homeland_security_logo.jpgWhile the Homeland Security folks have a tarnished reputation, they outdid themselves yesterday in Miami.  A little birdy told me the bizarre details.

This week the Seatrade Conference, an annual confab of cruise line executives, journalists and travel agents, is taking place in Miami.  Oceania Cruises’ Regatta paid one of her rare visits to Miami so that travel agents and travel writers could board and tour the ship for a few hours.  As a matter of procedure, Oceania invited the agents and press, obtained the proper ID information and provided a list of names to port officials in advance. 

Press and travel agents, issued visitor’s passes, boarded Regatta with no problem.  However a Homeland Security agent doing a random search stopped Oceania execs and angrily informed they wouldn’t be allowed to board their own ship even though they had photo and cruise line ID’s, visitor passes and their names were on the list.

The reason?  There’s an obscure local law that cruise line staff and executives must also have clearance from the Port of Miami.  The law is so obscure that hardly anyone in the cruise industry knows about it.  It certainly isn’t enforced as a matter of course.

“You’re working for the company and should know better,” the angry Homeland agent  told the dumbfounded executives.  He was so irate that the Oceania execs turned to a Miami-Dade police lieutenant and asked  “are we going to get arrested?”  The police officer sheepishly said, “no, we’re not going to arrest you.”

It turns out that Oceania’s executives weren’t considered a security risk but were told by the Homeland Security agent they were guilty of …..trespassing.  Keep in mind that Oceania Cruises owns Regatta.   So, they sat on the pier for three hours until the last of the travel agents and journalists disembarked. 

Homeland Security may think it is protecting cruise ship passengers but this incident will make me feel even less secure the next time I sail from Miami or any other U.S. port.