USA Security Nightmare on Arcadia

[Delyth]

An interesting article in today's Telegraph about a 7 hour ordeal that passengers on Arcadia had at the hands of USA security.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8559732/Cruise-passengers-tell-of-7-hour-security-revenge-nightmare.html

I wonder if the 7 hour bit is a slight exaggeration?!

Delyth

[scottish lass]

We had that in Fort Lauderdale !! but it 4 Hours ! years Ago
Regards Flora x

[love2corgis]

We were held up in San Diego coming back from our Panama Canal crossing in 2009. It was a Royal Caribbean ship so mostly American but the non -US passport holders had to report early to have their passports checked and some Brazilians didn't show up and they wouldn't let anyone off the ship until all the ''aliens'' had been through passport control.

Then after they had found these people, it turned out that they were still missing five people- Mexican probably- who it turns out got off in Cabo San Lucas and didn't get back on- what great security!! My niece had met these in the disco and remembers them saying they would be leaving in Cabo.

We were three hours late getting off the ship which meant my brother and wife missed their flights home to Virginia and then when we eventually got to the gate at the airport we were told our incoming flight was three hours late too so we would miss our connection to London from Dallas- nothing to do with being late from the ship that one- just coincidence.

So- and a good tip if it ever happens to you- I rang American Airlines toll free and got rerouted for the next day via Boston. When we went back to the check-in to arrange to get our bags, it was chaos there with all the British from the cruise trying to rearrange flights- in fact the checkin agents were looking at my new booking to see how to reroute them.

We did learn afterwards that San Diego and Los Angeles immigration at the ports are notorious for any delays.

[Carol & John]

On Grand Princess all the Americans were called for an early morning inspection by the French Authorities in Brest, most were moaning about it and did not appreciate it when we said that at least they had a taste of what their border control put everyone else through!

Carol & John

[bunnygirl]

I haven't read the article yet but if it refers to the Arcadia world cruise (2011) then passengers when we were on a sector said it was a couple of hours. This was reported in a local paper as being much longer.

Sharon

[salsalady]

When we did Arcadias inaugural cruise to New York last September, we all had to disembark (regardless of whether we wanted to), and the whole procedure was very well organised, and took less than 2 hours in total. The ships entertainment staff kept us all amused whilst we winded up and down the queues, it was like being as Disney World...lol

[lizzielou]

There is a thread about this on cc, under Arcadia, which makes interesting reading

Lucy

[mikef]

I haven't read the article yet but if it refers to the Arcadia world cruise (2011) then passengers when we were on a sector said it was a couple of hours. This was reported in a local paper as being much longer.

Sharon No it's the present Alaska cruise and on the way back after several previous US ports of call

[Pirate]

I read about this on the P & O forum and various blogs. The story is that the customs officials didn't like the attitude of the first passengers they saw, and insisted on doing full checks on everybody. Some of the passengers were seeming to blame P & O. I expect we'll never get the full story, it's just peoples impressions of what was going on

[love2corgis]

When I arrived at immigration in Chicago airport this April there were short lines but this British lady behind me in the line started moaning very loudly about how she thought the ESTA forms were supposed to speed things up and when the person in front of me was led away, she started again moaning how we would be there for ever now.
I did not get involved and pretended I hadn't heard her as I thought,'' Lady, this is not the place to be moaning out loud about US immigration when you are standing right behind that yellow line''
In fact it only took 15 minutes at the most.

[Sharonp]

I have travelled to the USA by sea four times now, once with P&O and the rest with Cunard and never met anything other than pleasant and efficient immigration officials - is this a record then !!

[mikef]

I've had both, in New Orleans they were fantastic, smiling and joking with the passengers, then again we were the first cruise after Katrina, but then again flying in to New York you couldn't have found a more miserable and awkward bunch

[timespliters]

I read on many sites before we went to New Orleans on Oriana how long it took to get off and we were off before 10 a.m. as some said it would be noon or later.

[Jacqueline]

We had this on Oriana years back well before 9/11... they really love the red tape we were ending our cruise in New Orleans and talk about JOBS WORTHS !! we had to queue up all through the atrium and up to the then Curzon Room in alphabetical order and of course guess what some people didnt listen to the BingBongs so there were Bs queueing up with the A's and it caused havoc and again grumpy old gits ... moaning didn't help .. it just made the officials worse...

[Jacqueline]

Once when we got of a P&O flight into Miami.. we were at the head of one of the queues and the Immigration officer chatted away to us and it held the queue up ... BUT i was told later why they chat a way... If you are an Illegal you may have been told what to say in English BUT if they chat they catch you off guard so then your English would let you down.. but imagine doing that to a plane load of people !!! but anyway that is why they are chatting...

[Pontius Navigator]

We had problems boarding Arcadia in 2005 in Miami. Mind you they had problems too. The computers were down Stateswide and at my estimate there were 2000-3000 people trying to get through the 20-25 booths which were all manned. There were countless others back queing elsewhere in the terminal as it had taken our 300+ a good 3 hours to even get the the immigration queues. Again no toilets but a polite request and they did make special arrangements. Even so we were confined in a closed corridor with no seats.

Into Tampa, a couple of years ago, 1000 odd through 6 booths but generally good natured.

[rockin daddy]

Regarding the problems with American Immigrations, as some CNer's are aware Marlene I and I will be Boarding Arcadia this afternoon 08.06.2011

Our section of this cruise we will be sailing up the Eastern side of America for five different visits, I will try and give a relative answer regarding the immigration authorities
approach.....but to be quite blunt.....we/you are always in "their hands" there is no point in argueing with them.

Ian

[Pat Fox]

When we were on Arcadia's worldie this year everything went very smoothly. The US officials were friendly and we were all off in a couple of hours.