US Immigration horrendous

[Cruise Junky]

Just read an article in the London Times that spoke of horrendous wait times for Immigration in many, if not most, European airports. It was reported that an EasyJet group were in queues for as long as three to four hours in Spain. So, this is not relegated to United States Immigration. It's the way of the world in which we live. As a tourist from Liverpool was quoted, "If you want to travel by air, this is what's to be expected. If you don't like it, I suggest you holiday at home." Even though it's supposed to be easier for Schengen countries, even those folks experienced very long delays at European airports.

 

They just put some new procedures in place which is creating a crazy back up. They'll sort it out.

[Saab4444]

Just read an article in the London Times that spoke of horrendous wait times for Immigration in many, if not most, European airports. It was reported that an EasyJet group were in queues for as long as three to four hours in Spain. So, this is not relegated to United States Immigration. It's the way of the world in which we live. As a tourist from Liverpool was quoted, "If you want to travel by air, this is what's to be expected. If you don't like it, I suggest you holiday at home." Even though it's supposed to be easier for Schengen countries, even those folks experienced very long delays at European airports.

 

 

 

There are no passport controls and immigration or customs procedures within Shengen countries.

 

 

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[claudart]

Well, I feel sorry for all of you but I must be a lucky person. At Fiumicino Rome airport last may, lines were quite long for customs but went rapidly. Customs official looked at our passports, didn’t say a word and stamped them, we were out in less than 30 minutes.

 

Last month for our annual trip to NYC by car, almost no lines at Champlain Lake border point, the agent asked us: where are you going, how long, do you have a reservation...have a nice stay! Total time to cross the border, 15 minutes.

 

Reading all these stories I wonder how it will go when we fly to Fort lauderdale next spring for our cruise.

[herbanrenewal]

Wait times are frustrating, especially after a long trip, but the kind of behavior some exhibit is just plan wrong. The European woman I know is a university professor, and in no way presents as a security risk. She was selected for xray screening, and then endured a pat down by a male TSA security officer - She was told that there were no female officers available and if she intended to catch how connecting flight she would comply.

 

Then the officer said it was her underwire bra that was suspicious, and made her remove it in front of him. She felt that the xray showed her underwire and gave him the excuse to do a pat-down and then force her to remove her bra.

 

This of course left her feeling vulnerable and visibly upset. Then Immigration singled her out for "suspicious behavior". She missed her connecting flight and was so disturbed that she would have returned immediately to Germany if a flight was available. Her relatives from Virginia drove up to NY to pick her up. Despite written complaints to all involved agencies she never received an apology, or even an acknowledgement of her complaints. she did receive a statement that all procedures were done appropriately. Really??? no option for a female agent to pat her down? no privacy for removing her bra? holding her for over an hour because her suspicious behavior?

This was several years ago, but definitely is the reason she will never fly into the US again.

 

I hate to even think about the negative image the USA is presenting to our visitors if even a few people are subjected to this kind of treatment.

[Project_gal]

Regarding you comment on not being young, male or white:

1) Do you really think INS is profiling older persons? Females? I seriously doubt that.

2) As far as non-whites, I wonder about that since, many of the agents that I see or know from my former employment ( I once worked for Homeland Security) are Hispanic or Black.

 

Apologies for not making myself clear. They were not targeting me because I was older, female or white. I was an exception "targeted" purely because they appear to have borrowed their IT staff from Celebrity.

 

It was clear that those targeted were Asian and Hispanic and predominantly young males but also families with children. The officials I saw were all Hispanic and struggled with English. When making announcements in English to the room they had to consult among themselves for the vocabulary they needed. They struggled to communicate with me when they finally tried to explain what their problem was after many hours.

[Project_gal]

Just read an article in the London Times that spoke of horrendous wait times for Immigration in many, if not most, European airports. It was reported that an EasyJet group were in queues for as long as three to four hours in Spain. So, this is not relegated to United States Immigration. It's the way of the world in which we live. As a tourist from Liverpool was quoted, "If you want to travel by air, this is what's to be expected. If you don't like it, I suggest you holiday at home." Even though it's supposed to be easier for Schengen countries, even those folks experienced very long delays at European airports.

 

There appears to be a huge amount of confusion on this thread - although, I accept, if you have to wait in line for a long time it may not really matter why. There are three reasons you may be held up whilst travelling:

1. Security - you need to go through this before boarding a 'plane or ship to ensure that you are not carrying a weapon or bomb making equipment. (This is the cause of the queue this poster is speaking of.) When there is new intelligence, this screening may need to change and there tends to be longer queues until the new procedures bed in.
   
