Question regarding Alaskan Cruise

[speerssquad]

Hi Everyone, I am supper happy to have joined the community. This is our second cruise. We are Canadian and flying to Vancouver for our cruise. I recently bumped into a topic about people not being allowed into the USA if they have a pot possession charge. My husband has a record for pot possession of under 30g which is 13 years old. He recently traveled to the USA and he was pulled for questioning but after the questioning, he was permitted to continue on his way. Has anyone here heard of a Canadian being denied embarkation at the Vancouver Port headed to Alaska? I am now aware of the waiver program but our trip is beyond the cancellation time and I just want to see what my best option is. 

[Magicat]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  I cannot offer any advice on this.  Good luck.

[speerssquad]

Thanks Magicat! Excited to be here 🙂

[LHT28]

I would  call the US Consulate in Toronto & ask  what your options  are

 Can he get  a Waiver ?

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/admission-forms/form-i-92-application-advance-permission-enter-nonimmigrant?_ga=2.72289175.588663773.1614641377-547071534.1604693033

 

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-states#entryexit

 

I would  not wait until you are at the port to find out  the US Border service will not allow him to board the ship

JMO

[speerssquad]

Unfortunately, there is no time for a waiver. It can take up to 6 months for one to be approved IF approved. I have called them and they have said it is up to the border agent at that time.

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, speerssquad said:

Unfortunately, there is no time for a waiver. It can take up to 6 months for one to be approved IF approved. I have called them and they have said it is up to the border agent at that time.

Unfortunately, that's exactly the situation you face. Whether or not any CC member has been denied or permitted boarding in the past, it's the CBP officer on duty when your husband attempts to board who will dictate the outcome.

[LHT28]

I guess  he just needs to be on his best behaviour  when checking in  with border  agent

 

If he is denied  boarding  then  have a great cruise on your own😉

 

[speerssquad]

38 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I guess  he just needs to be on his best behaviour  when checking in  with border  agent

 

If he is denied  boarding  then  have a great cruise on your own😉

 

LOL yes. He is a very well-mannered person so I'm hopeful things will go smoothly. I hope at least!

[rodndonna]

3 hours ago, speerssquad said:

Unfortunately, there is no time for a waiver. It can take up to 6 months for one to be approved IF approved. I have called them and they have said it is up to the border agent at that time.

 

I like the others have no experience in this (thankfully) other than watching those Border Control reality shows ....

 

As another posted ha stated, the only thing you can do is just make sure he is on his best behavior. The fact that you are prepared to be asked about this at the border and speak to it should help. 

 

I would be surprised (or at least really disappointed) if he is refused but my opinion means nothing.

[pink845]

I am a tad confused.  You are Canadian. You are flying to Vancouver. The cruise ship is in Vancouver at the Vancouver pier. I never really thought about it but are there US border agents at the Vancouver port screening passengers.  I do not recall seeing any border agents at the pier.   This is a tough one.  Have you submitted the immigration information on the app (passport #, etc. that needs to be entered) yet.  That information is provided to Alaska immigration authorities prior to passengers boarding the ship.  I am thinking that you might very well encounter an issue if he becomes flagged during that process.  Perhaps he will be let on board, but will be denied the ability to disembark at the Alaska ports with you.     That is my thought so far.  Forget the pardon for now.  Takes a good year for some to get pardoned.  But definitely, if travelling is part of your future, a good thing to start to work on.  I would never want my destiny to be left in the hands of a border agent. 

[speerssquad]

23 minutes ago, pink845 said:

I am a tad confused.  You are Canadian. You are flying to Vancouver. The cruise ship is in Vancouver at the Vancouver pier. I never really thought about it but are there US border agents at the Vancouver port screening passengers.  I do not recall seeing any border agents at the pier.   This is a tough one.  Have you submitted the immigration information on the app (passport #, etc. that needs to be entered) yet.  That information is provided to Alaska immigration authorities prior to passengers boarding the ship.  I am thinking that you might very well encounter an issue if he becomes flagged during that process.  Perhaps he will be let on board, but will be denied the ability to disembark at the Alaska ports with you.     That is my thought so far.  Forget the pardon for now.  Takes a good year for some to get pardoned.  But definitely, if travelling is part of your future, a good thing to start to work on.  I would never want my destiny to be left in the hands of a border agent. 

Yes there are US border agents at the pier before embarkation. We have not submitted our information yet and hopefully that goes smoothly. Once we return we will finish up his pardon.

[rodndonna]

7 hours ago, speerssquad said:

Yes there are US border agents at the pier before embarkation. We have not submitted our information yet and hopefully that goes smoothly. Once we return we will finish up his pardon.

 

Hard to imagine, I expect  your husband was likely a teen with friends just smoking a joint .. and the farthest thing from his mind would have been to say to his friends .... "Hey guys, maybe this is a mistake  - this could come back to bit me in the a$$ someday if I want to go on an Alaskan cruise" 

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Fouremco]

11 hours ago, pink845 said:

I never really thought about it but are there US border agents at the Vancouver port screening passengers.

Just as they have pre-clearance at Canadian airports for passengers flying into the US, they have pre-clearance at Canadian sea ports for passengers embarking on a cruise to the US.

 

11 hours ago, pink845 said:

That information is provided to Alaska immigration authorities prior to passengers boarding the ship.

Passenger manifests are provided to US immigration authorities, not to state authorities. Alaska doesn't decide who can or can't enter the US.

 

11 hours ago, pink845 said:

Perhaps he will be let on board, but will be denied the ability to disembark at the Alaska ports with you.

If US CBP decide that he can't enter the country, then he won't be allowed to board. You are deemed to have entered the country whether of not you get off the ship.

