checked by a passenger in line to board the Freedom. This makes much more sense than they were x-raying stuff coming off the ship. In that case, bravo to the screeners for finding it, and again, so much for all the comments of "they can't screen every bag going onto a Freedom class ship" for booze, weapons, whatever else.

 

I agree with Wraithe and I think the statement printed, apparently released by RCCL added to my confusion

 

Quote The toy grenade was spotted by Transportation Security Administration workers while screening luggage being loaded off the ship, said Lynn Martenstein, a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean. Unquote

 

Normally you load on and unload from (or off) a vessel ......I think this was being loaded onto the ship because it was in fact coming off the vessel it would have been much quicker to find the owner and seek information to evaluate the risk.... and about the booze comment from Wraithe....my concern is that the alcohol smuggling (talked so much about on these boards) detracts the screeners from their primary duty e.g. to find weapons

 

For those who might be tempted to flame screeners try this link

 

http://www.msnbc.com/modules/airport_security/screener/default.asp

[jbond]

I think this was being loaded onto the ship because it was in fact coming off the vessel it would have been much quicker to find the owner and seek information to evaluate the risk....

I agree with you. But, if in fact it was being loaded on to the ship, let's hope that the people who owned the luggage drove to the port and didn't fly in. If they did fly, what happened to the luggage screening at the airport.:eek: