Debarkation Southampton - customs?

[cyndiehabs]

On Disney, as Canadians we were made to get up at 5:30am to go through US customs - just wondering if we will have to do the same off the IOS? Also do they take your passport for the entire cruise like Disney does?

[Scotsnomad]

Having just come of the IOS at Southampton I will first say that Customs & Excise were not visible and no checks were taken

 

I should imagine that if you are entering the UK via an airport prior to your boarding (Poss Heathrow or another) you will already have cleared customs for entering.

 

The ship will not take your passport as being a non EEC member you may require it for ports of call (I always carry copies of my passport when ashore instead of the real one)Im not sure you are required to show it being non EEC maybe one of the non EEC passengers might be able to answer that for you.

 

All EEC members just carried their sea pass for getting back on board, however for Spain (for some reason) we were told to carry some form of identification.

[livylotte]

Inlike the US there is no immigration at Southampton you just walk off the ship and go. All checks will have been done when you departed Southampton. There were no queues, we were expecting to have to wait in the Alhambra Theatre for our colour to be called but we never got there, the doors were shut. Someone was waiting outside the theatre pointing to the exit door and we just walked straight off.

 

I didn't hear any announcements onboard or on the TV in our staterooms re people who are non UK resisdents but I would think that it would be the same for all nationalities and all checks will have been done at point of departure.

 

We are from the UK and our passports were not taken from us, I don't know if they would require yours.

[ScarboroughCruiser]

We're from Toronto, and just sailed on IOS. The only place we needed to take our passports for on-shore was Barcelona (ship's instructions). And even there, we were never asked to show it to get back on-board. We went through immigration at Heathrow, both ways and they even stamp your passport on entry. In Southhampton, we just pushed our Luggage out a door marked "nothing to declare". We also carried a photocopy of our passports at all times, but never needed to use it....the key is to carry your seapass, which was scanned all the time.

[cyndiehabs]

We're from Toronto, and just sailed on IOS. The only place we needed to take our passports for on-shore was Barcelona (ship's instructions). And even there, we were never asked to show it to get back on-board. We went through immigration at Heathrow, both ways and they even stamp your passport on entry. In Southhampton, we just pushed our Luggage out a door marked "nothing to declare". We also carried a photocopy of our passports at all times, but never needed to use it....the key is to carry your seapass, which was scanned all the time.

 

 

Thanks so much - thats great to know. Every time we sailed Disney we would dread the 5:30am wake up to go sit in a theatre for immigration - and ALL members of your party had to be there - even your fast asleep 4 year old!

[CVU]

We were on the IOS and disembarked in Southampton in April. There was a customs officer that came on the ship for 2 days just before we got to the port.

We had to meet in the dining room and have our passport stamped and that was all. Just walked off the ship to our ride! It was great.:)

[CVU]

We had lots of time to do this, forgot to mention. No wake up call needed!! That is awful, I would not want to cruise with that line and do that at 5 AM. I need my beauty sleep:D