is anybody considering Not flying to get to your cruise?

[mr green]

My wife gave up on flying three years ago, because of the hassle. Last year she grudgingly agreed to fly again, as we found such a great booking. Then came the SHOE lighting scare, this time I pulled the plug, loosing out on a good deal,

but, all in all I have no regrets.

 

john

[rich_cathybrock]

I couldn't believe it when I read that a breast cancer survivor had to take out her prosthesis to show to the TSA agent. How much more can people be humiliated? If I still had mine, I would have taken it out and hit her with it. It might be worth a few months in jail.:D Of course, then I would have been placed on a no-fly list and couldn't travel to FLL to catch my cruises.:( I really feel sorry for the children. It must be really frightening for some of them. I know we all want to be safe, but there must be a better way of screening people. If the Israelis can do it, why can't other countries?

 

An 8-year-old was told to remove his shirt, and a gentleman with a urine bag on had it burst and was humiliated by one of these "public servants." I hope they sue the "junk" out of the TSA, and I pray that this nightmare will end. The irony is that it is all the self-professed fourth amendment advocates conniving the American people into believing this is a good thing - it is a robbery of not only our rights but our dignity. I never EVER believed such a thing was possible here in my lifetime!

 

The terrorists must be lauding the shoe bomber and the panty bomber as saints - look at what they have caused! When the tampon bomber gets picked up, and I have to jump into a set of "stirrups" to board a plane, I will hang up my European cruises forever. :eek::eek:

[dot73]

I saw the video of the boy being patted down with his shirt off. Apparently the father took the child's shirt off so that the TSA agent would stop patting him down and hurry up the process. I could just imagine my 7 year old nephew having to go through this and how it would terrify him. Flying for kids used to be exciting and part of an adventure; not any more. After going through something like this, no child will want to go to the airport ever again.

 

I dread my flight to FLL in less than two weeks. I am seriously thinking of just wearing a loose pair of pants, no underwear, and a loose fitting sweat shirt with no bra. Same thing flying back to Toronto. I'll carry my undergarmets in my carryon and put them on in the restroom after clearing security. At least when I go through the x-ray machine, there will be very little to see and I'll be spared a further check. I guess this will really really test my addiction to cruising. How much inconvenience and stress will I suffer before I stop cruising?

[startwin]

No I do not consider it as invasive, nor do I consider it molestation!! Even IF I could stand to go through a scanner, body or metal, I would set the alarms off because of the implant in my spine.

 

I have been accepting of the need for higher security since 9/11 and will not complain UNLESS they decide to do body cavity searches, THEN I will draw the line.

 

I have had to strip totally one time, and one time only for a flight. We were in northern Greece flying Olympic Airlines to go back home to Athens. I jokingly asked the Security agent what would happen if someone had a bomb.... DUMB question!!!! They promptly took me into custody and I had NO Choice but to subject myself for what they called a "Complete Search". Believe me a "Pat Down" from TSA does NOT compare!!

 

As I said, we scream that we want to be/feel safer when we fly, and yet when the safety measures are put into place.....

 

No Win....

 

Joanie

 

Guess what Joanie.... you're not the only person with metal in your body and many pax are disabled but don't go on and on about it. Or tell stupid jokes to security agents. You could easily have ended up in jail as well as inconvenienced a lot of other travellers.

 

Yes I'm snarly and tired of holier-than-thou postings especially after the misinformation you've posted lately.

[okiecruiser71]

Nah. It's a 24-hour plus drive to FLL from where we live. Some random TSA agent can feel me up all they want if it keeps me from spending all that time on the road (and carrying an INFINITELY higher risk of serious injury or death that comes with driving).

 

I actually think the TSA hand wringing is kind of interesting. From Sept. 2001 to as late as a a year or so ago anyone questioning this stuff would be told to "love it or leave it." Not by me, but that was the sentiment we lived under as a country for many years following 9-11.

 

My how times have changed.

[diamondgirl54]

Wow am I lucky...I only live 10 minutes from Port Everglades.....Will be cruising more instead of flying to Las Vegas for sure....Mary:)

[okiecruiser71]

An 8-year-old was told to remove his shirt, and a gentleman with a urine bag on had it burst and was humiliated by one of these "public servants." I hope they sue the "junk" out of the TSA, and I pray that this nightmare will end. The irony is that it is all the self-professed fourth amendment advocates conniving the American people into believing this is a good thing - it is a robbery of not only our rights but our dignity. I never EVER believed such a thing was possible here in my lifetime!

 

The terrorists must be lauding the shoe bomber and the panty bomber as saints - look at what they have caused! When the tampon bomber gets picked up, and I have to jump into a set of "stirrups" to board a plane, I will hang up my European cruises forever. :eek::eek:

 

Actually that's not completely factual. The boys father removed the kid's shirt out of frustration. He was not asked to remove it by the TSA. The guy who took the YouTube video clearly explained that when he posted the video.

