New Boarding Info

[k2]

I just got a call from my travel agent... She just received notification from RCCL regarding our 11/27 departure on the Voyager. They are claiming that new govt. immigration procedures is causing a 2 hour delay in boarding. They are saying that they cannot clear the ship through custom and allow early boarding; and not to arrive before 1:30 because there is no waiting area for customers. I know that in the past there was a waiting area. I am wondering if anyone has received any similar information and/or has any input on this. We were planning on early boarding as we always have done!

[tanker47]

can't speak for the Voyager but we were on the Mariner last week. Were held up almost an hour (11:30 until 12:30) as Customs haden't cleared the ship from the previous cruise.

 

Tanker

[beachchick]

Actually, they aren't just "claiming" it causes a delay; it's true. All non-citizens have a much more detailed immigration process than they did just a month or two ago. This longer process is something over which RCI has no control. It's unlikely that you will be able to board as early as you are used to doing.

 

beachchick

[k2]

If that is the case then what time should we realistically expect to be off of the ship if we have pre-arranged transportation?

[stretch]

If that is the case then what time should we realistically expect to be off of the ship if we have pre-arranged transportation?

 

If you're an American citizen, the deboarding process shouldn't be affected. A friend and his wife just got off their cruise on Sunday, were the 6th color called and still were off the ship by 9:00.

Stretch

[tanker47]

Beachchick is right. The delays are being caused by the extra Customs requirements for foreign nationals. As I previously stated, we were held up about an hour boarding the Mariner on 11-14-04 as there was a large group of foreign nationals (950) who were debarking from the previous cruise and customs didn't get them cleared until almost 12:30 pm.

[goodml]

The new program is called US Visit and it was actually implemented on January 1/04 but is being rolled out at all entrance points gradually. The RCI ships in Miami began the process last month. It requires that all non-US citizens be digitally photographed and finger-printed when entering the country. Debarkation will not be a problem for US citizens as there are two lines at the pier, one for US citizens and one for all others. Canadians are exempt from the process for now, however I've been reading that there are delays because of course we use the non-US citizen line. I did read on one post that the immigration officials at one of the ships were calling Cdns out of the non-US line to go over to the US line when it wasn't busy for faster processing. If any Canadians (or other non-US citizens) have any experience with this process in Miami please post and let us know how it's going. We're sailing from Fort Lauderdale in a couple of weeks and I don't believe this process has started there yet but we've got a 12:15 flight and I'm a wee bit concerned about making it if the new process has started. We live near the border at Detroit so this has been in the news quite a bit in our area.

[k2]

Anyone who has recently experienced this in Miami, I would like to know when they are starting the embarking prossess. I like to be on early and tour the ship before it is real busy, I am just wondering what would be the best time to arrive at the port. I don't mind waiting a couple hours, but 3-4 would be a bit long. Suggestions?

[MikeNJ1109]

Just an added thought...if you are a non-US citizen, but ARE a permanent resident (i.e you HAVE a Green Card), you are allowed through the US citizen line. My wife is a German citizen with a Green Card (I'm an American), and we both breeze through the US line.

 

The new immigration rules involve just non-US citizens who are not permanent residents.

 

Michael

[cpa2be]

We were on the 10/16 sailing of the Navigator. We arrived at the port by around 10:50am. In previous years, this worked out well. However, this year things were different.

Once you checked in and got your seapass card, you were put into a very long waiting queue that filled up fairly quickly. At the time, we did not know the reason for the delay. Everyone was patient. Sometime around 12-12:30 they allowed us on the ship. Once they opened the line up, they told us that that were not able to clear the shp until all of the passengers were off. My assumption is the debarkation process now takes longer for non US citizens and causes the backup which in turn holds up the boarding process.

 

Since we were in line early, I saw how quickly the area filled up. There was not a lot of room to stand in the lines.

 

RCCL is correct to let TA's know in advance so cruisers can plan accordingly. Standing for an hour or two (possibly more) in a snaking line might not be everyone's idea of a pleasant start to their cruise.

[Nige]

As a holder of a "Green Card" (strange name for it since the card is not green) for over 11 years now, I have always been able to enter the US at airports along with US citizens. But on cruise ships my passport has been taken and only returned on board the vessel, along with those of other foreigners, and immigration was done on the ship upon arrival back in the US, along with other non-US passport holders.

 

Should I understand from Michael that, along with the implementation of US Visit in Miami, the immigration process at the port has changed to being the same as at airports for ARC holders?

 

We are sailing on the Navigator on 12/24 so we arrive back in Miami on 1/2/05. Since my wife and son are US Citizens (actually my son holds dual-nationality although he would always travel into/out of the States on his US passport), I wondered whether we will re-enter the country through the same line?

[dougp26364]

We were just on the 11/7 sailing of the Explorer. Now I know why I was standing in line complaining about how the Miami port has now seating like we had in Vancouver for our Alaska sailings.

 

When we arrived, we went up an escelator to a small area with not nearly enough seats and a large group of people standing around waiting to go through security. Once they allowed us through that point, we got checked in and our seapass cards rather quickly. From there we were put into a line that filled up fast and stood, and stood, and stood some more. We could see people still coming off the ship and it caused me to be concerned about our 11/47 flight time.

 

When we got off the ship we had no problems going through customs and getting on the bus to the airport. We ended up at the airport gate 2 hours early for our flight. I was thinking there must have been something wrong that the cruise before ours took so long to finish getting everyone off. Now I know it's our governments procedures that's the fly in the ointment.

