Felons on a cruise

[kurtlinda]

Is anyone aware as to whether someone with a felony record is allow to go on a cruise? Would the cruise line deny someone? My partner committed a crime years ago, before sobriety entered his life, He is not on probation but a felony charge would show up on a background check.

 

I was going to just call Carnival and ask but unfortunately, I am not sure I trust a customer service representative with such an important question that if answered incorrectly, could cause us to be declined entry on to the ship.

 

Thank you to anyone who has some insight, it is greatly appreciated.

 

At first look I thought this was the name of a punk band that was providing entertainment. LOL

[Woodfaerie]

Thank you all for your input. Since we don't plan on a Canadian cruise and there are no outstanding warrants nor probation we will go ahead and schedule!

[Dets_Girl]

Along this same lines, my husband and I just got back from a b2b on the Breeze. There were over 600 kids on the first cruise and 700 on the 2nd. There were many wondering around w/o any adult, either alone or in pairs. We talked about how easy it would be for someone to "grab" one of these kids. I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

[Drazil65]

I was going to just call Carnival and ask but unfortunately, I am not sure I trust a customer service representative with such an important question that if answered incorrectly, could cause us to be declined entry on to the ship.

 

BUT, you will trust a bunch of strangers with all kinds of opinions to answer this "important" question? OMG...:confused:

 

Call Customs and Borders, Homeland Security or an attorney even, but please use common sense for something this important (per you).

 

I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

 

Absolutely...cruise ships are like mini cities and as I would not let my son wonder around a city/town without proper supervision it is the same for a cruise ship. There are all kinds of people on board and many parents use the ship like a great big playpen/babysitter.

[teknoge3k]

You only need a birth certificate to cruise on a closed loop cruise. A birth certificate does not have a social security number on it. (Neither does a drivers license or a lot of other forms of ID.)

 

A criminal record is tied to your social security number, NOT your name. (How many John Smith's are there?)

 

How would anyone ever know if someone had a criminal record? You never gave Carnival any information that would even enable them to do a background check, even if they wanted to.

[sparks1093]

You only need a birth certificate to cruise on a closed loop cruise. A birth certificate does not have a social security number on it. (Neither does a drivers license or a lot of other forms of ID.)

 

A criminal record is tied to your social security number, NOT your name. (How many John Smith's are there?)

 

How would anyone ever know if someone had a criminal record? You never gave Carnival any information that would even enable them to do a background check, even if they wanted to.

 

And yet they are able to figure it out. I suppose if you claimed mistaken identity they could run your prints to verify the info.

[Micahs Grandad]

Along this same lines, my husband and I just got back from a b2b on the Breeze. There were over 600 kids on the first cruise and 700 on the 2nd. There were many wondering around w/o any adult, either alone or in pairs. We talked about how easy it would be for someone to "grab" one of these kids. I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

 

Always surprised to see so many kids wandering around the ship even late at night. Every once in awhile you hear a horror story.

[originalgeek]

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Falcons on a cruise" and I think, "yep, I bet those poor guys sure do need a cruise".

[sparks1093]

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Falcons on a cruise" and I think, "yep, I bet those poor guys sure do need a cruise".

 

I need a cruise after that game and my team won. :o

[ryano]

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Falcons on a cruise" and I think, "yep, I bet those poor guys sure do need a cruise".

 

Yes we sure do :( It still hurts, bad. Im still shocked. 241 more days for me!

[Keys2Heaven]

I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

 

Absolutely...cruise ships are like mini cities and as I would not let my son wonder around a city/town without proper supervision it is the same for a cruise ship. There are all kinds of people on board and many parents use the ship like a great big playpen/babysitter.

 

Especially when you have two teenage daughters. More than once, I was not the "cool" dad for restricting the kids who wanted to hang with them.

[chengkp75]

I keep reading the title of this thread as "Falcons on a cruise" and I think, "yep, I bet those poor guys sure do need a cruise".

 

I need a cruise after that game and my team won. :o

 

Sorry, but the Pats deserve a cruise after that game. A team down by 25 points had a historical win rate of 4 wins versus 1057 losses. Changed that to 5 wins. Sorry, ATL fans, and I like the Falcons, just couldn't pass it up since the thread went this way. :p

[realjd]

You only need a birth certificate to cruise on a closed loop cruise. A birth certificate does not have a social security number on it. (Neither does a drivers license or a lot of other forms of ID.)

