Customs exemptions for back-to-back cruises

[Daghis]

I have my first semi-back-to-back cruise coming up in a couple of weeks. (It's a Sunday-to-Sunday cruise followed by a Monday-to-Friday cruise.)

 

I discovered today that there is a restriction on the customs exemptions. You can get your allowance (typically around $800) once per 30-day period. So, if I'm interpreting that right, if I buy stuff and claim it as part of my allowance during the first cruise, I have no allowance available to me for the second. Does that sound right?

 

How do Customs procedures handle true back-to-back cruises where people barely leave the ship in the middle? Are they subject to the same 30-day restriction for their second cruise since they've returned to the US from one trip and are starting a second trip immediately after, or because they are truly back-to-back, can they consider it one trip and get one allowance for the whole period?

 

In my case, since I'm actually leaving the port after the first cruise, I know that I'm stuck with dealing with using the exemption for one cruise and not for the other. The reality is that it's probably unlikely that they'd charge me duty after the second cruise, but I want to be mentally prepared in case they do for the few souvenirs I might buy on the second half of the trip.

[Keith1010]

I have my first semi-back-to-back cruise coming up in a couple of weeks. (It's a Sunday-to-Sunday cruise followed by a Monday-to-Friday cruise.)

 

I discovered today that there is a restriction on the customs exemptions. You can get your allowance (typically around $800) once per 30-day period. So, if I'm interpreting that right, if I buy stuff and claim it as part of my allowance during the first cruise, I have no allowance available to me for the second. Does that sound right?

 

How do Customs procedures handle true back-to-back cruises where people barely leave the ship in the middle? Are they subject to the same 30-day restriction for their second cruise since they've returned to the US from one trip and are starting a second trip immediately after, or because they are truly back-to-back, can they consider it one trip and get one allowance for the whole period?

 

In my case, since I'm actually leaving the port after the first cruise, I know that I'm stuck with dealing with using the exemption for one cruise and not for the other. The reality is that it's probably unlikely that they'd charge me duty after the second cruise, but I want to be mentally prepared in case they do for the few souvenirs I might buy on the second half of the trip.

 

Yes, you have it right.

 

You are allowed the exemption once every 30 days.

 

At the end of your first cruise you do go through customs.

 

At the end of your second cruise you go through customs.

 

Each time you turn in a card.

 

So technically you can use the exemption once either on the first or second cruise.

 

Keith

[Essiesmom]

When you do a B2B on the same ship, you do not go through customs between cruises, only immigration. If you are traveling with BC and ID, not passport, I don't see how customs would know that you had done the previous cruise. And if some of your purchases are in 'US' ports, such as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, your exemptions are increased...EM

[Love.II.Cruise]

We've done many B2B's. But our last B2B was horrible in Miami on Independence of the Seas. We were simply getting off and back on. We were the last to leave and the first back on the ship. We were told by RCCL personnel (during a meeting of B2B cruisers on the fist cruise) to not put anything our declaration forms since we were not leaving with our bags.

 

When we got to customs we were treated like criminals. The agent we got yelled at us and asked if the person on RCCL was wearing "his" uniform that told us what to do. He said we needed to declare. We told him that the RCCL person told us not to since nothing we purchased was leaving the ship yet. He eventually let us go. i had nightmares that when we would finally go through customs to leave that we would be red flagged and go through serious inspection, despite we knew we didn't over exceed our allowance.

 

This was only one event and happens to be the most recent. Beforehand, we never had an issues. Just do whatever the customs agent asks.

[sail7seas]

OP....... you get to take you duty free exemption one time in thirty days. Pick which cruise you wish to use it.

 

 

We do many b-to-b's and always declare -0- on our first segment as we are not 'importing' anything until we actually take it off the ship and enter the country with it. We declare all our purchases the second segment when we actually lug our suitcases out the door. :) When we clear Immigration the first cruise, we are carrying nothing so we have nothing to declare.

 

[LHT28]

When we got to customs we were treated like criminals. The agent we got yelled at us and asked if the person on RCCL was wearing "his" uniform that told us what to do. He said we needed to declare.

 

OHHH sounds like somebody missed his breakfast that morning

 

They let these people carry guns :eek:

[Love.II.Cruise]

OHHH sounds like somebody missed his breakfast that morning

 

They let these people carry guns :eek:

 

HAHA! I so agree! We were like ... who pissed in his corn flakes this morning?!?

 

But it still rattled us. We had never experienced that in all our B2B cruises.

[CPT Trips]

We've done many B2B's. But our last B2B was horrible in Miami on Independence of the Seas. We were simply getting off and back on. We were the last to leave and the first back on the ship. We were told by RCCL personnel (during a meeting of B2B cruisers on the fist cruise) to not put anything our declaration forms since we were not leaving with our bags.

 

When we got to customs we were treated like criminals. The agent we got yelled at us and asked if the person on RCCL was wearing "his" uniform that told us what to do. He said we needed to declare. We told him that the RCCL person told us not to since nothing we purchased was leaving the ship yet. He eventually let us go. i had nightmares that when we would finally go through customs to leave that we would be red flagged and go through serious inspection, despite we knew we didn't over exceed our allowance.

 

This was only one event and happens to be the most recent. Beforehand, we never had an issues. Just do whatever the customs agent asks.

 

Must have been a recent transfer from TSA at MIA or FLL

[LHT28]

HAHA! I so agree! We were like ... who pissed in his corn flakes this morning?!?

 

But it still rattled us. We had never experienced that in all our B2B cruises.

