Carnival Cruise Lines has banned registered sex offenders from cruising aboard its ships. A move that we maintained is unnecessarily discriminatory and has caused families to miss out on vacations.
But more often than any incident caused by a registered person on one of Carnival’s ships is the occurrence of passengers finding hidden cameras in their rooms.
This FoxNews Report describes one couple’s experience aboard a Carnival Cruise, but apparently the problem is not isolated!
Perhaps Carnival needs to stop masking the problem by pointing fingers at the boogeyman and start looking in the mirror?
Kathy:
IML is International Megan’s Law. IML is the law that requires registrants to report any travel 21 days before they travel outside of the U.S. The U.S. government notifies the country of intended travel leading to many people being turned away.
What cruise can we take
General Guideline for The Cruise Lines….
…..when they Return to Service, which will probably be Early 2022…
The Cruise Lines that are for the Older Crowd, generally allow ‘persons forced to register’……holl am, msc, and the like, and other smaller subsidiaries…do not ban you…they may ask polite questions……as for the rest..do not waste your time!
Personally, I would not visit a cruise line until 2024 due to SARS-Cov-2
Cody Wimberly:
It makes no sense for them to check the registry unless they do full background checks. I have been helping registrants for several years and one of the biggest problems when you get sex offenders together and they start saying, “your ‘victim’ was only 13 and mine was 15, your case is worse then mine”. This “your case is worse than mine” argument is not productive and only goes in circles. Felons go on cruises but no one knows so you don’t have any one saying, “your felony is worse than mine”. Crimes do happen on cruise lines and it seems theft is not uncommon but sex crimes seem to be rare. Sex offenders have been travelling on cruise ships as long as there has been cruise ships. The only difference now is the cruise line now can check for sex offenders if they are on the registry. Yes, this is is discrimination. A registrant convicted in the U.S. for having sex with a 16 year-old in high school cannot board a cruise liner. Someone who violent raped a dozen 10 year-olds in Mexico can board a cruise liner because Mexico doesn’t have a sex offender registry. In fact, we give illegal aliens a free pass. I know a mexican who raped an 8 year-old in California so his family moved him to family in Wisconsin so the police couldn’t locate him. He had sex with a 12 year-old in Wisconsin and was arrested. He agreed to deportation in lieu of prosecution so was barred from re-entering the U.S. for 5 years. His 5 years has long passed and he has returned to the U.S. He can ride on a cruise line but anyone on the registry can’t. Cruise lines aren’t any safer for checking the sex offender registry. Your “your case is worse than mine” argument fails and only feeds into the frenzy against registrants.
Cody,
How can we reach our to you?
215-805-6681
Can anything be done to allow us to cruise with Carnival? I was barred from a White House tour with my wife and kids because I am on the list.
I just received a notice that I was banned from Carnival Cruise they cited that I am a registered sex offender and I am not on the sex registry list. Please reach out to me with info. Of how I can seek possible legal action
My husband is on the sex offenders list for the past 13yrs for accidentally getting on the wrong website that someone told him to check out, HE WILL OR HAS EVER TOUCHED ANYONE IN THE REGARDS OF BEING ANY KIND OF SEX OFFENDER!!!
We are scheduled to go on the Caribbean Princess Cruise on February 18th thru the 25th.
We called Princess Cruise Line and were told that he will be able to take the cruise. Then Tuesday September 13th the Sheriff Deputy handling his case said she talked to someone on the Caribbean Princess cruise line and said he was not permitted to go.
Please explain what we need to do to get him approved to go on this cruise!
Please email me with your decision and reasoning pertaining to the statement, like I said the Princess Cruise Line said he was able to go and now we are being told otherwise!
Email is: [email protected]
Thank You
Mrs. Paul E. Nichols
P.S. He is still on the Green Lane to take the Cruise and we have our passports and will soon be receiving or Meddalions
Cody,
If you could can you send me an email. I could really use your help.
[email protected]
My husband has been on 3 cruises in 2021 all on carnival cruise line and not once had an issue . He is a life long registrant.
We want to go on a cruise but we are afraid we will get turned away because of being registered.
Going on 4th cruise with Holland. Partner on the registry. No problems in any way at all. I believe MSC is also the same but have not cruised with them. We go on our next Holland Cruise in a month, partner on ships manifest, no issues. We tried Carnival and Norwegian just to try. Received our deposits back and a letter that our cruise was cancelled. I didn’t pursue it because I know why. He is off probation if that matters to your question.
