Clearing customs in St. Thomas

[glindamood]

I am sure this is a repeat but I can't bring anything up on the search. Does everyone still need to report to customs on Wednesday to clear customs before getting off the ship in St. Thomas? I have just been learking but it is time to begin to think about our December cruise.

Thanks!

 

[floridaminnie]

Also interested in knowing the answer.

 

[sjm]

I would also like to know the answer....also if we do have to report to customs or immigration, what is the procedure.

sue

 

[sjm]

I would also like to know the answer....also if we do have to report to customs or immigration, what is the procedure. Also how early do we have to get up on our vacation...

sue

 

[tstobb]

EVERYBODY, if you are going on any excursions or not, must present themselves IN PERSON (no sending 1 member of your party while the rest sleep in!) to immigration in St Thomas. For US citizens, this was done in the Walt Disney Theater. We walked in, down the aisle to the customs officer who glanced at our docs, stamped our hands and left thru a back hall, and off to breakfast. The whole procedure took less than 2 minutes. If you are going on an excursion, you need to present yourself earlier than those who are not. DCL gave us a separate sheet outlining the procedure the night before with our Navigator.

 

[Mary Lynne]

I think we had to be there at 7am - this is early for our family, but the process was SO easy. The part that took the longest was the time it took for my 2yr old to walk down the steps in the theater. While we were making our way down the steps, my husband took our documents to the agent. By the time we made it to the bottom, we didn't even have to stop. We just kept walking out of the door. It doesn't get much easier than that!!!

 

[Pugdog007]

Any word on an end to this madness? I understand it was instituted after 9/11, but from the numerous reports I've read, all very similar, it seems to be ineffective and a downright nuisance.

 

[Cruise]

Originally posted by Pugdog007
Any word on an end to this madness? I understand it was instituted after 9/11, but from the numerous reports I've read, all very similar, it seems to be ineffective and a downright nuisance.

No end in sight that I've heard of. Congress is not willing to make these concessions. I'm sure Disney would be more than willing to ditch the whole thing to make its passengers happy if it were no longer required.

Julie

 

[Pugdog007]

Couldn't this inconvenience be curtailed by simply going to St. Thomas BEFORE going to St. Maarten? Isn't the reasoning behind it that you go out of the country when visiting St. Maarten, then you're back in in St. Thomas, and therefore have to go back through US immigration?

 

[Cruise]

Originally posted by Pugdog007
Couldn't this inconvenience be curtailed by simply going to St. Thomas BEFORE going to St. Maarten? Isn't the reasoning behind it that you go out of the country when visiting St. Maarten, then you're back in in St. Thomas, and therefore have to go back through US immigration?

Yes, that is the reason. You leave from a US port, enter another country and then go to another US port. The ship then goes out of the country again (Castaway Cay is part of the Bahamas), then back to a US port. You clear customs both in St Thomas and Port Canaveral.

I think the problem with visiting St Thomas first involves the amount of time it takes to get from St Maarten to Castaway Cay. I don't believe it works out so that the Magic and Wonder would be at Castaway Cay on different days as they are now. Also, Disney has to coordinate port schedules with both St Maarten and St Thomas so that they're in port on days that other ships aren't already booked in those spaces.

I'm with you... clearing customs at 6am on vacation isn't fun. I had to get up prior to 9/11 for the same thing due to DH being a UK citizen.

Julie