The US Customs Official asked us why we were going to Disney World?

[TagsMissy]

None of the questions customs asked you were out of line or out of the ordinary.

 

[3pletprincesses]

Well I went with my girls solo in October and was asked 4 different times by the same guy for how long I was going and that's in between other non sense questions. When we came back, I was asked by our border what I was bringing back and I honnestly had next to nothing new other then Mickey ears and a few dolls for the girls and the lady proceded to ask if I went all the way there only for that. I said no we spent the week there looking around and doing attrations and then she thought it was intelligent to say Oh you went with 3 little girls on your own and expect me to believe that . I was livid!

 

[pxlbarrel]

Once, on return from a 2 night trip to NYC, I had declared something like $40 ... all pins from the old Disney Store on 5th Avenue and chocolate. I mean...really, I was travelling with a very small carry on bag and camera and no room for anything other than the pins and chocolates from the Hershey store. And besides...it was only for 2 nights.

The customs person at Pearson asked me, how much did you buy? I said, "$40"...and she said, "How much more did you buy that you're not telling me?" Oh man.... I was mad ... but I just said, "Nothing! I've got no bags!" What a jerk.

Now...compare this with a trip I took in July. I had actually declared about $900 worth of stuff I was bringing in for business. I had these huge boxes of stuff....and I declared them. Customs agent opened a box, x-rayed the other boxes (which is really neat since they were little action figures ... and seeing all those little bodies in the x-ray machine was kind of cool). Then said, "Oh well, the tax isn't that much on them. We'll let them go through without charging you. THANK YOU for declaring them.

And weird questions at the border? I'm in a car with my friends...and the only male in the car, is asked, "Who is your favourite Canadian?" Ummm...ummmm... ummmmm.... Who would you have said??? hahahaha He blurted out Pierre Trudeau cause he was sure that was the only Canadian the guards had heard of. haha

 

[disneyholic family]

i've had so many weird crossing the border at windsor/detroit stories, i wouldn't know where to begin...
they're funny now, but they were so irritating at the time....
both american and canadian customs can be beyond annoying..
and you have to just sit there and grin and bear it....
the last thing in the world you ever want to do is talk back to any customs agent anywhere...
but it's so annoying!!!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I crossed the border just this morning for a day of shopping. I was with my friend who is from a different racial background. He asked us how we knew each other, for how long, where we lived, etc, etc. All normal questions. He also told me to turn my car off and hand over the keys so he could pop the trunk. Okay. I guess he was satisfied that I wasn't smuggling anything into the country and handed back our passports.

After we drove away my friend opened her passport and there was a little card in there offering help to those who are victims of human trafficking and how to get help in escaping. I guess the border guard thought going to sell my friend into slavery or the sex trade.

 

[OntFamily]

I crossed the border just this morning for a day of shopping. I was with my friend who is from a different racial background. He asked us how we knew each other, for how long, where we lived, etc, etc. All normal questions. He also told me to turn my car off and hand over the keys so he could pop the trunk. Okay. I guess he was satisfied that I wasn't smuggling anything into the country and handed back our passports.

After we drove away my friend opened her passport and there was a little card in there offering help to those who are victims of human trafficking and how to get help in escaping. I guess the border guard thought going to sell my friend into slavery or the sex trade.

Was this US or Canada customs? Regardless, hats off to the Customs agent for at least trying to provide assistance (even if no assistance was necessary).

The question about how you know each other is not abnormal -- I've had it several times when traveling with non relatives.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I would say that about 80% of the time were are asked either how we are related or how we know each other. My DH and I have different last names. LOL....one time I was crossing to shop with a friend and her DH. I was driving and was asked how I knew my friend who was in the front passenger seat. The guard then opened the back door and asked my friends' DH if he really knew the 2 of us in the front. We all actually started laughing because the guy had just asked why we were crossing and our answer was 'shopping'.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Was this US or Canada customs? Regardless, hats off to the Customs agent for at least trying to provide assistance (even if no assistance was necessary).

The question about how you know each other is not abnormal -- I've had it several times when traveling with non relatives.

It was US customs, we just laughed about it, he was young and we figured he was just being very thorough with his job.

 

[scboyd]

A couple of weeks ago, we crossed at niagara fall for lunch as we were staying at GWL in Niagara and wanted to go to Red Robin. It was a sunday and when we crossed into the US at 11:00 am there was no wait at all, but on our way back... wow 2 hours wait. No big deal our children had their ipod touches and dvd player.

But the custom agent would not accept the fact that we just went over for lunch on a sunday. She figured we should have known that it would be a long wait back. To be completely honest, it never occurred to me that it would be a long wait at 1:30 in the afternoon. I figured it would start to get busy around 4 or 5 pm. She just kept asking us which mall we went to and what we bought. This went on for 3 or 4 minutes after the usual questions about where we lived, etc...
I finally said to her, "Ok you obvious don't believe us, I welcome you to search the car. We haven't bought anything other than lunch."
I think my wife's jaw dropped to the floor mat, but the custom agent said " that won't be necessary, have a great afternoon" and handed our passports back.
Now I wasn't rude and I did keep my temper but I honest think she just wanted to see if she could provoke me.