I recently was told by my Local office many people are having issues now. With that said I did take a Cruise within the last 12 months but departed outside the Country and returned here to Florida. I had no issues with Ship Security however on 2 Ports I was told the local Immigration had some Questions for me. Security on the ship had no Idea and was very nice. Both times they simply checked my passport asked me about what I was doing and said we are only here because your government sent us a email! welcome and enjoy. I know many Registrants do still sail on Carnival and Royal along with Norwegian who supposedly has changed Policy although I can’t confirm that from more than 1 source. I did report my Travel however I prefer and believe you have less issues with doing a last minute cruise once outside the country. This would then require no Notifications to each and every Country and port. I just feel its not a good thing to have so many alerts sent to each individual Country with the chance it stays in the system and possible permanent ban. I understand the costs might be more but to be compliant it would have to be a change once outside the USA to avoid reporting.
I really need to talk with you.
Did he notify the registry before going
I was just told that my cruise is canceled because of security reason and I am on the registry in Florida. I have never cruised before but have a passport and all I need someone help please this 25 years old I am sick of this it’s like we can live our life
I totally agree with you. I don’t know your circumstance but 25 years ago is long enough of a punishment.
What the cruise policy on testifying on ban sex offenders
It is not fair that you can’t cruise there are thrives murderer and other crimes on the ship just because you have to register as a sex offender doesn’t mean that you did something wrong. it’s true people get falsely accused of things they didn’t do and still have to pay for it. 15 and 20 years later you still paying for it.
If you’re convicted of a sex offense but no longer registered, can you still go o a cruise?
I was just told “No”
Hmm. Seems like people with contagious diseases like flu and coronavirus are potentially way more dangerous than so called sex offenders. Just saying.
Does anyone know how Carnival gets its info? I’m a RSO not on the federal or state websites. Booked a cruise for next year that leaves and enters the same port so I dont need a passport. I’ll let my registering officer know before the 21 days, but I’d rather not notify carnival. If they go off public notifications, i wont be listed, therefore may not be flagged. Just wondering if anyone has any info. Thanks.
The US Marshals will send a notice to the cruise line.
So heres my dilemma:
Two night cruise to puerto rico from fl
Two night stay and fly back to fl
How could i register?
Im nowhere for three days and not leaving the country, im on no supervision.
Response from LE is best not to try to not get in trouble.
Same people that made me come back from the NE (fly on my own dime) to complete an address verification when i had scheduled travel for 4 months and was recorded.
Im kind of not really accepting that.
Why try to register an itinerary that does not require registration?
We need to resist the temptation to be cowed by law enforcement officers that warn people “not to get into trouble” and leave people guessing what that means. They are exceeding their authority, and the best defense is to know the registration law.
I see nothing in the above itinerary for which the statute requires registration.
I agree yet am getting told the best is not to To avoid “trouble” by the leo. Granted this may he above him but again i was forced to fly back from the NE when the address verification happened to be in the midst of my registered travel of yhree mo nths. Everyone tosses warrant warrant warrent. The vcso office also keeps telling me i need to provide iteneraries but im not inder supervision: when i drive to ny they add the driving time so even if im only there two days (as usual) it takes a day to go and another to come so they tell me its 4.They tell me i cant stop and stay on the way but that would only be a n overnight. They never got the idea its where you stay not the total travel time. They get confused when they see i dont have a residency restriction sometimes too and that gets unnerving. If THEY dont know how am I supposed to. I think i can get off this list with my time and the fact ive been officially off my homestate list. Honestly afraid to even start as i do t hear if any successes and my family is worried about any consequences.
Anyone here know whether there’s ever been an arrest for ‘failure to register time away from home,’ ‘failure to register driving time,’ or ‘failure to register domestic travel itinerary?’
I keep seeing these stories about VCSO, and it concerns me and probably you. Do we know whether these attempts at intimidation are idle threats or have they actually acted on them?
Probation I can understand, but I see that they are demanding this information for people off supervision.
Any other counties doing this? Highlands comes to mind.
Highlands, specifically.
Also those legally eligible for FL registry removal should contact attorney Ron Kleiner who has handled a number of these (see FAC attorney referral page).
me and my wife just came back off a 7 day western carribbean cruise with carnival cruise line from 11/30/2019 to 12/07/2019 we went to grandcayman island, hondrus ,belize and cozumel mexico had no problems getting off at any ports.until i came back was pulled out of line taken to custom bags was search and was on my was process took about 5 minutes officers was very nice polite and respectful.
