Random room searches on Victory, WTH?

[Guatiao]

Hi people! A friend of mine just complete last week his CCL Victory sailing off San Juan, and on Saturday or Sunday (I don't remember exactly which day he told me) he told me that, around 6 am, someone knocked on the door. When he got up, he saw some ship security employees, asking to enter to conduct a random room search. He, his wife an baby had to quickly get dressed to get out while they searched the room.

 

The employees said it was a normal, customary thing on CCL sailings, and that it was a RANDOM search, nothing that actually pointed at him or his group for some wrongdoing.

 

Otherwise, his trip was uneventful, and he had a great time.

 

My question is, has anyone had this experience?????? In my 5 cruise trips I have nevera had such an issue, or met anyone that did. I have heard of people being thrown out for drug use on some of my previous sailings, but what happened to my friend sounds just awkward.

[Mrs.C05]

I haven't heard of that either but maybe I've just been skipped. I HAVE seen a person's room being searched or whatever but I do not know why. All I saw were some dudes with official's jackets on. I don't remember what it said though (FBI, Police, Coast Guard, etc.)

[BND]

No and have never heard of "random" searches. My guess is it wasn't random and they were tagged for some reason. I have heard of rooms being searched with probable cause though. I wouldn't be very happy to be woken up at 6 am.

[Lv2Camp&Cruise]

I am anxious to see if anyone else has ever heard of this happening. This seems really odd!

[poobears]

Wow I've never heard of it either. I'm sure if it was common you'd see a bunch of threads about it here. I agree it sounds like they were tipped off to something that made them search his room. That's just weird.

[KarenMF]

I find it very strange that they would do a 'random' search at 6am....and if it was my room, I would NOT be letting anyone in, nor would I be leaving my room, at 6am!

[TortieGal]

I think I remember reading about something like this once before on here...just don't ask me when or what thread it was in! :o

[glrounds]

The only reason I can think of is a "missing passenger" . . . but then I think it wouldn't be random. Every cabin would be searched. :confused:

[nolaAlive]

Never heard of it. If it was my cabin, I'd tell them to come back during normal business hours and go back to bed.

[DarthGrady]

Ill trade someone a pack of smokes for a hand mirror. That way I can see the guards coming down the hall......:eek::D

[celticd1]

I think I remember reading about something like this once before on here...just don't ask me when or what thread it was in! :o

 

I remember reading it too...but not specifics.

 

5 cruises and counting and it has never happened to us or anyone that we have sailed with.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Yes it has been a while but I read something similar a good while back on this board.

 

I dont think in that case it was ship security but customs? Perhaps looking for drugs or something?

 

Maybe someone reported smelling something and they couldnt narrow down which room so they searched all of them in the area?

 

Just guessing.

[BND]

They certainly weren't going to tell them that they had been reported for something. Something or someone pointed at them for some reason and as I said above, I haven't heard of random searches. The only posts I've seen are about people who have had their rooms searched because they were seen "talking" to known dealers in a port or someone smelled something. So, not I still don't buy the random search. If it was the norm, Carnival would have it in the contract (for liability reasons) and I don't remember seeing it.

[VillaHappy]

That really strikes me as odd - especially given the 6am timeframe.

[TeresaJ]

I read this too...something about the Victory being chartered after that cruise and being subjected to strict security.

[gill_boo]

On my last cruise, there was a "funny smell" in one corridor the entire cruise. When we were waiting to disembark, customs officials came on and hauled someone off in handcuffs. Someone who was in the vicinity said the people who had been taken off had their room searched the day before. So, I am guessing they must have found something worthy of an arrest. Maybe trafficking?

[CruiseCentric]

"Random" searches happen from time to time.

 

Check out this thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=788009&highlight=

[nolaAlive]

Ok, if it was the day of disembarkation, I can believe an early wake up knock. Especially if the dogs running over the luggage gave some indication of an issue.

 

But I still have never heard of.

 

Anyway, I have nothing to hide. So unless you're bringing me breakfast, you can't come in! Keep a knocking!

[CruiseCentric]

Another thread for those interested

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=512647&highlight=searches

[nolaAlive]

Again, an example of someone other than ship security knocking on the door.

