Carnival Embarkation Drug Searches

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, jedi bobs said:

No problem, refuse to be serched, and be denied boarding with no refund, less money they have to pay for your food that you will eat.

 

 

And next time cruise a line that isn't struggling with drugs and violence on their ships.

[IndyKid]

11 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

And next time cruise a line that isn't struggling with drugs and violence on their ships.

I don't cruise on Carnival, my feed sent me the link on this thread. Just how bad is Carnival "struggling with drugs and violence "? Are we talking opium dens or just the occasional whiff of weed? And I've not heard of any cartel involved shootings on any cruise line, so please enlighten me....

[AllgoodOnTheRoad]

Really sorry it impacted the enjoyment of your cruise, but I also really want them to fix this problem, so I support all measures they decide to invoke. 

[kdr69]

On 11/12/2023 at 5:40 AM, ontheweb said:

With all the reports of the ships "reeking of pot smoke", how can you say it works?

I always take descriptors like this with a HUGE grain of salt, actually almost the whole shaker.  

[kdr69]

On 11/9/2023 at 10:29 PM, txcruiser1234 said:

From our perspective though -

wouldnt life be great if everything was based on our perspective? alas would probably be very confusing given everyone has a different perspective. 

[Travelling2Some]

Nobody has mentioned it but this is a good reason not to borrow luggage or lend yours out!

[AllgoodOnTheRoad]

1 hour ago, Travelling2Some said:

Nobody has mentioned it but this is a good reason not to borrow luggage or lend yours out!

Woman I know who lives in Vermont missed an international flight due to a suitcase bought at a yard sale. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 11/11/2023 at 11:01 AM, mz-s said:

That's a cute little saying but it's far from the reality of the situation of course. Marijuana today is much more potent than the stuff Cheech and Chong paraded.

Perhaps, but in all honesty I've never seen anyone who is high on MJ attempt to start a fight, but I've seen lots of alcohol-fueled incidents.  So cute-quote or not, my experience is that MJ users are simply not nearly as prone to violent outbursts as drinkers.

[IndyKid]

5 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Perhaps, but in all honesty I've never seen anyone who is high on MJ attempt to start a fight...

Except maybe when they get the munchies and cut in line at the buffet...🤣

[mz-s]

5 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

 

There is a big difference between "I don't eat bacon, so I don't care if they don't serve bacon every day" and responding with one's personal experience to someone who is posting that drugs and violence are rampant on Carnival ships.

 

If I didn't know from your own posts that you continue to sail on Carnival on casino deals, I'd think you were trying to bring down the whole cruise line.

I relay my experiences and opinions. Same as everyone else here. If the opinions of one person on an anonymous forum is enough to bring them down then there’s no saving them!

 

Many here are fine cruising where there’s drug use. I’m not. Carnival needs to do more to keep the drug users off their ships. 
 

The violence is a separate - possibly related - issue. Carnival ships thankfully aren’t skid row, but the situation can quickly degrade if not taken care of promptly and without mercy. 

[john91498]

42 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

 

There is a big difference between "I don't eat bacon, so I don't care if they don't serve bacon every day" and responding with one's personal experience to someone who is posting that drugs and violence are rampant on Carnival ships.

 

If I didn't know from your own posts that you continue to sail on Carnival on casino deals, I'd think you were trying to bring down the whole cruise line.

 

They seem to have a strange vendetta against Carnival which I find very odd...

[mpacker]

On 11/11/2023 at 7:09 PM, IndyKid said:

The OP didn't mention any demographic information about himself, but if he's getting singled out more than normal it might be profiling?

or just unlucky....

 

the odds of hitting the powerball are very slim, but someone does...

 

just b/c something happens don't start looking for conspiracies 

[IndyKid]

29 minutes ago, mpacker said:

or just unlucky....

 

the odds of hitting the powerball are very slim, but someone does...

 

just b/c something happens don't start looking for conspiracies 

I wasn't implying a conspiracy, but let's face it - profiling does happen. And I know I'll draw some flak for saying it but I'm OK with it.

[icft]

22 minutes ago, john91498 said:

 

They seem to have a strange vendetta against Carnival which I find very odd...

