The other side of the Freedom/tobacco story

[ryano]

Reality is it does not matter if OP completely lied about every detail of the incident or was completely honest, it does not matter. Personally I think RCCL had a communication breakdown and the person was denied passage. Crap happens. Give them a full refund, free cruise, and let it end happily.

 

I agree 100 percent with all of this

[Scotty G]

I wouldn't be so sure that the OP was even telling the truth about the firearms license. Just because she posts on her rollcall, seems to be a nice lady and says that he has a firearms license doesn't make it a fact. We really have no way of knowing. Don't believe everything you read. Especially now that she deliberately left off a few pertinent details. ;)

Try a Google search using info provided by the OP and you will find him.

[iwannacruznow]

That would have been the most logical thing to do just as they do with alcohol smugglers but we ALL know sometimes some people at RCI arent all that logical.

 

But according to most here,these people are hardened criminals and had an intent to do this as a dry run to test security so they could smuggle back drugs from the islands :rolleyes:

 

Gotta love speculation!

 

Its going to be real funny if RCI realizes what a nightmare this has become for them PR wise and they sweep this under the rug by giving the couple their money back and maybe even a free cruise, lol. I would LOVE to see the reaction here if that happens! Most likely though, if it does, we will never hear about it.........In fact I doubt we ever hear the outcome anyway.

I know I dont buy the dry run theory either.

[PH8]

Kathy.........the OP is bajathree..........Steve.

 

He is one of us..........a good guy!:D

 

I think that you are mentioning.........the other thread and who started it.....was the OP that is in question.

 

If this is all second hand, I apologize...........as I'm still reading.......and maybe I'm dyslectic, but you all are writing faster than I can read!;)

 

Rick

 

Yes Rick, like many others on this thread,I am referring to Hager when I mention the OP..

[wayne_trisha]

Your post accusing RCI of libel accepts the couple's and the police's version over the cruise line's, when in fact NO ONE HERE knows exactly what happened, or who is telling the truth. But we do know, from the original thread, that the OP there lied repeatedly, by omission, about what happened during the encounter, because despite posting over 60 times on that thread, she never once mentioned that the tobacco was hidden in the fake hair spray can. That adds a whole new dimension to the story, because it's a lot different from just putting it in a baggie in the pocket of the dive bag.

 

The former shows a deliberate attempt to conceal something from security. The latter is just a way of packing something.

 

So the police lied and let a person with an illegal substance go home free? Come on. I suspect the police are telling the truth based on the information they have.

 

Would I be denied boarding if i packed a false bottom can with twinkies? Fat people have addictions just like smokers. Niether is illegal but I bet the twinkies do not get someone banned.

[bigeagle12]

I know I dont buy the dry run theory either.

 

Ok .. then please explain to me why he (who according to his wife is not a smoker) went out and bought a fake can of hairspray to hide "legal" tobacco in???

[Gayle V]

you will be IN the US geographically , but that is not the final answer

 

"country I am IN" has different meanings in the legal world

 

Once you cross the brow you are in the realm of international law

 

this falls in the legal term of 'jurisdiction' which has multiple components - person, place, and offense as I was taught it, in prep' to enforce it.

 

if you prefer to ignor the international aspects of ships you are free to do so .. until you get into court. (what court?)

 

I always heard that until you are outside the 12 mile limit, you are still subject to the US law.

[tanelicus]

Regardless of whether it was hidden or not, and how it was hidden, if RCI allows people to carry tobacco and pipes on board then the couple technically did nothing wrong. However, if its a close call regarding security measures, things change a great deal.

 

It's purely a contract issue at this point, and interpretation of the contract.

 

Contractually, this couple might be a little unlucky, but hiring an attorney might help as it might make RCI think it may be just cheaper to refund the full amount, as opposed to duking it out in court.

 

I am actually impressed that this couple got the response and press they did. People gripe all the time, but they got a column on CC within a matter of a couple days and over a thousand responses.

 

I am sure regardless of right or wrong, this is not the type of exposure RCI aims for. Got to like the little man element to this story.

[wayne_trisha]

I know I dont buy the dry run theory either.

 

I might believe it if they were caught with a foot locker, chest, or other large container. The amount of marijuana you could jam inside a shaving cream can or hair spray can is probably no more than $300. And if their smoking parapheneralia (sp?) is for illegal purposes, they likely already have contacts in the illegal drug trade and don't need to risk imprisonment, fines, and if true, a firearms dealers license for such a small amount.

