HELP! DUI/Victoria

[CruzerKat]

I heard on another thread which I can't find now that they may not let you off the ship in Victoria if you've had a DUI in the past.

I am sailing on the Princess Sapphire to Alaska and our last stop is Victoria.

I would hate to miss this beautiful city because of a dumb thing I did many years ago in the lower 48.

Should I only show my passport and birth certificate and not my drivers lisence during the whole cruise?

Would this help?:confused:

[JudyOh]

If you have a passport you don't need your birth certificate or your drivers license (unless you are renting a car).

[Iamthesea]

Just curious where you read this?

[luv2cruise99]

I read the same thing many months ago. I believe it was on the Holland America board. I didn't understand then (and I still don't) how they would possibly know since I doubt they are doing criminal background checks on all the passengers. My guess is you'll be fine.

[Northender]

I read the same thing many months ago. I believe it was on the Holland America board. I didn't understand then (and I still don't) how they would possibly know since I doubt they are doing criminal background checks on all the passengers. My guess is you'll be fine.

 

Lord only knows what comes up when your passport gets swiped these days:)

[spongerob]

I **think** it would only be a problem if it was felony DUI. Misdemeanors shouldn't show up. Even expensive ones.

[Druke I]

Luv2cruz

 

Several of the states have repricocity (sp) agreements with the Canadian government re driving and criminal records, which would be available to the authorities should they check.

 

I had a speeding ticket (which in 1964 was a criminal offense in California, not an infraction), which I had to declare for an Australian Visa. The Australian authorities had a good chuckle over that.

 

Laws are sometimes slow to change. It was illegal to shoot rabbits from a steetcar in Berkeley CA until their whole ordinances were recodified in the 1980s, even though streetcars had stopped running in 1947/48, and rabbits had long disappeared from the scene.

[sueandkent]

First of all, they're not called DUI's in Canada they are referred to as Impaired Driving charges and we also don't have misdemeanors or felony's in this country either. Same kind of convictions but they are referred to as minor and major offenses. Just so you know the Canadian termonology if you are visiting our country.

Secondly - my DH has an impaired from 20 years ago and it has never kept him from entering the U.S. or returning home to Canada. It would be unlikely you would be not allowed off the ship however, when going to L.A. last NOv. to board our Diamond Cruise the U.S. customs offical at the airport here in Canada did pull up DH's Impaired conviction from 20 years ago on his computer and did question him about it. We were travelling with drivers license and BC.

I wouldn't worry and besides, there's really nothing you can do about it anyway except not get off the ship which would be a shame as Victoria is beautiful.

[cherylandtk]

Here is the link to the HAL thread that discusses this in more detail; there is also a Princess thread (search on "Canada DUI") which mentions that "someone" onboard said that 15-20 people per cruise are detained/removed/returned to US at their own expense and denied entrance to Canada.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=81485

[Hulagirl]

I had never heard of this before until a friend told me they knew someone who had problems. Then this past weekend in our Everett, Herald here in Washington there was an article about passports. It also addressed other problems people have been having with entering other countries and returning to the US. It addressed the very problem. So I went and found a part of the article that talked about this:

 

Quoting the Everett, Herald:

 

Driving record: It's a little-known law, but Canada may bar visitors who have been convicted of drunken driving.

 

The rules are complicated. If your offense took place more than 10 years ago, you're deemed "rehabilitated" and should have no problem, said Amelie Morin of the Canadian Border Services Agency in Ottawa. If it was more than five years ago, you may apply for a temporary resident's permit, which costs $250 Canadian (about $200 U.S.) and is issued on "a case-by-case basis," Morin said.

 

If the conviction is more recent, you may be barred. Visit a Canadian consulate for details.

 

I asked Morin how Canada learns about a DUI. She responded: "When someone is arriving at a port of entry, our officers will question the person. Our officers also have access to a computer system that checks for criminal records by name and date of birth."

 

If you don't disclose the DUI and you get caught, you may be asked to leave Canada.

 

Hope this helps.

[sueandkent]

CruizerKat - to put your mind at ease, visit the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency website. There you should find a phone number you can use to call and ask first hand. I had a customs question last year and they were very helpful.

[Northender]

Wow. This is very interesting. What I don't understand is if you are coming off a cruise ship why any DUI would apply (unless you were the Captain:D)

 

I could see a problem driving in to Canada at their borders but being part of a cruise does not seem to make sense.

 

Now I know why DHs passport gets swiped twice - no DUI but one beaut of a speeding ticket on I95 in Maine.:( They probably think there has to be a DUI somewhere.......

 

OP - I would take sueandkent's advice. You will either get a solution to your problem or never get in to Canada again :D

[smeyer418]

Wow. This is very interesting. What I don't understand is if you are coming off a cruise ship why any DUI would apply (unless you were the Captain:D)

 

I could see a problem driving in to Canada at their borders but being part of a cruise does not seem to make sense.

 

Now I know why DHs passport gets swiped twice - no DUI but one beaut of a speeding ticket on I95 in Maine.:( They probably think there has to be a DUI somewhere.......

 

OP - I would take sueandkent's advice. You will either get a solution to your problem or never get in to Canada again :D

Most speeding tickets are not a criminal offense---its a traffic infraction...my worst speeding ticket waas 92 in a 55....no one ever stopped me for that. Some states do have speeds above certain levels as criminal

 

I would doubt that the DUI was the only reason someone was stopped. Normally there would be other reasons...but I don't doubt anything anyone says above...

[mii]

Go to the Alaska board. There is a very long thread on this very topic. Right now it is on the 1st page.

 

Marilyn

[Colo Cruiser]

We could only wish that a government entity like that could be so through as to be able to find a DUI on someones record especially if your in another country.

[Iamthesea]

I wonder if there is any law in Europe detaining those with a DUI? Our friend is going over there in the fall and I know for a fact that he had two DUI's in college. Whether they are on his record or "Daddy" paid for them to be removed is not known.:rolleyes:

[sunsetme]

My daughter has to pay $250 to enter canada non refundable by the way. her dui was reduced but she has to pay just the same.All this was in the last year though. She tours with a large group and they do check. I'm not sure how strict they are on cruises. you might call and ask the cruise line.

[derf5585]

I heard on another thread which I can't find now

 

Default Prior Drunk Driving Conviction-Entrance to Canada?

from

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=168512&highlight=dui

 

HELP! Will they let me off the boat?

from

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=181850&highlight=dui

[kradogna]

I just got off an Alaskan cruise last week that had a stop in Canada. We had to show our driver's license to a Canadian officer upon leaving the ship, but it was just a quick flash as we walked by, not even a long enough inspection for him to have read the name or looked at the picture. I supposed they could have done a background check from the ship's roster prior to us arriving and had certain individuals flagged to not be able to leave the ship, but that seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through for people who are only going to be there for a few hours anyway. It's my guess that this is one of those laws that is on the books and COULD be enforced, but probably isn't (at least not for cruise passengers).

[Coral]

My friends drove into Canada - he had a DUI about 13 years earlier and still had to pay the fine. They also thought they would be fine after 10 years but they were not.