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No response from Carnival management after being denied boarding in error

VeronicaWallace
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VeronicaWallace

VeronicaWallace

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I have attempted unsuccessfully several times to have someone at Carnival with the authority to resolve my situation to get back to me. Nobody there seems interested.

I had Western HemisphereTravel Initiative documentation as specified by both Carnival's rules and byHomeland Security. Unbelievably, the crew on shore would not let me board theship! I was literally dumped at the curb in a strange city with no safe placeto go. Eventually I was forced to spend $2000 getting back home. I disputed thecruise charges with my credit card company and after an investigation the dispute for the cost of the cruiseitself was of course resolved in my favor. I had the right documentation and the pier staff was 100% wrong for not letting me board.

You'd think Carnival would want to makethings right for the airfare, my loss of vacation time, the potentially unsafesituation they put me in, the way I was treated at the pier, etc. NOPE! THEY DON'T CARE! I sent correspondence tothe executive team after getting nowhere with the customer service folks andI've offered to eat part of the airfare for a some future credit on Princess(there is no way I'd ever trust Carnival staff with my personal safety andsecurity). Additionally, I promised to book with them to Alaska or Hawaii within six monthsand also keep sailing with them in future. All I get are form letters back denying the error.

I'm Platinum on Princess and you'd think withthe cost of customer acquisition combined with my youngish age that they'd wantall of my future business instead of handing it all on a silver platter to RoyalCaribbean. NOPE! THEY DON'T CARE!

So here's my warning to others. The cruise looks inexpensive and fun. Butplease, please, please don't trust Carnival to do right thing by you, to knowit's own rules and policies, to respond if you have any sort of problem, tokeep you safe, or to show that they care about you even as customer let alone ahuman being. Choose a different cruise line. You deserve better.

 

 

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boomhower

boomhower

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Could you give us a little more information on what actually happened, it's extremely light on the details at best. Where were you embarking, where you traveling to/debarking, what kind of travel documentation did you have and are you a US citizen? I'm the first to put a big cooperation in it's place for walking over a consumer but we need more information to understand what happened in your particular situation so we can offer some advice on how you may be able to recoup some of your loses.

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riffatsea

riffatsea

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Posted

BTW the people at the pier who check you in and do security etc are NOT Carnival employees. They are employed by the port.

It would be helpful for us to understand where you were and what docs you had that were perfectly legal. It is very unusual for someone to be denied boarding with the correct docs . I have heard it happening on planes but this is the first I've heard of it for a ship.

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sbnuggie

sbnuggie

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Posted

Yup.... The Devil is ALWAYS in the Details. Details, Details, Details, they matter when it comes to this stuff. Not gonna get much sympathy until we get those, and of course, this comes from you, would like to hear Carnival or Embarkation staff's point of view as well... But of course we won't, soooo, not sure we gonna get much accomplished on this thread.....

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boomhower

boomhower

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Posted

It's been an hour and a half for a first time poster. Lets give him a chance to explain what happened. Jumping all over him right off the bat is just going to scare him away and we'll have zero clue what happened.

 

It has to be something with the documentation. I have never heard Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative referenced before. To me that screams unusual circumstance. Not your usual passport or ID/birth certificate situation. Visa, green card or some other perfectly legal but at the same time extremely unusual circumstance the workers rarely if ever see. Or the the OP dropped the ball and didn't have the paperwork they should have. Just need to see if he/she comes back with some more details of what happened.

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VeronicaWallace

VeronicaWallace

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It happened in Los Angeles over the Christmas holidays. My mom and I were supposed to leave on the Inspiration on January 2nd. I haven't posted until now because I wanted the Visa dispute to be over. And as I said, I at least got my fare back. I lost my mom's fare because she understandably didn't want to go on a cruise by herself so I couldn't dispute that.

 

I am a Canadian. On the cruise contract (section 2. © in case anyone is interested) it states that I need "proper travel documentation and eligibility to travel". Carnival points to http://www.cbp.gov to find "Details regarding document requirements." When I do so, it tells me I need WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant documentation. The requirements are listed here: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative, and under what a Canadian citizen requires, a NEXUS card is listed as acceptable.