 

Again, I have nothing to hide. Do you?

[jessemon]

If they knocked on my door at 6:00AM it wouldn't bother me at all. I'd be at the pizza bar finishing off a few slices of pizza and my last beer of the night. Guess they'd have to come back later in the day or just let themself in....LOL....

[tiggerman101]

I witnessed a couple incidents on my recent Victory cruise (March 22-28), but none of them were "random" searches. I had an aft balcony on deck 6. The partitions between balconies on the aft are slanted so you can see your neighbors when you are at the railing. Anyway, my neighbors were a young couple on their first cruise. I got to know them well over the course of the week. Every night we would stand out on our respective cabins and talk. I was standing there the second to last night of the cruise having one of our talks. I was next to the partition and had my back to the railing facing there cabin window and door as we talked. All of a sudden I saw there cabin door fly open and two security guards came rushing in. I know I had a surprised look on my face because the couple turned around to see what I reacted to, saw the security standing in their cabin and rushed inside to see what was going on.

 

The couple had placed the "Do Not Disturb" sign on their door for most of the cruise. The reason was that they never unpack (they both worked for airlines) and had luggege, etc all over their room. They didn't want the steward to bother with cleaning up the cabin around their stuff. Well, this had caused some tension with the steward because he could never go in there when the sign was up. The security guards that rushed into their cabin said that the steward had reported that he hadn't seen the couple in two days and they had the "Do Not Disturb" sign on their door the whole time. The security guards said they knocked, but when no one came to the door then they entered to see if they were alright. The whole thing was odd, but it did make sense. Still, it kind of freaked me out when I saw them barging into the cabin like that.

 

The other incident involved a couple down the hall from us. On the last night we were walking to our cabin and noticed a security guard in the hall in front of an open door to an inside cabin. In the cabin doorway and on the floor was a stack of all the cabin's linens, etc. The man man and woman were in the cabin with the woman laying in bed while the man emptied out all of the drawers, etc in front of another guard.

 

We got to talking to their neighbors in the cabin next to them. Apparently, the lady had been drunk the entire cruise and the couple had been fighting loudly the past few nights. On the last night, their neighbors heard a loud "bang" and called security. I don't know what all happened or what/if the security guards found anything, but they litterly sat in a chair in front of the couples door for the rest of the night. At one point we walked by and the lady had crawled out into the doorway and was eating chips off the hallway floor from some leftover room service they had left and placed outside their cabin. The security guard was just watching her. It was all really weird. On a end note, the next day we ran into sa couple we met on the cruise at a bar in the San Juan airport. Low and behold the lady who was in the cabin down the hall and eating chips off the floor sits down next to us at the bar. She proceeds to down two jumbo Margarita's in 10 minutes while crying to a friend on her cell phone. She was telling her friend that the rip was awful and her boyfriend broke up with her the last night of the cruise and wouldn't talk to her at all. He changed his flight to the next day and told her that she had a drinking problem. She just kept telling her friend on the phone that he was being ridiculouse.

 

Yes, the people on cruises never fail to entertain me.

[nolaAlive]

If they knocked on my door at 6:00AM it wouldn't bother me at all. I'd be at the pizza bar finishing off a few slices of pizza and my last beer of the night. Guess they'd have to come back later in the day or just let themself in....LOL....

 

Pizza bar closes early the last night. Maybe that's why they waited? :p

[CruiseCentric]

Again, an example of someone other than ship security knocking on the door.

 

Again, I have nothing to hide. Do you?

Not a thing.

 

I think the OP just got the story wrong from the friend. In another thread that went poof yesterday, it was stated that Customs was doing searches on the last sailing on Victory before it headed to T&T for the Summit of Americas.

[nolaAlive]

Not a thing.

 

I think the OP just got the story wrong from the friend. In another thread that went poof yesterday, it was stated that Customs was doing searches on the last sailing on Victory before it headed to T&T for the Summit of Americas.

 

I can believe that. But it was certainly not random or typical of cruises in general, if that is the case. Once in a lifetime, at best, I would think.