cjsegninir Posted November 2, 2021 #1 Share Posted November 2, 2021 Hello cruise friends, This question might look rather odd, as one of the beauties of cruising is exactly the opposite, not needing to do immigration, visas, passports, etc. However, in my case, I need to get a new stamp on my passport. Making the story short, we are in the US with a working visa, but the current stamp was dependent on the passport expiration, instead of the visa expiry. Now that we got the passport renewed, we need to leave and come back to get a new stamp and i94 (Yes, I know I can apply to extend it from within the country, but it takes several months and considerable paperwork, so it is easy just to travel). I could take a short flight anywhere and come back within a couple days, but why not make it a vacation? And if I'm taking a vacation, why not cruising? 🙂 So, which ports/itineraries I could book in order to go through immigration? Thanks a lot for your insight! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted November 2, 2021 #2 Share Posted November 2, 2021 Every cruise will go through immigration when re-entering the US. The agent who glances at your ID or waves you through is immigration. Based on the information in their database on you, and the documentation you provide at check in, they may want to secondary screen you at disembarkation, or you may need to talk to the agent and request a new stamp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted November 2, 2021 Author #3 Share Posted November 2, 2021 Thanks for the answer. On our last cruise from Galveston (To Bahamas), when we returned we only went through Carnival's Smile-and-go thingy. There was an immigration agent standing nearby, and I did ask him, but he said that since it was a closed loop cruise, we would not get a new i94. That's the reason for my question here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted November 2, 2021 #4 Share Posted November 2, 2021 3 minutes ago, cjsegninir said: Thanks for the answer. On our last cruise from Galveston (To Bahamas), when we returned we only went through Carnival's Smile-and-go thingy. There was an immigration agent standing nearby, and I did ask him, but he said that since it was a closed loop cruise, we would not get a new i94. That's the reason for my question here Okay, that deals with "closed loop" cruises as opposed to "open jaw" cruises. It is not the ports of call, but whether the ship starts and ends at the same port. If it starts and ends at the same port, it is a "closed loop" cruise, regardless of any ports of call in between, and the main immigration screening is done during the cruise based on the provided documentation. If a cruise starts at one port and ends at another port, it is not a "closed loop", and therefore CBP does different screening at disembarkation. It appears that the agents at Galveston were not set up to access the database to give you a I94. So, to answer your question, a "non-closed loop" cruise, that would likely get you an I94 stamp, would have to start in a foreign country and end in the US. The only other option would be a cruise that starts in the US, and goes to a "distant" foreign port, and then ends in a different US port. The closest "distant" ports are in South America (Cartagena, Colombia), or the "ABC" islands (Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao). Note that even a cruise that calls at one of these "distant" ports but returns to the original embarkation port for disembarkation would be a closed loop. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted November 2, 2021 Author #5 Share Posted November 2, 2021 yes, that's basically what I have been thinking. Something that goes to south america, like one of the Panama Canal ones. I guess I'll keep investigating on that line... Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted November 3, 2021 #6 Share Posted November 3, 2021 There are also pacific coast and east coast cruises that start or end in Canada. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted November 3, 2021 #7 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Take one of the cruises that sails from Nassau. EM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted November 4, 2021 Author #8 Share Posted November 4, 2021 On 11/3/2021 at 8:29 AM, Essiesmom said: Take one of the cruises that sails from Nassau. EM Thanks, this is a good idea. Do you know which cruise lines allow this? Canada is not an option because my wife needs a Canadian visa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted November 4, 2021 #9 Share Posted November 4, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, cjsegninir said: Thanks, this is a good idea. Do you know which cruise lines allow this? Canada is not an option because my wife needs a Canadian visa Crystal, Royal Caribbean. But it looks like that option is ending. EM Edited November 4, 2021 by Essiesmom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ferry_Watcher Posted November 4, 2021 #10 Share Posted November 4, 2021 It might be prudent to reconsider leaving the US with your expired I 94 just to get a current I 94 stamp. The safer route might be to submit the paperwork (even though it may take several months), and vacation somewhere in the US to avoid any possible chance of being considered 'out of status' by a Customs & Border Protection Officer. I have had job responsibilities of looking at passengers' passports & visas, and an important part of that is making sure that the foreign traveler will be allowed to re-enter the US. While it is possible that the airport/cruise agent looking at your travel documents and will just see that your visa is still current, a CBP Officer may look deeper and may see your expired I 94 in a negative light. I am not sure if traveling outside the US without a current/valid I 94 is worth the risk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted November 4, 2021 Author #11 Share Posted November 4, 2021 thanks @Ferry_Watcher that's precisely the reason we wanted to travel before the i94 expires in late december Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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