Bridge tours not allowed due to security concerns..... or OK if you pay :)

[Kuki]

I think it's a bit of a laugh that the cruise lines now "allow" visitors to the bridge, if you pay for the "back stage" tour many of the cruise lines have implemented.

For a long time almost anyone reqeusting a visit to the bridge of a ship was told it wasn't allowed because of "security concerns".

Of course, it was probably the worst kept secret that on each cruise VIPs, or anyone who "knew someone" could get invited to the bridge.

Now the cruise lines have discovered there might be a few bucks to made so the tours can be purchased. So much for security concerns

[HawkeyeFLA]

Well, the tours are a "controlled group" as it were. And when I did the Behind the Fun tour on the Imagination, there was a security guard with the group when we were in the engine control room, and when we visited the bridge. We couldn't enter either location until said guard had arrived.

[Trackypup]

We were invited to tour the bridge a few years back on Sea Princess. Someone in our group asked about the security concerns around it and the Captain said something along the lines of..."Oh Don't worry, we know exactly who you are before you even step on the ship" It was very cool to get the tour and not have to pay for it

[Trip]

It is a bit of a joke I think....so many "things" we got used to , traveling to, and, on vacation have disappeared or now have a fee attached.

On our very first cruise back in 1990, we were invited to sail out on the bridge,on the Carnival Celebration...very interesting to see it from that perspective.

We did miss the sailaway,which If I remember right, was one of the last with tossing the confetti.

[Dave Beers]

I remember bridge tours were common on the Norway, and they were a perk for us in the later 1990's if we had a suite with Royal Caribbean...technically free although we were paying for it with the suite fare.

In the months and years following 9/11 I've always seen VIP passengers standing around on bridge wings taking photos, even when the line would go so far as posting a "no bridge tours" blurb in the daily program.

"It's for security reasons" is an abused bromide everywhere you look. Someone or some entity wants to get out of doing something? Just say security and everyone is supposed to nod their heads in a knowing and compliant way.

[Snoozeman]

Yes funny how the $ made the concerns go away.

They did offer bridge tours on the Voyager of the Seas for free on the transatlantic last year, but there were a lot of sea days. I believe there were sign up sheets so any guest could potentially go. They did do a security wand search before entering the bridge. It was OK, but not much more than you could see from the bridge observation area.

[Phil&Liz]

Remember back when the Kardashian tweeted her pic in the cockpit of the Southwest flight twice.

The cockpit was made off limits for some but not all.

[Truck Cruiser]

It does seem ironic doesn't it? Maybe ironic is a bad word, let's try profitable, yes, that word makes a million wrongs alright!

[AF1]

Every person and company has a price. Some people will do things for a certain price; it seems the cruise lines have adopted this policy.

[Donna]

Yea Kuki,
What is with that, you can only if you pay. I do recall a bridge tour you got our group on and it was after 9/11, even though they no longer allowed it. Do you remember what ship that was? May-be Golden over New Years?? I've always enjoyed those...