How good is the security onboard any cruise ships?

Question

Is there a lot of theft or small crimes? How do the backup arrive when the ship is at sea and which country provides the backup when the ship is docked in another country?

Answer 1

As a Deck Officer on a cruise ship I'd have to say its rather tight. I see the secuirty of my ship as part of my job - as opposed to the small part that a passenger sees. A few examples:
EVERY item of luggage and stores is xrayed and sometimes searched before coming onboard
EVERY access point on or off the ship is manned and monitored on CCTV 100% of the time while the ship is in port - including the mooring decks.
We have roving patrols of security guards doing rounds of the ship throughout the day and night
Our security guards are all ex-military.
We work closely with the various nations coastguards going drills and training to optimise our response to a security threat.

As you can see, most of the above is protecting the ship from unauthorised persons or objects coming onto the ship, which is our biggest secuirty threat. As for looking after your belongings, then we have electronic cabin keys, so if something was to go missing in your cabin we would have a log of exactly who entered your cabin (in the event it could have been a dishonest crewmember)
The list goes on, but the biggest thing is choosing your cruise lines. If you are going to go on a cruise that costs folks $2000 a week to be there, you are going to be sailing with a better class of person, whereas if the cruise costs $200 you are gonna get ALOT of white trash getting drunk - and invarioubly causing trouble.
A few weeks ago our Secuirty Officer talked to his opposite number on a carnival (party) ship to swap stories on how their week was going. ours had to fill in few reports of old passengers falling down some stairs, the Carnival guy had a rape, 6 assaults, 2 with 'a deadly weapon' and ALOT of drunk abusive passengers and a whole pile of 'missing' items taken from the ships bars and pool areas...
Choose not only the cruise line, but more importantly think about how safe you are going to feel with your fellow passengers on that type of cruise....

Answer 2

We took an Alaskan cruise last year with Princess Cruise lines. The security was very good on this ship. There was no getting o off and back on at any port without the proper ID. You do have to keep in mind when your on a ship that has 7 to 8 thousand people on it.......its a small city floating around out there. So naturally every person on that ship is not good people. So take some precautions on ship the same as you would anyplace else. Over all, I think it is quite safe and the trip of a lifetime. We loved it and will go again.

Answer 3

The questions you pose are good ones and the answers actually lie within your own questions.

First the primary security of any cruise ship is access to the ship itself. This means that while in port people getting off and on the ship must be on the cruise or staff. They are pretty stringent about who they let on in any port.

Small crimes still occur but they are more camera, wallet, watch type thefts. These are typically done by employees or other passengers but rarely impact the overall joy of a cruise!

Big crimes like violence and such are rare simply because you are on a floating island and its not like people have anywhere else to go.

Response to cruise liner emergencies goes through the same process as any maritime vessel in trouble. They broadcast their SOS and the nearest ship responds. In the event there is a conflict (say pirates off the coast of somolia) then the nearest armed convoy would respond.

Needless to say that the ship itself is not really a target to piracy or any other racitearing practice. Simply they are too large too hard to control (once boarded) too many security staff with guns and not worth the hassle)

The boat of choice are 30+ foot schooners owned by rich sailors who can be chased down looted and left.

So to recap (long answer isn't it) go have fun take some common sense like you would in a hotel and you should have a great time. Enjoy your trip!

Answer 4

I have taken many cruises and never really seen or heard of any problems with theft or assaults. For the most part the only security is when you board ship. They screen passengers and their carry on and baggage. In ports they make sure that only people who are supposed to get on the ship are allowed to board.

There are NO security people walking the decks to see if things are OK. They react to what passengers bring up, but I have never seen any incidents. All cabins have safes so you can lock up money and valuables. I have never had a problem with a camera, or money or anything else coming up missing.

Answer 5

There is very little crime onboard a ship. Petty thief among the passengers happens as in any crowded situation and there are occasional arguements amongst the crew. There is no back-up at sea. If there is a major crime, they often request assistance of the FBI or the country they happen to be docked in.

Answer 6

my wife and i took a carnivale cruise right after 911. just like getting on a planes no pen knives or anything like that to get on, but when you ate steak, you were provided with a whooper of a knife. we never felt threatened or unsafe the whole cruise. when you buy tickets you get an id card and use it each time u leave or return to ship, it has your pic and info on it and they read it on the puter each time. it was possible for some people to sneek a little gonja on board from jamacia...when we enter the cozumel dock, there was a mexican gun boat along side us and a gun toting soldier almost every block in town and near the docks...it felt very safe, dont sweat the security i think, good luck

Answer 7

Its usually pretty good, I've been on lots of cruises and never had a problem. Usually if extra security is needed it would probably be from the closest country.

Answer 8

It is only tight if you secure your belongings and stay with someone you know. To many rapes and thefts that go on without any justice. Look up on the web for the crime stats and you will see the numbers. The sad thing is that it is usually the crew , not the other passengers

Answer 9

I speak from personal experience....so take it as you'd like to...but...

YES...the cruise ships' security and laws are awful and confusing.

Most aren't reported to proper authorities due to maritime rules...even if you docked in certain countries...

Answer 10

Usually pretty tight...