Golf clubs "confiscated" - Anyone else had this happen or heard of this?

We have sailed RC a good many times and experienced a "first" this week. Our golf clubs were "confiscated". We have always taken our golf clubs and never had a problem with them. Does anyone remember the old "Golf Ahoy" program from years ago? They actually stored your clubs for you and even cleaned them between rounds, etc.

We did not have any trouble having them delivered to our room with our other luggage. On day 3 we got off of the ship with the clubs as normal and security said "have a good round", etc. just as usual. After going through security onboard upon our return that afternoon (and sending clubs through the x-ray machine as typical) we were pulled aside and told they would store our clubs in the security office and to let them know when we needed them the next morning. They asked for an inventory of the items and gave us a receipt. We thought they were being courteous and doing us a "favor" by storing our clubs in the security office. We thought this was great would give us more room in the cabin. The next morning we went down to the gangway and requested the clubs. They brought them out to us and Mr. Ski returned the "receipt" to them. Off we went for another day golfing.

On our return that afternoon...they once again pulled us aside after we had gone through security (and the clubs had gone through the x-ray). They said they would once again store them for us. Mr. Ski explained that we would not be golfing again the rest of the trip so that we wouldn't need them again. They said "no problem" and that they would keep them until the last day.

So on the last day (well next to last day I guess...packing day)....Mr. Ski went down to security to get the clubs. He was told he could not have them as they were considered "confiscated" as they are "sports equipment". He explained to them that we needed them to put them in their travel covers and to put miscellaneous items (protection...i.e. dirty clothes) around them inside the travel covers. So 3 security guards escorted him (and carried the clubs) to our cabin. They told us to call them when the bags were packed and they would come get them and then we would have to retrieve them from the "naughty table" shoreside. So that is what we did.

Everyone was very friendly and accommodating during the process of us needing to pack our things on the last day. Our surprise was that what we thought was “complimentary storage” turned into something else related to a “policy” of having the clubs secured away from the cabin during the voyage. We just wish they would have explained it to us the first day they took them for storage. We would have understood and would not have had an issue with it at all. We just felt like it should have been explained as a ”policy” rather than letting it come across as a “courtesy”.

We had just never experienced this before and had not heard of it. I do not see anything on the RC site that indicates golf clubs as confiscated items. This is what I see on the website:

Onboard Policies

Q: What items are not allowed onboard the cruise ship?

A: Weapons, illegal drugs, and other items that could interfere with the safe operation of the ship or the safe and secure environment of our guests and crew are prohibited. The following are examples of items that guests are not allowed to bring onboard. These and other similar items will be confiscated upon being found. Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned..

Prohibited items: Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas.

Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors. (Note: Personal grooming items such as safety razors are allowed. Scissors with blade length less than 4 inches are allowed.)

Illegal Drugs & Substances

Candles & Incense

Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, & Hot Plates

Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats, Bows & Arrows

Illegal Drugs

Skateboards & Surfboards

Martial Arts Gear

Self-Defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks.

Flammable Liquids and Explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks.

HAM Radios

Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint.

Alcoholic Beverages (Note: Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports-of-call or from shops onboard will be stored by the ship and delivered to you on the last day of the cruise.)

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this or heard of a policy change?

So if I understand you correctly, if it was explained in the same way on the first day, then you would not have had an issue, but somehow you do now. It may just be a matter of the use of words, but either way, they accomodated your needs, therefore in my eyes a job well done.

However as you list the prohibited items, which includes Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks & Cricket Bats, I fail to understand why you think golf Clubs would not fall into the same section. the potential security risk would be the same with Golf Clubs, especially as the list also says, "these and other similar items will be confiscated"

I hope you enjoyed the other aspects of your cruise, and do not allow this issue to spoil your memories of it. Also FYI I note that Ski's are also not listed, but might fall into the section of Skateboards and Surfboards just in case you choose to live up to your Screen Name on any future cruise. :)

............................ We just wish they would have explained it to us the first day they took them for storage. We would have understood and would not have had an issue with it at all. We just felt like it should have been explained as a ”policy” rather than letting it come across as a “courtesy”.

