POE by Sea

[jesserz 73]

5 hours ago, TearsOfBabylon said:

I'm sorry, I can't help you out with an answer. I do think since it's a "normal" POE they have officers as on an airport, maybe not too experienced with K1 entry.... but why I'm posting:

Are you planning to sail in on THE QUEEN?
Omg how exciting that would be!

No, actually, not the Queen Mary but that is what began the whole thought process! We found something cheaper that actually goes to some cool ports before crossing and thought that would be more fun even if it's a little less sophisticated.  

 

5 hours ago, HK12 said:

@jesserz I think I might be able to help. I actually immigrated by sea through the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in 2013. Came on the Queen Victoria from Southampton. I was nervous like you about the procedures and sent an e-mail to CBP before my departure. They responded immediately and told me basically that it would not be a problem - and it did, indeed, turn out to be really easy. You can read my POE review on my profile: http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=126144 (scroll down to the POE review). 

 

I actually think that immigration by sea happens more often than people think - on my cruise, I met three people (a German couple and a guy from England) who were also immigrating.

 

If you have any other questions, let me know. I loved the whole cruise experience. The most amazing part was slowly passing by the lit up Statue of Liberty in the early morning hours of the date of arrival - such an emotional moment!  

Oh wonderful! You actually did it!  How soon before your arrival did you send that email? And it went well, that's good! You also had your interview at Frankfurt, I see. That's where we're having our interview too. So we have a lot in common! Did you spend some time in NYC too? And, when you arrived, did you and the other immigrants get to go off in a separate area to hand in your packets? And, less of an immigration matter and more of a logistics, is the cruise terminal very easy to get to public transport from?

 

I'm so glad someone else has an experience to share!  

[Sukie 1,440]

Try the Hampton Inn chain in Manhattan.  Free breakfast!  That is where we stay (we stay at the Times Square North Hampton).  You will need to take a taxi from the cruise terminal (if it is the one in Brooklyn/Red Hook), as there is really not a fast way to do it via subway.

 

Hotel Pennsylvania is right at Penn Station if that is where your train leaves from.  The New Yorker Wyndam Hotel is close, too.

 

We have relatives leaving NYC for Southampton on August 3.  Sounds like so much fun!

 

Sukie in NY

Edited May 27, 2018 by Sukie
More info

[HK12 273]

6 hours ago, jesserz said:

Oh wonderful! You actually did it!  How soon before your arrival did you send that email? And it went well, that's good! You also had your interview at Frankfurt, I see. That's where we're having our interview too. So we have a lot in common! Did you spend some time in NYC too? And, when you arrived, did you and the other immigrants get to go off in a separate area to hand in your packets? And, less of an immigration matter and more of a logistics, is the cruise terminal very easy to get to public transport from?

 

I'm so glad someone else has an experience to share!  

 

I think I sent the e-mail about a month before my arrival (not sure if I remember correctly), and I received a response within a day. As I wrote in my review, we immigrants went through the same line as everyone else did and were then directed to a separate area for further/secondary processing. Processing at secondary was very fast - I think it took less than five minutes from me being taken there to walking out of there. Everyone at immigration that I interacted with seemed knowledgeable about immigrant visas, so don't worry about that! One weird thing was that there was no customs check at all (so basically you could have brought in just about anything illegal you had wanted to ), but of course, that might have changed by now. Oh, and they have porters at the terminal who will help you with your luggage for a small fee, which I personally definitely appreciated since I had 7 large and heavy bags with me.

 

I spent two nights in NYC at the Travel Inn. It was alright for the price (around $100.00 a night for a double room, which is on the inexpensive side for NYC) - don't expect any luxuries, but it was clean and within a walking distance from Times Square and Broadway. I just took a taxi cab from the cruise terminal to the hotel, and two days later from the hotel to the train station, but other than that, I walked or used the subway. 

 

Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out fine!  

 

 

[jesserz 73]

13 hours ago, Sukie said:

Try the Hampton Inn chain in Manhattan.  Free breakfast!  That is where we stay (we stay at the Times Square North Hampton).  You will need to take a taxi from the cruise terminal (if it is the one in Brooklyn/Red Hook), as there is really not a fast way to do it via subway.

 

Hotel Pennsylvania is right at Penn Station if that is where your train leaves from.  The New Yorker Wyndam Hotel is close, too.

 

We have relatives leaving NYC for Southampton on August 3.  Sounds like so much fun!

 

Sukie in NY

Oh thank you for the hotel advice! I will check those. Best I could find during my general search was a shared bathroom situation. We're not entirely keen on that haha. The cruise really does seem like a fun adventure!