[wayne_trisha]

Ok .. then please explain to me why he (who according to his wife is not a smoker) went out and bought a fake can of hairspray to hide "legal" tobacco in???

 

I will as soon as you explain how you know he went out and bought the can and did not already own it.

[BeagleOne]

So the police lied and let a person with an illegal substance go home free?

 

Please point out where I said that.

 

The truth is that none of us here knows exactly what happened. But the REALITY is, it DOES matter that "Mary" lied in her account. She started a thread on CC to get her version of the story out BEFORE things had been resolved with RCI. IMHO it was an attempt by her to drum up a lot of outrage against RCI and she succeeded.

 

Then it turns out that she left out a crucial piece of information, information that makes her and her husband less sympathetic. And NONE OF US knows what tests were run, how many tests were run, who ran them, how accurate they were, what the results were, and what happened to the tobacco afterward. We only have the OP's statements, the cruise line's statement, and what CC has told us the police report said.

 

I suspect that her and her husband's reaction to the finding of the tobacco and the news that he was now considered "high-risk" might have contributed to their not being allowed to reboard. But I don't know that, and I doubt we'll ever find out.

[wayne_trisha]

Regardless of whether it was hidden or not, and how it was hidden, if RCI allows people to carry tobacco and pipes on board then the couple technically did nothing wrong. However, if its a close call regarding security measures, things change a great deal.

 

It's purely a contract issue at this point, and interpretation of the contract.

 

Contractually, this couple might be a little unlucky, but hiring an attorney might help as it might make RCI think it may be just cheaper to refund the full amount, as opposed to duking it out in court.

 

I am actually impressed that this couple got the response and press they did. People gripe all the time, but they got a column on CC within a matter of a couple days and over a thousand responses.

 

I am sure regardless of right or wrong, this is not the type of exposure RCI aims for. Got to like the little man element to this story.

 

 

full refund, free cruise, non-disclosure agreement, and RCCL settles for less than $5,000.

[bigeagle12]

I will as soon as you explain how you know he went out and bought the can and did not already own it.

 

Ok .. assume he already had it .. explanation please?

[wreckem2013]

I might believe it if they were caught with a foot locker, chest, or other large container. The amount of marijuana you could jam inside a shaving cream can or hair spray can is probably no more than $300. And if their smoking parapheneralia (sp?) is for illegal purposes, they likely already have contacts in the illegal drug trade and don't need to risk imprisonment, fines, and if true, a firearms dealers license for such a small amount.

 

This is just completely wrong. And at this point, I will just put a disclaimer. I do not use illegal drugs of any kind. But I have known those that do, and I am(or was really its been a while) an avid smoker of shisha.

 

High end pot, goes for quite a lot. Ask anyone that has been to a dispensary in CA or CO. There are some potent high end strains that easily fetch way more than $300 in filling up a fake hairspray can. There are strains that go for $300/oz. There are even strains that go for much more. Pot today is not what it was 10 years ago. Let alone from the 1960s. Pot is very much a designer drug these days. But the likelyhood this couple was trying to do a dry run for drug smuggling purposes is extremely unlikely.

[iwannacruznow]

Ok .. then please explain to me why he (who according to his wife is not a smoker) went out and bought a fake can of hairspray to hide "legal" tobacco in???

 

I might believe it if they were caught with a foot locker, chest, or other large container. The amount of marijuana you could jam inside a shaving cream can or hair spray can is probably no more than $300. And if their smoking parapheneralia (sp?) is for illegal purposes, they likely already have contacts in the illegal drug trade and don't need to risk imprisonment, fines, and if true, a firearms dealers license for such a small amount.

What he/she said.:D And also I think customs is more concerned what coming in the country than whats leaving.

[bigeagle12]

full refund, free cruise, non-disclosure agreement, and RCCL settles for less than $5,000.

 

No refund, no court .. RCI may lose a handful of customers over this .. but they gain that many every week when the other cruiselines screw up.

 

And you can tell I am not an RCI cheerleader .. I love all cruiselines.

[Pushka]

Exactly.

 

But why would RCL lie if they had done the right thing?

