Cruising is an exciting and enjoyable way to
spend one's vacation time. It is an opportunity to get away from the work-a-day
world and spend some down time rejuvenating yourself. As the Zac
Brown band says, " I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand / Not a
worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand / Life is good today Life is good
today."
However, before
you put you "toes in the water . . . ." you made sure you packed everything you needed and no
contraband. By the way, in case you hadn't heard, bottled drinks are now
contraband on a Carnival cruise ship. You can still bring you bottle of wine
and your canned drinks but no bottles of water etc. Just add them to you things to leave at home.
Truth is, you
only want to take what you need when you board the ship. However, not all of
your baggage goes in a suitcase or carryon bag. Some of it might not be a
bathing suit or shorts. It may not even be in your possession.
For example, Did
you fill out that online "Check-in" form? You know the one where you
get your boarding pass and baggage tags. Remember, putting in your name, you
contact info and your passport data? Do you have any idea where that
information goes?
"To the
cruise line," you say. Yep, the
cruise line certainly gets it. But
that's not all. When you complete your cruise check-in, that
information becomes part of the “passenger manifest.” That manifest, with all your information, is
shared by the cruise lines with U.S.
Customs and Immigration. What you may not know is that it is also supplied to
the Office of Homeland Security!
We are good with that because we don't want
any incidents on our dream vacation. But here is a thought,
"What happens if you have some kind of outstanding
warrant? It could be a traffic warrant
or a warrant for being a dead beat dad not paying child support. It really
doesn't matter what kind of warrant you have outstanding it could prove to be
excessive baggage on your cruise vacation.
Thus far, when they came knocking you have
managed to avoid being served or arrested. When the law came knocking you could
pretend not to be there or slip out the back or some other way give them the
slip. However, when your on a cruise
ship they know exactly where to find you. They have the day, the time and the
place where they can arrange to meet you. There is nowhere to hide. It is not
unusual for a few passengers to receive an unexpected “welcome home” from law
enforcement.
While your vacationing they are running that manifest through their
various data bases looking for people with outstanding warrants and planning a
homecoming surprise. Yep! Outstanding
warrants! The “long arm of the law” may
not extend into international waters, but they might just be ready and eager to
welcome you back on land! If you even
think you might have a outstanding warrant problem, take care of it before you
sail, or you could be treated to a complimentary “post-cruise-stay” in the
local jail.
So now you know . . . excess baggage may not
refer to anything that goes in your luggage. It may be something that is placed
in your hand as you hear, "You have the right to . . . ." Don't let
it happen to you. Settle-up with the judge before you head off on that great
cruise vacation. Now let's see, "Where am
I going that can put my 'toes in the water and my ass in the sand?'"
Welcome to “Wanderlust.” The name Wanderlust means an insatiable desire to travel and is the travel blog for Texas Cruise and Travel. On this page you will find travel tips & hints, destination reviews, opinions, and postings on just about any and everything to do with travel. If you love to travel or would just love to be able to travel I invite you to sign-on as a follower of the blog. Becoming a follower of Wanderlust you will automatically be notified of new postings.