 

9 hours ago, HK12 said:

 

I think I sent the e-mail about a month before my arrival (not sure if I remember correctly), and I received a response within a day. As I wrote in my review, we immigrants went through the same line as everyone else did and were then directed to a separate area for further/secondary processing. Processing at secondary was very fast - I think it took less than five minutes from me being taken there to walking out of there. Everyone at immigration that I interacted with seemed knowledgeable about immigrant visas, so don't worry about that! One weird thing was that there was no customs check at all (so basically you could have brought in just about anything illegal you had wanted to ), but of course, that might have changed by now. Oh, and they have porters at the terminal who will help you with your luggage for a small fee, which I personally definitely appreciated since I had 7 large and heavy bags with me.

 

I spent two nights in NYC at the Travel Inn. It was alright for the price (around $100.00 a night for a double room, which is on the inexpensive side for NYC) - don't expect any luxuries, but it was clean and within a walking distance from Times Square and Broadway. I just took a taxi cab from the cruise terminal to the hotel, and two days later from the hotel to the train station, but other than that, I walked or used the subway. 

 

Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out fine!  

 

 

Wonderful! Oh thank you so much. Which cruiseline did you sail with? We're thinking of sending most of our stuff to the US through DHL before we leave. Seems like the best option and I wasn't aware that you could bring more than just a suitcase on a cruise with you. I'll also check out the travel inn, $100 is completely doable given the other options are usually 400-500/night. Shame that airbnbs are equally expensive. I was only worried that taxis would be tough to come by with all those people coming off the cruise probably needing one.

 

Thanks again! This has eased a lot of worries!

[Alabamak1 688]

Depending on how much luggage you have...try AirBnb in NJ. I stayed at some pretty decent ones for less than $100

[HK12 273]

3 hours ago, jesserz said:

Oh thank you for the hotel advice! I will check those. Best I could find during my general search was a shared bathroom situation. We're not entirely keen on that haha. The cruise really does seem like a fun adventure!

 

Wonderful! Oh thank you so much. Which cruiseline did you sail with? We're thinking of sending most of our stuff to the US through DHL before we leave. Seems like the best option and I wasn't aware that you could bring more than just a suitcase on a cruise with you. I'll also check out the travel inn, $100 is completely doable given the other options are usually 400-500/night. Shame that airbnbs are equally expensive. I was only worried that taxis would be tough to come by with all those people coming off the cruise probably needing one.

 

Thanks again! This has eased a lot of worries!

 

I sailed with Cunard on the Queen Victoria. At that time (January 2013), there were no other cheaper cruise lines available doing the transatlantic crossing, so I didn't have a choice, but I don't regret spending the extra dollars at all -  it was a truly wonderful and unforgettable experience!

 

You may want to check with your cruise line, but Cunard had an unrestricted baggage allowance, so I took advantage of that. I did send most of my belongings beforehand via DHL, but there were quite a few things that were too valuable to me to possibly get lost in transit, so I took them with me. It was a bit of a hassle later on on the Amtrak (logistics of transporting the bags, storing them on the train), but it did work out.

[jesserz 73]

5 hours ago, Alabamak1 said:

Depending on how much luggage you have...try AirBnb in NJ. I stayed at some pretty decent ones for less than $100

I never thought of that. That's a good idea! Thank you.

 

3 hours ago, HK12 said:

 

I sailed with Cunard on the Queen Victoria. At that time (January 2013), there were no other cheaper cruise lines available doing the transatlantic crossing, so I didn't have a choice, but I don't regret spending the extra dollars at all -  it was a truly wonderful and unforgettable experience!

 

You may want to check with your cruise line, but Cunard had an unrestricted baggage allowance, so I took advantage of that. I did send most of my belongings beforehand via DHL, but there were quite a few things that were too valuable to me to possibly get lost in transit, so I took them with me. It was a bit of a hassle later on on the Amtrak (logistics of transporting the bags, storing them on the train), but it did work out.

You did Amtrak too? See, we're also planning to do that. Going to get all the way to Portland via trains. Basically just avoiding planes completely. I'm also thinking about our things which are too valuable to send by DHL. Mostly sentimentally valuable, and that pile is much bigger than the "ship to USA" pile. So we may be bogged down with luggage too. Don't they check luggage on Amtrak for you? Because I can't imagine leaving this stuff at the luggage rack, which, last time I was on one of those trains, was right by the door where it could easily be stolen.

[Sukie 1,440]

9 hours ago, jesserz said:

 I was only worried that taxis would be tough to come by with all those people coming off the cruise probably needing one.