2. Immigration - you need to pass through this before entering a country usually at the port of entry but sometimes (eg Vancouver cruise port for Alaska or Calais for Dover) at the port of exit. The reason for this screening is for the country you are entering to determine if you are a person they wish to allow into the country. It appears from this thread that this may also happen in US states close to the Mexican (and Canadian?) boarder.
   
3. Customs - this is a check on the goods you are brining into a country that may be prohibited or be subject to taxes. In some places, Immigration and Customs may be combined especially where the Customs procedure is simply collecting a form - this often happens at US cruise ports - but usually Immigration is before baggage claim and Customs after.
   

[Project_gal]

Wait times are frustrating, especially after a long trip, but the kind of behavior some exhibit is just plan wrong. The European woman I know is a university professor, and in no way presents as a security risk. She was selected for xray screening, and then endured a pat down by a male TSA security officer - She was told that there were no female officers available and if she intended to catch how connecting flight she would comply.

 

Then the officer said it was her underwire bra that was suspicious, and made her remove it in front of him. She felt that the xray showed her underwire and gave him the excuse to do a pat-down and then force her to remove her bra.

 

This of course left her feeling vulnerable and visibly upset. Then Immigration singled her out for "suspicious behavior". She missed her connecting flight and was so disturbed that she would have returned immediately to Germany if a flight was available. Her relatives from Virginia drove up to NY to pick her up. Despite written complaints to all involved agencies she never received an apology, or even an acknowledgement of her complaints. she did receive a statement that all procedures were done appropriately. Really??? no option for a female agent to pat her down? no privacy for removing her bra? holding her for over an hour because her suspicious behavior?

This was several years ago, but definitely is the reason she will never fly into the US again.

 

I hate to even think about the negative image the USA is presenting to our visitors if even a few people are subjected to this kind of treatment.

 

This reminds me of when I needed to pass through security screening between connecting flights at Detroit a few years ago. Something I was wearing was setting off the alarms despite not changing any item of clothing since I had passed through security at Heathrow. I was told that I could wait in a long queue for private screening in a private room or remove most of my clothing then and there. To my husband's amazement, I was able to remove everything but my dress perfectly decently in public. They then scanned me and my clothing separately with no alarms - go figure. I picked up my bundle of clothes, headed to the restrooms, redressed and caught my connecting flight.

 

You have to be resilient to travel these days.

[A Sixth?]

Is the NEXUS card good at the port of Vancouver?

[Kamloops50]

Never tried it.

 

 

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[martincath]

Is the NEXUS card good at the port of Vancouver?

Yes - it will get you expedited passage through CBP when embarking. No extra help disembarking at CBSA though, but this is usually much faster than CBP. And of course you can use it as your ID when entering US or Canada by sea so valid for any US/Canada cruise without needing to bring your passport.

[Smiling Cruiser]

Use the bathroom in the airport on arrival ( before customs)to remove the underwire bra. Put it back on after customs in the next available bathroom. That agents behavior was not appropriate.

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

Yes - it will get you expedited passage through CBP when embarking. No extra help disembarking at CBSA though, but this is usually much faster than CBP. And of course you can use it as your ID when entering US or Canada by sea so valid for any US/Canada cruise without needing to bring your passport.

 

 

 

Quite often CBSA looks at your declaration , Asks a Few questions. Then let's you proceed . If further checks are required you'll be sent to secondary.

 

 

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[adonisr]

This behavior has been going on for decades & has nothing to do with terrorism, the current President, etc.

 

The root of the problem is: There are few consequences for the rude employees. Because they are Federal Govt employees, it is very difficult for them to be fired from their positions. Usually, they must be convicted of a crime before they can be removed. Rudeness is not illegal, just obnoxious.

 

And because of that, those types of personalities are attracted to FCS jobs.

It gives them a sense of power & control.

You, the passenger are at their mercy & they know it.

Those types are there only to draw a paycheck with good bennies, & eventually a nice pension.

Inconveniencing passengers is the only bright spot in their miserable existence.

 

Of course, not all federal employees are that way. But sadly, the rude ones really stand out.

 

BTW, they do not discriminate as they treat US citizens just as poorly.

 

Just remember, your TSA agent was probably asking - you want fries with that? at their previous job.

 

TSA is a joke. We are no safer traveling today than we were on 9/10.

[ccotting]

There appears to be a huge amount of confusion on this thread - although, I accept, if you have to wait in line for a long time it may not really matter why. There are three reasons you may be held up whilst travelling:

1. Security - you need to go through this before boarding a 'plane or ship to ensure that you are not carrying a weapon or bomb making equipment. (This is the cause of the queue this poster is speaking of.) When there is new intelligence, this screening may need to change and there tends to be longer queues until the new procedures bed in.
   
