Being removed from the ship unexpectedly

[Sigyn]

I thought some of you might be interested in this incident.

 

I have friends who went on a Carnival cruise several years ago with their three teenaged kids and their kids friends, including their 18-year-old daughter's 20-year-old boyfriend. He had worked hardest to get the money to pay for the cruise on his own. He'd saved for six months, and earned every penny, while the other kids had mostly had their fares paid by their parents. This kid had had a really tough life, and had some issues as a younger teenager, but had a full-time job while going to college and had turned his life around.

 

The family and friends were on the ship, which left out of a Florida port, and the first night it went to the Keys. The next day, the boyfriend was called over the loudspeaker to report to an office on the ship. He went down, not realizing what was happening. He was removed from the ship. He didn't get to see anyone in his travel group again, he was removed in handcuffs and taken to the local police department and detained. The daughter and my friend (her mom) were in tears, everyone was so upset, not sure what had happened and devastated that he'd been taken off the ship. It was just shocking and sad for everyone and put a pall on the whole trip, of course.

 

It turned out that two years earlier, when the boyfriend was 18, he'd shoplifted a pair of sunglasses while on a high school spring break trip to Florida. He'd been arrested for it, and went to court, and the charges were dropped. He had paperwork showing all of this, but of course the paperwork was in a cabinet at home in another state. So they kept him in jail all day until he could reach his mom on the phone to ask her to find the paperwork and fax it to the jail. Once they saw it, the police processed it and he was released about a day after he was arrested. His mom was so upset and worried about him that she flew down to Florida to get him, and fly him home. He missed the entire cruise, and never received any refund from Carnival, since it wasn't Carnival's fault.

 

Someone in the court system in Florida hadn't filed the paperwork that the charges were dropped. Instead, it showed that he had an outstanding warrant for not showing up for court, since the proper paperwork hadn't been filed. A clerical error. But when the ship ran everyone's ID's after they'd left port, it came up that the boyfriend had an outstanding warrant in Florida and so he was arrested. Carnival didn't tell anyone in the travel group, as I'd mentioned, until after he was removed from the ship. They came and retrieved his passport and gave it to him in the police station, but he wasn't given any of his luggage. My friends had to collect that and bring it home with them a week later. They didn't hold Carnival or the police dept. responsible. My friend's husband is a police officer himself, and he understood how the mistake happened. It was really the fault of one clerk who didn't enter the data properly.

 

My point of telling this story is if you are traveling with anyone who might possibly have an outstanding warrant in the state where the embarkation port is located, they will be arrested on the ship and taken off, with no notice to anyone traveling with them, and no refunds, etc, given.

Edited August 11, 2016 by njsmom

[Micahs Grandad]

How terrible. Can he bring suit against the court that made the error?

[shibby sails]

Probably not but I would hire a lawyer and try just the same. Police and gov't workers are so protected that it is hard to get justice even when its their fault. They would be getting sued every day because they make so many of these mistakes. This is why I would never answer a call on a Ship until we are at sea. What are they going to do then? Throw you overboard?

[GalvestonCruiser]

I had a friend who went on a cruise out of Galveston with her girlfriends. The last morning of the cruise her girlfriend was escorted off the ship in handcuffs (she did at least get to finish her cruise). Turns out she had a hot check for like 11.00 to a grocery store she swears she knew nothing about. She was embarrassed and scared to say the least. Now every time I hear the loudspeaker on the last day I just hope I don't hear my name :eek: That was the first I had heard of anything like that ever happening. I wonder why it doesn't happen at embarkation?

[GalvestonCruiser]

This is why I would never answer a call on a Ship until we are at sea. What are they going to do then? Throw you overboard?

 

:D:D:D:D so funny but true

[Sigyn]

It happened in 2010, so it's long past the time for him to do anything. He opted to just let it go and move forward since he was focused on college and work.

[sparks1093]

I had a friend who went on a cruise out of Galveston with her girlfriends. The last morning of the cruise her girlfriend was escorted off the ship in handcuffs (she did at least get to finish her cruise). Turns out she had a hot check for like 11.00 to a grocery store she swears she knew nothing about. She was embarrassed and scared to say the least. Now every time I hear the loudspeaker on the last day I just hope I don't hear my name :eek: That was the first I had heard of anything like that ever happening. I wonder why it doesn't happen at embarkation?

 

DHS runs checks on the passengers during the cruise and the kid in the OP's story had the misfortune of calling on a US port first. Otherwise he would have been escorted off at the end too.

[cruizinisthebest]

If he wound up missing a court date because the paperwork was never properly filed, wouldn't he have gotten notices from the court thereby knowing something was going on long before he even left for the cruise? I'm asking, because here in my state if you have a court date you get notice in the mail. Ditto if you miss it. Seems like it could of been cleared up.

 

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[Sigyn]

I had a friend who went on a cruise out of Galveston with her girlfriends. The last morning of the cruise her girlfriend was escorted off the ship in handcuffs (she did at least get to finish her cruise). Turns out she had a hot check for like 11.00 to a grocery store she swears she knew nothing about. She was embarrassed and scared to say the least. Now every time I hear the loudspeaker on the last day I just hope I don't hear my name :eek: That was the first I had heard of anything like that ever happening. I wonder why it doesn't happen at embarkation?

 

Well, this happened the day after embarkation. Apparently that's when they ran everyone's name to see who might be "wanted" by the police.

 

It should happen pre-cruise. Sheesh.

[Sigyn]

If he wound up missing a court date because the paperwork was never properly filed, wouldn't he have gotten notices from the court thereby knowing something was going on long before he even left for the cruise? I'm asking, because here in my state if you have a court date you get notice in the mail. Ditto if you miss it. Seems like it could of been cleared up.

 

No, he didn't receive anything. He didn't live in Florida when he did it. And then he and his mom had moved, so the paperwork probably got sent to the old address and then returned to the court, since I don't think they forward that stuff.

[cruizinisthebest]

No, he didn't receive anything. He didn't live in Florida when he did it. And then he and his mom had moved, so the paperwork probably got sent to the old address and then returned to the court, since I don't think they forward that stuff.

Oh I see. Very unfortunate. Courts are so careless. Nobody wants to keep being punished for something they dealt with a long time ago. No doubt moving probably caused him to miss mail that would have triggered knowing about this careless mistake.

 

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[sparks1093]

Well, this happened the day after embarkation. Apparently that's when they ran everyone's name to see who might be "wanted" by the police.

 

It should happen pre-cruise. Sheesh.

 

DHS doesn't get the manifest until a few hours before the cruise as I understand it.

[Sigyn]

I was always impressed that he didn't let this incident get him down. Some people would have said there's no point in even trying to work hard and do good if you're going to get punished and treated unfairly anyway. But this kid kept his head down, and focused, and didn't complain, just moved on with his life.

 

I still find it really unfair, tho. Part of the money he made was by helping me move on one occasion. I hired him and my friend's sons and another boy. The only one who worked his butt off was this kid. He didn't give up and didn't let small problems during the move discourage him. The others wanted to give up when, in one instance, my freezer didn't fit down the basement stairwell. It was 10 p.m., 12 hours into the move, and the boys were exhausted. But this kid decided to remove the lid of the deep freezer, and make it work. It did. I was impressed. He persevered.

[ShakyBeef]

Probably not but I would hire a lawyer and try just the same. Police and gov't workers are so protected that it is hard to get justice even when its their fault. They would be getting sued every day because they make so many of these mistakes. This is why I would never answer a call on a Ship until we are at sea. What are they going to do then? Throw you overboard?

 

I hope you're joking. I can't imagine thinking this way. If I heard my name announced, I might be concerned that there might be an emergency at home with a loved one, or some other trouble. But I would never in a million years think that it would be because I was "in trouble" for something. I would answer the call as quickly as possible. There would be absolutely no reason for me to even consider ignoring a call for me. Do people (other than criminals) actually think and act like that?:confused:

[ryano]

 

It should happen pre-cruise. Sheesh.

 

It NEVER happens pre cruise. Had they not called on Key West first, he likely would not have been arrested until the cruise was over. This happens on every ship on every cruise I bet. Its pretty well known that someone with a warrant for their arrest will generally get to enjoy their cruise before going to jail :D:eek:

 

So sorry to hear this for him though. Thats awful

Edited August 11, 2016 by ryano

[maldenmusic]

Wow, what a horrible incident for him and everyone involved.

[SadieN]

P ............. This is why I would never answer a call on a Ship until we are at sea. What are they going to do then? Throw you overboard?

 

 

There are ways of finding you onboard.

They know if you've gone ashore and where/when the last time you've used your card onboard.

 

 

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[crazyfrazee]

Seems like this was posted a few years ago. I may be wrong but seems like the details are the same as what I read long ago.

[NCTribeFan]

I know someone who was caught shoplifting while in college. She did community service and eventually had her record expunged. When I found out she was cruising a couple of years later (for her honeymoon), I told her to make sure that her record truly HAD been expunged before she sailed and to take any paperwork with her.

 

I've always thought it was immigrations that was concerned with people sailing who had o/s warrants. Don't I remember there being some uproar here a few years ago with some deadbeat dad who wanted to cruise and was worried about getting caught upon arrival back in the states? Don't pay your child support but you can afford to cruise and then ask advice on how to avoid being arrested. :mad:

[sparks1093]

I know someone who was caught shoplifting while in college. She did community service and eventually had her record expunged. When I found out she was cruising a couple of years later (for her honeymoon), I told her to make sure that her record truly HAD been expunged before she sailed and to take any paperwork with her.

 

I've always thought it was immigrations that was concerned with people sailing who had o/s warrants. Don't I remember there being some uproar here a few years ago with some deadbeat dad who wanted to cruise and was worried about getting caught upon arrival back in the states? Don't pay your child support but you can afford to cruise and then ask advice on how to avoid being arrested. :mad:

 

CBP isn't concerned as it's a local matter, although they will share the information found so if the local authorities choose to they can take appropriate action.

[crusinpsychRN]

If you owe child support they will arrest you too.

[sparks1093]

If you owe child support they will arrest you too.

 

Only if someone takes the trouble to file a criminal complaint and a warrant is issued. Just owing child support isn't sufficient.

[Sigyn]

Seems like this was posted a few years ago. I may be wrong but seems like the details are the same as what I read long ago.

 

Weird. I never mentioned it before and my friend doesn't use this site. Guess it happens a lot.

[ldlewis45]

DHS runs checks on the passengers during the cruise and the kid in the OP's story had the misfortune of calling on a US port first. Otherwise he would have been escorted off at the end too.

 

Yep. It happens very frequently, too. (I work for CBP.) This is why, like someone else said, you make sure that any potential legal problems are cleared up BEFORE you go on a cruise and you need to carry documentation of that with you. Even something like a warrant for a bad check can get you escorted off in handcuffs.

[sgttami]

Two years ago on Splendor a woman was caught stealing from the gift shop on board.

 

The next day when we docked in Port Canaveral she was escorted off the ship in handcuffs.

 

My guess is that she was in her 70s and it appeared she was traveling alone. Pretty sad.

 

Sadder still is I can't imagine what anyone would want to steal from the gift shop!