Caribbean Cruise and Esta

[CABINET]

I wonder if anybody could help.

 

We have just booked a cruise next Autumn which is, in effect, two transatlantics and a 12 day middle section going to the Caribbean.  I thought our Estas (issued in 2017) lasted four years but having found them I see that they expire next March so we will have to have new ones. 

 

However we will not actually be staying in the US, merely docking in New York on the way out and on the way back so will have no address in the US to put in the appropriate box on the Esta application form. 

 

Could anyone advise what we should do?

[Host Hattie]

There is some advice in this thread from earlier this year 

 

ESTA

[CABINET]

Thanks very much Hattie.  That's a great help.

[Elephant1151]

We are on a Caribbean in November, not actually visiting New York or any US ports. As my son got a new passport this year he aplied for an ESTA in case of any emergency and put Cunard Red Hook  down for the address. It was granted.

[CABINET]

Thank you very much.

 

I don't know whether we will actually go into New York either on the way to the Caribbean or on the way back (it would depend a bit on the weather - we have been to NY a few times) but it seems as though we will have to get off the ship and back on so will need the ESTA. 

[Bigmike911]

Generally speaking if you dock in the US, you will have to clear US Immigrations even if you don't plan to go anywhere and plan stay on board for the day. 

[babs135]

So how do we fill in our ESTAs? We will be disembarking in New York and then flying down to Fort Lauderdale for a night before embarking on the Regal Princess the following day.

 

Thanks

[Underwatr]

You US address would be your hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

[mcloaked]

Having been on a Caribbean cruise with two Transatlantics as a single trip, even though it counted as three separate cruise sectors - what we found was that on first arrival in New York the entire ship had to be 'zeroed' - that meant that every human being on board, including every crew member had to get off the ship, and go into the USA customs hall to be cleared through immigration.  This means you can expect to be in the queue for processing for an hour to an hour and a half unless you are a US citizen when it is quicker. Also if you are out very early because you are on an excursion you may be lucky and have a shorter 'processing' time.  Once cleared if you are not heading into New York then you have to go back to queue to get back on board the ship.  However on the return to New York after the Caribbean you are regarded as having already been cleared as though part of a single visit to the USA, so you don't then need to clear immigration a second time. That makes the disembarkation much quicker and easier and gives a longer time in New York for that day. That was our experience about a year or so back - though things may have changed since then.

[CABINET]

Thanks mcloaked for this detailed post.

 

My OH is astonished that the whole ship (including crew) has to disembark.

 

Still if that's the case there is obviously no choice. 

 

Since there is a very real chance that the weather in November will be very cold indeed I was wondering about staying on the ship until the last moment and then re-boarding as soon as possible.

 

Are you allowed to stay in your cabin as long as you want to or are you asked to vacate it by 8am as you would be if you were ending your voyage?

[mcloaked]

They gave us the option to stay on the ship until the last call out - which we did but we still queued for about an hour and a half in the customs hall once we got off the ship.  Once we got to the desks it was about 4 minutes to get our fingerprints, photo and deal with the passport check. About half an hour queuing again to get back on board in the entry area.  Some people a bit earlier queued for over two hours in the customs hall so we felt lucky on our time!

[CABINET]

Thanks for the response.  So to confirm, although you are required to get off the ship and do the immigration thing, you have the same access to your cabin as any other day?  You aren't expected to vacate it and wile your time away sitting in one of the lounges as you are on the last day of your holiday prior to disembarkation?

 

I can see I am going to be in for a rather fraught day.  My OH has a pretty short fuse and being expected to queue for up to two hours just to turn round and get back on the ship will not go down well with him.  He feels the cold a lot so there's every chance he won't want to get off and go into New York. 

[mcloaked]

If you are staying on the ship beyond New York then you do not have to clear your belongings from the stateroom, and it's just the occupants of the room that have to get off and go through immigration/customs before getting back on again. Once you are back on board then the facilities of the ship are all as normal, and all the time you are on board you have access to your room.  The crew all have to clear immigration too, but they do it in rotation so the ship isn't an empty shell at any time. Yes, we found it an irritation, but at least once we were back on the ship we could get on with the day just like any other cruise land day. You just have to accept that you have to do it if you are stopping at New York as part of a longer cruise. When we were on the return visit to New York, on the same cruise, there it was a snowy on and off day in New York but no significant wind so a decent coat kept us warm for a day out in the city - and the Brooklyn Ferry to Manhattan (and other parts of the city) was easy to use, low cost and very efficient which was a nice contrast to the tedium of the immigration rigmarole on first arrival in New York.

[CABINET]

I'm sorry I am obviously not being very clear.

 

I realise we won't have to clear our cabin but what I am trying to find out is whether it is the same as a disembarkation day. 

 

Are you made to get out of your cabin by 8am?

[mcloaked]

6 hours ago, CABINET said:

I'm sorry I am obviously not being very clear.

 

I realise we won't have to clear our cabin but what I am trying to find out is whether it is the same as a disembarkation day. 

 

Are you made to get out of your cabin by 8am?

 

No you don't have to be out of your cabin by 8am on arrival in New York if you are not disembarking. I seem to remember that we just had to make sure we were at the muster area for around 10.30am, or 11am, in time for the last call off to get through immigration.

[CABINET]

Thanks very much that's really helpful.