[MikeNJ1109]

Nige,

 

Our last cruise (Mariner, 12/03) left (and returned) out of Port Canaveral, Florida. However, during the cruise, we made a port stop in St. Thomas, which is obviously a United States possession. As such, when we checked in RCCL held my wife's Green Card until we arrived in St. Thomas ---even though we had been told when she got her Green card to NEVER turn over that card to anyone under any circumstances. RCCL told her however that if she did not let them hold her Green card, she would not be allowed to travel. Anyway, on the morning we arrived in St. Thomas, all passengers had to clear US Immigration, which was the first time in all our cruises that we were forced to clear immigration during a port stop. Regardless. RCCL gave my wife back her Green Card that morning, and she was processed by the Immigration people, and she was free to keep her Green Card through the remainder of the cruise. On our arrival back at Port Canaveral, she and I were able to go through the United States citizen line to clear Immigration yet again.

 

My suspicion --- and this is only a guess on my part --- if your ship makes a port call in United States waters, and you are a Green Card holder (or a foreign passport holder), the cruise line will hold your documents until the morning you arrive at that port, and then give it back to you. I can only guess that they don't go through this drill if the ship does not go to a US port, but with things the way they are you never can tell.

 

Michael

[goodml]

Michael, what you experienced is not a new procedure. We are Canadians and have been cruising since 1989 and our passports have always been held throughout the cruise. It's not a great feeling to turn over your passport either but it's part of the requirements for us. You receive them back once you go to a US port if it is not followed by a non-US port. So, if St. Thomas is our last port before returning to the US we would go through immigration there and receive our documents at that time. If we stop at St. Thomas but then go to a non-US port after that before returning to the states we don't get our docs back until the morning of debarkation in the states. This is what non-US citizens have always had to do (or at least for as long as we've been cruising.) The new program that's causing the delays is US Visit which requires non-US citizens to be fingerprinted and photographed when entering the country at land and sea entry points.

[lvcruiser]

You won't have as much problem disembarking as you will have to wait for the embarkation, provided you are a U.S. citizen. On our 12/23 NOS cruise, we had to wait until after noon for the previous cruise's passengers to all be cleared before we could board. Due to the election drawing near, when we got off it was even worse, with Customs and Immigration apparently being quite picky, and the passengers embarking for the next cruise were not allowed on until after 1:00 from what I have heard. Still though, I would suggest getting to the terminal around 11:00 to avoid the long lines. You'll most likely make it onto the ship by 12:30.

[vickie1ok]

This makes no sense. Why should there be long delays in disembarking foreign nationals? The delay should be in the embarkation process, not the reverse. I don't know what to do when we board the Grandeur Dec 11. My mother is diabetic and I fear these long cattle car processes.

[lahore]

Hmmm. I am a foreign national. I am an Australian coming to USA in two days. We are in LA, San Diego for about ten days then we embark, go for two week cruise and end up in Florida, travel across USA then back out through LA. I am worried that this system is new and we may be caught up in it's glitches. Is anyone out there an expert on this? ANyone experienced it from the receiving end?

 

Do you get photographed and fingerprinted each time you go out and come in?

 

Is it going to 'look bad' that we have gone out and come in within a relatively short time frame?

 

Anyone know of a website that explains this system? I'll go search for one but if anyone knows please drop a line?

[lahore]

Found the website - homeland security. Still be keen to hear from anyone who has experienced it.

[goodml]

This makes no sense. Why should there be long delays in disembarking foreign nationals? The delay should be in the embarkation process, not the reverse. I don't know what to do when we board the Grandeur Dec 11. My mother is diabetic and I fear these long cattle car processes.

It actually does make sense because when you disembark from the ship you are then entering the United States. That's when you clear immigration and the photographing and fingerprinting takes place. This is not an initiative that is required for boarding the cruise ship, it is for entrance to the United States. At this point they are gradually introducing the program at major seaports and land crossings. So far I've only heard of it happening at the Port of Miami and the Homeland Security site doesn't give exact dates for the other seaports.

[ducklite]

This makes no sense. Why should there be long delays in disembarking foreign nationals? The delay should be in the embarkation process, not the reverse. I don't know what to do when we board the Grandeur Dec 11. My mother is diabetic and I fear these long cattle car processes.

 

I would strongly suggest that you and/or your mother carry some crackers and juice boxes or other appropriate snacks in your carry on to ensure your mother will be able to maintain her sugar levels even if you encounter lines.

 

Anne

[VABeach]

lahore, Would you mind posting a link to the website? It would be nice to read the info.:)

[Cruising89143]

lahore, Would you mind posting a link to the website? It would be nice to read the info.:)

Here is the link.

 

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0525.xml

[VABeach]

Thanks!!:D

[nosnobunny]

Could someone tell me if all non-US citizens are being fingerprinted and photographed? I have a security clearance where I work, so obviously have a clean background. But I'm not too wild about being fingerprinted. It's bad enough that I have to relinquish my passport for the duration. How do other non-US cruisers feel about this? And yes - I realize this is not within the control of the cruiselines.

 

Beth

[xke_uk]

Could someone tell me if all non-US citizens are being fingerprinted and photographed? I have a security clearance where I work, so obviously have a clean background. But I'm not too wild about being fingerprinted. It's bad enough that I have to relinquish my passport for the duration. How do other non-US cruisers feel about this? And yes - I realize this is not within the control of the cruiselines.

 

Beth

Question: Who has said you have to relinquish your passport?

 

I have no problem with being fingerprinted or photographed neither should anyone else with nothing to hide.

 

Regards