I could be completely wrong, but I don't think it is anything like a vendetta against Carnival. I rather suspect that, like us, they have seen Carnival become a mere shadow of its former self, know Carnival can do better and are frustrated that Carnival won't, or can't, pick itself up. That frustration is probably not helped by the numerous threads (though not on display in this thread) in which folks respond by expressing pride in how poorly they can be treated without it bothering them.

 

We decided the answer is to go to other cruise lines. Why am I still following the Carnival forum? When you sail six times a year and book a year ahead there is a transition period, plus Carnival's Journey cruises are much better due to older, experienced cruisers. We still book and feel safe on Journey cruises (unlike the shorter cruises - my wife was assaulted on a seven day earlier this year - if you followed MeganGC1983's LIVE… Carnival Celebration 9/3/23-9/9/23 thread you know she was assaulted on that cruise).

 

[IndyKid]

@icft I think that's just awful about what happened to your wife, I wouldn't even think about going on another cruise with Carnival. It certainly reinforces my decision to avoid them.

 

As I stated earlier in this thread I don't cruise with Carnival, I received a link to this thread in my Google feed so I followed it to find out what the deal was. As far as I'm concerned they can check me and my luggage as many times as they want, I wouldn't be offended. We deal with it every time we travel by air, so what's the big deal anyway?

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, icft said:

I could be completely wrong, but I don't think it is anything like a vendetta against Carnival. I rather suspect that, like us, they have seen Carnival become a mere shadow of its former self, know Carnival can do better and are frustrated that Carnival won't, or can't, pick itself up. That frustration is probably not helped by the numerous threads (though not on display in this thread) in which folks respond by expressing pride in how poorly they can be treated without it bothering them

 

Precisely, I know what Carnival is capable of and the current product is so far beyond that I feel it is my duty to call it out. Especially when it comes to drugs and violence - we see in the general populace how quickly things like this can go out of control if not nipped in the bud swiftly and with zero tolerance.

 

I hope that people here who read my posts recognize that I am fair. I am hard on Carnival where they need improvement, and I am not too proud to give them kudos where earned.

 

People who wave away my comments by saying "oh, he just doesn't like Carnival anymore!" - in my opinion, says more about them than it does me.

[momof3cruisers]

On 11/11/2023 at 5:34 PM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I wonder if anything would change in, say 5 (or 25!) years when they eventually get around to federal decriminalization or legalization.

 

 

Cheng already mentioned an organization I don’t know but my thought had been that as long as it is illegal in their flagged country or counties the ship visits, the US law isn’t relevant. Pretty sure that’s also why you’re denied boarding if you have CBD. 

On 11/12/2023 at 6:24 AM, FSHLOT said:

I'm not sure, but, I think the dogs aren't just sniffing for drugs. 

They may be sniffing out explosives too. Also, they might be after articles people might be using to "Save Chairs" on the pool deck!! Like excess amounts of flip-flops, books, sun visors....etc....😃

If only! 

On 11/12/2023 at 5:47 PM, icft said:

 

. Guests and their luggage will be routinely and randomly screened by security personnel and screening tools and equipment, including narcotics and contraband sniffing dogs during embarkation, at ports of call and on board.

 

 

Contraband sniffing dogs made me giggle. A few years ago Carnival took my little craft scissors I had in my purse. How would the dogs sniff those out anyway? Do they alert to irons and surge protectors too?
 

I loved those scissors. 🥺

[asalligo]

15 hours ago, icft said:

I rather suspect that, like us, they have seen Carnival become a mere shadow of its former self, know Carnival can do better and are frustrated that Carnival won't, or can't, pick itself up. That frustration is probably not helped by the numerous threads (though not on display in this thread) in which folks respond by expressing pride in how poorly they can be treated without it bothering them.

 

This! So much this!! We all know Carnival can be better because they were better. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

29 minutes ago, asalligo said:

This! So much this!! We all know Carnival can be better because they were better. 

 

When we first started sailing with them (1999) on the Sensation, they didn't have specialty restaurants, and the dining experience in the MDR was stellar... it was a "fine dining" experience. Over the years, as they started adding in pay options, perhaps they intentionally changed the MDR in such a way to get a little more $ out of you if you still yearned for something more...