Davis,
Glad you a great time and allowed on! Was your offense minor related, do you have to register currently, and did you notify authorities ahead of time regarding international travel? Seems every case is s hit as mad miss.
Tom It was a sex offense happen 27 years ago yes notify the authorities had no problem
Davis,
This is the same cruise that I booked for the family. Same stops. Glad to hear you had a good time. I am nervous about potential embarrassment upon return if singled out in line to go to secondary. I took a carnival cruise to Mexico back in 2010, but it was before IML and Carnivals ban.
I’m assuming you aren’t publicly listed, which is why Carnival didn’t hassle you. I hope all goes well. I booked it early December, hoping they’d let me know in a timely manner and not 3 days before boarding.
If you have any other info you’d like to share, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
We’re you able to cruise?
Are you on a registry? Did you inform 21 days prior? Did you use birth certificate or passport to board the ship?
Would love to talk with you. We have been denied for a cruise next year October. Flat out nope.
We been on 3 carnival cruises in 2 different ports in 2021 and no issues for lifetime registrant.
Did you use a passport or your driver’s licenses?
My partner, who is an RSO, and I are scheduled to cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Holland America with no issue. This will be our second Year in a row cruising with them.
Regarding Royal Caribbean, I read a few months ago on one of the cruise boards that I am on, that a man got a letter from the security department of Royal stating he was Not going to be allowed to board and that a refund was going to be provided to him. Apparently he is on the registry as well.
update: we just returned from a cruise on Holland America out of FLL. There were no issues at all during any part of this vacation. He went on Grand Turk, Half Moon, St. Thomas and San Juan needing nothing more than his license and ships card to leave and return to ship from each island.
Yuck RSO should be in jail not a cruise
You can be put on the register for peeing in public.
what if you a rso and just take a chance and go on a cruise wat r your chances of sailing
Seriously? You want to go back to prison because you trying to get over on the system. Few months ago I would have said go for it and some other crazy thing because I feel certain people should be more punished than others.and would have laugh if you went to jail. But remembering something about a divided house will fall. Honestly, you are an adult, your decisions to make I rather suffer on the streets than suffer behide the walls. if you want to chance it it is your freedom you playing with. I wouldn’t chance it at all.
Cruise line will not allow RSO to board, IF policies of that cruise line bar RSOs. Security team will match passenger name to registry prior to departure. Hopefully they will notify the RSO prior to departure so they don’t waste a trip. Passengers’ names will be listed on manifest.
Yes, they will. I still have all the email correspondence that was sent to me by a one-cruse liner. Yes, they did issue me a refund, but the overall discrimination that I suffered was humiliating and emotionally exhausting. The ironing of the complete registry system is that the registrants on the system are not the ones harming citizens, it’s the ones that aren’t on the list.
Amen to that!
My husband has been out of prison for 30 years and we still feel like he is looked down on…..geeees ev1 has done something wrong in life they just didn’t get caught….and they want to condemn!!!!!
I don’t believe you will even have the opportunity to “take a chance”. they do registry checks,not full background checks. You can have a felony and cruise (obviously as long as there is no warrant on you) but you cannot be a RSO misdemeanor or felon, there is no difference to them.
My wife is a RSO from many years back, got into a bad situation with her ex husband and here we are. We have taken 3 cruises with Carnival with no issues until this year, she has been placed on the no sail list. She is classified as low risk and for the most part can go anywhere including the school where our youngest daughter attends. I applaud the cruise lines for their commitment to passenger safety but I believe if they find a RSO on their list they should look to see what class they are and decide what to do then. To many good people are loosing out over this
Can a registered sex offender sail
Not on certain ships
I called Carnival this morning and she told me no to sex offender’s.
Not a chance. That requires ‘real’ investigative work. These letters come from a ‘security team’ who simply follows policy. They are not going to check any further than the flag that hits on your name – if you’re flagged, that’s it. Happened to me Dec 2023. It’s a blanket policy by Carnival and, from what I hear, Royal Caribbean.
Does anyone know if there are any cruise lines that a registered offender is able to sail on without a problem?
Reach out to Paul at RegistrantTAG.org
he has his pulse on registrant travel issues.
