Key West First Port of Entry

[Shermcruiser]

When Key West is your first port of entry you have to clear customs. Does that mean you have to take your luggage off like you do at an airport?

Then do you have to clear customs again in Fort Lauderdale?

[cruisestitch]

No, but it can mean some very early calls -- to have your passport cleared by Immigration. Sometimes this is done early in the morning, quite early.

[BILLP1]

Luggage is still done when you disembark on the last day. In Key West we had a walk through the theater and show our passports before the ship was cleared. Usually there will be people who don't show up and you have to wait for them to be found..

[Aquahound]

This is all correct. You'll be told when and where to go with your passports. CBP will clear you in a matter of seconds and stamp your cruise card. Once everyone is cleared, you can go ashore.

 

Your luggage plays no role. All you're clearing in KW is Immigration. You'll go through Customs and hand over your Customs form back in FLL.

[ILgirl]

We're on the Connie 5 night in January. Boarding in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, Sunday is Key West. We don't have to do anything with Customs/Immigration in this case, do we? We haven't left the US.

[WestLakeGirl]

That correct, no clearance needed there

[gimletgal]

We're on the Connie 5 night in January. Boarding in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, Sunday is Key West. We don't have to do anything with Customs/Immigration in this case, do we? We haven't left the US.

 

When your first port of call is Key West, you don't need to do anything.

 

On the itinerary that stops in Cozumel first, then Key West - that is when you have to have passport checked and SeaPass card punched to show you have been through customs. Takes all of 10-15 minutes.

 

Just went through this on a b2b in April on the Connie:

 

1st cruise - FLL-Cozumel-Key West-FLL (yes - needed to do customs in KW (show passport only)

 

2nd cruise - FLL-Key West - Cozumel - FLL (no - did not do customs until return to FLL)

 

You are fortunate! You will not need to do the Customs "thing" until you are back in Fort Lauderdale. :)

[cle-guy]

This is all correct. You'll be told when and where to go with your passports. CBP will clear you in a matter of seconds and stamp your cruise card. Once everyone is cleared, you can go ashore.

 

 

When I did this "reverse sailing" of the Connie earlier this year, they did not require ALL passengers to clear customs before letting those who had leave the ship.

 

They did hole punch your sea pass with a special shaped punch (celebrity staff did this part as you exited the customs room) to verify you had gone thru the process, in order to verify that before allowing you thru the ship's gangplank exit system.

 

Also bear in mind this routine may vary based on ship, what countries were visited en route etc.

 

That may be different now, but I woke up, looked out on my veranda and saw people leaving the ship, even though I had not yet cleared the immigration routine.

Edited June 6, 2014 by cle-guy