Can You Still Enjoy a Cruise Vacation With a Criminal Record? Here’s What You Need to Know

For individuals with past legal issues or those traveling with someone who has them, planning a cruise will bring up the crucial question, “Can I cruise with a criminal record?” We aim to help you navigate the complexities of this sensitive topic.

While the answer isn’t black and white, thorough research – including contacting local embassies and considering domestic alternatives to international cruises – can help make your dream cruise a reality despite your past history.

Navigating Rough Waters: Cruising with a Criminal Record

The recommendations and insight we provide lessen the challenges of navigating this touchy subject. You must consider a cruise line’s policies, whether or not to disclose the information, the severity of the crime, and how much time has passed after the conviction.

Without getting into too much minutiae about the varied nuances that affect the answer to the question of cruising with a criminal record, we are assuming two things for the purposes of this article: 1) The person with the criminal record is a United States citizen, 2) That person can legally obtain a passport.

Disclaimer: We are not lawyers or legal advisors. The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute for checking with government officials, a lawyer, and your cruise line for their official policies.

We reached out to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the creation of this article but did not hear back from either.

Legal Considerations When Cruising with a Criminal Record

Cruise Line Policies

First and foremost, you must know a cruise line’s official policies regarding this matter if you plan on booking a cruise with them and have a criminal record — that goes for anyone else in your party, too.

However, know that many cruise lines do not publicly post their policies for security reasons. If you cannot find a cruise line’s rules and regulations regarding passengers with criminal records, especially for smaller cruise lines, call the cruise line to specifically ask about it.

United States Embassies exist worldwide to assist Americans traveling to that nation. Consider the official government list of online contacts per embassy to be a tool in your cruise-planning toolbox; don’t be afraid to contact the US Embassy in all countries you will visit to ask about official entrance rules or requirements if you have a criminal record.

Severity of the Crime

The severity of the crime for which you have a criminal record is significant. Is what you were convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony? While arson and drug trafficking are felonies, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), loitering, and theft are often considered misdemeanors in most – but not all – cases.

Beware that this classification could be important for a country to accept you as a visitor or not, even if just for a few hours during a cruise. Canada, for example, bars entry to those with convictions for DUI — something that will cause an issue if you’re scheduled to call on a Canadian port, and will result in denial of boarding, even if you’re sailing from the United States on a roundtrip cruise.

How Much Time Has Passed Since Your Conviction

Another consideration is when the conviction occurred. If ten years have passed and/or you have completed a sentence and served your time, then you may have an easier time entering some countries than if the crime conviction was in the past five years or you have yet to serve your sentence.

This is true for Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where obtaining permission to enter the country is easier if the conviction happened more than ten years ago.

Traveling Internationally with a Criminal Record

Understanding Visa and Entry Requirements

Research visas or entry requirements for where you are traveling. Find documentation that will inform you about a country’s laws or policies regarding visitors with a criminal background. This will help avoid surprises at Border Control or Customs. This comes into play for flying into another country to begin or end your cruise and for the ports of call during your cruise.

Rules and regulations can change, so it’s safest to check entry requirements before you book your cruise and again before you board. This is true even if you book mere months before you sail. Do multiple checks on current rules and regulations throughout the time between booking and sailing if you confirm your cruise years in advance.

An incredibly valuable resource is the United States Ambassador for the country you are visiting. Contact his or her office well in advance to gain insight into a country’s rules on this subject. Explain that you are traveling to the country, include the future cruise date in your correspondence, and that you are looking for information regarding what you need to do or consider when visiting the destination as a tourist with a criminal record via the cruise port. Indicate if you are embarking or disembarking the cruise in that particular city or port as well, because that may affect the information the ambassador’s office provides.

Contact the US Ambassador’s office for each country you will visit. Ask if the information provided varies based on the province or city you’re visiting. If it is a nationwide policy, then you do not have to gather information for various ports in different cities within the same country. Yet, if rules vary depending on the city’s location, you must be prepared with appropriate information.

