Cruising with a DUI

[Anna Chassereau]

Does anyone know if cruising in the Caribbean would be a problem with a DUI? I know Canada doesn't allow entry...just curious if anyone knew about the Caribbean. I don't have one but someone in my party does. We have a cruise booked for Sept. on the Magic out of NYC and have been doing research and apparently this person will have a very real chance of getting denied boarding in NYC...if they're able to board they will then not be allowed to get off on the Canadian ports and they will also be questioned by Canadian authorities in a strenuous interview. Apparently it's common to also have our room searched before or after interview. So needless to say we will be changing our plans.

 

[perditax]

Have never heard of anyone having a problem in the Carib. I also follow this topic closely due to having a loved one who got a DUI when he was very young and his father had recently committed suicide. (Not making excuses--and neither is he--but giving context. He no longer drinks.) We know Canada is off the table for us. No problem so far for Bahamas and Mexico.

 

[Expatriat]

OP - I do not know for certain about sailing out of NY, but I do know of at least one case where someone posted on a message board that one of their party with a DUI was denied boarding a DCL cruise out of Port Canaveral. I do not recall the itinerary, as it was a few years ago.

Have you tried contacting DCL directly and asking to speak with a supervisor? Their regular phone reps are not always well informed.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

You won't have issues with the Bahamas or the Caribbean with the person having a DUI. Many people have cruised with those on their records.

It's only because Canada considers a DUI a felony offense and persons with a felony record are often denied entry into the country (just as a Canadian who has committed a felony offense is generally denied entrance by US Customs).

 

[Neptune's Fork]

Someone that has had a DUI cannot enter the country of Canada? How ridiculous is that. So if a person made a mistake 15 or 20 years ago and had a DUI and nothing since, they cannot even enter the country? That's crazy. I could see maybe not being allowed to drive in the country but to not be able to enter is something else.

Anyway, to the OP, no there will be no problems going anywhere in the Caribbean.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I agree--it is ridiculous. A FELONY offense???

And even here you can drive again and get your license back after a certain period of time.

 

[perditax]

Someone that has had a DUI cannot enter the country of Canada? How ridiculous is that. So if a person made a mistake 15 or 20 years ago and had a DUI and nothing since, they cannot even enter the country? That's crazy. I could see maybe not being allowed to drive in the country but to not be able to enter is something else.

Anyway, to the OP, no there will be no problems going anywhere in the Caribbean.

It's true. Apparently lots of people receive nasty surprises on trying to do Alaska cruises that leave from or port in Vancouver.

I guess there's some legal route you can follow (if you can afford it) to appeal and get them to 'forgive' you, but I've never seen any specifics. There's also a whole other element to this thing where apparently the individual border patrol officers have very wide leeway in how they handle it, so it's hard to get clear answers on what to expect.

I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of DUIs--they kill people.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

It's true. Apparently lots of people receive nasty surprises on trying to do Alaska cruises that leave from or port in Vancouver.

I guess there's some legal route you can follow (if you can afford it) to appeal and get them to 'forgive' you, but I've never seen any specifics. There's also a whole other element to this thing where apparently the individual border patrol officers have very wide leeway in how they handle it, so it's hard to get clear answers on what to expect.

I'm not trying to downplay the seriousness of DUIs--they kill people.

99.9% of the people that post here seem to be very intelligent and wise so I doubt anyone here would ever downplay the seriousness of a DUI. That isn't the issue. The appropriateness of the response was at issue.

 

[starvenger]

Someone that has had a DUI cannot enter the country of Canada? How ridiculous is that. So if a person made a mistake 15 or 20 years ago and had a DUI and nothing since, they cannot even enter the country?

We actually have a show up here called Border Security that covers a lot of the things the CBSA has to deal with in terms of people entering Canada. Basically what they do is if you have a prior conviction they equate it to what we have in Canadian law to determine admissibility. One DUI 15 years ago is unlikely to make you inadmissable due to the amount of time passed, but if you had one recently and are still on probation it's possible they will deny you entry into Canada (or as they put it, you can withdraw your application to enter Canada with no penalty). I believe multiple DUIs means that you'll have to apply at a Canadian Consulate for a visa.

I could see maybe not being allowed to drive in the country but to not be able to enter is something else.

Bear in mind that even though the conviction is a DUI, CBSA has to treat it the same as any other conviction, so "I'm not going to drive" cannot be taken into consideration when doing their due diligence. As mentioned, an officer does have discretion to allow people through, but that is obviously a case-by-case scenario.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

My father had a DUI, and he cruised with us out of PC in 2013 on the Fantasy to WC. He also lives in SE Michigan, and visits Canada without incident. He took my 13 YO DD on a trip to Windsor last summer, and i provided him with a letter of authorization for her to support her passport, so they were extra scrutinized by border patrol, and no mention of it.

 

[professorandmom]

I remember the long thread from a wife concerned about her husband bound for an Alaskan cruise...heartbreaking http://disboards.com/threads/worried-about-getting-into-canada.3411694/

I've never fully understood how a comprehensive background check could be performed on each individual at the border crossing in order to identify those with a DUI conviction in any of the 50 states...

 

[perditax]

I remember the long thread from a wife concerned about her husband bound for an Alaskan cruise...heartbreaking http://disboards.com/threads/worried-about-getting-into-canada.3411694/

I've never fully understood how a comprehensive background check could be performed on each individual at the border crossing in order to identify those with a DUI conviction in any of the 50 states...

