The other side of the Freedom/tobacco story

[wayne_trisha]

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

 

Simple, his baggie had a hole in it and he wanted to keep it dry :)

 

None of us can assume crap in the whole matter. I see him trying to avoid a security shakedown for a legal substance (I do not smoke legal or illegal material). Others think he is trying to avoid security. I understand their point. His reason for using the false bottom can is unknown.

[BeagleOne]

 

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

 

That certainly could be. But if the captain is acting in good faith on plausible information that he reasonably believes to be correct, I suspect his actions will be seen to be within the passenger carriage contract.

[wreckem2013]

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.

 

If you shove $10,000 or more in cash in a fake can, I HIGHLY suggest you don't go through a security checkpoint. Unless you want to lose said $10,000. RCL only allows traditional tobacco pipes. It doesn't sound like this was a traditional tobacco pipe.

[Pushka]

If two of the parties who are independent of each other are saying the same thing, then I would think that the third party who is protecting their corporate reputation, might just be the ones caught out telling a whoopsie.

 

The bottom line is that the only party who has nothing to lose in being totally honest, is the Ports Authority and the Police. And they are the ones (apparently) confirming the goods did not test positive for THC. If they thought that it was an illegal product, then why didn't they seize it and take it for further testing.

[scubagirrl]

If someone decides to hide a clock that resembles a bomb in a secret container in their luggage, with wires and some putty like substance, but it turns out to only be someones alarm clock decorated like a bomb, if that not enough of a "risk" to keep him off the ship??

 

Alarm clocks aren't illegal, right? But making it seem like a live bomb would be enough to not only throw him off the ship, but have him arrested.

 

This guy made it look like he was doing something iillegal. He should suffer the consequences.

 

I'm onboard with the trial run theory. I'd bet his demeanor and actions after the fact had something to do with his "high risk" status.

[bigeagle12]

Simple, his baggie had a hole in it and he wanted to keep it dry :)

 

None of us can assume crap in the whole matter. I see him trying to avoid a security shakedown for a legal substance (I do not smoke legal or illegal material). Others think he is trying to avoid security. I understand their point. His reason for using the false bottom can is unknown.

 

LOL .. i am a pipe smoker and buy all my tobacco fresh at tobacco stores .. never pre-packaged .. and it alway comes in zip lock bags .. when I travel it is either in the original "baggie" or in my leather tobacco pouch.

 

Airlines and cruiseship security is used to seeing fresh tobacco every day :eek:

[wayne_trisha]

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.

 

My personal knowledge of the drug trade ended about 25 years ago. Your post is very interesting. I assumed the potency of marijuana was stronger through better growing techniques and crop mutation but damn! $300 an ounce? WOW.

[tanelicus]

If you shove $10,000 or more in cash in a fake can, I HIGHLY suggest you don't go through a security checkpoint. Unless you want to lose said $10,000. RCL only allows traditional tobacco pipes. It doesn't sound like this was a traditional tobacco pipe.

 

Ok assume its a Rolex watch and $300.00? $10 K really? Now?

 

If the pipe didn't test positive for THC, then is it any different from any other pipe?

 

Cops know what drug paraphanalia are, if this passed the sniff test, then??

[wayne_trisha]

That certainly could be. But if the captain is acting in good faith on plausible information that he reasonably believes to be correct, I suspect his actions will be seen to be within the passenger carriage contract.

 

Certainly his actions would be. It probably gets murky from there but the possibility is he recevied bad information. I think he acted properly based on the information that the couple had illegal substances. I think this was false information but he does not know that when he makes the decision.

[wreckem2013]

My personal knowledge of the drug trade ended about 25 years ago. Your post is very interesting. I assumed the potency of marijuana was stronger through better growing techniques and crop mutation but damn! $300 an ounce? WOW.

 

The advent of medical marijuana has funneled a millions possibly hundreds of millions of dollars into marijuana research.

[bighairtexan]

I'm DEFINITELY not an RCI cheerleader. 50+ cruises and only 1 was RCI (10 years ago and it was AWFUL).

