The Safest Way to Travel

During the past two decades, North American cruise lines have compiled the best safety record in the travel industry while transporting, entertaining and pampering more than 60 million people throughout the world.

Security

• The cruise industry's highest priority is to ensure the safety and security of its passengers and crew. Security measures have always been stringent, but may increase in times of heightened alert.

• Cruise lines had U.S. Coast Guards-approved security plans in place years before September 11, 2001, and within hours of the attacks, cruise ships implemented their highest levels of security.

• Cruise passengers should be very comfortable with the additional security measures they may see during their cruise vacation. This includes 100 % screenings of passenger luggage and carry-on articles, additional security personnel and controls, and the use of canine inspections.

• At U.S. cruise terminals security includes screening procedures similar to those found at airports. These procedures include the use of metal detectors for embarking passengers. All crew members and gusts appear on an official manifest and may embark or disembark only after passing through strict security. Photo identification is required for all guests, crew members and visitors who board any of our ships.

• Highly trained security personnel are employed onboard every vessel. To assure smooth processing through U.S. Immigration and Custom inspections, it is recommended that cruise passengers adhere to the following identification guidelines:

  • U.S. Citizens - A passport or a birth certificate (original or certified copy) plus a picture ID card issued by a federal, state, or local government agency are required.

  • Non-U.S. Citizens - Valid passports and visas (when needed) are required in addition to Alien Registration Cards (ARC or "Green" cards) if an individual is a Resident Alien living in the United States. Certain Canadian and Mexican citizens may travel with alternative documentation depending on their alien status in the United States

• In 2004, ships and port facilities worldwide were subject to new international security regulations through IMO's International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. All ICCL cruise ships are in compliance with ISPS Code which requires all ships and port facilities worldwide to have formal security in place.

Safety

• All cruise ships must meet International standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Ships operating from U.S. ports also are subject to U.S. federal and state regulations as well as quarterly safety inspections by the U.S. Coast Guard.

• A cruise ship is comparable to a secure building with a 24 hour security guard.

• According to the Coast Guard, cruise ships operating from U.S. ports continue to be the safest form of mass transportation. No other form of transportation offers such a variety of safety equipment for the protection of its customers.

• The average cruise ship has more than 4,000 smoke detectors and five firefighting teams on board. The average response time in an emergency is a matter of minutes, as trained fire teams and emergency crews are stationed onboard only a few hundred feet away from the scene of any possible incident.

• According to FBI statistics, being on a cruise ship is safer than being virtually anywhere in the U.S. in terms of crime of any type. ALL ICCL cruise lines adhere to a unified industry standard-zero tolerance-for onboard crime.