Fingerprinted cruising from Vancouver, BC?

I recently read a review regarding the length of time waiting to board a Norwegian ship sailing out of Vancouver. Many people in reviews mention the long line through customs, and then the individual cruise lines are a breeze. However a American lady said EVERYONE has to be fingerprinted???? I have NEVER heard of this before?! And I frankly don't believe it......I'm sure all airport travel out of the country would be effected, etc. And people would be up in arms. So can anyone else comment on this? Mind you these sailings are in Vancouver, BC and travel the Alaska coastline visiting U.S. ports. I haven't sailed out of Vancouver for a few years and will next year so I'm curious as to why this was even said.

Nothing has been heard on these boards about fingerprinting; but if it is taking place, it will be the US Government doing it because that is the Immigration you go through just before getting on the ship. However I highly doubt any fingerprinting is actually taking place, I think the lady was mistaken.

My aunt and mother who are from the UK were fingerprinted before going on the Amtrak from Vancouver because of their UK passports. Very common if you are travelling to the US and are from Europe. Nothing to worry about

However, get used to the idea of it happening.

My aunt and mother who are from the UK were fingerprinted before going on the Amtrak from Vancouver because of their UK passports. Very common if you are travelling to the US and are from Europe. Nothing to worry about

I get fingerprinted every time I fly into a foreign country.

It's part of the immigration process.

I've gone through a number of American ports where we were all fingerprinted

Took three hours to clear the port just for day tours

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I've gone through a number of American ports where we were all fingerprinted

Took three hours to clear the port just for day tours

 

 

What ports would they be ?

What is your citizenship?

Never been fingerprinted in my life :eek:

What ports would they be ?

What is your citizenship?

 

Never been fingerprinted in my life :eek:

I'm confused as with all our travel, I have never been fingerprinted anywhere.

Here's the thing. We have to decide when precautions about safety are reasonable, and when they are not. Right now, we're all terrified all the time, so we all say, yeah, X-ray my body, make me take half my clothes off, make me throw away my coffee, tap my phone and look at my email, whatever it takes. Just protect me.

At some point the precautions become a greater burden than the risk. I crossed that line long ago, when they started making me put little containers of lotion into Ziplocks. How, exactly, are Ziplocks going to save me? But that`s just me.

I guess we`ll just go on down this line until we reach the end. And a huge industry makes money from it. Till we reach the end of the line.

I recently read a review regarding the length of time waiting to board a Norwegian ship sailing out of Vancouver. Many people in reviews mention the long line through customs, and then the individual cruise lines are a breeze. However a American lady said EVERYONE has to be fingerprinted???? I have NEVER heard of this before?! And I frankly don't believe it......I'm sure all airport travel out of the country would be effected, etc. And people would be up in arms. So can anyone else comment on this? Mind you these sailings are in Vancouver, BC and travel the Alaska coastline visiting U.S. ports. I haven't sailed out of Vancouver for a few years and will next year so I'm curious as to why this was even said.

You go through US Customs & Immigration in Vancouver port, so it is up to them what they do. I have been fingerprinted there but only when I was travelling on my Brit passport as a landed immigrant to Canada. Never since I got my Canadian passport. I believe most non- N. Americans were fingerprinted and interviewed.

Nothing has been heard on these boards about fingerprinting; but if it is taking place, it will be the US Government doing it because that is the Immigration you go through just before getting on the ship. However I highly doubt any fingerprinting is actually taking place, I think the lady was mistaken.

Yes it does happen, see my post above. I was also "eyeballed" LOL. It doesn't matter who objects or who may be up in arms, either you comply if requested or you do not sail (or fly, as the case may be).

Search US VISIT, which applies to non-US passport holders, although not usually Canadians. I've seen big delays at US CBP arriving on Transatlantics for this reason. And it's my understanding that the US Supreme Court has consistently ruled US CBP can do almost anything they want at a port of entry.

Have never been finger printed when going to the US by land, sea or air. I guess different rules depending on your country of origin.

I get fingerprinted every time I fly into a foreign country.

It's part of the immigration process.

What countries? I've never been fingerprinted and I've arrived into at least 20 foreign nations in the last 20 years.

From the UK, have been finger printed and photographed everytime we've been to the USA.

Search US VISIT, which applies to non-US passport holders, although not usually Canadians. I've seen big delays at US CBP arriving on Transatlantics for this reason. And it's my understanding that the US Supreme Court has consistently ruled US CBP can do almost anything they want at a port of entry.

I remember a criminology course where the instructor, and FBI agent, told us that US Customs officers have the most latitude and the greatest powers of any law enforcement branch in the US.......and now with a title like "Homeland Security" all that power is might be going to their heads.

I recently got a Nexus card and had fingerprinting and iris scans done, and it does kind of creep me out. But I finally decided that the benefits were worth the cost.

We were fingerprinted 3 times and eyeballed 3 times when entering US last year. We went back and forth across the border from Toronto finishing in Vancouver six weeks later.

We absolutely loved everything about our trip except standing in those queues.

I recently got a Nexus card and had fingerprinting and iris scans done, and it does kind of creep me out. But I finally decided that the benefits were worth the cost.

If you are a Canadian citizen that does not happen every time you enter the USA unlike people from other Countries

While the reports of fingerprinting are from Vancouver (leaving Vancouver on a cruise, leaving on a train); I'd like to remind visitors to Vancouver that these actions were taken by US Customs and Border patrol at their pre-clearance stations for entry into the United States, and not as by Canada or for exit controls from Canada.

I have seen the fingerprinting and iris scanning of foreigners arriving into the US, but I'm still wondering where a US citizen was fingerprinted going into another country.

 

At some point the precautions become a greater burden than the risk. I crossed that line long ago, when they started making me put little containers of lotion into Ziplocks. How, exactly, are Ziplocks going to save me? But that`s just me.

 

Not too hard to comprehend: of course Ziplocks don't save you - it is the limitation of the amount of liquids brought aboard planes in carry-ons which is seen as minimizing the risk of explosive material on board.

US Global Entry program relies on fingerprints and facial recognition - no one has to participate, but expediting boarding flights and re-entering US after foreign travel makes it a small price to pay.

Here's the thing. We have to decide when precautions about safety are reasonable, and when they are not. Right now, we're all terrified all the time, so we all say, yeah, X-ray my body, make me take half my clothes off, make me throw away my coffee, tap my phone and look at my email, whatever it takes. Just protect me.

 

At some point the precautions become a greater burden than the risk. I crossed that line long ago, when they started making me put little containers of lotion into Ziplocks. How, exactly, are Ziplocks going to save me? But that`s just me.

 

I guess we`ll just go on down this line until we reach the end. And a huge industry makes money from it. Till we reach the end of the line.

It's not so much the burden, but the reality that most of the "security" measures do not reduce risk. The very fact that all those large bottles of liquids just get tossed into a trash container at the checkpoint is a clear indication that the Airport Security Screeners realize they a perfectly benign.

It does seem to make a lot of "Nervous Nellies" feel better.

6 of us just recently went through Canadian and U S Customs in Vancouver, and none of us were fingerprinted. In fact we didn't see anyone getting fingerprinted.

I embarked on an Alaska cruise from Vancouver in May 2013. As a US citizen, I was not fingerprinted when going through US Immigration before boarding the ship. I was not fingerprinted by Canadian Immigration when I arrived at Vancouver Airport.

Some countries do fingerprint you - I went to Tanzania by air and was fingerprinted at the airport on arrival and departure, as was every other passenger. (I assume Tanzanian citizens were not fingerprinted.)