 

And that's what I presented, along with other supporting ID. I had already used the NEXUS card to cross the border and board the plane to travel to the port. (I should also mention that in order to get a NEXUS card, I have to have a valid passport, pass a criminal background check on both sides of the border, and be considered a low risk traveler. I also provided my fingerprints and had my irises scanned.) It is an enhanced document that was good enough for Border Security and the TSA. But apparently not good enough for Carnival.

 

In fact, one of the the pier staff implied I was in the United States illegally (absolutely, categorically false, obviously). I was terrified that because that person didn't understand what a NEXUS card was that they'd call ICE. Although I was confident that the conversation with ICE would be a quick one, I know that it could have taken hours to straighten out. Meanwhile, my senior citizen mom would be worrying about what was happening to me and how we'd get home and when.

 

I have written to Christine Duffy and to Jan Swartz. I let them know about what happened in greater detail than here and also made what I thought was a very reasonable offer in light of being denied boarding when I had complied with the contract, being dumped with my senior citizen mom at the curb in a foreign city with no place to go 2000 miles away from home, and being called a criminal. It seems that they don't care about what happened. I haven't received any personalized attention, just a form letter from customer service telling me I'm stupid for not having a passport (which again, was not required according to the Carnival contract).

 

So I'm done with Carnival and all of Princess too, unless or until someone with the authority to resolve the situation actually intervenes. (Which is really too bad--I've really had great experiences with Princess--Japan, Scandinavia, New Zealand--all amazing.) And I have to admit that since this incident, I have really been off travelling to the US and off cruising. I was on Harmony of the Seas in March for a quick getaway, but I'm a lot more fearful and hesitant now. One thing I know for sure is that I really don't want this to happen to anyone else. Nobody should have to feel this way after just trying to go on a cruise for a couple of days. My faith in Carnival to know their own rules and to keep human beings safe is gone. My mom and I were disappointed to miss the cruise for sure, but that was nothing compared to being just left there to find our way back home with absolutely no help.

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loxley

loxley

Posted
Posted
It happened My mom and I were disappointed to miss the cruise for sure, but that was nothing compared to being just left there to find our way back home with absolutely no help.

 

What do you think they should have done for you?

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

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djcass4199

djcass4199

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If you look at Carnival's website in the FAQ section, it says specifically that travelling solely with a NEXUS card is not valid, or as it says on the website "Unacceptable Form of Documentation."

Unacceptable Forms of Documentation

 

 

  • Copies of any WHTI-Compliant document
  • Driver's License as the only proof
  • A temporary driver's license (paperwork without a photo I.D.)
  • Voter's Registration Card
  • Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - may be used for photo identification use only
  • Baptismal Papers
  • U.S. Military I.D. and a photo I.D.
  • A Dependent Military I.D. that is issued to the spouse and children of military personnel is not acceptable
  • U.S. Military Discharge Papers
  • No Record of Birth certificate: a certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics showing that they have no records on this person
  • Hospital certificate, hospital-issued birth notice, live record of birth or announcement of birth

Did you bring a passport?

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klfrodo

klfrodo

Posted
Posted
If you look at Carnival's website in the FAQ section, it says specifically that travelling solely with a NEXUS card is not valid, or as it says on the website "Unacceptable Form of Documentation."

Unacceptable Forms of Documentation

 

 

  • Copies of any WHTI-Compliant document
  • Driver's License as the only proof
  • A temporary driver's license (paperwork without a photo I.D.)
  • Voter's Registration Card
  • Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - may be used for photo identification use only
  • Baptismal Papers
  • U.S. Military I.D. and a photo I.D.
  • A Dependent Military I.D. that is issued to the spouse and children of military personnel is not acceptable
  • U.S. Military Discharge Papers
  • No Record of Birth certificate: a certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics showing that they have no records on this person
  • Hospital certificate, hospital-issued birth notice, live record of birth or announcement of birth

Did you bring a passport?

 

Ruh-Roh ! :confused:

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bingomamma19

bingomamma19

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It happened in Los Angeles over the Christmas holidays. My mom and I were supposed to leave on the Inspiration on January 2nd. I haven't posted until now because I wanted the Visa dispute to be over. And as I said, I at least got my fare back. I lost my mom's fare because she understandably didn't want to go on a cruise by herself so I couldn't dispute that.

