Rude US Immigration/customs

[Goofy Mum]

We have been on 5 Disney cruises and on every one, the agent did not look or barely scanned our passports. However, each and ever time, my husband was asked "That's a nice watch, did you get that during your cruise?" He did not but they appeared to be more worried about customs allowance than ID. However it is a closed cruise and Disney submits all guest information in advance.

The last time we flew to England, the customs agent asked my daughter " who is this guy?" and pointed to my husband (her father). He was looking for the answer "my dad" but she got scared and said his full name - it was very cute and when we all started to laugh so did he. There were some more questions but when he got the right answer he let us go through.

They're very strict in the UK about travelling abroad with minors. Im American and I have two American sons that live with me in England. Every summer I take them back to the US to visit my exhusbeast. Most the time the boys get questioned, "Can you tell me who this woman is?" or "Where's your dad?"
Passports are indeed expensive. I have to get 4 minor passports every 5 years at $85 a pop. It's not an option for us not to get them. If we didn't have valid passports at all times we couldn't ever get off this island.

 

[smeecanada]

They're very strict in the UK about travelling abroad with minors. Im American and I have two American sons that live with me in England. Every summer I take them back to the US to visit my exhusbeast. Most the time the boys get questioned, "Can you tell me who this woman is?" or "Where's your dad?"
Passports are indeed expensive. I have to get 4 minor passports every 5 years at $85 a pop. It's not an option for us not to get them. If we didn't have valid passports at all times we couldn't ever get off this island.

Same for Canada. We can't go anywhere without a passport now. Ours are only good for 5 years as well and $85 each. I can't even take one of the children out of the country myself without a notorized letter from DH saying I can. At least passports are cheaper than trip cancellation insurance and valid for 5 years. I can't understand why everyone is complaining so much about having to get one. It's a fact of life now - especially since 9/11. I wouldn't want to be in a foreign country and needing to fly home quickly without one.

 

[Carys]

Well NZ is a bunch of islands, so considering the effort and expense to get anywhere else, the passport is one of the easy parts

The scariest US immigration officer I ever ran into was in Denver in 2007, but I've also met plenty of lovely ones too. There was a very nice gentleman who did ask me how my cruise was in Port Canaveral.

I've also met a hilarious ditzy newbie UK immigration officer who asked if I needed a visa in my NZ passport to get back into NZ. After double checking with her supervisor they decided I was ok

The really funny part of the story then comes when her and her supervisor then decided to ask me, since I'm a NZer and all, whether a particular other country's passport needed a visa because they'd just let someone from that country go through but hadn't really been sure and couldn't find the answer in their docs. Fortunately my eclectic knowledge of visa free arrangements set their mind at ease

 

[Goofy Mum]

ha ha Carys what a story! I just love these clueless officers! I remember a few years ago I was going to take one of my British born sons to the USA for his first visit. According to the US Dept of State (this is HARD to believe but it's true) Any US citizen who has a child born abroad MUST register that child with the American embassy. The child MUST enter the USA on an American passport! My son had a perfectly valid British passport but according to the US State dept, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the USA using it. Simply because he has an American birth right this meant he HAD to be issued an American passport AND SS card! It also means when he turns 18 he'll have to register with the selective service ..that's a rant for an entirely different forum however.
So anyway I took my son out of school and schlepped him down to London to the American embassy where we spent several hours. I had to pay for his US passport PLUS his US Nationality papers. So a few weeks later we land in Chicago and I presented both passports for him. The passport control officer said "Oh any passport would do" I questioned him asking about what I had read from the State Dept and he replied "We weren't informed of this." What a waste of time and money! Not that I woudnt have registered my son anyway but I felt I was forced to do so at that moment so he could enter the US on an American passport. CRAZY!

 

[over50visits]

I once had a very nice customs agent apologize to me for the "hassle" of the "paperwork" when returning to the country. I immediately informed him that he could check my paperwork out as much as he liked and ask me as many questions as he liked, because it was being done to protect me and my family. I thanked him for doing so, and hoped that the folks who complain about the inconvenience are few and far between.

I'd bet most people have the experience with customs that they expect to have...so I truly expect it to be friendly and efficient, and guess what?

 

[connorsmom911]

Being Canadian, I have passports for me and my children, plus the hassle of the notarized letter from their father when I travel out of the country. My question to the OP would be what happens on your cruise if there is an emergency or you get injured while on an island and can't continue on with your cruise. How do you then get back home without a passport?

