Why does everyone have to report to immigration on St. Thomas day?

[DVCajun]

I don't get it.

 

[LibertyBelle]

I believe that started after September 11 (my first trip to St Thomas in 1998 was not that way). Being that it is a "US" Virgin Island they are checking everyone before entry. I could be wrong, but I believe it is a safety precaution by Homeland Security.

 

[DVCajun]

But why don't they check you as you leave the ship? I'm going to try to answer my own question and assume that the local immigration personnel just don't want to hang out at the ship all day. Oh well, it just is a bummer to have to get up so early and appear in public to boot! <---- my bed hair

 

[ivanova]

Don't know if this applied pre-09/11 but this is what the Customs website says:

Title 19, Section 1582 of the U.S. Code authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors to search, inspect, and/or examine, all persons, luggage, and merchandise discharged or unladen from a carrier arriving in the United States from a foreign destination.

So I assume St Thomas falls into the "arriving in the US" and you are arriving in St Thomas from St Maarten which is a "foreign destination." Therefore, you have to report to Customs.

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

This has always been the case and has nothing to do with September 11.

When you fly or take a cruise and come from a foreign port/airport to the US, regardless of whether you are stopping or passing through, you go through Customs.

 

[westjones]

What I never understood is why they don't go to St. Thomas first and then to St. Maartin. Then you wouldn't be coming from a foreign port to a US port until you arrived back at PC.

DJ

 

[Tigfanjeff]

This is the biggest thing keeping me from doing the Eastern. I agree that if they'd stop at St. Thomas first it would fix all of this, and I really don't know why they don't.

 

[huckster]

what do you go thru while there ? do you have to check in with customs if you dont leave the ship?

 

[TheWog]

Originally posted by huckster
what do you go thru while there ? do you have to check in with customs if you dont leave the ship?

Everyone must report to a designated area. US citizens were in the theater, I forget if other country citizens went somewhere else. You just go down to the front, show your ID and then get the stamp on your hand as you exit. Yes, all must report and the ship can not be cleared until all people have reported. It will hold up all excursions if people don't go.

Go early and you will be done quickly. They also offer coffee, pastries, etc.

 

[beachbumfamily]

when you say go early how early ?

 

[TheWog]

Originally posted by beachbumfamily
when you say go early how early ?

we were there at 6:15 a.m.

 

[brack]

Two things that come to my mind:

1. It's not a big deal ... so just go, eat the pastry, drink the coffee and get your hand stamped. It doesn't matter if people see your "bed hair", pajamas, fuzzy slippers or whatever because you will probably never see these people again after 5 days. From what I've seen at the pool it doesn't matter to some people what they wear any way.

2. The US government is NOT going to change this requirement just because some people complain about having to do it ... so just go, eat the pastry, drink the coffee and get your hand stamped.

Doing anything else holds everybody else up on the ship and that is what is not fair.

 

[ivanova]

Originally posted by westjones
What I never understood is why they don't go to St. Thomas first and then to St. Maartin. Then you wouldn't be coming from a foreign port to a US port until you arrived back at PC.

DJ

That might not solve the problem, if Customs would then require everyone to go through all this at Castaway Cay instead (not sure if they would)

 

[westjones]

Originally posted by ivanova
That might not solve the problem, if Customs would then require everyone to go through all this at Castaway Cay instead (not sure if they would)

But Castaway Cay isn't a US port. When you are on the Western Cruise and stop at other ports, you don't go through customs at CC. It just seems like if they would switch St. Thomas to the first stop and St. Maartin to the second stop it would take care of that early morning ID check problem.

BUT I am sure someone at Disney has thought about that and there must be some reason they don't do it.

DJ

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

I'm planning on doing the Bridge tour when we sail Sat., so I'll try and ask.

 

[CM_Mom]

I believe it has more to with sailing time. If you look at the map.

you will see the distance from Port Canaveral to St. Maarten and the distance from St. Thomas to Castaway Cay. There isn't time to get from St. Maarten to Castaway Cay in ONE sea day. Remember they take TWO and a half days to get from Port Canaveral to St. Maarten.

 

[Greysword]

One other thing to consider is that you are allowed to mail a certain amount of duty free item to your home tax free. I don't think it will count against your requirements when you get back to Canaveral. Those that purchase items from St Martin can mail them home in St Thomas and get more later.

Just one adavantage.

As for the whole customs deal, when I was in the Navy (1990's) we would go through customs and have a customs check each time we entered a US port after stopping at a non-US port. This included St Thomas and Puerto Rico. If they had a cruise that wen to St Thomas and PR, you wouldn't need customs until after CC (which is a part of the Bahamian governing islands, a foreign port).