Onboarding process - bag search?

[wil e coyote]

52 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

I think I also answered the border agent wrong

Yup, that will definitely get you flagged for secondary screening, as I have learned...🤪

[newbiecruiser2022]

thanks everyone

 

for those of you telling me to get little serving sizes - i just don't want to.  i prefer a very specific brand which only comes in a huge jug.  not all protein powder is the same - lottts of critical differences which probably seem silly to most but not silly to me – and i'll take my chances with the ziplocks.   will report back!

[GeezerCouple]

6 minutes ago, newbiecruiser2022 said:

thanks everyone

 

for those of you telling me to get little serving sizes - i just don't want to.  i prefer a very specific brand which only comes in a huge jug.  not all protein powder is the same - lottts of critical differences which probably seem silly to most but not silly to me – and i'll take my chances with the ziplocks.   will report back!

 

Take a photo of the label of the original container.

Tape a copy to one of them (or even several).

 

My guess is they won't even be noticed, especially in a regular screening device.  That's not what they tend to be looking for with those (usually more like liquids).  I'm not sure how different it would look under a scan than, say, a container of talcum powder, for example.

 

We bring meds, lots of meds (alas).

And we bring them in tiny ziplocs for the length of the trip (plus extras!), each with an original pharmacy Rx label.  We request these extras a week or two before a trip, so the pharmacist isn't rushed.

And we've never had them questioned.  If they were ever even noticed, we are unaware of that.  (And yes, the collection includes a controlled substance, but the rest are not.  There are two epi-pens, and another injectible.  We've never been asked about any of them, not at ports or at airports.)

 

They'd probably do better going after "other substances" with sniffer dogs, although that's only a guess.

 

Relax, but "just in case", be prepared to continue the cruise without them.  One never knows for sure.

 

GC

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, tetleytea said:

 

I don't see the difference?   I don't mean to make this a bigger deal than it really is, but I just don't like people looking on us as going back to the "naughty room" when it's just secondary screening.  I feel judgmental eyes on the back of my head, whether real or imagined.  I also got called to secondary screening at the U.S. border twice--once because I was applying for immigration, and once simply because I was slow to drive up to the window and sat at the red light for too long.  I think I also answered the border agent wrong when he asked when was the last time I had been to the United States.  

 

 

15 hours ago, tetleytea said:

But if you can get through TSA, you will probably get through cruise security.   Anyway the point is that I wouldn't call it the "naughty" room.  They can take you back for multiple reasons, and not all of them--probably not even most of them--involve you being naughty.

Luggage (not people) that fails screening is kept in a large storage area where people need to go and claim them. The Naughty Room. 
 

Whereas TSA doesn’t care if you have a knife or handcuffs or a bottle of booze in your luggage. The cruise line does. 
 

The port rent-cops are not TSA and do not have pass keys to open bags and search them. If your bag gets sent to the naughty room, you will have to open the bag on the floor and have security check it with you there. They will tag and confiscate items that are on the prohibited items list which you need to claim after your cruise. 

[GeezerCouple]

11 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

Luggage (not people) that fails screening is kept in a large storage area where people need to go and claim them. The Naughty Room. 
 

Whereas TSA doesn’t care if you have a knife or handcuffs or a bottle of booze in your luggage. The cruise line does. 
 

The port rent-cops are not TSA and do not have pass keys to open bags and search them. If your bag gets sent to the naughty room, you will have to open the bag on the floor and have security check it with you there. They will tag and confiscate items that are on the prohibited items list which you need to claim after your cruise. 

 

This looks to be still at the port, not on board.

How does someone know they need to check here before boarding?

 

(I had always imagined the "naughty room" to be on board the ship, and one could go there "whenever", even after sailaway.  But one wouldn't have any of the other contents of that piece of luggage until one did that, of course.)

 

Thanks.

GC

[ChiefMateJRK]

31 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

This looks to be still at the port, not on board.

I'm guessing that is the pickup point for after the cruise?

[ChiefMateJRK]

45 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Luggage (not people) that fails screening is kept in a large storage area where people need to go and claim them. The Naughty Room. 

Thanks @BirdTravels  You explained it a lot better than I did.

[SpacemanSpiff]

2 hours ago, wil e coyote said:

Yup, that will definitely get you flagged for secondary screening, as I have learned...🤪

Yep, same here, as I learned about 25 years ago crossing the border out of Canada with my then-fiancee (she was Canadian, I am a US citizen).

 

US Border Guy:  "You know it's illegal to smuggle an alien, don't you?