It's part of the reason I had passports long before they were required.

 

[ppony]

I'm sorry to hear you had a crab Mike. We had a very nice lady that got ius through FAST. She was nice. You should have followed us out. We were the family of 4 with the fluffy mom w/ mahogany shoulder length hair looking insanely FRAZZLED! I know, a cruise should relax me. Let me just say, 2 year old from HECK!

On a side note, I just feel better about having passports now. You can jump a plane at a moments notice (okay well, it's a nice thought anyway...my finances won't usually allow it ) and I felt better about having it which is more durable than a birth cert. I also figured it might be less hassle. I think I might have been right.

 

[ppony]

Every summer I take them back to the US to visit my exhusbeast.

Sorry but that was hilarious! So the parting was amicable and you still love him then? Nevermind, don't answer that.

 

[woody73]

. . . So the parting was amicable and you still love him then?

Ouch!

Woody

 

[ppony]

Ouch!

Woody

Hey. I'm guessing she has a good sense of humor about it being what she calls him.

if not, I apologize profusely!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

yep, the wife is already bugging me to take her to Ireland. She's always wanted to go, and with a maiden name like Mary Frances Duffy, her family is just a TAD Irish lol.

I told her, once DCL stops in Ireland, we'll go. So far I'm off the hook.

Sorry to hijack this thread but Man, listen to your wife. We went there for our honeymoon; it's awesome. Regardless of your own ancestry, you won't be disappointed.

okay, back to customs chat....

 

[HiddenMickeys]

Sorry to hijack this thread but Man, listen to your wife. We went there for our honeymoon; it's awesome. Regardless of your own ancestry, you won't be disappointed.

okay, back to customs chat....

I know lol. I'm a castle nut, and I do love a good beer now and then lol. So i'd love to go. It's just been more of a financial thing than me not wanting to go. Also, in the end we usually opt for mickey in some form rather than go elsewhere. So if DCL ever hits a port in Ireland, we'd go in a heartbeat.

ok, back to customs chat.

 

[dvschem]

ha ha Carys what a story! I just love these clueless officers! I remember a few years ago I was going to take one of my British born sons to the USA for his first visit. According to the US Dept of State (this is HARD to believe but it's true) Any US citizen who has a child born abroad MUST register that child with the American embassy. The child MUST enter the USA on an American passport! My son had a perfectly valid British passport but according to the US State dept, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the USA using it. Simply because he has an American birth right this meant he HAD to be issued an American passport AND SS card! It also means when he turns 18 he'll have to register with the selective service ..that's a rant for an entirely different forum however.
So anyway I took my son out of school and schlepped him down to London to the American embassy where we spent several hours. I had to pay for his US passport PLUS his US Nationality papers. So a few weeks later we land in Chicago and I presented both passports for him. The passport control officer said "Oh any passport would do" I questioned him asking about what I had read from the State Dept and he replied "We weren't informed of this." What a waste of time and money! Not that I woudnt have registered my son anyway but I felt I was forced to do so at that moment so he could enter the US on an American passport. CRAZY!

I have to admit that the "American" way of doing things seemed a little funny to me. My wife was born in the US but has lived in Australia for quite some time - she has had a couple of Australian passports issued. A couple of weeks before we left for our Disneyland / DCL trip earlier this year her Dad told her that he was sure she needed a US passport. A phone call to the US Consulate confirmed this. So, this meant a rushed same day flight from Brisbane to Sydney (over 2,000 km's) to get a brand new US passport (and Social Security card??!!).

It seemed really funny to me that she left Australia on her Aussie passport but wasn't allowed to "enter" her "own" country without a US passport. Once inside the US, the customs guys didn't seem to care which passport she used.

Oh well, at least we got to choose the shortest lines for passport checking - in with the US citizens to enter the country and straight to the "aliens" line at DCL.

 

[woody73]

I have to admit that the "American" way of doing things seemed a little funny to me.

I have to say that when we visited Australia earlier this year, we were impressed with the efficiency.

Coming from the U.S., we had to get visas. Got them in advance online for a nominal fee ($10 or so). I entered our information online -- this helps to streamline the process.

Then when we arrived at the Sydney airport, there must have been two dozen passport counters. I think it took all of three minutes for the passport check.