[burnabyjean]

A friend of ours has a criminal conviction and has to do a waiver every 5 years in order to enter the US. I don't know how long it takes to get one of these, but this is the website with the information: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/admission-forms/form-i-92-application-advance-permission-enter-nonimmigrant

[speerssquad]

13 minutes ago, burnabyjean said:

A friend of ours has a criminal conviction and has to do a waiver every 5 years in order to enter the US. I don't know how long it takes to get one of these, but this is the website with the information: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/admission-forms/form-i-92-application-advance-permission-enter-nonimmigrant

We have started on this but can take 4-6 months to receive if they grant it. Hopefully we have a smooth sailing until then.

[david,Mississauga]

9 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Just as they have pre-clearance at Canadian airports for passengers flying into the US, they have pre-clearance at Canadian sea ports for passengers embarking on a cruise to the US.

 

...

 

We have taken three cruises from Quebec City to New York. Sadly, there was no pre-clearance and each time we had to join the mob scene at the Brooklyn terminal. Even when we have been continuing on to Southampton on the same ship we have had to disembark and go through this process.  I wish it could be as convenient as it has been for us boarding in Vancouver.

[Fouremco]

9 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

We have taken three cruises from Quebec City to New York. Sadly, there was no pre-clearance and each time we had to join the mob scene at the Brooklyn terminal. Even when we have been continuing on to Southampton on the same ship we have had to disembark and go through this process.  I wish it could be as convenient as it has been for us boarding in Vancouver.

Thanks, I didn't word that at all well. I didn't mean to imply all ports with cruises to the US. Unless there are recent/pending changes, East coast cruisers destined for the US will continue to clear upon arrival. 

[Barwick Cruiser]

17 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

We have taken three cruises from Quebec City to New York. Sadly, there was no pre-clearance and each time we had to join the mob scene at the Brooklyn terminal. Even when we have been continuing on to Southampton on the same ship we have had to disembark and go through this process.  I wish it could be as convenient as it has been for us boarding in Vancouver.

Just curious, did you notice if there was a separate Nexus line in the Brooklyn terminal? 

[Essiesmom]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:34 PM, david,Mississauga said:

 

We have taken three cruises from Quebec City to New York. Sadly, there was no pre-clearance and each time we had to join the mob scene at the Brooklyn terminal. Even when we have been continuing on to Southampton on the same ship we have had to disembark and go through this process.  I wish it could be as convenient as it has been for us boarding in Vancouver.

I suspect you had other Canadian ports on your itinerary before a U.S. port so no pre-clearance in Quebec.  EM

[david,Mississauga]

On 4/7/2023 at 11:57 AM, Barwick Cruiser said:

Just curious, did you notice if there was a separate Nexus line in the Brooklyn terminal? 

 

The friend we were travelling with has Nexus. He said there was no Nexus line. There was priority for Canadians who were invited to use the  US residents line. 

[speerssquad]

Thanks every one for your replies to my thread. We are working on a pardon and we will go prepared if they pull us to secondary at the port. Not much we can do right now with the wait times for pardon's and waivers.

[speerssquad]

Just want to give an update as we have started the Pardon Process for my husband and received his RCMP fingerprint file. It looks like the only thing on the record is the fact that he failed to comply with a probation order (his car broke down on his way to the appointment) which shows he was fined $300. So not sure if they will see the whole record or not as this is what's showing on our end from the RCMP. I feel a bit better, I guess?

[Conal4749]

On 4/5/2023 at 6:43 PM, pink845 said:

I am a tad confused.  You are Canadian. You are flying to Vancouver. The cruise ship is in Vancouver at the Vancouver pier. I never really thought about it but are there US border agents at the Vancouver port screening passengers.  I do not recall seeing any border agents at the pier.   This is a tough one.  Have you submitted the immigration information on the app (passport #, etc. that needs to be entered) yet.  That information is provided to Alaska immigration authorities prior to passengers boarding the ship.  I am thinking that you might very well encounter an issue if he becomes flagged during that process.  Perhaps he will be let on board, but will be denied the ability to disembark at the Alaska ports with you.     That is my thought so far.  Forget the pardon for now.  Takes a good year for some to get pardoned.  But definitely, if travelling is part of your future, a good thing to start to work on.  I would never want my destiny to be left in the hands of a border agent. 

There are US border agents at Canada Place for cruise ships going to Alaska, the same as major Canadian airports flying to the US.

[pink845]

Yes, at arrival at Canada Place (we were there two weeks ago boarding Majestic), we first checked in with Princess then we had to go to another line to be screened by US Immigration, then onto the embarkation area which was true madness.  What a mistake.  I told my husband so.  Never try to board early.  Masses of people waiting. Because this was a new port for him, he wanted to get their early. Total silliness, I prefer boarding in the later hours when it is much more civilized.   So, US Customs checks one's passport and if you have a criminal conviction, I would be a tad worried about being denied boarding the cruise ship.  

[speerssquad]

14 hours ago, pink845 said:

Yes, at arrival at Canada Place (we were there two weeks ago boarding Majestic), we first checked in with Princess then we had to go to another line to be screened by US Immigration, then onto the embarkation area which was true madness.  What a mistake.  I told my husband so.  Never try to board early.  Masses of people waiting. Because this was a new port for him, he wanted to get their early. Total silliness, I prefer boarding in the later hours when it is much more civilized.   So, US Customs checks one's passport and if you have a criminal conviction, I would be a tad worried about being denied boarding the cruise ship.  

We are travelling with DLC so our port arrival time is 11am. We will see how it goes and we will report back.