I've gotten the impression it's more about the US and Canada sharing criminal info.

But OTOH, if you hang out on other forums, there have been multiple reports of people with sex-offender or sexual assault histories getting denied boarding (on the US side) on Carnival (and I think a few RCI). I haven't been on cruise critic forums in a while, but I remember a point where there were a bunch of reports of this, usually phrased in a style like "this happened to a friend of mine ..."

 

[mhconley]

I remember the long thread from a wife concerned about her husband bound for an Alaskan cruise...heartbreaking http://disboards.com/threads/worried-about-getting-into-canada.3411694/

I've never fully understood how a comprehensive background check could be performed on each individual at the border crossing in order to identify those with a DUI conviction in any of the 50 states...

Actually that thread was lots of worry for naught. Final outcome as reported by that OP was very positive and not at all heartbreaking:

Hi everyone! Made it back yesterday and we had a fabulous time. On our Amtrak trip from Seattle to Vancouver, we were mentally preparing ourselves for getting denied but we ended up having the easiest border crossing ever. Our passports were scanned and the border agent didn't even wrinkle his forehead when he checked my husband's passport. He asked why we were traveling to Canada and where we were staying and wished us a great trip. We didn't even get our passports scanned disembarking at Canada Place...a border agent just looked over our declaration form. No issues on our White Pass Railway tour with Chilkoot Charters as well. Now with all that being said, I would still make sure to apply for rehabilitation if we ever had that much money on a trip again. I did read several horror stories that kept me from sleeping over the last month...it appears that if you run into the wrong border agent, you could be out of luck. Thanks for all the input; if any of you guys have a Alaskan cruise planned, you'll love it!

I say be prepared but from most reports I have read here and on other boards the fear of being denied entry for old DUIs is greatly exaggerated and mostly unfounded.

Recent or active DUIs are another matter entirely.

Martin

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Actually that thread was lots of worry for naught. Final outcome as reported by that OP was very positive and not at all heartbreaking:


I say be prepared but from most reports I have read here and on other boards the fear of being denied entry for old DUIs is greatly exaggerated and mostly unfounded.

Recent or active DUIs are another matter entirely.

Martin

Or DUIs associated with other charges like dangerous driving or vehicular assault. Or multiple DUIs.

You are right in that a single DUI that was more than 10 years ago may not have an impact (though there is still a remote possibility depending on the border guard. DUIs that are attached to other crimes or patterns are more likely to make crossing either difficult or denied.

 

[jenilynn]

Someone that has had a DUI cannot enter the country of Canada? How ridiculous is that. So if a person made a mistake 15 or 20 years ago and had a DUI and nothing since, they cannot even enter the country? That's crazy. I could see maybe not being allowed to drive in the country but to not be able to enter is something else.

Anyway, to the OP, no there will be no problems going anywhere in the Caribbean.

No you cannot enter Canada if you have a DUI but on the flip side of that if you admit to ever smoking marijuana to a US border official you will not be allowed enter into the US again without getting waiver done, if you've committed a crime in Canada and do not have a pardon you cannot enter the USA. Also the previous poster is correct that the USA and Canada share information. So there are a lot more ways you would be denied entering the USA (as a Canadian) than Canada (as a US resident).

 

[bumbershoot]

...but on the flip side of that if you admit to ever smoking marijuana to a US border official you will not be allowed enter into the US again without getting waiver done....

That would be pretty weird if you're crossing at the WA border... Totally (like alcohol) legal here, just sayin'.

 

[perditax]

That would be pretty weird if you're crossing at the WA border... Totally (like alcohol) legal here, just sayin'.

I know very little about legalization and in any case I'm sure you're kidding around, but aren't the border patrol folks federal, not state?

 

[bumbershoot]

I know very little about legalization and in any case I'm sure you're kidding around, but aren't the border patrol folks federal, not state?

Probably, but if you're going in to WA, you are going into a state where it is as legal as alcohol. So it wouldn't make sense for the US border people at Blaine or nearby to care even a little bit.

It truly would make no sense. Not joking.

Eta...
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/state-marijuana-laws-map-medical-recreational.html


Almost all of the border states allow it in some way. Wow.


This isn't something I care about personally. I voted for it on principle but never realized how tacky it was going to be and how difficult it would make conversations with kids. But for me it's utterly boring because it's what my MOM did until she was 35 (I was 10) until she realized an asthmatic from birth shouldn't be smoking *anything* and quit. Boring boring boring.

But it is what it is, and most of the border states have some amount of legality so I just don't understand why they would care unless you confess to smoking it while in the car.

 

[starvenger]

They don't care if you smoke on your own time. They do care if you just smoked and are driving impaired, or are bringing pot across the border since it is still a controlled narcotic. it does not mean that you will be denied entry, but the possibility is increased versus a non-user.

 

[Anna Chassereau]

Actually that thread was lots of worry for naught. Final outcome as reported by that OP was very positive and not at all heartbreaking:


I say be prepared but from most reports I have read here and on other boards the fear of being denied entry for old DUIs is greatly exaggerated and mostly unfounded.

Recent or active DUIs are another matter entirely.

Martin

This persons DUI may not even have gone to court by the time we go on this cruise...he just got it like two weeks ago and apparently the process to be actually convicted takes a long time. So it may still be pending by the time we go or he would have just gotten convicted. We just changed our cruise to a western Caribbean...hope it won't be a problem to go on this cruise with a very recent DUI!