Don't FaceTime while you are waiting to get off the ship

Never FaceTime while you are waiting to leave the boat....

Lesson learned today while we were waiting to get off the Conquest this morning. I was FaceTimeing my oldest child at home and was walking around with my phone around the main lobby. Guess that I stood there too long b/c I was soon met by a very, tall, and not so nice ICE man. He demanded to see all the pictures that I had just taken. I tried to explain to him that I was talking to my daughter and even told him that I would call my 10 year old back on FaceTime. He still wanted to keep my phone as I was trying to explain to him the concept of FaceTime. Guess he didn't have an iPhone ever.

I went back to sit in the hall way waiting patiently for the self-assist to get off the boat. We had FTTF, so we were in group one to get off. Well I wanted to stretch my legs, so I was walking around the lobby and this ICE man comes charging over to me demanding to know what I was doing. There were 5 other people standing in the same place that I was. He then asked who I was with. I showed him my husband who was sitting in the hall with our backpack. The guy yelled at my husband to get up and come with him. He told me that we were getting off the ship right then and there.

Then we heard one last bing with no good-bye. We were leaving with the ICE man. We were then put up on the wall of the ship hands up and all. The dog got to sniff both of us and then our bag got sniffed THREE times. I was a little in shock. I don't even drink! much less smoke anything and the best drug that I take is a Tylenol here and there. I guess after the third time that the dog sniffed our bag that was good enough for us to be let go. So it was a fun morning that turned out to be Faster to the Fun with ICE today.

So lesson of the story: don't facetime and don't walk around when you are waiting to get off the ship.

:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Seriously?

WOW!!

Thanks for the heads up!

Sorry you had to go through that. But at least you know you didn't do anything wrong.

Geez.

That seems pretty hostile the way you were treated. Did they even say why they were being that way? I would complain to Carnival if I were treated like a criminal if I didn't do anything wrong. People talk on their cell phones all the time...so it seems really odd for him to come up and act like he works for the FBI. Also...people are always taking pictures on the ship, so why would he have a problem with you taking pictures...if you were anyhow. It's not like you were in some secure part of the ship. You were in the lobby for crying out loud. :confused: Sorry you were treated like a criminal. Just WOW!

I'm sure I should know this, but what is an ICE man?

Carnival has nothing to do with ICE, why would you repeat doing something that brought attention to you in the first place

I'm sure I should know this, but what is an ICE man?

Immigration & Customs Enforcement agent.

I wasn't on my phone when I went for a short walk. It was in my bag and there were other people out there too walking around and standing there. It was just a crazy morning.

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Another government worker with "I've got power" syndrome. I would have gotten his name and called my congressional rep with a complaint.

Carnival has nothing to do with ICE, why would you repeat doing something that brought attention to you in the first place

What exactly did they "repeat" doing???????? Really???????

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Immigration & Customs Enforcement agent.

Thanks...I was wondering what ICE man meant too!

I still don't understand what problem they had with someone using their phone or taking pictures (not that she was...but he thought she was). Is there a sign there that says you can't talk on phone or take pictures while waiting for debarkation? Most people haven't been able to talk to loved ones while cruising because of the expense...so it makes perfect sense to be on the phone checking in with loved ones or calling your ride, etc...and pictures are taken by people the whole cruise. I don't remember anyone telling me that I couldn't use my phone or take pictures on my last cruise.

It's probably why there are signs all over not to have your phone out during embarkation. Never been at a port yet where there weren't signs posted alerting passengers to keep their phones put away until you are past customs

There were no signs out today!! We were in the hall way going into the dining room.

Oh well. Lesson learned and we have a story to tell. Gotta roll with it right?

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Wow... Just wow.

Very scary!

It's easy to forget that you aren't supposed to use your phone. I was bored waiting in line and took out my phone (which was in airplane mode but I had been carrying around as a camera) and started looking over vacation photos to pass the time. I was immediately yelled at a few minutes later. Oops. Luckily they didn't pull me out of line and have the hounds sniff me.

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You are not supposed to use cell phones in many embarkation and debarkation areas. I always see signs saying no cell phones and no pictures.

I think the lesson learned should be to not talk back or question, but do as instructed. I think that may be why you got extra attention. Complain or ask questions of someone else later.

Facetime is irrelevant, as is Carnival.

Thank you for the explanation of ICE.

What I don't understand is, why would she not be allowed to use her phone, or even walk around, while still on the ship? Am I misunderstanding that she was still on the ship? I certainly do understand (and adhere to) their rules of no phones until you are through customs, but I always thought that to be in effect from the time you exit the ship, until you clear customs. Until that time, you have not officially disembarked, and you are still a passenger on the ship...no?

Photography is usually forbidden in immigration and customs halls. Perhaps they considered the lobby area temporarily in that category even though it was part of the ship?

If so, that fact needs to be widely publicized since it's not something you'd normally think of...and there's no reason for the ICE agent to be rude in reminding someone.

There's always two sides to the story... I'm not so quick to judge the ICE agents action.

None of us were there.

There's always two sides to the story... I'm not so quick to judge the ICE agents action.

 

None of us were there.

I know that there is more to the story, and unless I happen to know the original poster, it has nothing to do with her or her family.

They should not have treated other passengers that way, but they were there for a reason.

I would give the ICE agent the benefit of the doubt, he did not actually hurt or arrest the passenger. You never know he might have been on a dangerous assignment a few hours before.

There were no signs out today!! We were in the hall way going into the dining room.

Oh well. Lesson learned and we have a story to tell. Gotta roll with it right?

 

 

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But you were on the ship...not at customs! I could understand if you were at customs and they may have not allowed it there, but you said you were on the ship still...waiting to get off.

Well, I hope the rest of your cruise was nice! :)

Okay, on the ship. ICE isn't usually ON the ship so something else was going on and probably nothing good (for someone).

The question I have the OP said she was in the hallway outside the dinning room. Which one, cause the forward dinning room's fornt hall by the photo gallery is off limints till you are called. If an ICE angent saw the OP in a restricted area twice for no aparant reason U would hope he would do something.

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The question I have the OP said she was in the hallway outside the dinning room. Which one, cause the forward dinning room's fornt hall by the photo gallery is off limints till you are called. If an ICE angent saw the OP in a restricted area twice for no aparant reason U would hope he would do something.

 

 

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If where she was walking was off limits, then he should have stated that...but according to the OP, he was all concerned about whether she took pictures of anything and wanted to see what pictures she took. People take pictures all the time on the cruise, so why would this time be different...unless something went down and he thought the OP was taking pictures of a possible incident. Perhaps an incident occurred and the OP didn't even notice at all because she was talking to her child...but something must have gone down for the ICE man to behave the way he did and he was just concerned about anyone that had a camera out.