 

I am a Canadian. On the cruise contract (section 2. © in case anyone is interested) it states that I need "proper travel documentation and eligibility to travel". Carnival points to www.cbp.gov to find "Details regarding document requirements." When I do so, it tells me I need WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant documentation. The requirements are listed here: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative, and under what a Canadian citizen requires, a NEXUS card is listed as acceptable.

 

And that's what I presented, along with other supporting ID. I had already used the NEXUS card to cross the border and board the plane to travel to the port. (I should also mention that in order to get a NEXUS card, I have to have a valid passport, pass a criminal background check on both sides of the border, and be considered a low risk traveler. I also provided my fingerprints and had my irises scanned.) It is an enhanced document that was good enough for Border Security and the TSA. But apparently not good enough for Carnival.

 

In fact, one of the the pier staff implied I was in the United States illegally (absolutely, categorically false, obviously). I was terrified that because that person didn't understand what a NEXUS card was that they'd call ICE. Although I was confident that the conversation with ICE would be a quick one, I know that it could have taken hours to straighten out. Meanwhile, my senior citizen mom would be worrying about what was happening to me and how we'd get home and when.

 

I have written to Christine Duffy and to Jan Swartz. I let them know about what happened in greater detail than here and also made what I thought was a very reasonable offer in light of being denied boarding when I had complied with the contract, being dumped with my senior citizen mom at the curb in a foreign city with no place to go 2000 miles away from home, and being called a criminal. It seems that they don't care about what happened. I haven't received any personalized attention, just a form letter from customer service telling me I'm stupid for not having a passport (which again, was not required according to the Carnival contract).

 

So I'm done with Carnival and all of Princess too, unless or until someone with the authority to resolve the situation actually intervenes. (Which is really too bad--I've really had great experiences with Princess--Japan, Scandinavia, New Zealand--all amazing.) And I have to admit that since this incident, I have really been off travelling to the US and off cruising. I was on Harmony of the Seas in March for a quick getaway, but I'm a lot more fearful and hesitant now. One thing I know for sure is that I really don't want this to happen to anyone else. Nobody should have to feel this way after just trying to go on a cruise for a couple of days. My faith in Carnival to know their own rules and to keep human beings safe is gone. My mom and I were disappointed to miss the cruise for sure, but that was nothing compared to being just left there to find our way back home with absolutely no help.

 

If you have a valid passport, why wouldn't you use that? I don't understand all this run around when you could have avoided all problems by traveling with your valid passport

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VeronicaWallace

VeronicaWallace

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Posted
If you look at Carnival's website in the FAQ section, it says specifically that travelling solely with a NEXUS card is not valid, or as it says on the website "Unacceptable Form of Documentation."

Unacceptable Forms of Documentation

 

 

  • Copies of any WHTI-Compliant document
  • Driver's License as the only proof
  • A temporary driver's license (paperwork without a photo I.D.)
  • Voter's Registration Card
  • Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - may be used for photo identification use only
  • Baptismal Papers
  • U.S. Military I.D. and a photo I.D.
  • A Dependent Military I.D. that is issued to the spouse and children of military personnel is not acceptable
  • U.S. Military Discharge Papers
  • No Record of Birth certificate: a certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics showing that they have no records on this person
  • Hospital certificate, hospital-issued birth notice, live record of birth or announcement of birth

Did you bring a passport?

 

If I had my passport, I would have showed it. Having a NEXUS is proof that I do have a passport though. And keep in mind that Carnival and I aren't bound by these FAQs. We were bound by the contract. There is nothing in their contract that says that I had to produce a passport specifically--I followed my contractual obligations.

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Stick93

Stick93

Posted
Posted

I have a Canadian and USA passport with a global entry card. I had to show a valid passport to get the global entry and all the literature that I received with the the global entry card was that it would need to used with a passport. If you don’t have a valid passport the global entry and nexus would not be good for travel. It will get you over the Canadian/USA border but possibly not into other countries and possibly not back into the USA with out it.

 

I am sure there are some people who may know more - this is how I understand it.

 

I am very sorry for your situation and maybe they should have done more for you. If I take one thing out of this discussion it would be to always travel with a passport.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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