US immigration problems

[nomadgirluk]

Apologies if this topic has been covered elsewhere, but I have only just joined the site.

 

I have read various accounts of people encountering problems when passing through passport control at US airports before joining their ship for a cruise (we would be flying from the UK). Can anyone tell me how often this happens and, if stopped, how long one is likely to be delayed by immigration? Is there any danger of actually missing the sailing of your ship because you are being questioned by immigration, or do cruise ships take the likelihood of this sort of problem into account?

 

We would love to fly to the US to join a cruise to the Caribbean, but the thought of being held up by passport control/immigration has so far put us off booking anything. There seem to be fewer cruise lines which actually depart from Caribbean islands (the last time we cruised the Caribbean, we embarked from Barbados) as most seen to embark from a US port.

 

Any tips would be much appreciated.

[Mom2B&Z]

I have no idea how frequently this occurs, but the solution is to fly in at least a day before your cruise. We are Canadians, though US immigration usually isn't difficult for us, there are so many other variables to be considered when flying any distance to meet up with a ship.

They will in all likelihood not hold the ship for you due to immigration issues. Nit is your responsibility to get to the ship by the designated time.

Personally we consider the cost of flying in the day before a very inexpensive insurance policy!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree -- fly over a couple of days early to avoid any potential problems.

Even here in the states we fly from Pittsburgh to Ft Lauderdale 2 or 3 days early.

[nomadgirluk]

Thanks for that. Our problem is that most of the fly/cruise deals from the UK include the flight (and it is the cheaper option) - we do not usually have to arrange our own flights, so are reliant upon the cruise company to deal with that aspect.

[sparks1093]

Having never been through airport passport control I couldn't say but I doubt that the cruise line would take this into account.

[Floridiana]

If you buy the flight through the cruise company, they will hold the ship for you if your plane is delayed. I have been on a ship where an announcement was made that they were waiting for a group of passengers from the UK. Their plane was delayed.

 

As to a delay at immigration, I don't think it happens if all your paperwork is in order: your passport is valid and you have ESTA filled out beforehand (You need ESTA, don't you?) You tell the immigration officer that you are on holiday and looking forward to your cruise. Smile happily. :)

[nomadgirluk]

Thanks. Unfortunately, just telling then that we are on holiday doesn't always do the trick (my son in law has a problem every time he flies to the US and he is always on holiday). Same procedure every time - they don't seem to have a database that stores information on people, so he gets stopped every time he enters the country and has, on occasion, been delayed by more than 3 hours.

[The Viking]

I never had more than an hour from gate to outside the secured area, even before my green card, being JFK, BOS, ORD, MIA.

 

Which problems are you referring to?

[nomadgirluk]

Problems based on the fact that we are British, travelling from the UK, with a surname which they obviously deem "suspicious". My son in law has been subjected to 3 hours of questioning and all of his luggage being opened and searched. The US authorities use profiling (which the UK authorities do not) and unfortunately it does not allow for any common sense to be applied.

[Zach1213]

If you buy the flight through the cruise company, they will hold the ship for you if your plane is delayed.

 

That's very false. Please do not spread misinformation like that. It may happen very, very, very rarely...but usually there are huge port fees associated with staying late in a port, if it's even possible at all (due to incoming ships, tides, etc.). Do look through the terms and conditions of cruise-purchased air tickets - nothing at all says they will hold the ship.

 

OP - there is about a 99% chance they will NOT hold the ship for you. And even that probably being optimistic.

[The Viking]

Sorry to hear about this unique situation and can not be of help.

 

See if you can fly in day early, this way you do not have to worry too much about immgration or flight delay.

[John Bull]

The fairly frequently reported delays at US Immigration aren't about being questioned, they're simply about long queues caused by too many passengers and not enough immigration staff.

Same thing happens to non-EU visitors at Heathrow and elsewhere from time to time.