 

We had just never experienced this before and had not heard of it. I do not see anything on the RC site that indicates golf clubs as confiscated items. This is what I see on the website:

 

Onboard Policies

 

Q: What items are not allowed onboard the cruise ship?

 

A: Weapons, illegal drugs, and other items that could interfere with the safe operation of the ship or the safe and secure environment of our guests and crew are prohibited. The following are examples of items that guests are not allowed to bring onboard. These and other similar items will be confiscated upon being found. Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned..

 

Prohibited items: Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas.

Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors. (Note: Personal grooming items such as safety razors are allowed. Scissors with blade length less than 4 inches are allowed.)

Illegal Drugs & Substances

Candles & Incense

Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, & Hot Plates

Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats, Bows & Arrows

Illegal Drugs

Skateboards & Surfboards

Martial Arts Gear

Self-Defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks.

Flammable Liquids and Explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks.

HAM Radios

Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint.

Alcoholic Beverages (Note: Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports-of-call or from shops onboard will be stored by the ship and delivered to you on the last day of the cruise.)

 

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this or heard of a policy change?

So if I understand you correctly, if it was explained in the same way on the first day, then you would not have had an issue, but somehow you do now. It may just be a matter of the use of words, but either way, they accomodated your needs, therefore in my eyes a job well done.

 

However as you list the prohibited items, which includes Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks & Cricket Bats, I fail to understand why you think golf Clubs would not fall into the same section. the potential security risk would be the same with Golf Clubs, especially as the list also says, "these and other similar items will be confiscated"

 

I hope you enjoyed the other aspects of your cruise, and do not allow this issue to spoil your memories of it. Also FYI I note that Ski's are also not listed, but might fall into the section of Skateboards and Surfboards just in case you choose to live up to your Screen Name on any future cruise. :)

OP didn't say that she had an issue - she has never had this happen before and is curious whether anybody else has had the same experience. No need to chastise her, although I agree that this ship's security seems to be using the "similar items" clause to hold on to them. It would be interesting to know if lther ships are following suit.

And I wonder why they weren't flagged at embarkation.

There are a few key words in the list of prohibited items you posted:

"The following are examples of items that guests are not allowed to bring onboard. These and other similar items will be confiscated upon being found."

As stated, the list is just examples and not a full list of all prohibited items. To me, golf clubs would seem to fall into the "similar items" range of items on the list like Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats.

I guess they could have explicitly said to you "we must keep them because they are prohibited", but I don't see that as a big deal. Is there that much difference to you between them keeping the clubs as a courtesy and them keeping the clubs as a necessity? When I was getting back on the ship in Mexico I had a Tequila bottle with me. The guard at the x-ray scanner just said "Put the tequila over there". He didn't say if it was policy or courtesy that they were going to hold my liquor for me for a few days. This thing with the clubs sounds the same to me.

I understand fully the OP's ?concern?, is that the right word? Security LIED to them when they made it look like a COURTESY as opposed to POLICY.

I personally have no problem with a POLICY, I DO have a PROBLEM with being LIED to.

No....lets review:D

You carried them on, no problem

You got to use them during the cruise

You got them back at the end of the cruise

Sounds as though RCI is taking care of business, looking out for the safety of all pax. Maybe someone got caught sneaking aboard something in their golf bag recently

They were STILL LIED to.

They were STILL LIED to.

Where were they lied to? According to the op security just said they would hold them. They never gave reason why.

They were STILL LIED to.

Where in the OP's description of what happened do you see them being lied to? The OP might not have understood the reason security was telling them they would be keeping the clubs, but I don't see anywhere where they were lied to.

Seems to me like saying "we'll keep those for you, just let us know when you need them" is certainly a nicer way of doing things than some of the alternatives. Would you prefer had red lights and sirens started going off at the first sign of a prohibited item? The OP would certainly have been very clear about why their clubs had been taken away then. And since they were already caught trying to sneak one prohibited item on board, the OP could then have been told to "spread em" while security publicly patted them down searching for any other illegal items?

Where were they lied to? According to the op security just said they would hold them. They never gave reason why.

They were not told it was a policy which the OP found out about at the tail end of thier cruise, ergo they were lied to.

