Does DCL take walk-ups on departure day?

[over50visits]

Just thinking....with canceled flights, I suspect that unfortunately some may not make it to Sunday's Wonder cruise. Does Disney have very last minute (such as "walk up") prices?

Even in ordinary weather, when the ship is not full, can you drive to the port and sign up there with no advance notice to Disney?

 

[Disneefun]

Cruise lines can't do this anymore after 9/11. Now all passenger lists have to be submitted to the FBI a couple of weeks ahead of departure, so walk ups aren't allowed.

 

[over50visits]

Ah, didn't think of that. Makes sense, and actually makes me feel better as a passenger. Too bad, though. I hate it when policies are necessary as a result of bad folks....ah, for the good old days.

Of course, it's fun to leave worries behind when we're cruising. As the CM said at the going away deck party when we weren't singing loudly enough: "C'mon folks, you're on vacation!" That broke the ice!

 

[tvguy]

I could be wrong, but I highly doubt the FBI checks cruise ship passenger lists simply because they don't have enough information to do a background check.
I cruised 7 months ago on DCL, and at no time did I provide Disney or anyone else with my social security number, drivers license number, or even my full name, or did my wife or kids.
All those are necessary for a background check.
As for walk ups, I don't think that is likely, but I did talk to a lady on our cruise who booked through a special program for residents of the Orlando area. She is on a list that contacts people willing to cruise on one week's advance notice. She paid $399 per person for her and her son to cruise on the Magic. Heck of a bargain if you are in a position to cruise on short notice.
We got an upgrade of 4 categories the week before our cruise, I hear through this board that Disney bumps up paying passengers, and I suspect they then try to fill in the newly open cheaper cabins with locals. Our DCL bus driver also mentioned that they get to cruise for free from time to time, actually get paid to do it. He says it helps the bus drivers answer questions more accurately while taking passengers to the ship since they have been on board.

 

[Doctor P]

tvguy,

My understanding is the same as the earlier poster. Their is now a requirement for full manifests to be submitted at least one week in advance. While full background checks need not be conducted on each passenger, I think you are grossly overestimating the amount of information necessary to do a pretty thorough background check. A name (not even a full name), current address, and phone number are enough to get very, very large amounts of information on almost every person--very scary, but amazingly true.

 

[AnnMorin]

They do submit the lists and you don't need much info to do a check, heck just go to google and punch in your phone number it will come up with your name and address and will even give you a map to your home. Since you have to show picture ID and a birth certificate to embark it is easy enough for them to cross reference just your name and phone number to see if you are on a "watch list"

 

[minniemouse1]

On our cruise in October the local sheriffs dept was waiting for a passenger to exit the ship. We saw them take him in hand cuffs and put him in the van. I guess they waited for him at customs and arrested him there. One of the luggage men told us that they found out he was on the cruise through the check they do of all passengers and found out that he had warrants for his arrest.

 

[TiggerzFan]

Isn't it curious though, that if they knew he'd be on the cruise, why wait until after the cruise to arrest? It's nice they let him get his cruise in, but........

 

[kcashner]

We were able to book on less than 72 hours notice (since 9/11). However, they do not do walk-ups or same day bookings. I don't know about the one or 2 week rule. In our case, we were actually moving up a cruise that was booked for 3 weeks later (family situation), so that may have made a difference. We actually booked only about 53 hours before departure.

 

[4formickey]

Remember that the airlines also submit a list and the message boards are check and your credit card numbers carry all your information that any one need. It is only fearful for a person that has something to hide. The feds have access to all of our information anytime that they want it. Before you are given a credit card your information check by someone.This all due to Homeland Sercuity .

 

[tvguy]

A manifest a week before sounds reasonable. I still doubt any real checks of backgrounds are done before the cruise. The arrest after the cruise mentioned above is evidence of that.
I've been doing criminal background checks the past 3 years for Little League baseball. The Department of Justice needs full legal name, social security number, and date of birth to do a background check. I never did give DCL my full legal name, although I did put it on Customs and Immigration forms turned in during and at the end of the cruise. My travel agency paid for my cruise, and then I wrote them a check, so DCL never had a credit card number until I boarded.
While security at the airports and ports is way up, don't be fooled into thinking that every person on every ship is checked.

 

[bobcat]

The reason the DOJ needs all that info from you is that it makes their job easier. If they wanted to do a check on someone they could with less info. As far as the man being picked up after the cruise you never know when his info triggered the police where his warrant was issued. Unfortunately we don't have a system in place that links all small police forces, and even state forces together. It may have taken a week for the info to trickle down to the right place. Also they would have to wait until he was on US soil again as it would be expensive to extradite (sp?) him.

 

[Boardwalk Garry]

Originally posted by tvguy
I cruised 7 months ago on DCL, and at no time did I provide Disney or anyone else with my social security number, drivers license number, or even my full name, or did my wife or kids.
All those are necessary for a background check.

I am in law enforcement, and I can assure you all that info is not neccesary to perform a background check. One can simply be done with a name and DOB. The other info is nice to have,but not neccesary. Anyways, all of that info can easily be found with just a person's name.

 

[AnnMorin]

TV guy with all due respect...
doing background checks for little league- which I assume are the basic CORI checks is nothing compared to what the FBI, law inforcement or any good PI good find out with just your name and phone number.

 

[paulmc80]

Hmmmmm ... interesting.

I for one have one heck of a time making sure I'm finding the correct perp with just a name. But then again, it could be different way over here. Not many of the criminal nature here use one name or have a regular phone number, social security number, date of birth, or even local law enforcement assigned criminal number.

The ID or passport provided by passengers contains the information that they probably use to find persons with outstanding warrants. And, that's probably not persons attempting to evade a warrant. They are probably unaware of it, or don't think they'll be found for whatever reason.

 

[georgina]

Originally posted by 4formickey
It is only fearful for a person that has something to hide.

I disagree! I have nothing to hide, and think it is very scary how many people have access to all my information.

 

[4formickey]

I was watching COPS tonight and a person gave name and dob ,in less than 1minute they had their information. I also have a scanner and they [law enforcement] can find out who you are any time they want to. I have found people on the internet with a name and state. None of your personal information is private. Anyone at anytime can find out any thing about you,if they want to.

 

[tvguy]

First of all, I take no offense to anyone's comments. I think the most important thing to remember is that no system is perfect, and we all have to keep an eye out.
As for Little League, the background checks require fingerprints so they are much stricter than cruise ship checks.
Boardwalk Garry, as someone who used to be in law enforcement, and who now spends 40 hours a week monitoring police radios, I have to say my exerience is more along those of paulmc80. It can take hours to verfiy someone's ID.

 

[Boardwalk Garry]

Originally posted by tvguy

Boardwalk Garry, as someone who used to be in law enforcement, and who now spends 40 hours a week monitoring police radios, I have to say my exerience is more along those of paulmc80. It can take hours to verfiy someone's ID.

Maybe that's the case where you are or in your experiences...however, verifying someone's ID through the current resources law enforcement uses takes a matter of minutes in MOST cases. There are those few that require more research.

 

[mermaidlady]

background checks with just a name and birthdate are in my experience unreliable. When I started my job that's how HR did mine and it came back that I was a felon. I had to have my fingerprints run through the state and it delayed starting my job by several months