[Langley Cruisers]

Ok .. then please explain to me why he (who according to his wife is not a smoker) went out and bought a fake can of hairspray to hide "legal" tobacco in???

 

No refund, no court .. RCI may lose a handful of customers over this .. but they gain that many every week when the other cruiselines screw up.

 

Hear hear, bigeagle. I am enjoying your posts.

[wayne_trisha]

Please point out where I said that.

 

The truth is that none of us here knows exactly what happened. But the REALITY is, it DOES matter that "Mary" lied in her account. She started a thread on CC to get her version of the story out BEFORE things had been resolved with RCI. IMHO it was an attempt by her to drum up a lot of outrage against RCI and she succeeded.

 

Then it turns out that she left out a crucial piece of information, information that makes her and her husband less sympathetic. And NONE OF US knows what tests were run, how many tests were run, who ran them, how accurate they were, what the results were, and what happened to the tobacco afterward. We only have the OP's statements, the cruise line's statement, and what CC has told us the police report said.

 

I suspect that her and her husband's reaction to the finding of the tobacco and the news that he was now considered "high-risk" might have contributed to their not being allowed to reboard. But I don't know that, and I doubt we'll ever find out.

 

I'll put my faith in the police report over what appears to be miscommunicated information about the legality of the substance tested.

 

I agree he made a stupid mistake but I think RCCL experienced a communication breakdown and the captain did not know the real story.

[Pushka]

Kathy.........the OP is bajathree..........Steve.

 

He is one of us..........a good guy!:D

 

I think that you are mentioning.........the other thread and who started it.....was the OP that is in question.

 

Rick

 

Well there's an interesting slant :rolleyes: So the bad guys are the ones who are disagreeing with you?

[iwannacruznow]

This is just completely wrong. And at this point, I will just put a disclaimer. I do not use illegal drugs of any kind. But I have known those that do, and I am(or was really its been a while) an avid smoker of shisha.

 

High end pot, goes for quite a lot. Ask anyone that has been to a dispensary in CA or CO. There are some potent high end strains that easily fetch way more than $300 in filling up a fake hairspray can. There are strains that go for $300/oz. There are even strains that go for much more. Pot today is not what it was 10 years ago. Let alone from the 1960s. Pot is very much a designer drug these days.

How much can you put in a hair spray can?

[jonbgd]

Its all common sense and logical, unless the OPs Husband lied about it being shisha. You cant smoke shisha without a hookah pipe and charcoal. The OPs husband purposely concealed "shisha and a pipe", if there was no charcoal, why bring it a long? Just to smoke on land and only going to buy charcoal on land? I Doubt a hookah pipe will pass through security in the Caribbean. It most definitely wouldn't in Jamaica.

 

 

And one more thing I will add if it wasn't a hookah pipe and it wasn't a traditional tobacco pipe, then the pipe could have been seen as illegal drug paraphernalia.

This sounds like first hand knowledge not common sense:rolleyes:

[tanelicus]

If the person put cash in the fake shaving cream can, would that be ok?

 

Because basically if RCI has a policy that allows one to carry on tobacco and pipes, technically its the same a carrying on cash in one of those can things. If its allowed its allowed.

 

I don't understand what bearing when and how the person got the can plays in this?

 

I think RCI has a problem with this contractually. However, the cruise industry is notorious for having unfair consumer contracts, so I am sure there is a catch all security provision which at the very least protects RCI with these type of issues.

 

Interesting stuff.

[BeagleOne]

At this point the only person or entity that we KNOW has lied is "Mary". RCI, the cops, the port authority, and the couple may ALL be lying about different aspects of this, or "Mary" may turn out to be the only liar.

 

I think no refund, no free cruise, no court case. I also wonder if RCI will ban them, not so much because of the tobacco incident, but because of "Mary's" actions and threats since then.

[bigeagle12]

I'll put my faith in the police report over what appears to be miscommunicated information about the legality of the substance tested.

 

I agree he made a stupid mistake but I think RCCL experienced a communication breakdown and the captain did not know the real story.

 

You need to go back and read Aquahound's posts. Police only proved in was not MJ/or contained no THC .. did not prove it was not another form of "prevalent" illegal drug for which there is not test .. sorry .. the original OP and her husband got what they deserved for hiding it in the first place .. no sympathy here :eek: