Alaska Cruise, Canada and criminal history (DUI)

[Melanie4848]

Im in California and will be cruising from Alaska this summer. Our ship (Celebrity) ends in Vancouver. I have a DUI (15 years ago), as well as 2 other non-violent misdemeanors (disturbing the peace and contempt of court). All three have been dismissed through PC 1203.4 

 

We board in the US and end in Canada. Is this going to be an issue boarding the ship? I understand there is a chance I can be stopped once we disembark. Worst case scenario I end up being deported. I will have a scheduled flight leaving immediately anyway. But will this prevent me from boarding? I checked with Celebrity and they dont seem to think it is an issue. Thanks for any help with this.

[Ferry_Watcher]

I have done check-in for Celebrity at Pier 91, and we have never stopped a passenger from boarding for any reason except not have proof of citizenship (or visa for some foreign passport holders) or over the last couple years - proof of vaccination.  If you were on a closed loop cruise (beginning and ending in Seattle), I would maybe suggest that you remain on the ship while in Victoria, BC to avoid any embarrassment. 

 

I think that you may be taking a chance when you arrive in Vancouver, BC.  Living in Washington State, I know that the Canadians  do enforce their policy of denying folks driving across the border who have past DUI, etc.  Sadly, I am not sure if this particular cruise is worth the risk.

 

Is it possible to change to a Seattle closed loop cruise?

 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, Melanie4848 said:

Im in California and will be cruising from Alaska this summer. Our ship (Celebrity) ends in Vancouver. I have a DUI (15 years ago), as well as 2 other non-violent misdemeanors (disturbing the peace and contempt of court). All three have been dismissed through PC 1203.4 

 

We board in the US and end in Canada. Is this going to be an issue boarding the ship? I understand there is a chance I can be stopped once we disembark. Worst case scenario I end up being deported. I will have a scheduled flight leaving immediately anyway. But will this prevent me from boarding? I checked with Celebrity and they dont seem to think it is an issue. Thanks for any help with this.

The cruise line won't prevent you from boarding the cruise because it has no idea of any criminal history you may have. Cruises lines do not have access to the NCIC database. Canadian authorities can't prevent you from boarding the cruise because they won't receive the passenger manifest until after the ship departs Seattle, and only then can Canada begin to check the manifest against criminal records recorded in the NCIC database.

 

However, Canadian authorities may prevent you from disembarking in their country and you may be subject to an in person interview by Canadian officials before a determination is made on permission to disembark. As already noted by @Ferry_Watcherthis could be a serious problem for you as your cruise ends in Vancouver. You could be taken into custody and deported as opposed to being allowed to disembark normally and permitted to make your way home on your own or to wherever you were headed next. I agree with @Ferry_Watcher's recommendation to not risk sailing on an itinerary that ends in Canada and to instead consider a Seattle to Seattle closed loop cruise where the worst that could happen is that you're not permitted to go ashore at the Canadian port of call  n (most likely) Victoria.

[imobannon]

Related:

 

[ldubs]

If all 3 offenses were expunged per PC 1203.4, as you say, then it would seem odd this would be a problem,  but what do I know.     

 

I personally would go with what Celebrity advised.  If you are not comfortable with that, perhaps contact the Canadian authority.  The Canadian Embassy Seattle website has info about overcoming criminal convictions for a visit to Canada.  

[PizzaParty5]

We just returned from an Alaskan cruise on Discovery Princess 2 days ago.  We did a round trip from Seattle.  My son has a DUI from 8 years ago.  I did not know that this would be a problem until it was too late to do anything about it.  I stressed for many months about him not being able to join us (as it was a family vacation) and being out the expenses.  Saw posts on FB saying he would not even be able to board.  Scoured the internet trying to find people with similar circumstances. (Not very many that were recent.) I called Princess cruise lines and they couldn't give me an answer.  I also called CBSA and they told me that it was up to the ship on whether or not he could board and take the cruise.  They told me on their end that he wouldn't be able to disembark in Victoria.  Don't want to give anyone false hope (because maybe he slipped thru the cracks), but we were able to take the cruise with no problem.  He was able to board and join us.  No one said anything to us about him not getting off in Victoria once we got there.  He decided to stay on board at that stop and not risk anything.  What a great trip we had and I wish I had all those hours of worry back.  

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, PizzaParty5 said:

We just returned from an Alaskan cruise on Discovery Princess 2 days ago.  We did a round trip from Seattle.  My son has a DUI from 8 years ago.  I did not know that this would be a problem until it was too late to do anything about it.  I stressed for many months about him not being able to join us (as it was a family vacation) and being out the expenses.  Saw posts on FB saying he would not even be able to board.  Scoured the internet trying to find people with similar circumstances. (Not very many that were recent.) I called Princess cruise lines and they couldn't give me an answer.  I also called CBSA and they told me that it was up to the ship on whether or not he could board and take the cruise.  They told me on their end that he wouldn't be able to disembark in Victoria.  Don't want to give anyone false hope (because maybe he slipped thru the cracks), but we were able to take the cruise with no problem.  He was able to board and join us.  No one said anything to us about him not getting off in Victoria once we got there.  He decided to stay on board at that stop and not risk anything.  What a great trip we had and I wish I had all those hours of worry back.  

 

This has been discussed many times. The cruise lines do not have access to the criminal record database, so would have no knowledge to prevent embarkation.

 

When the ship departs the final US port, they transmit the crew/pax manifest to the CBSA. They review and determine what actions to take, if any. Whether you get unrestricted access ashore in Victoria, are flagged for a face to face meeting, or are banned from going ashore, is at the sole discretion of the agent reviewing the manifest. To be removed from the ship you would have outstanding warrants, have an existing ban from Canada, etc.

 

Basically, a DUI can be a indictable offense (felony), it is a serious criminal offense and while criminals aren't welcome, the Border Agents can use discretion. Since your time ashore was probably about 4 hrs and you depart again on the cruise ships, the Border Agents clearly decided it was low risk, so did not flag a face to face meeting.

[PizzaParty5]

15 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

This has been discussed many times. The cruise lines do not have access to the criminal record database, so would have no knowledge to prevent embarkation.

 

When the ship departs the final US port, they transmit the crew/pax manifest to the CBSA. They review and determine what actions to take, if any. Whether you get unrestricted access ashore in Victoria, are flagged for a face to face meeting, or are banned from going ashore, is at the sole discretion of the agent reviewing the manifest. To be removed from the ship you would have outstanding warrants, have an existing ban from Canada, etc.

 

Basically, a DUI can be a indictable offense (felony), it is a serious criminal offense and while criminals aren't welcome, the Border Agents can use discretion. Since your time ashore was probably about 4 hrs and you depart again on the cruise ships, the Border Agents clearly decided it was low risk, so did not flag a face to face meeting.

Yes, I understand all of this and I know it has been discussed many times, but I had not read any recent account of anyone's true experience with this.  I had read a lot of conflicting stories and I just wanted to share mine in case someone was stressing about it before their cruise (when, like ours, it was too late to cancel). I appreciate your explanation, but I was only sharing my experience to possibly give relief to someone else searching. 

[mhsqb11butterflya320]

I have a DUI from 13 years ago.  There was a fine, no breathalizer, and had 4 months of restriction of driving hours. 

We are flying to Anchorage, touring there for a week and then embarking on a one way southbound cruise ending in Vancouver and flying home from there.

Any thoughts, concerns or advice from anyone?