Food for thought on Immigration and St. Thomas

[tecdavidt]

OK. So the reason we go through immigration in St. Thomas is because we were out of the country. DCL says this is US Immigration policy. My question is this, We were on a cruise just 2 weeks ago. When we were back in Miami and we were getting off the ship we did not go through immigration. We did the standard customs form as we have done in the past. So what gives? Why go through immigration in St. Thomas but not mainland USA? Any suggestions. It just does not make sense that we would have tight security in St. Thomas and no double checking by immigration in the mainland USA. Kathy

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

As far as the Govt. is concerned, since you went thru immigration in St. Thomas, and did not visit any foreign ports between St. Thomas and Port Canveral, you do not need to go thru immigration again - only the usual customs stuff.

If you did stop at a foreign port prior to the mainland US, I would expect the immigration process to be repeated.

On the other hand, the workings of the US govt are sometimes strange and mysterious, and generally not to be understood.

 

[tecdavidt]

I agree if you go to a foreign port you must go through immigration but on our cruise 2 weeks ago, we only went to foreign ports. Miami was our last destination and first time back on US soil since the foreign ports. So why didn't we go through immigration? It does make me wonder that this is more of a Disney taking precations over the US gov't. I know others would differ but we only went to foreign ports on our cruise and we didn't go through immigration to get back in the US like what is happening in St. Thomas. Kathy

 

[MickeyCanada]

I know someone who cruised on Celebrity cruises and basically did the same itinerary as the Magic. They did not have to clear immigrations (the are non-US citizens and at that time it was only them that had to). However, someone who just sailed on Norwegian cruises, left US and went to Mexico, and then to St. Thomas where they had to clear immigrations (everyone).

So I too would love to know the scoop!

 

[smjj]

First of all the ship logs you in and off. They know 'exactly' who is on or not on the ship at any given time. From other post this is just a matter of hand stamping and they put no effort into it except to make everyone get up early and drag themself down to immigration. Why can't they compare the ships manifest which they know is current. But as mentioned it is the goverment so go figure and if you complain they say it for safety reason and how can you argue with that. Using that logic they can justify anything they want to do..smjj

 

[Señor Ferrari]

I think that you probably DID officially go through immigration when you got off the ship in Miami. If you enter the country from another country at a controlled Point of Entry, you go through immigration. I've crossed the border between the U.S. and Canada hundreds of times. Each time, I go through "immigration", but I've never had to show a passport, or any ID for that matter. Usually they just ask your citizenship, sometimes not even that. They COULD have, but they didn't. I'm assuming that its the same thing when you get off a cruise ship.

The "immigration" I went through when getting off the Disney Magic at Port Canaveral did not differ before and after 9/11/01.

When we stopped in St. Thomas after St. Maarten, we had to report to U.S. Immigration before the ship was cleared. People I spoke to who were on the Grand Princess, which was next to us on the pier at both ports, had to do the same.

I'm not trying to defend having to do this, I don't think that it does much, if anything for security. I just don't believe that it is only Disney that requires it. There are armed U.S. Immigration officers on board. I don't think Disney can just call up the INS and ask to have some officers come over and screen 2500 people and the INS would comply. The only difference in procedure that I think is attributable to Disney is having to use your room key/photo ID to get on and off the ship at Castaway Cay. Prior to Sept 11th, you could just walk on and off and didn't even pass through the metal detectors.

 

[natsmom125]

There are armed Immigration Officers on board???????????

Where.....I never saw one and I was looking for them.

The crew member who stamped our hands was definitely NOT an immirgration officer, nor was he armed.

Just curious..

Phyllis

 

[Señor Ferrari]

The Immigration officer who checked my passport on Wednesday morning was armed. They aren't on board all the time, but come on board in St. Thomas. After having my passport checked, my hand was stamped by a crew member, armed only with the stamp. Nobody ever checked me for a hand-stamp when trying to leave the ship, though.

 

[tecdavidt]

All I know is that this last cruise was no different than the other 9 I have been on when it came to getting off the ship. Just hand over the customs declaration form and that was that. They didn't even read the form! (I am a born US citizen) So I still would like to know the scoop on why the big check at St. Thomas and no big check when coming back home. It still does not make sense.

Also on that Carnival cruise we were on we had the mug shots taken before we boarded the ship. Every one had one, including little ones. Then Carnival stored that info in their computer and when we reboarded after a port visit our card was swiped and photo checked to verify it was us. Now I heard Disney still does not do this so maybe that is why? Kathy

 

[gottaluvdisney]

I think this is just a temporary thing. I am sure there are different 'levels' of security. Such as a scale of 1-5 and with different levels there are different procedures they must follow.

I sailed on the DM in December. We had to clear Immigration before debarking in St. Thomas. It wasn't too bad, but I can see people with children or late risers.

I just got back from a cruise with Royal Caribbean. They had the photos attached to the cruise card. The itinerary was Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman. When we arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale we had to do the 6:30am Immigration in their theatre, just like on the Magic.

