Do we have to get off the ship (Seaside) if we are on a 2 week sailing?

We booked the Seaside as a 15 day sailing (not as a B2B), but I'm sure there are others who booked as a B2B. My question is, do we have to get off the ship when it returns to Miami from the first leg?

You will escorted off the ship and thru customs and back on ahead of the new cruisers.

If you don't go on an excursion you meet in a lounge area and wait for everyone to disembark. Then as above go through immigration and straight back on.

Hi

No - on our two week Scandinavian cruise in July 2015 (two separate back-to-back 7 day cruises) we did not go on a excursion and we were told we could stay onboard. We were NOT asked to leave the ship for customs or anything else. We stayed on board and enjoyed all the ship had to offer.

Hi

No - on our two week Scandinavian cruise in July 2015 (two separate back-to-back 7 day cruises) we did not go on a excursion and we were told we could stay onboard. We were NOT asked to leave the ship for customs or anything else. We stayed on board and enjoyed all the ship had to offer.

It's a requirement of US customs and immigration so on a B2B sailing from Miami you have to do so unfortunately.

yes- 100% need to do - trust me, its very painless and easy venture - if you are travelling in the Yacht Club, it is even more painless -

Just did this in Miami a couple of weeks ago.

We had to meet in at the Eatly Steakhouse before 10. We then waited there for about twenty minutes. We were taken off ship and had to wait upstairs in the port for about 15 to 20 minutes. We then were lead downstairs to wait for another 20 minutes or so. We marched through customs with our passports held in the air, then back into the hallway. To wait for another 10 to 15 minutes. We were then led upstairs to, you guessed it, to wait for another 10 to 15 minutes. We were then led onto the gangplank of the ship, where we waited for another 10 minutes. We were then let back onto the ship.

My time gaps there are estimates, but I know we started the process at about 9:30 and we weren't back on the ship until noon or just after.

It is not a ship rule, it's a US Customs rule, so yes, you must disembark and then embark again. All ship lines with a US port disembarkation point must follow the same rules.

And unfortunately how long it takes is a lottery. We were waiting in the lounge for about 45 minutes as there were passengers who hadn't disembarked and couldn't be located! Once we were off to immigration I think we were back on in about 30 minutes. US immigration are a law unto themselves timewise too. It also depends how many people are B2B.

It's a requirement of US customs and immigration so on a B2B sailing from Miami you have to do so unfortunately.

So even though we booked it as a 15 day cruise rather than a B2B, we still have to get off, right?

So even though we booked it as a 15 day cruise rather than a B2B, we still have to get off, right?

I'm afraid so. its everyone off regardless of booking type, US immigration want to see you :)

It's a requirement of US customs and immigration so on a B2B sailing from Miami you have to do so unfortunately.

I am going to disagree with you as it is not a requirement. It is up to the individual ICE operation at the port. Yes l have Been on US port B2B’s and stayed on the ship in Miami, Port Everglades, and Hawaii. That being said you probably will have to get off the ship.

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A couple of observations...

Our repeated instances of waiting appeared to be due to some miscommunication between the ship and the port, compounded by general confusion in the port itself. We were accompanied by two (three at some times) MSC staff. At one point I heard one of them ask "Why did <insert name> tell us to leave the ship?" So it appeared that someone on the ship gave the go ahead for us to proceed when the port wasn't ready to receive us.

It also seemed like there were passengers missing from the manifest, which really threw the port staff into a tizzy. They would not process us through customs until they were assured that all passengers had left the ship. I only know this from overhearing bits and pieces of the conversations and watching ship staff running on and off the ship with clipboards.

Once we were through customs and waiting in the port hallway, the ship staff had to come off ship and pass through customs as well. Most of them were still dressed in their "work" clothes; there was a parade of kitchen staff all in their kitchen whites and looking like they had stopped mid work to go through the process.

That being said, our experience of how long it took could have been an oddity. And the staff having to leave the ship could have been a result of whatever caused the above oddity.

Honestly you probably won't know what you need to do until the night before the switch over, when the port communicates what they want the ship to do.

The "Zero Out" procedure used in US Ports is a rule implemented and enforced by the CBP (customs and immigration authorities) and has little to do with the cruise line (in other words you will go through this process on any ship or line). The easiest way to deal with the hassle is to simply leave the ship (you are officially in Transit status) and go enjoy the day at the port. But if you decide to stay aboard you will have to get off the ship (the staff will instruct you where to meet and when) and be held in a holding area within the cruise terminal building. At that point you must wait until the US Authorities have zeroed out the ship (accounted for all souls) and give the ship clearance to start boarding. For back to back passengers, the time you must wait (in the Terminal) can vary from as little as a half hour....to several hours (or more). The cruise line has no control so there is no use complaining.

Unless you are willing to wait around the terminal until you can reboard....just consider leaving the port and enjoying the area for the day. When you return to the ship you can then reboard (there is usually an expedited procedure for the back to backs).

Hank