Cruise operators to offer on-line booking to comply with DHS new security requirements
DHS wants cruise operators to give it passenger lists at least twenty-four hours before the cruise sails; new on-line booking may help the industry meet this requirement
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises will start offering online bookings this month in a bid to capture some of the younger and up-and-coming market of travelers more likely to book online. This on-line booking initiative will also go a long way toward satisfying DHS strictures that cruise operators provide department’s agents with information about those who book cruises twenty-four hours before a cruise departs. The service is being rolled out at ports across the United States, based on approval by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Patrol, as well as seaport, airport, and airline security personnel. The new service will also allow guests to bypass the traditional airport check-in process, adding convenience and reducing wait time by an estimated forty-five minutes to two hours.
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