Those delays are normally taken into account by cruise lines, but as other posts if you're fixing your own flights it's a good move to fly in a day or two early. This covers the more-frequent delays caused by flight diversions and cancellations due to weather, technical issues, industrial action and the like. Also gives you a chance to explore your embarkation port, and to overcome any jet-lag.

 

I used to dread standing in line at US immigration, but on several visits in recent years it's been remarkably quick. Perhaps a matter of luck, though i feel sure that the mandatory ESTAs have resulted in faster throughput at immigration control. Must admit that nowadays I can't understand someone regularly being questioned at immigration -

 

Princess stopped offering direct fly-cruises UK -Caribbean a few years back but they're still available with P&O, Thomson, Fred, and others. Certainly the best value for the Caribbean from the UK, super-smooth transfers, no wasted sea-days sailing from Florida, and zero chance of missing your sailing - altho Zach is correct that a ship isn 't going to wait for a handful of delayed passengers, it ain't gonna sail without hundreds of its passengers whose charter flight has been delayed. Check those itineraries - an easy sail to the first port of call, meaning they can sail late without missing a port.

 

JB :)

Edited October 21, 2014 by John Bull

[nomadgirluk]

Believe me - it still happens (as per my comment on my son in law's experiences). He has travelled to New York, Las Vegas and California numerous times and on every occasion, without exception, he has been pulled out of the queue and taken into a separate room where he has been given the third degree. He got married earlier this year and it is now also happening to his wife. All their paperwork is always in order and there is nothing about them which should flag any sort of problem to the authorities.

[6rugrats]

Thanks. Unfortunately, just telling then that we are on holiday doesn't always do the trick (my son in law has a problem every time he flies to the US and he is always on holiday). Same procedure every time - they don't seem to have a database that stores information on people, so he gets stopped every time he enters the country and has, on occasion, been delayed by more than 3 hours.

 

Of course they have a database that stores information. I don't know why your SIL has problems; there must be something that is causing this.

 

If you have your ESTA, most people will have a smooth trip through passport control.

Edited October 21, 2014 by 6rugrats

[nomadgirluk]

If the database exists, why would he continue to be singled out? Surely after one or two interrogations, it should be apparent to everyone that he isn't a threat?

 

Anyway, thanks for all your responses. I would be willing to chance it, but I fear my husband will need a bit more persuasion! :)

[buchananglasgow]

we have booked trough a uk travel agency. our flight is the day before we sail. we have our ESTA in order and passports. if you have the new type required by the USA, then there should not be more than the normal delays comng through immigration. but if this is the first time you have entered the USA with the new passport then it all needs entered into there systems.

i watch the port everglades cruise web cams daily and often you hear them saying they cant sail yet as waiting on flights etc and they know folks are on there way from the airport. the time when they WILL NOT WAIT ON YOU , is at a port later on your cruise, then they WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU.

[6rugrats]

If the database exists, why would he continue to be singled out? Surely after one or two interrogations, it should be apparent to everyone that he isn't a threat?

 

I don't know why he's singled out; they must have some reason for their questioning.

 

In general terms though, someone isn't a threat until they are.

[John Bull]

Believe me - it still happens (as per my comment on my son in law's experiences). He has travelled to New York, Las Vegas and California numerous times and on every occasion, without exception, he has been pulled out of the queue and taken into a separate room where he has been given the third degree. He got married earlier this year and it is now also happening to his wife. All their paperwork is always in order and there is nothing about them which should flag any sort of problem to the authorities.

 

Hmmmmm.

First time I applied for an EsTA it took a couple of weeks to come through - should be just 2 or 3 days. Folk reckoned the delay was possibly due to an undesirable with the same name.

No subsequent problems.

 

If i were your SIL I think I'd want to enquire into the reason for being quizzed every time. No, not by asking at the airport - they're going to blank him - but mebbe through consular channels.

Otherwise an ESTA isn't worth the paper it's written on.