I tried to reach out to him at that email address but it was sent back saying the address was not correct
Hmmm… there’s a contact form and a phone number on the site.
http://registranttag.org/contact/
So here is a cruise line incident Report from 2010-2023 from US Department of Transportation. https://www.transportation.gov/mission/safety/cruise-line-incident-reports
And your right that policy of banning RSO does nothing to protect guest.
So I did a little research and this is what i found out….
Total Sexual Assaults for 2010 = 24
Total Sexual Assaults for January- March 2024= 18
So keeping Sex offenders off cruise ships are not doing anything to prevent it.
Herein lies the problem. What Federal law or Constitutional Right does providing truthful information of a felony conviction to a foreign government by the US Government infringe or violate?
Then, it must be asked, does this sovereign foreign Government have the lawful right to deny the convicted felon from entering their Country?
Further, can a foreign Government then deny a Cruise ship port privileges if after being notified by the US Government a RSO on is board? or detain a RSO debarking a plane?
Personally I believe this extraordinary step, basically a warning by the USA about dangerous individual traveling to said foreign Country, does violate due process. But so far no Court of law agrees so.
NCL doesn’t check but Royal and Carnival does
Is this good Information or just from what you’ve heard ?
My husband is a registered sex offender and we were able to travel this past January 2018 on a Carnival Cruise ship from Miami along with my two teenage boys. He is a Tier 1 from PA but living in Florida since January 2017. Coming back to Miami he was held up as a “random” security check where they went thru his luggage and cell phone pics.
Before traveling I tried doing my own research and decided to just take the risk. I was able to speak to someone at Carnival who explained to me “off the record” that yes Carnival is banning RSO’s from traveling however, it depends on the crime “she thought” and that all passenger names are run thru an outsourced security system and that if I haven’t been called that I might have a chance to get on. It was a very stressful couple of months but luckily we traveled with no problems.
Ma’am I am also a RSO and I have been on 2 cryises since this law was put into play and never had a problem till today. My wifr tried to book us for our 7th cruise and we were denied because of my RSO. I committed my offense when I was 18 and now I am 46 and I know without a shadow of a doubt I am not that kind of a person. Cruising is like medicine to me and it allows me to feel like I belong in society. Don’t get me wrong I applaud Canival and Royal Caribbean for making sure passengers are safe but I wish they would do it by a case by case because all of RSO are not a violent as others. I made a mistake in life, paid the crime and feel like I should be able to enjoy my family by vacationing on cruises.
I totally agree with this. Murderers are among everyone and don’t get singled out. And no registration needed.
Yes, that’s true!
1500 bucks takes you off. That is avg lawyer fee ones done no more issues i was denyed and took care of it..good luck
Do you have the name or phone number, of the person you used?
$1500 is definitely not a lot of money for such a life-changing thing
I’d also like to know Tee who this attorney is that gets you off the registry for $1500???
I would also like to know
Are you able to help share information to this lawyer please ty
What is the name of this atty?
This is simply NOT TRUE.
$1500 is definitely a false statement.
I have been told by numerous different attorneys that my case is a perfect opportunity for the Romeo & Juliet law.
After being told that, they inform me that it will be a MINIMUM of $7500 and still no guarantees to get my name removed
In which county are you?
Tee,
I live in the State of Virginia. I was told that you cannot have your name removed from the registry ever. Please send me info to my email on how to get in touch with this attorney or any steps that you know of that would lead me in that directions. Thanks.
What lawyer did you use?
Yes. Holland America. I went with my partner who is a RSO. No problems on the ship nor any of the islands. This was in December of 2018 out of Fort Lauderdale.
Just called Norwegian Cruise Lines for a Mediterranean cruise and the rep asked her supervisor and got the answer: if name is on http://www.nsopw.gov , travelerer will not be allowed to cruise.
I just got the same response from Norwegian Cruise Lines for a Carribean cruise and the rep asked her supervisor and got the answer: if name is on http://www.nsopw.gov , traveler will not be allowed to cruise.
Yes, holland America. They do not check the registry. My partner is an RSO and we are going on our third Cruise with this cruise line out of Fort Lauderdale.
I know that Royal Caribbean is on a case by case.
They have you submit a letter explaining what your charge was and the situation around it.
They then make a determination from there.
I also think that MSC allows RSO on
Yes I do believe MSC and Holland America are the two cruise lines that will not check the registry however I believe you have to leave from a Us Port. I do not believe that Royal Caribbean gives any consideration to people on the registry from my understanding.
