Denied boarding -bevare if you hold a previus us visa

[Tomtom70]

Ncl denied boarding to two of our children due to what they call "improper" documents.

 

They Both had expired student visas to the us. But now travelling on ESTA (european residents).

 

NCL stated that they could be on the hook it they had not been out of the US after the expired visa. we told them that they had been back home and now travelling on ESTA. We even logged into the travel history in us immigration site showing them they had records on leaving and returning....but it seems they had made their decision .....so did not help us.

 

Really bad customer service. So do you have an expired visa in your passform You need to be aware when you change to ESTA.

 

Doing that change is fine with the US immigration when coming in on a flight, but still NCL is has its own "interpretation" of this and might not allow You on board.

 

Have not gotten a response to my complaint yet - but i am guessing the $5000 are lost..... so not very happy with them at the moment.

[Kymnotkim]

So sorry to hear. I hope it works out

 

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[txagfan]

I've read a lot of wacky stuff on here, but this seems like pretty poor work on NCL's part. Having an expired visa from somewhere is fairly common among travelers. Did they not have proof of return somewhere in passport and that was the issue?

 

 

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Edited December 24, 2016 by txagfan

[tampadee]

Wow, how frustrating. Good luck.

[StolidCruiser]

This is an excellent example of understanding what the various visa types permit you to do relating to entering and exiting this country (how and why).

 

A very expensive lesson to learn for not having precisely accurate travel documentation and validating the requirements thoroughly.

 

Sorry you had this disappointing (but self-induced) experience.

[Charles4515]

This is an excellent example of understanding what the various visa types permit you to do relating to entering and exiting this country (how and why).

 

A very expensive lesson to learn for not having precisely accurate travel documentation and validating the requirements thoroughly.

 

Sorry you had this disappointing (but self-induced) experience.

 

They didn't need a visa. They were traveling under ESTA which is verified online. Being denied boarding was induced by someone at NCL being ignorant.

[snchpnz]

What departure port did this happen in?

Edited December 24, 2016 by snchpnz

[easyboy]

This must be very difficult for you and your children. I hope everything is resolved in your favor.

 

 

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[bluesea777]

Ncl denied boarding to two of our children due to what they call "improper" documents.

 

They Both had expired student visas to the us. But now travelling on ESTA (european residents).

 

NCL stated that they could be on the hook it they had not been out of the US after the expired visa. we told them that they had been back home and now travelling on ESTA. We even logged into the travel history in us immigration site showing them they had records on leaving and returning....but it seems they had made their decision .....so did not help us.

 

Really bad customer service. So do you have an expired visa in your passform You need to be aware when you change to ESTA.

 

Doing that change is fine with the US immigration when coming in on a flight, but still NCL is has its own "interpretation" of this and might not allow You on board.

 

Have not gotten a response to my complaint yet - but i am guessing the $5000 are lost..... so not very happy with them at the moment.

 

Did you have PAPER ESTA in hand? They needed to see that your kids have ESTA .. I don't think they have online access to check that your kids have ESTA.

 

We have been told to bring paper ESTA when travelling on non-US passports.

[JohnIreland]

Did you have PAPER ESTA in hand? They needed to see that your kids have ESTA .. I don't think they have online access to check that your kids have ESTA.

 

We have been told to bring paper ESTA when travelling on non-US passports.

 

I have only been asked for the ESTA number once and that was an a TA starting in Europe.

 

They usually take away our passports to check , so they must have some type of access in US ports.

[zqvol]

Ncl denied boarding to two of our children due to what they call "improper" documents.

 

They Both had expired student visas to the us. But now travelling on ESTA (european residents).

 

NCL stated that they could be on the hook it they had not been out of the US after the expired visa. we told them that they had been back home and now travelling on ESTA. We even logged into the travel history in us immigration site showing them they had records on leaving and returning....but it seems they had made their decision .....so did not help us.

 

Really bad customer service. So do you have an expired visa in your passform You need to be aware when you change to ESTA.

 

Doing that change is fine with the US immigration when coming in on a flight, but still NCL is has its own "interpretation" of this and might not allow You on board.

 

Have not gotten a response to my complaint yet - but i am guessing the $5000 are lost..... so not very happy with them at the moment.

 

Not that it will help now, but you should have had them call CBP and have an agent come tell them that they were incorrect. This is their error, not yours, because you presented complete and accurate documents, so hopefully they will provide full refunds.

[casofilia]

These days I would not travel to the United States or Canada without a physical copy of my ESTA or ETA (Canadian equivalent) even though we are rarely asked for either.

[GUEST080219]

Did you have PAPER ESTA in hand? They needed to see that your kids have ESTA .. I don't think they have online access to check that your kids have ESTA.

 

We have been told to bring paper ESTA when travelling on non-US passports.

 

Even a couple of years for transatlantics starting in Barcelona people without printed ESTA were guided to a different counter to log in the ESTA website and print the confirmation there.

[ellie1145]

I'm so sorry to hear this. How disappointing for all the family, not to mention the cost.

 

It's certainly a warning to check all documentation but from what you say all was in order, it was NCL who made an incorrect decision.

 

If that is so they should refund you.

 

We have never been asked for our ESTA paperwork though we always print it and carry it with us.

[Froggitt]

Last month for the Epic TA, we were taken to a bank of about 20 laptops for printing out previously purchased ESTA documents. Even though there is no requirement to have a printed copy, and never have done so before.

 

I dont understand why NCL would be shuffling through the passport looking for previous visas.

 

NCL stated that they could be on the hook it they had not been out of the US after the expired visa.

 

How is that any different from an overstay on an ESTA, that all previous ESTA travellers could have done.

 

I call BS on this tale.