 

JB :)

Edited October 21, 2014 by John Bull

[6rugrats]

But an ESTA doesn't guarantee entry. It just gives you permission to travel to the US and then request entry.

[babs135]

Believe me - it still happens (as per my comment on my son in law's experiences). He has travelled to New York, Las Vegas and California numerous times and on every occasion, without exception, he has been pulled out of the queue and taken into a separate room where he has been given the third degree. He got married earlier this year and it is now also happening to his wife. All their paperwork is always in order and there is nothing about them which should flag any sort of problem to the authorities.

 

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt! Our son shares his name with an Al-Qaeda American born operative/terrorist!! He's only ever travelled to a well-known friendly country in the middle east since this all started and has been stopped every time. The one time we travelled with him we were all pulled out of line and made to wait while checks were made; quite scary even when you know you've done nothing wrong. He did appeal to the country's embassy in the UK suggesting they furnish him with some sort of password so that he could prove who he was, but they were of no help. In the end the only solution was for him to move permanently to the country in question!!

 

Incidentally, we suggested he didn't even think about visiting the USA because he could find himself in Guantanamo Bay before his feet hit the ground!!

[tpadul]

Sadly there isn't much you can do about being pulled into secondary inspection like that and its probably due to having the exact same name and date of birth as someone else that it up to no good. Even inquiring through consular channels won't result in answers as to the real reason as they can't divulge that info to anyone. I've been with Immigration for 18 years and people having the same name and DOB as someone else is more common than you think, after 9/11 and all the extra background name checks that go on more and more people are getting caught up in this through no fault of their own.

 

The only way some people have solved this issue is by legally changing their names. I have done many of those requests as people were going through the naturalization process. Mostly Hispanic and Muslim/Arab/Middle Eastern and Hindu names because many of them are so common you would be surprised as to how many people have the exact same name and DOB. Also given the high rate of identify fraud the problems become amplified ten fold.

 

If you have a family member that always gets pulled into secondary inspection and held for hours I would strongly suggest that you fly in the day before the cruise and also because you are flying in from such a distance as well.

 

So sorry you have to deal with this :( You may be surprised but there are so many people that this happens to now.

[Algebralovr]

Depending on the line you are interested in sailing, you might also look into sailing from San Juan, PR. While you are still subject to US immigration, you are further into the Caribbean and the ship may sail later in the evening.

 

Otherwise, speak to your TA about a package where you fly in a day early and overnight in a port hotel or a package with a group flying together.

 

Even though our flight us only 3.5 hours, we fly in the night before.

[6rugrats]

Incidentally, we suggested he didn't even think about visiting the USA because he could find himself in Guantanamo Bay before his feet hit the ground!!

Anyone with continued problems trying to enter the US should apply for a redress number:

http://www.dhs.gov/redress-control-numbers

[tpadul]

Anyone with continued problems trying to enter the US should apply for a redress number:

http://www.dhs.gov/redress-control-numbers

 

 

Great link!!!!! I hope this works!! I've had a few people try this, I forgot about it, but they never came back to tell me how it worked for them after they naturalized so I'm hoping it worked.

[chengkp75]

This apparently applies to domestic travel as well. I wish I had known about this a couple of years ago.

 

I am a US citizen, and being a merchant ship's officer, DHS requires that I have a TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential), which costs me $135 every 5 years, and requires an FBI background check.

 

However, up until the advent of the new scanning devices, virtually every time I flew to or from the ship, I would be singled out for additional screening (visual search of carryon, pat down, explosive residue test), and while this in no way equates to a 3 hour CBP interview, was tiresome. The problem was that my reservation triggered 3 flags:

 

1. Ticket purchased by third party (my company's travel agent, paid for by the company)

 

2. One way ticket (not returning for 2-3 months, so no return booked)

 

3. Ticket booked within 7 days of travel.

 

All of these combined to put me into the potential terrorist category. It happens, and it's not real pleasant, but there's not much that can be done.