Looking for European cruisers who went on a 2019 Alaskan cruise

[Bad Pink Tink]

I'm not sure if you are aware, but from my travels on the internet, I found that there is an issue with the tourist Visa the ESTA for Europeans passengers who travelled on various Disney cruises in 2019, specifically the Alaska routes and the EBTA. The short story is that the European passengers who were travelling on an ESTA did not have their documents processed correctly either by Disney or by the Port Authorities. This means that these passengers now have an over stay in USA marked on their file which in the future will have major implications if they wish to return to USA for vacation, work or study.

There are a group of European Disney cruisers who are affected by this who are trying to make sure that the affected passengers are aware of the issue. The issue can be corrected and the over stay removed but the passengers need to submit various documents to USA Authorities.

I can post the full details if that would be helpful to anyone

[Melanie R]

Do you know if this is just for Disney cruises?

[Bad Pink Tink]

Originally Posted by Melanie R

Do you know if this is just for Disney cruises?

See more...

I found out about this on Disboards as there are members who are affected and they have been posting about the issue. I only know about the specific Disney cruises in 2019 that they have made contact with passengers from. Im going to post the full information for you and how to check if you are affected, as who knows, the issue may affect other cruise lines too and no one knows about it.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Posted by OlafLover on Disboards September 2019

This summer Disney has been experiencing some issues with cruises that debark in a non-US port but either left or have a port of call in the US. For some reason the passengers travelling on an I-94 visa (the visa you get when you enter with an ESTA) have not been reported to have left the US. They risk getting an overstay on their record.

If you are unaware of this and travel again to the US, they will not let you enter the country without proof you didn't overstay your visa. Because of this it's really important people are aware of the issue so they can collect the proof and maybe get their departure registered.

For some reason Disney refuses to acknowledge it's a ship and even fleet wide issue and only treat the individual cases brought to their attention. US Customs and Border Protection does seem to treat it as a ship wide issue once Disney contacts them, or that's what it looks like for the EBTA cruise. Because of this it's really important we find at least one person travelling with an ESTA on each of the following cruises:

May 12th, 2019 EBTA Cruise
Affected
Fixed for entire cruise
Departure location unknown

May 15th, 2019-DVC West Coast Cruise
May 20th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
Affected
Fix unknown

May 27th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
June 3rd, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
June 10th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
June 17th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
June 24th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
July 1st, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
July 8th, 2019 9-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
Affected
Fixed for at least one family
Departure location unknown

July 17th, 2019 5-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
July 22nd, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
Not affected
Departure location unknown

July 29th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
August 5th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
August 12th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
August 19th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
August 26th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
Not affected

September 2nd, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver
September 9th, 2019 7-Night Alaskan Cruise from Vancouver

Let me repeat this is the biggest issue for people who are unaware. They'll get an overstay on record and won't collect the proof needed to get the overstay removed from their record. It could be years before they notice and they won't be able to gather the proof or they could be denied access to the US with a trip planned and paid for.

In the next post I'll explain how you can check if you're affected or not.

[Bad Pink Tink]

Posted by OlafLover on Disboards September 2019

You can check your status here: i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
There are two indicators, for both of which you'll have to log in with your passport details. First is the Compliance, this shouldn't have a number after "Days Left to Leave the Country: " (so it should be N/A). Next is the travel history, make sure your departure is present.

If the CBP I94 website doesn't indicate you left the USA you need to send proof to US Customs and Border Protection you did leave.

First, send an email to Disney Cruise Line (dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com) and request proof you did embark on the cruise (or in case of an Alaskan cruise, disembarked in Vancouver). They'll resend your booking confirmation and you'll get a (unsigned) letter stating <names of the entire party> were on board. You need to make a screenshot of the booking confirmation (explicitly stated by US Customs and Border Protection, sending the email itself won't do apparently).

Go to help.cbp.gov/app/ask and select in the dropdown menu entering or exiting the US and then the other drop down menus to what is most likely what has happened. Explain what happened and attach the proof you left.

What's needed:

• passports of entire party
• screenshot of booking confirmation by Disney Cruise Line
• letter supplied by Disney Cruise Line

Also make sure the following information is present in your appeal:

• Surname
• Given Name
• DOB:
• Passport#
• Arrival Date
• Departure Date
• Departure Port
• Flight Number/Vessel number:

Until Passport# it should be present for each person in your party, the arrival en departure information can be shared. Vessel number apparently is the name of the ship, but just to be sure I also added the IMO and the MMSI.

They also asked for a summary of your previous travel to the United States.

[Melanie R]

Thanks for the heads up - I’ll check mine 😊

[soraia]

Originally Posted by Bad Pink Tink

Posted by OlafLover on Disboards September 2019

You can check your status here: i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
There are two indicators, for both of which you'll have to log in with your passport details. First is the Compliance, this shouldn't have a number after "Days Left to Leave the Country: " (so it should be N/A). Next is the travel history, make sure your departure is present.

If the CBP I94 website doesn't indicate you left the USA you need to send proof to US Customs and Border Protection you did leave.

First, send an email to Disney Cruise Line (dcl.guest.communications@disneycruise.com) and request proof you did embark on the cruise (or in case of an Alaskan cruise, disembarked in Vancouver). They'll resend your booking confirmation and you'll get a (unsigned) letter stating <names of the entire party> were on board. You need to make a screenshot of the booking confirmation (explicitly stated by US Customs and Border Protection, sending the email itself won't do apparently).

Go to help.cbp.gov/app/ask and select in the dropdown menu entering or exiting the US and then the other drop down menus to what is most likely what has happened. Explain what happened and attach the proof you left.

What's needed:

• passports of entire party
• screenshot of booking confirmation by Disney Cruise Line
• letter supplied by Disney Cruise Line

Also make sure the following information is present in your appeal:

• Surname
• Given Name
• DOB:
• Passport#
• Arrival Date
• Departure Date
• Departure Port
• Flight Number/Vessel number:

Until Passport# it should be present for each person in your party, the arrival en departure information can be shared. Vessel number apparently is the name of the ship, but just to be sure I also added the IMO and the MMSI.

They also asked for a summary of your previous travel to the United States.

See more...

Bad Pink Tink - when I click the link help.cbp.gov/app/ask it says "invalid page" - can you clarify?