 

I wish people cared about their rights when the Patriot Act was being rammed down our throats. That bill did far more to erode your constitutional rights than the TSA ever could.

[bcd2010]

I have been accepting of the need for higher security since 9/11 and will not complain UNLESS they decide to do body cavity searches, THEN I will draw the line.

 

Joanie (and everyone else, for that matter), this is meant as a sincere and respectful comment: can you see that where you have drawn the line at cavity searches, others draw the line a little earlier at being touched in places that are personal and private? We all have different levels of comfort when it comes to our bodies.

 

Know who I feel sorry for? The TSA agents. How'd you like their job? Bear in mind there aren't that many jobs out there so you don't just walk away. If anyone is enjoying these pat downs less than we are, I'm betting it's them.

 

Then let them quit - just as the TSA and everyone up tells us we don't have to fly, they don't have to work at a job they find objectionable. I quit a job once because of the company's unethical practices - it's doable and I have more self-respect for having done it. Yes the economy is bad and jobs are scarce and, let's face it, it's not like the skills involved in security gate monitoring are high in demand elsewhere - but on a very deep level, people who stay in jobs they object to are demonstrating they are willing to compromise their ethics. So no, they do not get my sympathy - like all of us, they are exactly where they choose to be. Again, this is not intended to be inflamatory or disrespectful. JMHO

[amunhbuu]

 

I wish people cared about their rights when the Patriot Act was being rammed down our throats. That bill did far more to erode your constitutional rights than the TSA ever could.

 

Yeppers. It is interesting to see the changes of our country just over the last 50 years. Mind you, I am not that old, I just read my history.

 

At the same time, maybe what is old is what is new again, given McCarthyism.

 

I just have a feeling that Mr. Washington, Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson are rolling around in their graves.

[scopewest]

For our upcoming cruise in two weeks we're taking a motorcoach with a group (you better believe I signed up so fast for this my pen caught on fire). Next year we're talking about driving to CA again. I'll probably fly again at some point but I also checked into taking Amtrak (even though it stops here in AZ in the middle of the night no matter what route we take). Alas, the train just doesn't work out for us now with time constraints with our jobs.

[startwin]

I was watching a news report about this topic tonight, and one European country - I can't remember which one - has developed a scanner which is nowhere near as graphic as the ones used in N. America, and which is just as efficient. They had a demo of it, and I certainly wouldn't object to that one.

 

Quite honestly, I don't believe any of these measures will protect us against terrorism. The airlines need to tighten up other areas of security first, especially employees, freight, loading..... it's quite scary how lax these areas are, even now. Britain and Europe is now considering dropping many of the recent measures such as removing shoes.

 

There is nothing that will safeguard 100% against determined fanatics. Flying is an ordeal, and unfortunately I don't have much choice so have to endure.

[okiecruiser71]

Yeppers. It is interesting to see the changes of our country just over the last 50 years. Mind you, I am not that old, I just read my history.

 

At the same time, maybe what is old is what is new again, given McCarthyism.

 

I just have a feeling that Mr. Washington, Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson are rolling around in their graves.

 

I think we were a lot closer to McCarthyism in the years right after 9-11. What's happened since then is probably something the founders wouldn't have anticipated. But then again they didn't live in an age of terrorism (at least in the form we know today).

 

I really don't know what the answer is. I get why people are unhappy about it, but alas, it is what it is. The times we live in.

[bloofer]

For my last two cruises out of Ft Lauderdale, I drove down from Toronto. But to cut down on the length of time driving, I took the auto-train from Lorton VA to Sanford FL. Used it again on the way back. It's very convenient: your car goes on the train with you, and you have the pleasure of a train ride.

 

Flying, to me, is now a necessary evil. The secutrity measures are just one addition to a growing list of annoyances, from endless add-ons to the cost of a ticket to the discomfort of limited leg-room in your seat. :(

[anthk333]

I was watching a news report about this topic tonight, and one European country - I can't remember which one - has developed a scanner which is nowhere near as graphic as the ones used in N. America, and which is just as efficient. They had a demo of it, and I certainly wouldn't object to that one.

 

It's the Netherlands, and they are at the airport in Amsterdam. I agree, that one makes sense and it doesn't use any radioactive technology.

[wingit]

I jokingly asked the Security agent what would happen if someone had a bomb.... DUMB question!!!! They promptly took me into custody and I had NO Choice but to subject myself for what they called a "Complete Search". Believe me a "Pat Down" from TSA does NOT compare!!

 

As I said, we scream that we want to be/feel safer when we fly, and yet when the safety measures are put into place.....

 

No Win....

 

Joanie

 

What can I say, but that I was young and really stupid:o

 

Joanie

 

Joanie, I don't know how young you were when you were making "bomb" jokes in the security line but, alas, it doesn't seem as though you've "wised up".

 

I don't know anyone who is screaming to "feel" safer. I think most of us are looking forward to getting beyond the security "theater" so perhaps we can be safer.

