New Cruiseport Destinations division out to raise security standards, service

'The security part of the industry needs a disruptor,' said Roig, VP of Cruiseport Destinations Security launched by Jeannette Pineiro, whose Cruiseport Destinations is an established South Florida ground handler offering pier check-in, airport meet & greet, hotel contracts, tours and transportation.

Cruiseport Destinations Security services will include comprehensive security assessments, personnel specifically trained to deal with cruisers and advanced security technology.

New technology

'Jeannette's company is going to disrupt the conventional security process, not only from the customer side but possibly bringing in new technology that will streamline the embarkation process and eliminate a lot of the bottlenecks,' Roig said. Due to NDAs, he was unable to elaborate at this time.

Roig is a high-profile security and law enforcement professional with more than 30 years of progressive responsibility in managing large-scale operations, security and intelligence. During his CBP career he served as the port director for PortMiami, the joint seaport-airport director for Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and acting port director for Miami International Airport following 9/11.

In these positions, he developed and enforced comprehensive security plans, fostered a culture of security awareness and coordinated crisis management efforts.

Shortcomings

During his decades at CBP Roig noticed shortcomings among private-sector providers. He also had insight into the cruise industry via his wife Carmen Roig, who's a longtime senior cruise line executive.

So when Pineiro approached him to share her vision 'to provide not only better customer service, to provide a better qualified employee, I thought it's a company I want to be part of ... Cruiseport Destinations is known for being customer-friendly,' Roig said. 'It's known for its well treatment of current staff. I said this is the place to be. If I'm going to be in the private sector, this is the company to jump into.'

Pineiro, who established Cruiseport Destinations in 2007 and has a deep background on the cruise line side before that, said she's always wanted to get into security. Things clicked with Roig, who's run his own consultancy since retiring from CBP in 2022.

Providing more choice

According to Pineiro, across the US there are just three major security providers in the cruise world, including one that also serves other industries. She wants to give ports and cruise lines more choice.

Security comes first, Pineiro said, but she also thinks it's important to be customer-centric when dealing with cruise travelers. 'There has to be some finesse in the way [security personnel] are communicating,' she said.

'We have gold ratings with Royal Caribbean and with Celebrity for our embarkation. It means they know the quality of service, that we will not sacrifice.'

Customer service training

To ensure personnel have the right stuff, Roig said they'll go through 'rigorous' vetting.

Cruiseport Destinations Security staff will be licensed through the state of Florida, as required, and get additional vetting via in-house customer service training.

They'll be employees, not contractors, and Roig said the company hopes to offer a career path with development and progression. Pineiro envisions 120 to 200 security-related personnel.

Added Cruiseport Destinations COO Gigi Sao, who also has a deep cruise line background: 'I think we can bring to the table what the cruise lines need and the passengers want, and we are going to make happy employees as well. We believe in our employees. We put them first in a lot of ways and they provide nice service.'

Upcoming RFPs

The company plans to participate in upcoming RFPs. Meanwhile, Cruiseport Destinations already provides some services that overlap with security such as crew movement. That means some existing customers will use the services of the new security division starting within a week, Roig said, adding that official perimeter security contracts will be coming in the near future. 

Cruiseport Destinations Security is initially focused on South Florida but has the abiliity to supply services in 27 states. However, the principals stressed quality is their focus, not a big, fast expansion.