Coast Guard inspection before going ashore in Key West

[wolfatlga]

Greetings,

We just got back from a cruise on the Enchantment and after we docked in Key West, everyone had to present themselves to customs with their citizenship papers while on board the ship.

All US citizens to the theater and the non-US to the restaurant.

Afterwards you were allowed to disembark.

Needless to say very time consuming, just curious if this is normal or something new.

Thanks,

[hancock]

Did you visit a foreign port before stopping in Key West? If that is the case, then you would be reentering the US and would have to be checked by immigration. Have gone through this many times before. It is aggravating to have to lose time at your port but it has to be done.

[chengkp75]

Yes, this is normal if Key West is the first US port after a foreign port, and BTW, its CBP (Customs and Border Protection) not the Coast Guard.

[emory2001]

Thanks for posting this. I'll be on that cruise in July. What time do they do this, and how does it work with different people wanting to get off the ship at different times?

[Capt_BJ]

same thing happens when you arrive in St Thomas if the ship was in a f' port before ... it is the rule when you 'return' to the US . . . . it happens "early" or soon after the ship ties up and everyone must be cleared b4 anyone gets off . . .

[cruisnpat]

We had to do that one time in the middle of the cruise as we were cruising.

It did seem to take quite a while, wouldn't want to do it as we were getting ready to disembark.

[Pratique]

When you return to Miami after Key West do you have to go through Customs again, or can you just walk off the ship to the curb?

[ColoradoGurl]

When you return to Miami after Key West do you have to go through Customs again, or can you just walk off the ship to the curb?

 

That's a good question. I bet you still have to do it because you'll still need to declare your stuff with customs. The checking of passports is an immigration thing...luggage is customs. So when you normally go through "customs" you're actually doing both ("customs and immigration" even though we normally shorten it by just saying customs), and it sounds like on the ship in key west it's just the passports they're checking.

Edited May 14, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[Pratique]

That's a good question. I bet you still have to do it because you'll still need to declare your stuff with customs. The checking of passports is an immigration thing...luggage is customs. So when you normally go through "customs" you're actually doing both ("customs and immigration" even though we normally shorten it by just saying customs), and it sounds like on the ship in key west it's just the passports they're checking.

 

That makes sense. I suppose if you wanted to get off the ship for good with your luggage at Key West they would also run you through customs there, but normally people don't do that.

[Aquahound]

Let me clear this up a little. ColoradoGurl was on the right track.

 

When you go to Key West following a foreign port, you clear Immigrations. The check is conducted by CBP agents, and maybe a couple Border Patrol agents if CBP is short handed that day.

 

When you get back to home port, you clear Customs. It's done by the same agency, but it's a different purpose.

 

Like chengkp75 said, USCG is not involved in this process.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Aquahound

[wolfatlga]

Thanks for posting this. I'll be on that cruise in July. What time do they do this, and how does it work with different people wanting to get off the ship at different times?

 

The start time was around 10 am, it is called by your muster station, we were number 12, so we were called at 11:30 to report. Once you go thru the process, they punch your SeaPass and then you can leave.