Yep they scare me too :eek:

[Keith1010]

When you do a B2B on the same ship, you do not go through customs between cruises, only immigration. If you are traveling with BC and ID, not passport, I don't see how customs would know that you had done the previous cruise. And if some of your purchases are in 'US' ports, such as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, your exemptions are increased...EM

 

We have gone through customs on each of our back to back cruises. Each time we have entered the USA we have filled out a customs card and turned it in. This included several back to back cruises we were on late last year into this year. Specifically, we did a Miami to Miami cruise (went through Miami customs and immigration, followed by a Miami to Los Angeles cruise (went through Los Angeles customs and immigration, followed by a Los Angeles to Los Angeles very lengthily cruise (went through customs and immigration again at one of the USA ports) In the latter case went in and out of USA twice and in total between all of this turned in four different customs cards. Because the Los Angeles to Los Angeles one came much later than 30 days after the first two we go a separate exemption for that one.

 

The prior two years we had a back to back just involving Miami and a back to back involving Miami and and then Los Angeles and in all cases customs cards were filled out by us and turned into customs agents each time we reentered the USA.

 

We were on the same ship.

 

So, if yours was different than ours I suggest the original poster ask at the front desk to speaks with the officer who handles passenger clearance to be sure they understand how the process will work.

 

Keith

[rvsullivan]

The OP is not doing a b2b, they are leaving the ship for a day and then coming back. A little different. CBP website says if you are doing a second trip within 30 days, you can declare up to $200 for the second trip duty free. Should be no problem for the OP.

[Daghis]

Ooh, thanks for that tip about the $200 exemption! I didn't realize that they had a fallback exemption available. That'll be perfectly fine for my needs.

[Keith1010]

The OP is not doing a b2b, they are leaving the ship for a day and then coming back. A little different. CBP website says if you are doing a second trip within 30 days, you can declare up to $200 for the second trip duty free. Should be no problem for the OP.

 

When I read their site last year it didn't show the second exemption.

 

Could you please show me where it states that by copy and pasting it or providing the link. Maybe things changed since late last year.

 

Keith

[Daghis]

I found this CBP page (from 2009) that talks about it. Specifically, it says:

$200 Exemption

If you cannot claim other exemptions because:

• You have been out of the country more than once in a 30-day period or because
  
• You have not been out of the country for at least 48 hours.

You may still bring back $200 worth of items free of duty and tax. As discussed earlier, these items must be for your personal or household use.

 

It does go on to say that the $200 is a cap. If you bring back $201 worth of items, you have to pay duty on the whole $201.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We've done many B2B's. But our last B2B was horrible in Miami on Independence of the Seas. We were simply getting off and back on. We were the last to leave and the first back on the ship. We were told by RCCL personnel (during a meeting of B2B cruisers on the fist cruise) to not put anything our declaration forms since we were not leaving with our bags.

 

When we got to customs we were treated like criminals. The agent we got yelled at us and asked if the person on RCCL was wearing "his" uniform that told us what to do. He said we needed to declare. We told him that the RCCL person told us not to since nothing we purchased was leaving the ship yet. He eventually let us go. i had nightmares that when we would finally go through customs to leave that we would be red flagged and go through serious inspection, despite we knew we didn't over exceed our allowance.

 

This was only one event and happens to be the most recent. Beforehand, we never had an issues. Just do whatever the customs agent asks.

 

We have done quite a few back-to-back cruises and never had anything like that happen.

On HAL, the last few back-to-back (now called Collectors Cruises) we haven't even been given the custom forms to fill out at the end of the first segment.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I found this CBP page (from 2009) that talks about it. Specifically, it says:

 

It does go on to say that the $200 is a cap. If you bring back $201 worth of items, you have to pay duty on the whole $201.

 

Right

You are just going to have to decide which cruise you want to spend money on in the ports or in the ship's gift shops.

[Daghis]

Fortunately for me, that's an easy decision. The first cruise is a week-long cruise on the Freedom of the Seas going to Coco Cay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. That one makes more sense to use the $1600 (with only up to $800 from Coco Cay, St. Maarten, or onboard, the way it's figured) exemption.

 

The second cruise is a 4-night cruise going to Coco Cay and Nassau on the Monarch of the Seas. So, a shorter cruise, only one potential shopping port, and a smaller ship. I'll save the $200 exemption for that one.

[sail7seas]

I found this CBP page (from 2009) that talks about it. Specifically, it says:

 

It does go on to say that the $200 is a cap. If you bring back $201 worth of items, you have to pay duty on the whole $201.

 

 

Were it me.......

 

I would verify that with the Customs Official you see the first week before you plan on it for your second segment. You may not agree but I'd like that confirmation. :o

 

[DanJ]

How long do you have to be out of the US to get the $800 and does the stop in St Thomas screw that timeframe up?

[smeyer418]

How long do you have to be out of the US to get the $800 and does the stop in St Thomas screw that timeframe up?

48 continuous hours and St Thomas doesn't screw it up...you get extra for going there as its considered an insular possession which more than doubles the exemption for alcohol and cigs/tobacco.

[sail7seas]

You get double duty free exemption if you buy more than half your purchases in USVI. For those who are interested, they can bring in more cigarettes from SVI than from other duty free ports. Same for liquor..... there are certain terms that have to be met.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Fortunately for me, that's an easy decision. The first cruise is a week-long cruise on the Freedom of the Seas going to Coco Cay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. That one makes more sense to use the $1600 (with only up to $800 from Coco Cay, St. Maarten, or onboard, the way it's figured) exemption.

 

The second cruise is a 4-night cruise going to Coco Cay and Nassau on the Monarch of the Seas. So, a shorter cruise, only one potential shopping port, and a smaller ship. I'll save the $200 exemption for that one.

 

 

Great Plan!!

Going to St Thomas gives you the advantage of getting to spend more without paying taxes.