2. Immigration - you need to pass through this before entering a country usually at the port of entry but sometimes (eg Vancouver cruise port for Alaska or Calais for Dover) at the port of exit. The reason for this screening is for the country you are entering to determine if you are a person they wish to allow into the country. It appears from this thread that this may also happen in US states close to the Mexican (and Canadian?) boarder.
   
3. Customs - this is a check on the goods you are brining into a country that may be prohibited or be subject to taxes. In some places, Immigration and Customs may be combined especially where the Customs procedure is simply collecting a form - this often happens at US cruise ports - but usually Immigration is before baggage claim and Customs after.
   

 

Yes, but there is confusion about port boarding at Vancouver which perhaps you don't realize. In Vancouver you process through US customs prior to boarding your cruise ship to Alaska. Canada and the US have an unusual relationship of strong friendship which has resulted in an accommodation for some departure destinations of a 'preclearance' of US customs (immigration). If you fly to the US from many major Canadian airports, you pre-clear US customs at the airport prior to boarding your flight. This same service is provided for the Alaska cruise season at Vancouver cruise terminal. It is however, not clear to many patrons that is happening. In their mind they are going to board the ship and the process takes a long time and is difficult. Really what is happening is that they are lining up to go through US customs. The ship boarding process comes after and is actually pretty fast (from my own experience). It is very frustrating as a proud Vancouverite to hear US citizens announce they will never sail from Vancouver again because the lines are long and the process is slow. The cruise line can ask for speedier service but the process owner for the first portion is the US government and there is an increased vigilance now that has added pressure to the customs/immigration assessment. Our airline has sent notice that for US flights we now need to arrive earlier due to increased time needed for this clearance. So, as many posters have remarked, this is happening elsewhere. But I feel very sad to hear people blame poor tourist accommodation in Vancouver when it is a matter over which the port has no control.

[sandancer]

There are no passport controls and immigration or customs procedures within Shengen countries.

 

 

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I'm fairly sure the tourist from Liverpool would have known that the UK, at the moment still part of the EU, are not in the Schengen Agreement and therefore travellers are treated in the same way at European airports as non EU citizens.

 

 

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[Project_gal]

Yes, but there is confusion about port boarding at Vancouver which perhaps you don't realize. In Vancouver you process through US customs prior to boarding your cruise ship to Alaska. Canada and the US have an unusual relationship of strong friendship which has resulted in an accommodation for some departure destinations of a 'preclearance' of US customs (immigration). If you fly to the US from many major Canadian airports, you pre-clear US customs at the airport prior to boarding your flight. This same service is provided for the Alaska cruise season at Vancouver cruise terminal. It is however, not clear to many patrons that is happening. In their mind they are going to board the ship and the process takes a long time and is difficult. Really what is happening is that they are lining up to go through US customs. The ship boarding process comes after and is actually pretty fast (from my own experience). It is very frustrating as a proud Vancouverite to hear US citizens announce they will never sail from Vancouver again because the lines are long and the process is slow. The cruise line can ask for speedier service but the process owner for the first portion is the US government and there is an increased vigilance now that has added pressure to the customs/immigration assessment. Our airline has sent notice that for US flights we now need to arrive earlier due to increased time needed for this clearance. So, as many posters have remarked, this is happening elsewhere. But I feel very sad to hear people blame poor tourist accommodation in Vancouver when it is a matter over which the port has no control.

 

I am fully aware of the procedures at Vancouver - my brother lives in Vancouver, I have cruised both from and into Vancouver and have flown to the USA from Vancouver. I actually mentioned Vancouver as being one of the places where you pass through Immigration at your port of departure.

 

I love Vancouver and in no way blame them for delays caused by US immigration. However, if you wish me to be totally honest, they could be held responsible for the horrendous queues for taxis on disembarkation which, in my experience, are the longest seen at any port (including Miami and Fort Lauderdale). These will not help people remember Vancouver with any affection if it is their last memory of Canada.

[Fred&Lily]

In August of 2014 I booked a last-minute Alaska to Vancouver cruise - so last-minute it was just $299 p/p inside. It meant getting to Anchorage quickly which was YXU to YYZ to YVR to ANC and thinking with all those connections it will be a miracle if our luggage arrives at ANC. Rushing through Vancouver airport into US pre-clearance we didn't need to re-check luggage. The US agent pulled up pictures of our luggage on a screen and said, "Are these your bags?"

 

Simple, quick and greatly relieved to know our luggage made it. So it seems bar coding and tracking all the luggage is where the anti-terrorism dollars have been spent while passengers still get herded around like cattle.