 

A criminal record is tied to your social security number, NOT your name. (How many John Smith's are there?)

 

How would anyone ever know if someone had a criminal record? You never gave Carnival any information that would even enable them to do a background check, even if they wanted to.

 

Name and DOB are usually sufficient for a basic records check.

 

The government can also look up your SSN based on your drivers license number. You had to provide it to your state DMV when you got your license.

[BahamaMama1214]

You only need a birth certificate to cruise on a closed loop cruise. A birth certificate does not have a social security number on it. (Neither does a drivers license or a lot of other forms of ID.)

 

A criminal record is tied to your social security number, NOT your name. (How many John Smith's are there?)

 

How would anyone ever know if someone had a criminal record? You never gave Carnival any information that would even enable them to do a background check, even if they wanted to.

 

Your name and DOB are enough to do a background check. Especially when they have your address, phone number, and sometimes passport information.

[Scurvy Seadog]

I can pull your criminal history with only your name and DOB.

[Raxter54]

You only need a birth certificate to cruise on a closed loop cruise. A birth certificate does not have a social security number on it. (Neither does a drivers license or a lot of other forms of ID.)

 

A criminal record is tied to your social security number, NOT your name. (How many John Smith's are there?)

 

How would anyone ever know if someone had a criminal record? You never gave Carnival any information that would even enable them to do a background check, even if they wanted to.

You also need a photo ID, to establish that the birth certificate is yours. Usually a drivers license, which can be traced. ...

 

Sent from my Galaxy 4

[john91498]

Hmmm...interesting...my brother is an ex felon and we've been on dozens of cruises with no issues.

 

He also goes into Canada a lot for religious reasons and I've never heard him say he had an issues getting in or going back to the US.

[Elaine5715]

Along this same lines, my husband and I just got back from a b2b on the Breeze. There were over 600 kids on the first cruise and 700 on the 2nd. There were many wondering around w/o any adult, either alone or in pairs. We talked about how easy it would be for someone to "grab" one of these kids. I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

 

Unless someone is on probation/parole that restricts their travel, there is nothing preventing them from travel. So, no cruise ships do not check sex registries for people who had past convictions.

[A&Jfamily]

Along this same lines, my husband and I just got back from a b2b on the Breeze. There were over 600 kids on the first cruise and 700 on the 2nd. There were many wondering around w/o any adult, either alone or in pairs. We talked about how easy it would be for someone to "grab" one of these kids. I wonder if parents are lured into a false sense of safety just because they are on a cruise ship? If the parents were nearby they were not paying much attention to the kids. We wonder if there are background checks for these type of criminal records.

 

No, there are no background checks by Carnival, and even a convicted and registered sex offender, unless prohibited by terms of probation could travel.

 

How often do you check the sex offender registry for your neighborhood and surrounding area? Do you watch your family members? Your minister? Your kid's coach? People talk about sex offenders as if they are some abstract class of individuals, but far more likely than not, they are going to fall into one of the above categories. Most child sex offenders use the same victim over and over and over. Most child sex offenders "groom" their targets - they know the child either through a family relationship, or some other relation of trust such as camp counselor, religious official etc- and the control them so they don't tattle.

 

Yes, it would be "possible" for someone to grab one of these kids. But then what - you can't abduct them beyond the ship? A cruise ship offers very little opportunity for escape without being identified. Nor does it offer an opportunity to groom a child with threats ("mommy will divorce daddy if you tell her what we do").

 

I have 20 + years in the criminal justice field and IMHO with regard to sex offenders you should be far more concerned about what goes on in your home, neighborhood, church and soccer league than in some random individual with your kids 20-30' away in a pool.

[sparks1093]

No, there are no background checks by Carnival, and even a convicted and registered sex offender, unless prohibited by terms of probation could travel.

 

How often do you check the sex offender registry for your neighborhood and surrounding area? Do you watch your family members? Your minister? Your kid's coach? People talk about sex offenders as if they are some abstract class of individuals, but far more likely than not, they are going to fall into one of the above categories. Most child sex offenders use the same victim over and over and over. Most child sex offenders "groom" their targets - they know the child either through a family relationship, or some other relation of trust such as camp counselor, religious official etc- and the control them so they don't tattle.