Deb,
Have you checked this lately? Is it still the same?
Having been on 22 cruises, I am a self professed cruise addict. I worked with a cruise agent for the 1st 10 years of my cruise life and befriended her. We still remain closely in touch. I visit many cruise boards and keep up with the latest and greatest, in addition to what my cruise agent friend knows. Holland and MSC appear to still be the only possibilities of sailing out of a United States port. I cruise with my RSO next month on Holland and will be trying MSC next fall.
I would like to know I want my husband go on a cruise, but he is low risk sex offender? Which cruise line he can go on? He has not been in trouble for 20 years,
Has anything ever contacted these cruise lines and asked if someone who was convicted of drug smuggling or a convicted burglar/thief are allow to travel. Then print the results with the media pointing out the recidivism rates and what type of crimes and situations can place you on registration. Who is more dangerous the dope dealer or the SO who had sex with his underage girlfriend only to be married to her later.
My partner of 10 years is a sexual offender from 17 years ago, also because of photos and communication with someone via text message that he believed to be over 16. We had been on several cruises with Carnival until Nov 2017. We were scheduled for my 60th BD cruise to leave after Thanksgiving. We were notified 4 days prior that his reservation was canceled. We were both given a full refund, but the point remains, why was it ok until then? Now we wait until he hits the 25 year mark and he can request he be removed from the list. RIDICULOUS!!
Donna – contact Paul at Registrant Travel Action Group. (http://registranttag.org/)
Thank you. I accidentally found the FL Action Committee. What can Registrant Travel do for us? I did post my experience.
At this point, nothing can be done, when hundreds of individuals get together, something.
25 years in what state? Has anyone in Florida been removed
Unfortunately companies like Carnival, Disney and Facebook will always be “in the right” so long as there is a public registry. So long as the government provides a list of “dangerous persons” then any company can at almost no cost take what appears to be a common sense solution to sexual assault. It’s all a matter of due diligence. So long as the government is allowed to claim you are a risk of any sort to anyone and they make that information free then plenty of businesses will use it to try and look like they took every precaution. And in most scenarios that’s probably what we’d all like them to do.
The problem is always 100% at the feet of the government who with no restraint is free to decide arbitrary risk levels and publish them.
Carnival unfortunately is doing the same thing as any store keeper who chases off known shoplifters.
Seems to me that it CAN’T be a sex offender that is on the cruise…If they did place the secret camera, how would they watch it once they left the ship? It has to be a ship employee that has constant surveillance of the device…
So, if youre an so thats not in florida and lets say in ny and you fall off the register, you can cruise? I would be a former so if it werent for florida but since i touched this state im an rso everywhere. How is that fair they can discriminate like that? Im the same person but just because whee i visited im now an rso
Yes that is how I understand it also. If a state law removes you from the registry you can cruise, but since FL is for life, you will never get to go.
Also, I have read that it is maybe not the cruise line that is boycotting SO’s, but places that have no entry for travel by SO’s.
for instance Mexico will not let an SO enter, but IF one is on a cruise ship the country will not let the ship port making it impossible for the ship to go to that destination. If that is the truth, the cruise ship companies are also pawns in this macabre dance.
its the cruise line
I honestly believe in what a representative of Carnival explained to me
I was informed that it wasn’t Carnivals choice rather they receive notice from Various Countries in the Caribbean, Mexico and Honduras etc, they would not allow too port any ship with a RSO on board.
Funny isn’t it that the Cruise lines didn’t start banning RSO until after IML? As I stated in a prior post, the wife and I have accumulated more than 100 sea days aboard Carnival. Our first red flag was on our return to the Port of Miami in May of 2015 when I was detained by CPB for the very first time. In November of 2015 We book another Cruise for May 16 2016. On Feb 11 2015 I received a cancellation notice from carnival.
Speaking with a very pleasant and I believe sincere customer service rep she explained that Carnival had received notices from various Caribbean Countries, Mexico and Honduras, that they will not allow ships with RSO to port. She did apologize and thanked me for being such a loyal customer over the years.
Chris, what is IML?
Royal Caribbean also bans Regestered Sex Offenders. I was booked on a transposition cruise to Spain during the school year. Just before the cruise they informed me that I could board any of their ships. I told them that I was convicted of having one picture, unshared, on my computer 10 years ago and I was traveling with my girlfriend and we were in our 70’s. It didn’t matter to them we were unwelcome.