It is a level of US Immigration Security to go from a foreign port to a US port. (yet they allow student visas to expire - but that is a totally different subject!!)

 

[natsmom125]

What I'm confused about is I guess....

We went to this Immigration thing...with our ID's...

As we walked into the theatre...there were two female crew
members sitting outside the doors asking what cabin we were
in....we told them...they checked us off a list. We showed NO
PAPERWORK.

We filed into a row and seat....sat for a few minutes. We then
walked down the steps...through a door to the right(which was
a side door to Signals)..as we walked through the door...a
crew member dressed in his dress whites...stamped our hands.
WE SHOWED NO PAPERWORK.

We started to walk away...I turned around and said to this
crew member....who was in NO WAY ARMED...."Is that all?"
He said "Yes...that's all". And we walked out to the hallway
outside Signals. I stood and watched as we waited for the
elevator...and this crew member stopped NO ONE and did
NOT ASK for ANYONE'S PAPERS.

So, what I'm confused about...is why some people on other
cruises had papers checked and our cruise did not?????????????
Or at least no one in the grouping we were a part of.

Phyllis

 

[RickW]

Well, I can't say why your experience was like that, but from my understanding (and what we experienced), this is how it is supposed to work:

- Go to WD Theater
- Tell crew members your room number, they check you off.
- Sit down and wait for your turn (if there are people waiting)
- Walk to the front, and show your ID/proof of citzenship to the Immagration Officer
- Walk over to the side door and get your hand stamped by a crew member.
- Leave

(Now with just a little creativity, I believe that I could have easily gotten off the ship in St. Thomas without ever showing anyone my passport, and all of this "false security" just to make people feel safer is really starting to get on my nerves.)

 

[Lissete]

We have been on several Disney cruises prior to 9-11 so I am not familiar with the new system. My husband and I sailed on a 7 day Carnival cruise in October though. We went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Cozumel. Upon embarkation US citizens show proof of citizenship and that's it. The purser keeps non-US passports or alien cards supposedly to clear immigration for the guests without having them get up and do it at each port. When we returned back to Miami the only ones that had to present themselves to immigration were non-US citizens. Fortunately, we are US citizens and never had to wake up early to clear immigration

 

[tecdavidt]

Lissete, that is exactly what we experienced. Our ports were Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We showed our passports at embarkation and had the mug shots before we boarded the ship. Leaving the ship was just waiting until they called our color of our baggage tags. So I do not understand why St. Thomas is such a big deal for the US Immigration people. Kathy

 

[Lisa F]

natsmom, we were on the same cruise as you were (1/5) and there was an immigration officer standing at the bottom of the Walt Disney Theater, leaning up against the stage. We flashed our passport to her as we were on our way out. Maybe she was on a bathroom break?

I didn't notice if she was armed or not, but she barely seemed to be awake!

Lisa

 

[Señor Ferrari]

I suspect natsmom just never got in the line to show her proof of citizenship, and nobody ever noticed. I agree with Rick W that this is just a perfunctory thing to either make people feel safer or for the gov't to feel like they are doing something, and that it would probably have been easy to skip having to actually be screened. Natsmom's experience seems to validate this.

I find it interesting that people can go through the theatre without having to show a passport, or that the Immigration officers sometimes don't pay attention, as Lisa F said. The one who checked my passport was definitely armed, and he did give it a good once-over. He even noticed that my birthday was the day before and wished me a belated happy birthday. I guess this is like any security in our country. There are widely varying degress of diligence by those who are doing the job. I also noticed varying degrees of diligence by the Disney Magic crew members in checking photo ID before allowing passengers to re-board the ship. Some would actually check it, some would wave you through before you even had it out of your pocket. In St. Maarten, there was a port police officer at the base of the pier checking to see if you had a passenger card to one of the four ships docked there. He was not there all day, and the first time we re-boarded the ship, we weren't screened by him.

The other cruise itineraries noted by Lisette and Tecdavit which did not have the Immigration check in the middle have in common that they did not call at a US port after having called at a foriegn port. The call at Key West came after Miami. In these cases, the only immigration "check" is when you re-enter the country in Miami. And as noted, this is perfunctory at best.

 

[tecdavidt]

Our cruise had 2 foreign ports- we did not go to Key West on this 5 day cruise. The debarkation port was the first time back in a US port. That is why I still don't understand the tight securtiy in St. Thomas. I would of expected tight security checking immigration when debarking in Miami since we had been to foreign ports but that was not the case. Do you have to go through immigration again when debarking from DCL since Castaway is technically a foreign port, it is in the Bahamas. The reasons given for the check in St. Thomas, since we were at a foreign port, would dictate another immigration check when debarking.

My husband thinks it really is just who ever is in charge of the immigration at St. Thomas is just off on a power trip since other cruise lines are also having this check done. He may be correct. I would think a tight security check when we disembark would make more sense to the security of our country.

I should check the other cruise line boards and see if people who go to St. Croix as a port of call are going through immigration. If not then I know my husband is correct since St. Croix should have the exact same rules. Kathy