 

 

Believe me, the Taxi and Limousine Commission is well aware when the boats are docking.  There will be yellow cabs and black cars lined up to take you where you want to go!  Be sure to ask around to see if any of your fellow cruisers are going to the same hotel - sharing a cab really cuts down on expenses - especially with the 10% tip.

 

Taxis are metered - make sure the meter is running.  Black cars can be licensed or rogue.  Agree on the fare BEFORE you leave the cruise terminal.  Taxi fare into NYC from the Brooklyn terminal should be around $30 (with no traffic) + $1 fee + bridge/tunnel toll ($8.50) + tip.  If you arrive at rush hour, the fare can go as high as $60.

 

Sukie in NY

[HK12 273]

2 hours ago, jesserz said:

You did Amtrak too? See, we're also planning to do that. Going to get all the way to Portland via trains. Basically just avoiding planes completely. I'm also thinking about our things which are too valuable to send by DHL. Mostly sentimentally valuable, and that pile is much bigger than the "ship to USA" pile. So we may be bogged down with luggage too. Don't they check luggage on Amtrak for you? Because I can't imagine leaving this stuff at the luggage rack, which, last time I was on one of those trains, was right by the door where it could easily be stolen.

Yeah... The Amtrak part was a pain to be honest. Since my final destination was a town that did not have checked baggage service available, I had to carry everything on. First, at Penn Station, the elevators were not working, so I had to carry all of my bags down the stairs (couldn't find any Redcaps to help me). On the train, you're supposed to store your bags by the door, unattended, for everyone who walks by to easily steal them. No thanks! I had a sleeper cabin upstairs, so I dragged all of my luggage up into the tiny cabin, where I could keep an eye on it. It was uncomfortable with so little space, but better be safe than sorry! I had to change trains in Chicago, where I had huge trouble figuring out how the storage units worked (half of them were actually not functioning)... At least they had several Redcaps there, who helped me carry my bags to the train.

 

So basically, the cruise part was awesome, but I would not do the train part again with that much baggage.

 

Edited May 28, 2018 by HK12

[jesserz 73]

11 hours ago, Sukie said:

Believe me, the Taxi and Limousine Commission is well aware when the boats are docking.  There will be yellow cabs and black cars lined up to take you where you want to go!  Be sure to ask around to see if any of your fellow cruisers are going to the same hotel - sharing a cab really cuts down on expenses - especially with the 10% tip.

 

Taxis are metered - make sure the meter is running.  Black cars can be licensed or rogue.  Agree on the fare BEFORE you leave the cruise terminal.  Taxi fare into NYC from the Brooklyn terminal should be around $30 (with no traffic) + $1 fee + bridge/tunnel toll ($8.50) + tip.  If you arrive at rush hour, the fare can go as high as $60.

 

Sukie in NY

Yeah that's true, they'd be bad at their jobs if they weren't all waiting there for the cruise people. The terminal we'll be docking in will be the Manhattan Cruise terminal, not the one in Brooklyn. I originally thought that too, but no, it's Manhattan. Up at 51st in Hell's Kitchen. 

11 hours ago, HK12 said:

Yeah... The Amtrak part was a pain to be honest. Since my final destination was a town that did not have checked baggage service available, I had to carry everything on. First, at Penn Station, the elevators were not working, so I had to carry all of my bags down the stairs (couldn't find any Redcaps to help me). On the train, you're supposed to store your bags by the door, unattended, for everyone who walks by to easily steal them. No thanks! I had a sleeper cabin upstairs, so I dragged all of my luggage up into the tiny cabin, where I could keep an eye on it. It was uncomfortable with so little space, but better be safe than sorry! I had to change trains in Chicago, where I had huge trouble figuring out how the storage units worked (half of them were actually not functioning)... At least they had several Redcaps there, who helped me carry my bags to the train.

 

So basically, the cruise part was awesome, but I would not do the train part again with that much baggage.

 

Oh man, I once had a sleeper on the top and carried all my bags up to the room with me (I only had three, but still) and the conductor/porter/room attendant was incredibly angry with me. I got yelled at a lot that day. It soured the whole trip. Then the train ahead of us ran in to troubles and we had to be bused for 12 hours in the dead of night, but that's a story for another time. But anyway, we'll also have to change in Chicago but we'll only have 4 hours or so, so maybe we'll just sit it out in the station. Do you remember if they had a "lounge" for the sleeper people? I mean, the one in Sacramento was just an area hidden behind some fake palm trees, but it was away from all of the fighting and yelling of the people in the main area. It will only be my husband's second time in the USA and the first time was a business trip to San Francisco, so I don't want to scare him too much right away.

 

You should write a book! I'd read it for sure.