 

Tom

[asalligo]

9 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

When we first started sailing with them (1999) on the Sensation, they didn't have specialty restaurants, and the dining experience in the MDR was stellar... it was a "fine dining" experience. Over the years, as they started adding in pay options, perhaps they intentionally changed the MDR in such a way to get a little more $ out of you if you still yearned for something more...

 

Tom

Yes, I think this has been a calculated decision by Carnival over the years. Take a good steak off the menu and add it as a pay version, reduce the quality of the desserts, but have a paid dessert right down the hall. I suspect at this point only competition will change them. I was hoping MSC might do that, but they are worse than Carnival in that respect. Margaritaville could be that line though. They still have a long way to go, but right now they are still doing many things that Carnival has cut. I am excited to see them get a spirit class ship and see how they run it. I was on Margaritaville two weeks ago and all the little things, tablecloths, robes still in the cabins, along with glasses and soaps and conditioners and ice buckets. Employees just stopping and asking if there is anything they can do to make my cruise better. My waiter heard me trying to decide between Baked Florida and the brownie and he just brought me both after I ordered the Baked Florida. That kind of thing used to happen on Carnival ships, but it has been a long time. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 minutes ago, asalligo said:

Yes, I think this has been a calculated decision by Carnival over the years. Take a good steak off the menu and add it as a pay version, reduce the quality of the desserts, but have a paid dessert right down the hall. I suspect at this point only competition will change them. I was hoping MSC might do that, but they are worse than Carnival in that respect. Margaritaville could be that line though. They still have a long way to go, but right now they are still doing many things that Carnival has cut. I am excited to see them get a spirit class ship and see how they run it. I was on Margaritaville two weeks ago and all the little things, tablecloths, robes still in the cabins, along with glasses and soaps and conditioners and ice buckets. Employees just stopping and asking if there is anything they can do to make my cruise better. My waiter heard me trying to decide between Baked Florida and the brownie and he just brought me both after I ordered the Baked Florida. That kind of thing used to happen on Carnival ships, but it has been a long time. 

 

Funny you should mention that line - we were just talking with a friend this weekend, and discussed giving them a try 🙂 

Tom

[Oceansaway17]

On 11/9/2023 at 7:29 PM, 1025cruise said:

It's actually a Carnival thing, not a Port Authority things. Carnival has the dogs doing the searching due to too many people bringing onboard.

I was surprised by this when embarking on Oct 28th in Miami for Horizon.

 

Funny though on day 3 smelled pot on board anyways

[aborgman]

On 11/9/2023 at 6:51 PM, FTLCruiseGal said:

I used to get extensively questioned after each cruise and once was pulled aside.  I had nothing to hide, so it doesn’t bother me.

 

Customs/police have certain traits they look for.  Unfortunately, you may match the description of someone they got a tip about or you unknowingly exhibit some behaviors.

 

 

Customs/police/TSA have certain traits they look for - problem is, there is zero criterion validity to most of them and they have no higher success rates than random. They don't work, and just amount to useless profiling.

"A review of 400 studies over 60 years found the chance of spotting deceptive behavior only slightly better than flipping a coin"

"During 2011 and 2012, behavior detection officers referred 8,700 travelers at 49 airports to law enforcement officers, GAO found. The referrals led to 365 arrests"

"“No, they do not exist,” Vrij, author of Detecting Lies and Deceit, “Non-verbal cues to deceit are feigned and unreliable.”

“Over half a century of research shows that liars do not betray themselves by signs of stress or discomfort,” said Hartwig. “In other words, there is no Pinocchio's nose.”

[aborgman]

On 11/11/2023 at 8:43 AM, ProgRockCruiser said:

Out of curiosity, what violence on board can you attribute to drug use?

 

I'd guess about 99% of violence on board is attributable to the drug alcohol.

[aborgman]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:43 PM, jsglow said:

. But TSA doesn't have any right to stop us on the street.

They do if you live within 100 miles of the border.

The entire state of Florida, the entire state of Michigan, and the entire state of Maine are within that 100 mile "“reasonable distance” border zone.