Well done!

Woody

 

[bumbershoot]

Sorry to hijack this thread but Man, listen to your wife. We went there for our honeymoon; it's awesome. Regardless of your own ancestry, you won't be disappointed.

okay, back to customs chat....

Definitely.

I know lol. I'm a castle nut, and I do love a good beer now and then lol. So i'd love to go. It's just been more of a financial thing than me not wanting to go.

Go in mid-October. The weather's no worse than being in the Seattle area around the same time, and it's even more beautiful. And it's after summer high season, so it's less expensive. Stay away from Dublin, like, go to the West of Ireland (Sligo, sigh...), and I imagine it's even less expensive (I don't know, never made it out of the West).

Two words...unpasteurized Guinness. Two more words...absolutelyastonishingly delicious.



Back to Customs-chat!

 

[Alexander]

I know passports can be expensive, but it is truly such a piece of mind. I am so comfortable traveling, knowing we all have ours. We obtained them in stages. DS and I first (we were cruising 2 years ago), then DH a year later(his employer brought people in to help with the paperwork, pictures, etc.) and finally before we cruised in April, we got the little DS's all set. So over the course of 2 years we got all of ours. Also the boys won't expire at the same time, so getting the new ones in 5 and 7 years respectively won't be such a sting either.

We've had great experiences with customs (we've sailed 3 times). The last time the man didn't even open our passports, he just saw we had them and asked if we had a good cruise. The other two times were just as quick, they looked, smiled, and said have a good day.

The toughest ones, which aren't really tough, you just feel like you're under interrogation are the ones at the NY/Canada border! Ugh! Not the Canadian border patrol (they are sweet), it's the US ones when we're coming back! Geesh, we only went to Marine Land for the day!

 

[plyeng2ff]

The toughest ones, which aren't really tough, you just feel like you're under interrogation are the ones at the NY/Canada border! Ugh! Not the Canadian border patrol (they are sweet), it's the US ones when we're coming back! Geesh, we only went to Marine Land for the day!

Never had trouble at the port or the airport with customs probably because my wife in a wheelchair when we travel.

But the NY/Canada border Is where they keep all the pleasant ones. LOL!!! For our first wedding anniversary, we stay in Niagara Falls US side, We decided to take a ride over to the Canada side to see everything that we missed or not included in the tour from early in the day. On the Canadian side, the guy was wonderful. we told him sightseeing and what to see the falls light show. He gave some tips on things to check out and do. On the way back, we come to the US side, the guy was rude. We sat there for about 5 minutes for him to ask us Questions. One of my favorite questions was Why would you waste your time and gas to drive from Pennsylvania just to see Niagara Falls? I told him that what you do for anniversaries.

 

[bahama97]

When we got off our cruise this past March, I had one act really rude & belittling to me. Both my dh & I have US passports and we were waiting in that line. He calls us up to his booth, but the sign above his head said something other than US (Canada maybe?). So I said, is that the right line, we have US passports? I hadn't done this in years so i wanted to make sure I was going to the right spot. His response was really snotty..."I called you up here, didn't I?" The rest of the time he continued to be snotty & quite honestly an ****** to me & husband. I would have loved to have said something back but I knew who had the upper hand so we both kept our mouth shut. Not the best way to end a cruise...would love to avoid him next time if he is still there.

 

[ppony]

It's probably no different than any other job where people work with the pubic. (a reason I can't work with them, I'd throttle some people ) After a while, some just go bad. A friend of mine and her SO flew home (Minnesota) here from Europe this summer and got not only the 3rd degree but nasty NASTY attitude from the customs people here. And they are seasoned travelers. No "Welcome back" nothing nice, just nasty attitudes. I think they didn't get the memo about Minnesota nice. Sheesh. So sadly, it's everywhere.

I know the OP didn't do anything, just got the crab apple of the barrel that day. Hugs Mike!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

The toughest ones, which aren't really tough, you just feel like you're under interrogation are the ones at the NY/Canada border! Ugh! Not the Canadian border patrol (they are sweet), it's the US ones when we're coming back! Geesh, we only went to Marine Land for the day!

The tough ones we experienced were in LA when we came of the 1st DCL trip through the Panama Canal. We were actually tested... while they held the Passports, they asked us questions like b'days and etc.