 

One more quickie: I share the same name as a well know Australian criminal, different birth date but our wives are both named Lily. I know all about secondary questioning!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

OK--I have a cruise leaving Vancouver going to Hawaii in 4 weeks. We are staying at a YVR airport hotel. [4 of us] What time should we plan to arrive via taxi at Canada Place? . . .I am getting concerned after reading this thread. [it is a Royal Caribbean cruise--yes, I know I am on the Celebrity board.]

 

We sailed from Vancouver to Alaska 5 years ago and it was a relatively smooth and painless process. We arrived around 10:30 that time because the later hotel shuttle was full. [we stayed downtown] We were on the ship before the buffet opened at 11:30 am.

 

We are US citizens. TIA

[Kamloops50]

I You'll be fine with the time you planned. Depending on the first port in Hawaii there might not be any pre clearance. Our son and DIL were on one cruise to Hawaii . They cleared customs or immigration in Hilo.

 

 

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[Cruise Junky]

OK--I have a cruise leaving Vancouver going to Hawaii in 4 weeks. We are staying at a YVR airport hotel. [4 of us] What time should we plan to arrive via taxi at Canada Place? . . .I am getting concerned after reading this thread. [it is a Royal Caribbean cruise--yes, I know I am on the Celebrity board.]

 

We sailed from Vancouver to Alaska 5 years ago and it was a relatively smooth and painless process. We arrived around 10:30 that time because the later hotel shuttle was full. [we stayed downtown] We were on the ship before the buffet opened at 11:30 am.

 

We are US citizens. TIA

 

You're in port with Millennium so it will be busy but not as crazy as with 3 ships in.

[ccotting]

OK--I have a cruise leaving Vancouver going to Hawaii in 4 weeks. We are staying at a YVR airport hotel. [4 of us] What time should we plan to arrive via taxi at Canada Place? . . .I am getting concerned after reading this thread. [it is a Royal Caribbean cruise--yes, I know I am on the Celebrity board.]

 

We sailed from Vancouver to Alaska 5 years ago and it was a relatively smooth and painless process. We arrived around 10:30 that time because the later hotel shuttle was full. [we stayed downtown] We were on the ship before the buffet opened at 11:30 am.

 

We are US citizens. TIA

 

I agree you will be fine heading early. The challenges have been on days when there are 3 ships sailing and more later afternoon when the max pax arrive. You will pre-clear customs in Vancouver prior to Hawaii ( I have done this cruise more than once with Royal). Are you travelling Radiance? We love her, she is our favourite Royal ship and she has a wonderful crew. You will have a super time. And I will wish I were with you!

[Glenndale]

........................

 

I sure hope the practice of being made to wait isn't going to be the normal practice or this will be the first and last time that we travel to the USA via a cruise ship.

We travelled to Alaska in September 2011 on Celebrity Century, and experienced exactly the same procedure as SaladMuncher described.

We would like to revisit Alaska but are certainly put off by our memories of our treatment.

Be prepared for a long wait :(

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thank you all for the encouragement. We will go early. Yes, we are sailing on the Radiance of the Seas.

 

We sailed on this ship to Alaska and look forward to this cruise.

 

Our first port of call is Maui. I do not think they have immigration/customs there. So I feel we will need to do this in Vancouver.

[ccotting]

Thank you all for the encouragement. We will go early. Yes, we are sailing on the Radiance of the Seas.

 

We sailed on this ship to Alaska and look forward to this cruise.

 

Our first port of call is Maui. I do not think they have immigration/customs there. So I feel we will need to do this in Vancouver.

 

You will go through immigration in Vancouver. If Lahaina is your first port, it is a tender port and you will have had an advantage to have already cleared immigration. Tendering is always time consuming and no one wants to spend time tendering then going through customs. Are you planning a Luau? Our favourite is the 'old Lahaina luau' which you book on your own, it is not offered through the ship. Easy to book on line though and to get a cab to the location. Wonderful show, great food and drinks included.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

You will go through immigration in Vancouver. If Lahaina is your first port, it is a tender port and you will have had an advantage to have already cleared immigration. Tendering is always time consuming and no one wants to spend time tendering then going through customs. Are you planning a Luau? Our favourite is the 'old Lahaina luau' which you book on your own, it is not offered through the ship. Easy to book on line though and to get a cab to the location. Wonderful show, great food and drinks included.

 

We have arranged a Road to Hana tour that takes all day on day 1. We will not have time to do that luau. It was something we had wanted to do. We are staying in Honolulu for 5 days when we disembark and plan to go to one there.