 

[Gigi22]

Oh, coming back from a recent DCL cruise I got a slightly weird question from the U.S. Customs agent at Port Canaveral, "Purchased any liquor, tobacco or jewelry?"
The liquor and tobacco are standard, the jewelry--not so. And, since I was a Canadian citizen in transit, not sure why any jewelry purchase would be an issue for U.S. Customs. Unless they are wondering about money laundering using jewelry?

 

[dancin Disney style]

Oh, coming back from a recent DCL cruise I got a slightly weird question from the U.S. Customs agent at Port Canaveral, "Purchased any liquor, tobacco or jewelry?"
The liquor and tobacco are standard, the jewelry--not so. And, since I was a Canadian citizen in transit, not sure why any jewelry purchase would be an issue for U.S. Customs. Unless they are wondering about money laundering using jewelry?

That is a standard question when getting off a cruise ship. It is very common for people to buy high end watches and jewelry on some of the islands.

 

[Polarone]

I live in Windsor, work in Detroit so I cross on a daily basis. I've been seeing pretty much the same 10-12 border guards each day for almost 15 years now and I'll still get asked for the purpose of my visit when I'm crossing at 8AM and handing them my passport and work visa.

The why's of what goes on at the border are a complete mystery - on Monday of this week when the temperature was at -18 degrees Celcius they decided that for the first time in over a month they would do a mandatory vehicle search of EVERY SINGLE CAR! Never mind that even if we could all just get through customs without stopping we were going to be late because of the ice/snow storm the night before, they're going to make the border a half-hour ordeal on one of the coldest days of the year. I really felt bad for the guards as you know they didn't want to have to leave the booth to get out, open every door and inspect every trunk - that decision was made by someone who was sitting in their nice warm office!

 

[Polydweller]

I live in Windsor, work in Detroit so I cross on a daily basis. I've been seeing pretty much the same 10-12 border guards each day for almost 15 years now and I'll still get asked for the purpose of my visit when I'm crossing at 8AM and handing them my passport and work visa.

The why's of what goes on at the border are a complete mystery - on Monday of this week when the temperature was at -18 degrees Celcius they decided that for the first time in over a month they would do a mandatory vehicle search of EVERY SINGLE CAR! Never mind that even if we could all just get through customs without stopping we were going to be late because of the ice/snow storm the night before, they're going to make the border a half-hour ordeal on one of the coldest days of the year. I really felt bad for the guards as you know they didn't want to have to leave the booth to get out, open every door and inspect every trunk - that decision was made by someone who was sitting in their nice warm office!

One of my jobs over the years (and I've had many) involved security at a maximum security facility. One of the most effective weapons in security is to be unpredictable. The more predictable your security is the easier it is for the bad guys to figure out a way around your security perimeter. So you do unpredictable things and change your procedures constantly.

At the border and in airports they change up what they do very frequently so even frequent travellers can't quite be sure what to expect. In this case, doing a full check on a day in which it might be assumed that they wouldn't is a good way to throw off someone feeling they could use that to smuggle etc. Its not about being in a nice warm office, it is about doing the unexpected.

 

[Susan R]

Those are some interesting questions! I remember Allan Doyle from Great Big Sea telling a story about friends of his saying he must find it a hastle crossing back and forth from Canada to the US so many times and having all of the searches and questions. He said he told them that he thinks of it this way...if someone askes to come into his home he has the right to ask why they are there, what they want to do there and how long they intend to stay

(although I don't often pat down people coming into my house...maybe I should start! )

 

[Tinkermom76]

Last week on our way to Buffalo the guard asked if there was much for a 4 year old to do at Disney because she might like to take her child... much for a kid to do at Disney really?

 

[TreesyB]

I was asked how much money I had with me once and I told them $300. The guard asked, $300 for 2 weeks?

My response: ummm, I have credit cards...

LOL CHARGE IT!

 

[drcandon]

Good grief, in the years we have travelled, we have been asked just about every weird question you could think of, everything from "why go to Disney at this time of year, isn't it kind of cold" to (we were going on a cruise) "what kind of warm weather clothes did you pack"...no I am not kidding...

The border guards expect you to stumble a bit with the odd questions, that is a true human response..if you give too smooth of an answer, then you have been well...use your imagination...

Also suprise inspections or body searches etc etc are also a tool used to "flush out" the bad ones..you and your family are probably not even the target, but the guy next to you or three or four folks down might be , and that kind of thing is enough to rattle them when it is their turn..

 

[SaraMc]

When DD was newborn and I would cross for the day to shop with her three times the border gaurd got out of thier booth, walked over to DD's side of the car and held a picture up to her. It stopped when she was about 6 months.
I went over last week, got asked lots of questions. It was a wed morning. Border gaurd asked me " Why are you not at work?". Good question.
Ive also had " Anything, other than your money staying in the country?"

 

[minnie56]

I never understand the $10,000 question? Who has that much in cash on them? But technically, if you think about it, with credit card limits most of us have a heck of a lot more? So really, if we wanted significant 'buying power' we have it don't we??

We own property in Fla and have owned a couple of properties before..they always seem to want details of that over and over when we cross at the border but never at Pearson. Weird.

 

[canadian_mouse]

Once coming back from Disney, the boarder guard directed all the questions to my 3 year old daughter. I guess that's a good way to figure out if we're telling the truth. Fortunately she's not shy and was happy to give him all the correct answers.