 

However even if the man in question wasn't trying to see if he could get away w/ a substance in the dummy hair spray can. Even if he just thought "Gee it's a great idea to pull some "tobacco" out of its original container, put it in a baggy and then secret it and a double chamber pipe in a fake hair spray can" then I'd say he showed EXTREMELY poor judgement and IMHO (and probably the captain's) he acted IRRESPONSIBLY.

 

And from the ROYAL CARIBBEAN WEBSITE:

Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age 21, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy.

 

So although not alcohol related (probably) I think he fit the IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR section..... for which the possible response is disembarkation at the Pax expense.

[mjldvlks]

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.

Well we know Mary did not disclose the hair spray can deal. We also know that the police story and the RCI story are diametrically opposed -- they cannot both be accurate.

[Pushka]

If someone decides to hide a clock that resembles a bomb in a secret container in their luggage, with wires and some putty like substance, but it turns out to only be someones alarm clock decorated like a bomb, if that not enough of a "risk" to keep him off the ship??

 

Alarm clocks aren't illegal, right? But making it seem like a live bomb would be enough to not only throw him off the ship, but have him arrested.

 

This guy made it look like he was doing something iillegal. He should suffer the consequences.

 

I'm onboard with the trial run theory. I'd bet his demeanor and actions after the fact had something to do with his "high risk" status.

 

I believe that wiring a clock to make it look like a bomb is actually illegal. Placing a substance that "has not tested positive for THC but could be tobacco" in a container that conceals it, is not.

[tanelicus]

If someone decides to hide a clock that resembles a bomb in a secret container in their luggage, with wires and some putty like substance, but it turns out to only be someones alarm clock decorated like a bomb, if that not enough of a "risk" to keep him off the ship??

 

Alarm clocks aren't illegal, right? But making it seem like a live bomb would be enough to not only throw him off the ship, but have him arrested.

 

This guy made it look like he was doing something iillegal. He should suffer the consequences.

 

I'm onboard with the trial run theory. I'd bet his demeanor and actions after the fact had something to do with his "high risk" status.

 

If something is decorated like a bomb, thats possible inciting a riot. Come on you have to admit, thats different from this scenario. Its tobacco ( allowed) and a pipe (allowed). Not something that looks like a bomb. My goodness. Nice attempt on the spin, but I digress.

 

The cops thought the dude was ok.

 

RCI is a private company, they are actually allowed to make judgments about a persons demeanor with no recourse.

 

Here this is a contractual issue. RCI is the one who allows people to carry on tobacco and pipes.

[wayne_trisha]

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.

 

How did she lie?

 

RCCL should have settled straight up. Anyone on the fence with the company in hard economic times might look elsewhere.

[tanelicus]

I'm DEFINITELY not an RCI cheerleader. 50+ cruises and only 1 was RCI (10 years ago and it was AWFUL).

 

However even if the man in question wasn't trying to see if he could get away w/ a substance in the dummy hair spray can. Even if he just thought "Gee it's a great idea to pull some "tobacco" out of its original container, put it in a baggy and then secret it and a double chamber pipe in a fake hair spray can" then I'd say he showed EXTREMELY poor judgement and IMHO (and probably the captain's) he acted IRRESPONSIBLY.

 

And from the ROYAL CARIBBEAN WEBSITE:

Guests who violate any alcohol policies, (over consume, provide alcohol to people under age 21, demonstrate irresponsible behavior, or attempt to conceal alcoholic items at security and or luggage check points or any other time), may be disembarked or not allowed to board, at their own expense, in accordance with our Guest Conduct Policy.

 

So although not alcohol related (probably) I think he fit the IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR section..... for which the possible response is disembarkation at the Pax expense.

 

Would most likely not be the actionable scenario in this case for RCI. I assume that wording means that a party who acts a fool and endangers himself and others.

 

Besides, I am not sure that the provision would be held up in court, too vague and overreaching for contract purposes.

[wreckem2013]

Ok assume its a Rolex watch and $300.00? $10 K really? Now?