[Robin7]

We fly a lot. In fact, due to a family emergency, I flew over 3800 miles in about 17 hours on Saturday, passing through security twice--once in SLC, and once in Atlanta. Both times I ended up in 'traditional' lines and not the body scan lines.

 

I did see an older 'gentleman' getting a pat down. Boy, was he upset! Swearing and yelling and just being totally obnoxious. The TSA guy was very calm and respectful. More so than I would have been. The 'gentleman' was really out of control.

 

We've had the full body scanners for a while here in SLC. I've been through them half a dozen times or more in the last two years. They do not bother me. Even if they saved the image, there is no way to identify me.

 

A pat down would make me uncomfortable. I am having foot surgery next month and will have pins, screws, and plates so will undoubtedly discover how uncomfortable a pat down is in January on my next trip. :(

 

But like the 'port of Phoenix', there are no cruises from the 'port of Salt Lake City', so I'll be flying. We've driven to port (San Diego, over 650 miles away), and I arrived home exhausted. The drive home nearly ruined the enjoyment of the cruise. And we're still far from retirement so we don't have the option for a leisurely trip.

 

Robin

[DizzyDallasDi]

I don't drive anywhere that takes over 2 hours....that's my limit. Flying is the only option for me to get to the ports I want to depart from. I'm not adverse to the total body scans. Let 'em look all they want...I have nothing to hide.

 

TSA has decided this is what they are going to do so we might as well suck it up and submit. There's no choice if you want to get on a plane...either get scanned or felt up....maybe both.

 

I really wish TSA w adopt the Israeli form of profiling as this has worked famously for them. But then we'd have the naysayers complaining about human rights. We're not ever going back to the fun and fancy free flying days of the 1960s. The rules are getting stricter and wierder but it's the rules you'll have to endure if you fly.

 

I'll put up with darn near anything to get on the plane that will deliver me to my destination. I'm one of those "go with the flow" nuts. ;)

[peaches from georgia]

What can I say, but that I was young and really stupid:o

 

Joanie

It hasn't been that long ago that even the thought of a someone bringing a bomb on a plane would come into anyone's mind to mention, joke or not, and even in Europe there wasn't that kind of security very many years ago. You certainly must have been an adult when this happened.

[bloofer]

I really wish TSA w adopt the Israeli form of profiling as this has worked famously for them.

 

Yes it works for them. But it is questionable it would work in the U.S. Israel's profiling includes interviews with passengers, some of which can be quite long. They are able to do that, as they do not have thousands of flights a day to contend with. Sheer numbers would probably make implementing such a policy in the U.S. a nightmare.

 

I do think TSA should look seriously at the body scanners used at Amsterdam airport.

[sapper1]

What can I say, but that I was young and really stupid:o

 

Joanie

You don't have any pictures to show:confused:

[Taxguy77]

:D but who would be MAKING those PBJs? Moi! :D And it would be kinda "same ol' same ol'", y'know? Guess we could borrow a tent and camp on the lake shore. Yup, like you'll ever catch ME camping again.... in bear country. No thanks, too many wildlife encounters this summer (besides the fact that my idea of "roughing it" is when room service is slow) :D

 

Who would be making the sandwiches?

Interior staterooms = homemade

OV = stop by a deli and pick some up

Suite = catered :D

 

DW did not grow up in a camping culture either. :(

[Divi]

We flew to Los Angeles in August and went through a body scanner in the Ottawa airport. On our flight home from LAX we went through a scanner again.

I have a hip replacement so I always get the additional pat down.

In positions of authority, whether it be customs agents, security agents, police etc. there will always be those who seem to be on a power trip.

Perhaps I've just been fortunate but in all of the extra pat downs I've had, the agents have always been respectful.

We will continue to fly because, otherwise, our travel options are very limited.

That being said, we are looking at the Voyage of the Vikings cruise in 2012. Interesting ports and we could DRIVE ( yes, shouting :p) to Boston!

Deen

[Taxguy77]

I don't drive anywhere that takes over 2 hours....that's my limit. Flying is the only option for me to get to the ports I want to depart from. I'm not adverse to the total body scans. Let 'em look all they want...I have nothing to hide.

Gosh, you can't get farther than Temple in 2 hours! In rush hour, you can't get accross Dallas!:eek::rolleyes:

[Randyk47]

We don't exactly live in a "fly over state" but we're centrally located in the US and there's no reasonable way to go anywhere without flying. Mrs. K still works and is the director of a split staff, half here in San Antonio and the half in DC, so she has to fly to do her job. Add that it would take a couple of days of hard driving to get to a port in California or Florida and that takes precious vacation leave days and flying is just what it is. Obviously TSA and travelers are going to have to make some adjustments but for some of us the alternatives to flying just don't work.

[Mary Ellen]

Our next cruise sails from a different continent. We're not going to swim there. :rolleyes:

 

At this stage in our lives, limiting ourselves to cruises that sail from North American ports wouldn't be viable. Maybe when we're old we'll do another mind-numbing Caribbean cruise again. Alaska we can do over and over again, but not the Caribbean.