ESTA woes

Currently on Britannia and boarded yesterday in Barbdos, quite smooth however they were asking for proof of an ESTA which we had a copy of but the number of people filtered out and sent to a separate desk was quite high. We guessed they either didn't have one or didn't have a copy of it. P&O are slightly at fault here for only saying you needed to apply for one, not to keep a copy and take it with you.

So today the first day sailing from Barbados the tannoy comes on telling us due to the number of people without an ESTA there will be a face to face interview with US customs in St Thomas for the whole ship. I have suffered one of these before in St Thomas and it's not pleasant or quick, took hours to get off, so long in fact we missed our trip.

Somewhat annoying to say the least!

PS ship lovely, staff great, food better than before, lifts have a mind of their own, weather hot and dry. No sign of the sun lounger police.

I though an ESTA was only needed when landing in the states from a plane?

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Nope. I'm guessing that's what the sizeable minority without one thought too. They are opening up an ESTA Helpdesk for three days to get them sorted apparently.

I don't sail until January 2018 anyway, so will check if I need them for the islands we are visiting.

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We are landing in Barbados on 4th Feb, but we aren't going to any US islands. I thought P&O had stopped going to the US islands for that reason?

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St. Thomas is part of the US Virgin Islands and therefore an ESTA is required.

Despite P&O telling you on embarkation that you need a printed copy, we've not once been asked for a copy of our ESTA and have visited the US a few times in the last few years.

Currently on Britannia and boarded yesterday in Barbdos, quite smooth however they were asking for proof of an ESTA which we had a copy of but the number of people filtered out and sent to a separate desk was quite high. We guessed they either didn't have one or didn't have a copy of it. P&O are slightly at fault here for only saying you needed to apply for one, not to keep a copy and take it with you.

 

So today the first day sailing from Barbados the tannoy comes on telling us due to the number of people without an ESTA there will be a face to face interview with US customs in St Thomas for the whole ship. I have suffered one of these before in St Thomas and it's not pleasant or quick, took hours to get off, so long in fact we missed our trip.

 

Somewhat annoying to say the least!

 

PS ship lovely, staff great, food better than before, lifts have a mind of their own, weather hot and dry. No sign of the sun lounger police.

Shipwide clearance took 9 hours in New Orleans when we visited on Ventura. The US customs don't need a paper ESTA copy as it's logged against your passport. I think this is more a case of P&O wanting evidence of an ESTA in advance of the stop. P&O have miscommunicated this I think and to inconvenience everyone isn't really on.

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There was a thread on another travel site a few months stating that while a paper copy of an ESTA in not required to enter the USA, there were some ports of entry including some airports where immigration staff were asking to see a paper copy and in some cases refusing entry.

I have found when travelling to the USA the immigration staff are a law unto themselves they seem to make up the rules as they go along and wine betide anyone who dares to question them, I have always printed off a copy of out ESTA's and carried with our passports.

Therefore perhaps P&O are not completely to blame.

We did a roundtrip on QM2 last year and even though we had no plans to get off the ship in New York was told we would still need an ESTA. When on the ship was told that those that were returning to UK and planned to stay on the ship while in New York you would still have to wait until everyone disembarked the ship and have to get off go through customs and then get back on the ship.

We did a roundtrip on QM2 last year and even though we had no plans to get off the ship in New York was told we would still need an ESTA. When on the ship was told that those that were returning to UK and planned to stay on the ship while in New York you would still have to wait until everyone disembarked the ship and have to get off go through customs and then get back on the ship.

That has been the case for some time.....unfortunately. Certainly was in 2011 when we were there

That has been the case for some time.....unfortunately. Certainly was in 2011 when we were there

And the same this year, took paper copies.

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We took our ESTA's with us but customs officer said he didnt need to see them he could check them electronically. What amazed me was what would have happened if there was a problem with our ESTA's would he have said you have got to get back on the ship because that was our plan anyway.

When you apply for and get an ESTA, it tells you that you don't need to print it off. And assuming nobody's records get fouled up, you don't. The paper copy is helpful evidence in case the computer doesn't recognise you.

I suspect the people on one side are the ones who didn't have an ESTA at all, not the ones who hadn't printed it. All companies transporting people to the USA are legally obliged to ensure their passengers have an ESTA. If they don't, they have to pay the costs of taking them home again. Presumably P&O were going to arrange applications for the people without ESTAs while crossing the sea - there would be time. Then fly them home from Barbados if they were turned down!