 

If the pipe didn't test positive for THC, then is it any different from any other pipe?

 

Cops know what drug paraphanalia are, if this passed the sniff test, then??

 

If you are traveling with $10k or more in cash or $10k or more of any other type of monetary instrument(travelers checks, foreign currency, etc) you best be disclosing that on the proper forms or else you will find yourself out of said money if security/customs finds it. It IS a criminal offense to fail to report and knowingly conceal $10k or more in monetary instruments when traveling. Not only is it a criminal offense, all the money is taken by civil forfeiture even if you are never convicted.

 

I was just pointing out that traveling and purposely concealing a certain amount of cash(on your person, in a bag you are carry, doesn't even have to be overt like in a fake can) is in fact illegal... And you can easily smuggle said amount in a fake can the size of a soda can.

 

And drug paraphernalia doesn't have to test positive for drugs. It just has to look like drug paraphernalia and look used. What separates a drug spoon from a spoon? It isn't testing positive, one just looks like its been used to use drugs.

 

If it was Halo Shisha, my bet it was this "pipe" that was found. But I could be wrong. Or it might not have been Halo Shisa.

 

http://www.hookah-shisha.com/store/pc/catalog/Leila-hooka-parts.jpg

[wayne_trisha]

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:

 

I have an almost blind faith to the police and other such trained authorities. I never said it was legal but that it was not illegal. I beleive if the port canaveral police (who thankfully did not ticket me today for speeding:) ) let the person go, they did not suspect illegal substances.

[Poorplaya]

I was shocked when i read about this originally but now that this is out, it all makes more sense now, I too am with RCI on this one.

[dmwnc1959]

28 pages of comments in less than 12 hours has to be some kind of Cruise Critic record!!!

 

Even the Costa Concordia disaster didn't garner this much attention in that short amount of time. :eek:

 

.

[tanelicus]

refund the total price of their cruise. No freebie. Just make the couple whole again, and be done with it.

 

RCI's being silly with this. Now they are in a position where they are probably afraid to open up legal avenues against them in the future. Plain silly!! RCI should have nipped this in the bud immediately.

 

If they monitor these boards and noticed that the post was nearing 1,000 responses, a quick action probabl would have been wise.

 

Makes me wonder??

[Merion_Mom]

not sure about this. If they can prove that rccl acted in a negligent way then they can collect.maybe even punitive damages. Witch is something rccl really would want to avoid. i think i would find a atty. That would take it pro bono.

 

Bwah ha ha ha

 

 

:D

[bigeagle12]

CC talked to Mary and her husband .. they have admitted to lying.

 

CC talked to spokespersons from the Port and RCI .. not to the actual people from the Port and RCI that were involved .. we all know how "spokespersons" put the "spin" on their stories to protect themselves. Gee what a surprise there is a discrepancy there.

 

If we are lucky we may hear from the actual people themselves including the captain.

[BeagleOne]

Once again, wayne_trisha, "Mary" lied by omission. In her 60+ posts on the original thread, she never once mentioned the most important detail about the tobacco and pipe...that they were deliberately concealed in a hidden compartment in a fake hair spray can, and NOT merely in a baggie in a side pocket of her husband's dive bag. As I posted before, the former is a deliberate attempt to hide the items from security, for whatever reason. The latter is simply a way of packing something.

[Merion_Mom]

In the short term.

 

But, for companies to be successful in the long run, they need to serve their customers well.

 

RCI has been getting ripped on a number of customer service isssues, and their reputation has been on the downslide in this area.

 

How can customers book a cruise over a year in advance to get an aft cabin, then be told they lost their cabin because RCI forgot that the cabin numbers changed when the ship was refurbished?

 

The more you read about the RCI customer service, one has to conclude that this organiztion is run but complete total morons.:(

 

And for the record, I have loved sailing on RCI. My previoius three cruises were with RCI, and I am on Oasis in June.

 

But, after that, I will be considering other lines.

 

 

Try Costa.

 

;)