js15105

I'm assuming this isn't much of an issue on Canadian cruises because with the 10's of thousands of cruise passengers going into Canada each year, I'm not hearing too many people with a "minor" conviction in their past say that they were denied entry via cruise ship.

 

With all the cruisers going into Canada, there is certainly a percentage of people on each cruise with a conviction of some type and all of these people are not being denied entry. We would've heard about it big time.

 

I read on this forum before where a former Canadian Border Patrol agent said it was not their mission to deny entry to passengers with minor convictions (DUI etc.) because if they did, it would ruin the cruise industry and tourism for Canada, which means revenue loss.

 

If anyone has a "minor conviction" and you cruised into Canada in 2015, please tell us your story. Were you denied entry or hassled, or were there no issues and you were welcomed into Canada and told to enjoy your visit.

Sorry, but you assumption is incorrect. Passengers with "minor" offenses are denied disembarkation in Canada all the time... and no it doesn't make national news. We cruised R/T out of Seattle last year. Family member has DUI from 7 years ago. He knew it would be an issue getting off the ship in Canada and wasn't even going to try to disembark. He and about 5-10 others were called to meet as soon as the ship docked. They all had to meet with Canadian officials, one at a time, and they were all denied entry. Happens all the time. Not a big deal if you cruise RT out of Seattle, as long as you know what to expect. Some of the folks were caught off guard but most knew they would be denied entry. No biggie - they just had dinner on the ship. We were only there for a few hours because we arrived later than expected. Good luck and have fun!

I was on HAL Amsterdam last month. Our first full day at sea was very foggy and the fog horn sounded every two minutes all day and night. We got used to it. Luckily woke up to a beautiful morning the next day headed to Tracy Arm! ;)

We just returned from our Alaska cruise on Sunday, the 20th. Took a cab from pier 91 to the airport. Cost was about $55 before tip. It seemed like the quickest way to go given that we had an early flight out of Seattle. There was no traffic - got to the airport super fast - no problems. Shuttle would have been a little cheaper and probably just as quick - we just didn't know if we would have to wait for the shuttle to fill up before taking off and didn't want to risk it.

We are booked w/ Coastal on our cruise in July. Can't wait! It's good to see great feedback on them. Thanks!

Hi, I am back and all went well. NO PROBLEM getting on in Seattle at all. The day before we were scheduled to arrive in Victoria BC I got a letter delivered to my cabin. The letter stated that a hand selected people were selected by the Canada Border patrol for a second interview before entering the country. The letter stated that a list was emailed to the ship of selected people and I was to report to the front desk 2pm sharp just prior to getting off ship. I called the front desk, they said even if i planned on staying on the ship, it was mandatory I show up. Well, I did, along with about 30 people including some crew members. We waited for border patrol over an hour. they took us ashore before everyone else and took us to a holding area and one by one they took us to the side. They out in out just asked me if I was ever in trouble with the law. I told them my dui story. He had it all in front of him, exactly what I was saying. SO DONT LIE! He said to me, Im sorry but even though I had a minor case, I was not permitted to enter the country. Made me sign a form and I was escorted back on ship. Just cannot go into Victoria. I did ask him, what if I was entering via Vancouver? The officer said, I would not have been able to board the ship. Hope this is helpful.

Thank you for checking back and for the update! Glad it went well!

Luv2gamble -- just curious how your trip turned out. Any issues boarding in Seattle? We have similiar situation in our family and are cruising from Seattle in July. Thanks!

Oh, thank you! I'm obviously new to this and still trying to learn the ropes! :)

Does anyone have recent experience with cruising to Alaska via Seattle roundtrip, having had a DUI on their record? We are trying to book a family trip and one of our family members has a DUI from 7 years ago. I know the cruise line will receive passport info prior to check-in at the terminal, and will provide passenger manifest to Canadian officials prior to docking in British Columbia, but I don’t know at what point they actually provide that info to Canada (is it before the ship leaves Seattle - would a hit on a dui on record come up while boarding in Seattle - or not until arrving BC) I already have the travel info from the Canada websites and have spoken w/ the cruise line (which was not super helpful). There is a LOT of speculation out there on the threads but I’m not seeing much from folks with first-hand experience with the boarding process in Seattle. So basically I’m just looking for folks that have first-hand experience one way or the other – were you or a member of your party turned away in Seattle, or no issues at all boarding in Seattle. Thanks!