I don't understand why P & O are blaming the people without an Esta for the face to face immigration.

Even if 100% of pax had their ESTA sorted a face to face immigration would still be required for the first American port of call.

Agree that St Thomas immigration process is dreadful. We were there on Azura in 2010 and it took all day to process everyone.

Sue

We are landing in Barbados on 4th Feb, but we aren't going to any US islands. I thought P&O had stopped going to the US islands for that reason?

 

 

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We were on B633 out of Barbados (not going to St Thomas) and they were NOT required

I thought P&to had stopped going there. I wouldn't book one going to the US Virgin Islands for that reason.

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We have two US Virgin isles on this trip, St Thomas and Puerto Rico. P&O are pulling out all the stops to get people registered on the Esta program, three days of six hours of free computer use. They sent out an emergency flier last night to say what needed to be done and how much an Esta cost and where to get one. There was a bit of a threat saying deportation could happen if people don't get one. Oddly the days to apply for one are before the new people arrive on Saturday at St Lucia which could open up a new can of worms.

Not sure who to blame here, P&O for not getting an Esta confirmation or the pax who didn't read their cruise information. Still unusual to need a printed copy. We get to St Thomas on the 12th.

This just underlines the silly US immigration policy. What risk is posed by UK passengers flying to the Caribbean to join a cruise that stops for a day in a US port with an onward voyage? US immigration seem to have no idea of risk targeting at all.

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This just underlines the silly US immigration policy. What risk is posed by UK passengers flying to the Caribbean to join a cruise that stops for a day in a US port with an onward voyage? US immigration seem to have no idea of risk targeting at all.

 

 

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But its $14 a pop - good little revenue earner:D

The UK govt do not seem to have caught on to this yet and let everybody in for FREE

There are too many stories of people that book holidays and then don't get the ESTA. Often turns out to be a mistake, but by then, their holiday is ruined. The idea that it's valid for two years is daft, when you have to get it long before your holiday, just to make sure they haven't mistaken you with someone unsavoury like a drug dealer, thief or politician.

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There are too many stories of people that book holidays and then don't get the ESTA. Often turns out to be a mistake, but by then, their holiday is ruined. The idea that it's valid for two years is daft, when you have to get it long before your holiday, just to make sure they haven't mistaken you with someone unsavoury like a drug dealer, thief or politician.

 

 

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When we got married we went to New York & then sailed home. You can't get an ESTA without a current passport and I couldn't use my new married name passport to get the ESTA until the day of the wedding. We did have a week before we went away but the advice I was given by US immigration was to do it on the way to the airport! Fortunately I didn't get mixed up with anyone unsavoury.

When we sailed to Florida in January this year we didn't need a printed version but I took copies just in case, as I'm a bit over-organised like that :)

But its $14 a pop - good little revenue earner:D

 

The UK govt do not seem to have caught on to this yet and let everybody in for FREE

Its $14 and they still interrogate you like you are a terrorist! And it doesn't guarantee entry. It's a win win for the US.

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We look forward to welcoming you on-board Britannia. This is a final reminder that as your cruise visits the United States (St Thomas & San Juan) you are required to obtain approval to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). Please visit the US Embassy website at https://uk.usembassy.gov/. You will be required to produce a printed copy or an electronic copy of your approved ESTA, you will be denied boarding if you do not hold the relevant paperwork.

Thank you.

We're sailing on the 10th and had this text this morning presumably being sent to everyone joining in St Lucia 😃

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Its $14 and they still interrogate you like you are a terrorist! And it doesn't guarantee entry. It's a win win for the US.

 

 

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Tell me about it!!

I used to go there every two weeks, and even with a visa it was the same.

My occupation used to freak them out. I worked in "Drug Delivery Systems". :D

We look forward to welcoming you on-board Britannia. This is a final reminder that as your cruise visits the United States (St Thomas & San Juan) you are required to obtain approval to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). Please visit the US Embassy website at https://uk.usembassy.gov/. You will be required to produce a printed copy or an electronic copy of your approved ESTA, you will be denied boarding if you do not hold the relevant paperwork.

Thank you.

We're sailing on the 10th and had this text this morning presumably being sent to everyone joining in St Lucia 😃

 

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All the times we have been through US, we have complied with the request and my dw has taken a copy (I have a visa), and when we have produced it, we were told they did not want to see it, as it was available to them on their computer screens. Just another piece of wasted paper.:D