 

Yes, it would be "possible" for someone to grab one of these kids. But then what - you can't abduct them beyond the ship? A cruise ship offers very little opportunity for escape without being identified. Nor does it offer an opportunity to groom a child with threats ("mommy will divorce daddy if you tell her what we do").

 

I have 20 + years in the criminal justice field and IMHO with regard to sex offenders you should be far more concerned about what goes on in your home, neighborhood, church and soccer league than in some random individual with your kids 20-30' away in a pool.

 

While what you say is quite accurate I believe the PP was talking about kids wandering around the ship unsupervised, not 20' to 30' away in the pool and something could easily happen under those circumstances (having something put in a drink, sexual assault, physical assault, etc.), but of course no check is going to help with that type of situation. The message is still valid, don't let your guard down and don't let your kids let their guard down just because you are on a ship because bad things can still happen.

[Elaine5715]

No, there are no background checks by Carnival, and even a convicted and registered sex offender, unless prohibited by terms of probation could travel.

 

How often do you check the sex offender registry for your neighborhood and surrounding area? Do you watch your family members? Your minister? Your kid's coach? People talk about sex offenders as if they are some abstract class of individuals, but far more likely than not, they are going to fall into one of the above categories. Most child sex offenders use the same victim over and over and over. Most child sex offenders "groom" their targets - they know the child either through a family relationship, or some other relation of trust such as camp counselor, religious official etc- and the control them so they don't tattle.

 

Yes, it would be "possible" for someone to grab one of these kids. But then what - you can't abduct them beyond the ship? A cruise ship offers very little opportunity for escape without being identified. Nor does it offer an opportunity to groom a child with threats ("mommy will divorce daddy if you tell her what we do").

 

I have 20 + years in the criminal justice field and IMHO with regard to sex offenders you should be far more concerned about what goes on in your home, neighborhood, church and soccer league than in some random individual with your kids 20-30' away in a pool.

 

People want to believe that they can sense danger vibes but since adults aren't the target of child predators, there is no reason your spidey sense would tingle. The "good guy" who volunteers to take your child for hours, nights, weekends, trips to give you a "break" should be looked at more than a random grab by a stranger.

[PrincessMommyX4]

I can't say 100% but my cousin has a past felony and we were talking about going on a cruise with him and his wife. She said she looked into it and he was good to go. We have not booked yet so this is just what she told me.

[astroboy99]

Never known of any cruise line to do a background check for its passengers. Just Canada as someone else mentioned.

 

 

Criminal checks are done with every passenger manifests. It is not uncommon for passengers to be apprehended before or after the cruise.

 

 

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[astroboy99]

No, there are no background checks by Carnival, and even a convicted and registered sex offender, unless prohibited by terms of probation could travel.

 

 

 

How often do you check the sex offender registry for your neighborhood and surrounding area? Do you watch your family members? Your minister? Your kid's coach? People talk about sex offenders as if they are some abstract class of individuals, but far more likely than not, they are going to fall into one of the above categories. Most child sex offenders use the same victim over and over and over. Most child sex offenders "groom" their targets - they know the child either through a family relationship, or some other relation of trust such as camp counselor, religious official etc- and the control them so they don't tattle.

 

 

 

Yes, it would be "possible" for someone to grab one of these kids. But then what - you can't abduct them beyond the ship? A cruise ship offers very little opportunity for escape without being identified. Nor does it offer an opportunity to groom a child with threats ("mommy will divorce daddy if you tell her what we do").

 

 

 

I have 20 + years in the criminal justice field and IMHO with regard to sex offenders you should be far more concerned about what goes on in your home, neighborhood, church and soccer league than in some random individual with your kids 20-30' away in a pool.

 

 

The background/criminal checks are not done by the cruise lines, but rather the port authority. They are done to assure that a criminal is not trying to sneak out of the country.

 

 

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[Corby114]

My deceased first cousin had the same name as me. Returning from a seven day Caribbean cruise years ago I was pulled out of line because my cousin had active warrants in New Jersey. I was a Municipal Police Lieutenant at the time and had to explain to the Customs Officers that they had the wrong cousin. My cousin was five years older than me and a real train wreck. The one thing I am sure is when returning from a cruise if you have an active warrant you will be held by the local authorities and depending on the degree of the crime may be picked up by the issuing jurisdiction for processing.