The Alternative to an International Cruise

If you wish to eliminate variables cruising with a criminal record, consider a closed-loop cruise that begins and ends in the United States. Keep in mind that the itinerary you select and its destinations matter.

Even if you sail on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle on a non-US-flagged ship, it will stop in Canada because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) act. And that means you may have a problem because Canada doesn’t usually allow a foreigner with a DWI into the country without explicit permission.

Another option is to consider a small ship cruise, like a river cruise in the United States, that only travels to US ports. The Columbia and Snake Rivers in the Pacific Northwest or the Mississippi River in middle America are popular options. A small cruise company like Alaskan Dream Cruises is US-flagged, which means it can sail throughout Alaska without having to stop in Canada. Another option is American Cruise Lines.

Check Cruise Line Requirements Pre-Booking

You must do your homework if you plan to cruise with a criminal record. Depending on the cruise line, they may have a page dedicated to the topic, like Carnival Cruise Line does. However, many cruise lines don’t have a public page with this information.

It’s important to thoroughly read your passenger contracts. This could include, but is not limited to, a Booking Conditions document, Guest Ticket Contract, and Passenger Bill of Rights.

Disney Cruise Line’s Terms and Conditions for Residents of the United States clearly announces, “Disney Cruise Line reserves the right to refuse passage to Guests with criminal backgrounds.” This statement is directly sent to the main contact on a cruise booking when the booking confirmation email is sent.

Booking Your Cruise

Should You Tell the Cruise Line You Have a Criminal Record?

The question of disclosure comes into play when booking your cruise and you or someone in your travel party has a criminal record. Disclosing the information to your travel advisor or directly with the cruise line could be helpful. They are not there to judge you. Rather, they are there to be helpful resources to ensure smooth sailing, taking many aspects of your cruise vacation into account. This subject just happens to be one of those aspects.

Security Procedures: What Happens if You’re Flagged?

If you do not tell the cruise line before your cruise yet they discover you have a criminal record, they may prevent you from cruising. In this case, they’ll notify you before the cruise but there’s no guarantee for how far in advance they will inform you. This could severely impact your vacation plans.

Make Sure You Have Travel Insurance

Protecting your investment is important for any vacation, including this one. However, it’s not enough to simply book travel insurance. You must read the fine print to know what is and is not covered, especially for such a specific situation like traveling with a criminal record. If one travel insurance plan doesn’t cover you, it’s possible another plan might. Shop around.

Onboard Concerns

Safety Concerns Due to Others Who Sail with a Criminal Record

Consider another viewpoint when it comes to passengers with criminal records: other passengers may ask, “Can you cruise with a criminal record?” because they’re concerned for the safety of their travel party. While not all crimes are created equal, convicted felons all have a history that results in a criminal record.

Background Checks: What Cruise Lines Look For

Some cruise lines publicly state they reserve the right to perform passenger background checks. That does not necessarily mean they do for all passengers, it simply means they can. Other cruise lines do not disclose this information.

In the publicly posted Carnival Cruise Line Guest Screening Policy re: Guests with Specified Felony Convictions, the cruise line states, “Carnival Cruise Line (“Carnival”) reserves the right to use consumer reports prepared by a third-party consumer reporting agency, to conduct a criminal background check for guests who have booked a Carnival cruise.”

Be mindful of the opinions of non-official individuals on public website forums where anyone can comment and give their opinion. Look for citations that include a link to a cruise line’s valid documentation on this subject matter or a link to an official government website with accurate information.

Tips for Smooth Sailing with a Criminal Record

As you research this matter as it relates to your particular travel party, be sure to carefully document all correspondence. If something is relayed over the phone, ask for a follow-up email so you have the communication in writing.

Print any emails or letters pertaining to the matter and place them in a folder you take on the cruise. Bring this folder ashore in ports of call. It’s a good idea to create a digital folder of all these documents to keep on your phone at all times as well.

Cruises often provide guests with an escape from reality. Yet that doesn’t mean that safety and security fall to the wayside or convicted criminals can sail without concern. While you may need to spend more time pre-planning than a guest without a criminal record, the payoff could be worth the time and energy of being rewarded with a memorable cruise.