After spending a reported $15,000 on a cruise departing from Florida, a man flying from Australia to New York missed the sailing after being held by U.S. immigration at John F. Kennedy International Airport for eight hours.
The apparent reason: he took an “unusual route” in his travel plans, which included a stopover in Hong Kong.
We just highlighted a story in which a British man flew from the UK to Australia and was not allowed to board his ship because of the condition of his passport. This time it was an Australian traveler that also missed his ship.
I always stress getting to the cruise port on time and trying to arrive at least a day early if possible. After all the time and money spent planning a cruise vacation, you really don’t want to miss the ship and watch your vacation plans sail into the sunset.
But sometimes there are delays you just never see coming. In this case, it was more than just a delay.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was detained by U.S. immigration at JFK airport because—according to him—he had taken a “very unusual route.”
“Eight hours later, after three interview teams and extensive examination of my laptop and iPhone, [the decision of US immigration] was that I had come to the US on a very unusual route from Australia via Asia (I flew premium economy and Cathay Pacific had the cheapest airfare),” the man reportedly said.
The eight-hour delay meant that by the time the interview process was over, the man’s ship had already departed. But ultimately, he would not have been able to join his cruise anyway because, according to the Australian news source, the man was then deported back to Australia.
Reflecting on his experience, the traveler reportedly stated that he had no plans on returning to the U.S. The missed cruise resulted in a reported $15,000 loss for the traveler, although we’re still missing a lot of details in this story.
It does, however, again highlight the importance of cruise travel insurance for any sailing, especially when multiple flights are involved.
Unanswered Questions Remain
Also, while the traveler’s account in the Sydney Morning Herald sheds light on his unfortunate experience, it’s worth noting that several aspects of this incident remain unclear.
The specific reason behind U.S. immigration’s assessment of his Hong Kong travel route as “unusual” has not been publicly detailed. We don’t have a full explanation of the examination of his electronic devices. And the specific policy that led to the deportation decision, based on his itinerary, remains unclear.
So, while we know this Aussie missed his cruise and was sent back home because of his “unusual route” through Hong Kong, the exact reasons why that route was a problem are still a bit of a mystery. It could be anything from extra security checks for certain travel paths to security concerns that were raised during questioning. Whatever the reason, it turned a $15,000 cruise into a very expensive airport layover.