Me (and not trying to be funny): "I'm not smuggling her, she's right here in the front seat!"

US Border Guy: "Please pull over by the building."

 

Five hours later (one of which was in handcuffs), we were finally on our way.  🤔

[GeezerCouple]

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm guessing that is the pickup point for after the cruise?

 

They screen luggage that is *leaving* the ship??

 

GC

[wil e coyote]

Just now, SpacemanSpiff said:

Yep, same here, as I learned about 25 years ago crossing the border out of Canada with my then-fiancee (she was Canadian, I am a US citizen).

 

US Border Guy:  "You know it's illegal to smuggle an alien, don't you?

Me (and not trying to be funny): "I'm not smuggling her, she's right here in the front seat!"

US Border Guy: "Please pull over by the building."

 

Five hours later (one of which was in handcuffs), we were finally on our way.  🤔

I'm reminded of a Steven Wright bit...

"I was driving in from Canada and the border patrol agent asked, 'Do you have any weapons?'

So I said, 'What do you need?'"

😆

[ChiefMateJRK]

Just now, GeezerCouple said:

 

They screen luggage that is *leaving* the ship??

 

GC

Of course not.  Did you miss the part about them confiscating items in the naughty room and having you pick them up when you leave the ship?

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Of course not.  Did you miss the part about them confiscating items in the naughty room and having you pick them up when you leave the ship?

 

 

Ooops, yes I missed that part!  Duh on me!

 

Obviously, we've never had the pleasure of interacting with Naughty Room Festivities.

🙂

 

GC

[ChiefMateJRK]

5 minutes ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

Yep, same here, as I learned about 25 years ago crossing the border out of Canada with my then-fiancee (she was Canadian, I am a US citizen).

 

US Border Guy:  "You know it's illegal to smuggle an alien, don't you?

Me (and not trying to be funny): "I'm not smuggling her, she's right here in the front seat!"

US Border Guy: "Please pull over by the building."

 

Five hours later (one of which was in handcuffs), we were finally on our way.  🤔

🤣Yeah, humor and security simply don't mix.

[SpacemanSpiff]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

🤣Yeah, humor and security simply don't mix.

To paraphrase Tommy Lee Jones from "Men-In-Black" - "We... have no sense of humor that we are aware of."

[tetleytea]

24 minutes ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

To paraphrase Tommy Lee Jones from "Men-In-Black" - "We... have no sense of humor that we are aware of."

 

I would be pretty furious.  You said you weren't trying to be funny, and actually you had a perfectly plausible answer.   You had an alien in your car.  She was sitting right there.

[wil e coyote]

1 hour ago, SpacemanSpiff said:

Yep, same here, as I learned about 25 years ago crossing the border out of Canada with my then-fiancee (she was Canadian, I am a US citizen).

 

US Border Guy:  "You know it's illegal to smuggle an alien, don't you?

Me (and not trying to be funny): "I'm not smuggling her, she's right here in the front seat!"

US Border Guy: "Please pull over by the building."

 

Five hours later (one of which was in handcuffs), we were finally on our way.  🤔

Try crossing the border into Canada at 2 AM when you're 17, with three other 17-year-old friends, so you can "have a smoke in Canada." Then the Canadian BP officer asks how much money you have, and you realize that between the four of you, you have a total of 77 cents.

Yeah - we spent an hour in the border patrol office - were denied entrance to Canada, but told, "You're officially in Canada. So have your cigarette and get out!"

Then, we had to go back through the US BP point. Now it is after 3 AM. When the officer asked us what we were up to, one of us replied, "We just got kicked out of Canada!" Got to spend another hour in the US BP office before they finally let us back in...

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

This looks to be still at the port, not on board. How does someone know they need to check here before boarding?

That was the pick-up after a cruise. All of the items confiscated in the Naughty Room and held by the cruise line until you are off the ship on the last day. The naughty room usually has dozens of bags that are flagged for "prohibited items".

 

Personally, I have had bags sent to the Naughty Room twice. Once because my CPAP machine (which has a heater for the humidifier) was flagged by rent-a-copy port screeners as an "iron". And once because we had a 2-week pre-cruise trip and had some cutlery in our luggage (which was flagged as an illegal [butter] knife). Both were released without confiscation once I showed them to ships' security. 

Edited July 6, 2022 by BirdTravels

[newbiecruiser2022]

9 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Take a photo of the label of the original container.

Tape a copy to one of them (or even several).

 

My guess is they won't even be noticed, especially in a regular screening device.  That's not what they tend to be looking for with those (usually more like liquids).  I'm not sure how different it would look under a scan than, say, a container of talcum powder, for example.