[Froggitt]

In fact, thinking about this peoples, any US or Caribbean cruise, they would have needed the ESTA for immigration at JFK/MIA etc......nothing to do with NCL. If they were already in the US, they wouldnt need the ESTA to board the ship, so couldnt have been denied boarding.

 

Even larger dollop of BS.

[ready2cruzagain]

Every one is jumping on NCL but this had nothing to do with NCL. Wouldn't it be the customs people at the port that OP should blame?

 

IMHO they should really only blame themselves for not having all paperwork in order before trying to board a cruise.

[david_sobe]

I am not sure why the OP did not mention where this took place but I assume it was in the United States. If you overstay your visa you can be banned from entering the United States up to 10 years. I am not sure how they were allowed back in the United States with expired US Visas. That is odd to me if they came back to the United States through a normal point of entry. Its unfortunate but I could see why NCL denied boarding in the United States because they probably were not legal and NCL could have gotten in trouble. I am not disputing the Euro documents were not legit. I personally know someone who overstayed their visa when they could not get a job in the United States. I could not believe it myself but they were banned from entering the United States for 10 years. This person committed no crime and left voluntarily too.

Long story short.....NCL has no choice but to follow the law in the country their boarding process is located.

Here in Miami with lots of undocumented or overstays creates the opposite problem. If they board the ship when the ship returns to the United States, those passengers are denied entry by ICE. This is the problem NCL was probably trying to avoid. It puzzles me how they were allowed into the United States with expired Visas that were probably over-stays. If they were allowed to board, ICE probably would not have allowed them into the United States on return. They could have been detained and deported. Its a HUGE mess. Its actually a good thing NCL denied their boarding. You cant violate the immigration laws of a country and come back like nothing happened.

Edited December 25, 2016 by david_sobe

[hawkeyetlse]

In fact, thinking about this peoples, any US or Caribbean cruise, they would have needed the ESTA for immigration at JFK/MIA etc......nothing to do with NCL. If they were already in the US, they wouldnt need the ESTA to board the ship, so couldnt have been denied boarding.

If you are arriving in JFK/MIA etc. on an international flight, it is obvious that you have been out of the country and cannot have overstayed your previous visa.

 

Someone showing up at the port in NYC or Miami could very well have never left the US after their visa expired, and they are hoping to take the cruise to exit the US and return using an ESTA in order to be in the US legally again. I'm not saying that the OP's children were guilty of this. But if they weren't, it seems like it should have been very easy to show proof right in their passports of having left the US before their visas expired (I don't know what US immigration website they were referring to, but if the information displayed there consisted of self-reported travel records, of course that wouldn't count for anything).

[Jetlagged787]

Tomtom70

 

I am really sorry to hear of your experience and do hope that you get this resolved to your total satisfaction.

 

In your OP you said, "...We even logged into the travel history in us immigration site..." I was not aware that we had access to this information and would appreciate it if you could post the link where I could look at my previous history please.

 

This is not the place to report my entire story, but on one occasion I was taken away by two uniformed persons at Orlando and subjected to a three hour wait and interrogation. My offence? I had allegedly under stayed on a student visa. You read that correctly, UNDER stayed and they wanted to put me on the next flight back to the UK. Fortunately they discovered an email proving my story and I was allowed to stay. I have been reluctant to visit the US since then and would love to see what us being held in my name by these jobsworths.

[JohnIreland]

I am not sure how they were allowed back in the United States with expired US Visas.

 

Plenty of valid reasons.

 

 

As a common example if you had a J1 (expired in 2015) you can you enter in 2016 on only an ESTA.

[Bracarense]

Going on Escape next May with my wife and daughter theses stories make me worry a little. Me and my wife have only been once before on US soil, 8 years ago for a professional co convention. It will be my daughter's first visit. We will be applying for ESTA and thought that was just enough.

Now I will certainly print every single document I get.

I would also like to see that site with our travel info.

[chengkp75]

Tomtom70

 

I am really sorry to hear of your experience and do hope that you get this resolved to your total satisfaction.

 

In your OP you said, "...We even logged into the travel history in us immigration site..." I was not aware that we had access to this information and would appreciate it if you could post the link where I could look at my previous history please.

 

This is not the place to report my entire story, but on one occasion I was taken away by two uniformed persons at Orlando and subjected to a three hour wait and interrogation. My offence? I had allegedly under stayed on a student visa. You read that correctly, UNDER stayed and they wanted to put me on the next flight back to the UK. Fortunately they discovered an email proving my story and I was allowed to stay. I have been reluctant to visit the US since then and would love to see what us being held in my name by these jobsworths.

 

For most people, the records of entry and leaving the US requires a Freedom of Information Act application, and the attendant time and expense. In 2014, for foreign sudents, CBP has made it easier to access the I-94 records to verify travel into/out of the US, using the I-94 web page here:

 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94

 

However, records for entry/exit at land crossing points are not always complete, so this may not be the final solution to anyone's problems.

[zqvol]

Every one is jumping on NCL but this had nothing to do with NCL. Wouldn't it be the customs people at the port that OP should blame?

 

IMHO they should really only blame themselves for not having all paperwork in order before trying to board a cruise.

 

Unless they are called in by NCL CBP does not look at documents prior to a cruise. It is NCL who checks them.

[Jetlagged787]

For most people, the records of entry and leaving the US requires a Freedom of Information Act application, and the attendant time and expense. In 2014, for foreign sudents, CBP has made it easier to access the I-94 records to verify travel into/out of the US, using the I-94 web page here:

 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94

 

However, records for entry/exit at land crossing points are not always complete, so this may not be the final solution to anyone's problems.

 

Thanks. I'll check it out.