Where in the OP's description of what happened do you see them being lied to? The OP might not have understood the reason security was telling them they would be keeping the clubs, but I don't see anywhere where they were lied to.

 

Seems to me like saying "we'll keep those for you, just let us know when you need them" is certainly a nicer way of doing things than some of the alternatives. Would you prefer had red lights and sirens started going off at the first sign of a prohibited item? The OP would certainly have been very clear about why their clubs had been taken away then. And since they were already caught trying to sneak one prohibited item on board, the OP could then have been told to "spread em" while security publicly patted them down searching for any other illegal items?

Security should have come right out and stated with 100% clarity that the clubs were being taken away as a policy of the cruise line and that the op could get them back when they intended to use them going off ship. Instead they made all nicey nicey saying oh we'll HOLD the clubs for you like they were doing them a favor.

We've always kept our clubs in our cabin. If this is a security policy, it's a new one.

Ski, I just wonder if this is a policy on Grandeur only as you've never had a problem on other ships you've been on.

No....lets review:D

 

You carried them on, no problem

You got to use them during the cruise

You got them back at the end of the cruise

 

Sounds as though RCI is taking care of business, looking out for the safety of all pax. Maybe someone got caught sneaking aboard something in their golf bag recently

That is how I am reading into this. Plus they were stored safely in the security area freeing up cabin space for the OP (which they even admit was a good thing.)

As a couple of others have pointed out, the OP has never had this happen on previous cruises - they were always allowed to keep the golf clubs in their cabin. In this case, they were even delivered with their luggage on the 1st day and this situation did occur until day 3 so thus the OP's confusion. I don't think she or Mr. Ski had any problem with it, they were just surprised, especially on the next to last day when told they could not have them back until after debarkation.

They were not told it was a policy which the OP found out about at the tail end of thier cruise, ergo they were lied to.

say wha?

since when is not being informed of something being lied to?

They were STILL LIED to.

They weren't lied to. They were treated with the utmost courtesy, Their golf clubs were always available to them accomodated them in letting them pack them up to their satisfaction.

If the OP asked them "Is this a new policy? , Are my golf clubs being confiscated ?" and security said "Oh no not at all, this is just a new service we offer all our golfers ." Then they would have been lied to.

I think what is going on here is that they do not want to list golf clubs on the list of prohibited items as they do not want to discourage them from being brought along for the enjoyment of the guest.

If you look at how many charters they now have per year, I might imagine that golf activities might be of interest to many of these charter clients along with many other passengers, especially on some itineraries.

This allows them to proceed and bring them along and use them during the cruise without listing them as a security risk. They would not want to deter this group from booking, but still choose to store them.

It seems like a good suggestion to me. I have no solid evidence to base this on, but know the airlines are also somewhat tolerant with golfers.

Funny, but I also use the golf bag to transport 'other' items when I fly. Swiss allows gold members one free golf bag on top of the normal allowance and this helps to transport odd items within the baggage restrictions.

Why were the clubs delivered to the cabin in the first place if it is a policy and safety issue? This seems like one more RCI inconsistency issue.

Why were the clubs delivered to the cabin in the first place if it is a policy and safety issue? This seems like one more RCI inconsistency issue.

Agree. And it's not like this was the first time that the OP and her husband decided to bring their golf clubs with them. Anyone who has cruised with them knows that whey they cruise, so do their golf clubs.:D And they've always been able to keep their clubs in their cabin.

Security should have come right out and stated with 100% clarity that the clubs were being taken away as a policy of the cruise line and that the op could get them back when they intended to use them going off ship. Instead they made all nicey nicey saying oh we'll HOLD the clubs for you like they were doing them a favor.

I don't see the big deal. And the op doesn't say that either, they were just asking about the policy. The op even said themselves it was better for them to be held instead of storing in their room and wasting space.

Must be a slow cruise day :rolleyes:

Clubs were delivered to our room and remained there the entire cruise(except for golf in Jamaica and Cozumel).

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If golf clubs are so dangerous to have on board, why is there a mini-golf course on most ships, complete with clubs?

Sunny South Florida, a short drive to the pier.

If it's a short drive to the pier, do you use a wood or an iron?