 

We bring meds, lots of meds (alas).

And we bring them in tiny ziplocs for the length of the trip (plus extras!), each with an original pharmacy Rx label.  We request these extras a week or two before a trip, so the pharmacist isn't rushed.

And we've never had them questioned.  If they were ever even noticed, we are unaware of that.  (And yes, the collection includes a controlled substance, but the rest are not.  There are two epi-pens, and another injectible.  We've never been asked about any of them, not at ports or at airports.)

 

They'd probably do better going after "other substances" with sniffer dogs, although that's only a guess.

 

Relax, but "just in case", be prepared to continue the cruise without them.  One never knows for sure.

 

GC

 

thanks, yeah i'll just see what happens.   i did peel off the labels from some of the other larger containers i am consolidating just in case. 

 

i guess i'm mostly nervous because the TSA actually does pull out my powders from the carry-on security scanner, every single time.  not sure if the NCL onboarding scanners are the same as what TSA uses but TSA sees my powder as a threat and runs one of those litmus paper tests on it.

Edited July 6, 2022 by newbiecruiser2022

[GeezerCouple]

6 minutes ago, newbiecruiser2022 said:

 

thanks, yeah i'll just see what happens.   i did peel off the labels from some of the other larger containers i am consolidating just in case. 

 

i guess i'm mostly nervous because the TSA actually does pull out my powders from the carry-on security scanner, every single time.  not sure if the NCL onboarding scanners are the same as what TSA uses but TSA sees my powder as a threat and runs one of those litmus paper tests on it.

 

Hmmm.... well, when I wrote what I wrote, I didn't realize that those powders triggered the TSA scanner...  Maybe that changes things; I have no idea.

What the port screeners detect may be different.

Good luck, and let us know.

GC

[Daytonasailor]

On 7/4/2022 at 8:24 PM, Dcoy said:

At least you’re not attempting to bring a grill like someone wants to to on another post. 😱

I'm still shaking my head on that one.....

[graphicguy]

On 7/5/2022 at 11:59 PM, newbiecruiser2022 said:

 

thanks, yeah i'll just see what happens.   i did peel off the labels from some of the other larger containers i am consolidating just in case. 

 

i guess i'm mostly nervous because the TSA actually does pull out my powders from the carry-on security scanner, every single time.  not sure if the NCL onboarding scanners are the same as what TSA uses but TSA sees my powder as a threat and runs one of those litmus paper tests on it.

Yeah…that changes things.  Obviously, you’re going to do what you want.  So, not sure what we can do here to help.

 

Just curious…..if you know there’s a good chance you’ll be flagged, then why risk taking your powders on board?  Personally, anything that might get me flagged, if it’s not absolutely needed (like prescription drugs I take daily for a chronic malady), it stays at home.  It’s just not worth the hassle if it’s not absolutely necessary.

[1025cruise]

The port personnel are not TSA. They won't be testing your powder. If they can't validate its protein powder, its not getting onboard.

Again, while not your preference, buy smaller jugs for the trip and take them in the containers.

[weltek]

Please do report back. I'd personally do the smaller powder packs just to avoid any potential hassle (you can literally lose hours of your vacation for nothing in the baggage security room otherwise). I'm voting that it's unlikely, but the combo of lots of misc. supplements (on their own, that's not at all unusual) WITH a large baggie of protein powder is a bit out of the ordinary. Good luck! Just remember, if you DO lose hours in the baggage security room, it was a choice to risk it, and don't expect them to apologize for anything.*

*Speaking from DH's experience with his suitcase and them finding nothing of concern after two hours of waiting. False alarm. Just an, "Ok, you can go."

[Mariketa]

I once brought baggies of protein powder on a cruise, little snack bags, one for each shake. I wrote "NOT DRUGS" on each one, just to be funny. I don't think anyone noticed. :(

[FloatingAces]

I agree with GeezerCouple, about keeping a copy of the prescript labels, I photograph the pill labels myself and print the photograph.  The labels contain a description of the pill, so they can correlate labels  to pills; it also is a nice emergency list in case I need it.  Taping a couple of the label to the powder bottle like Geezer suggested is a nice touch.

 

Further, regrading some posters concerned about being watched when sent to secondary screening, having traveled far afield and often, I've been pulled aside by TSA and customs and security in multiple countries due to something they thought they saw on primary screening (lots of weird electronics over the years).  I smile, knowing I have nothing illegal, they look, find nothing (sometimes taking some time - once 30 minutes in eastern Europe), and I've always been on my way - so why be embarrassed?