Immigration at Port Canaveral (or Ft Lauderdale) after TA

[Mara4166]

We just booked the TA from Southampton to Port Canaveral for November 2026.  Does anyone know how immigration will work upon arrival.  My DH and I both have British passports.  Our current plan is to book a B2B into the Caribbean once those cruises are available later this year.  Is immigration done by the cruise ship when we board so there is little interaction when we arrive in the US, or will we have a queue to go through after we arrive.  The question is not necessarily specific to Port Canaveral since I assume it would be similar to any port after a TA.

[chrysalis]

you will queue up when you arrive, and "fair warning", it can be chaos because crew members also have to be processed.

 

Having said that tho,  people doing a B2B will be processed after everyone else is done, and should be much much  quicker.

[Mara4166]

2 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

you will queue up when you arrive, and "fair warning", it can be chaos because crew members also have to be processed.

 

Having said that tho,  people doing a B2B will be processed after everyone else is done, and should be much much  quicker.

Thank you I thought it would be a queue like at an airport.  This will be our first TA and our first B2B so lots of new procedures.

[chrysalis]

2 minutes ago, Mara4166 said:

Thank you I thought it would be a queue like at an airport.  This will be our first TA and our first B2B so lots of new procedures.

Just so you know, B2B is very easy....all B2B passengers will be asked to meet at a certain time  in a dining room, or lounge/theatre. When all leaving passengers are off the ship, you will be escorted off the ship to go thru US immigration, and then escorted back on the ship before newly arriving passengers. If you  have to change cabins, crew will assist you doing that.

 

You will be detailed instructions a few days before arriving in the USA

[Mara4166]

1 minute ago, chrysalis said:

Just so you know, B2B is very easy....all B2B passengers will be asked to meet at a certain time  in a dining room, or lounge/theatre. When all leaving passengers are off the ship, you will be escorted off the ship to go thru US immigration, and then escorted back on the ship before newly arriving passengers. If you  have to change cabins, crew will assist you doing that.

 

You will be detailed instructions a few days before arriving in the USA

Thank you.  What about luggage?  I know in a normal B2B it stays in your cabin (or crew moves it to new cabin for you).  With a TA do you need to pack it up to go through customs on arrival?  Or is customs dealt with after the next leg when we finally leave the ship.

[chrysalis]

no need to pack up and take luggage on the turn around day of your B2B...you will take your  luggage with you and clear customs and immigration when you leave the ship finally

[skynight]

Before arrival in the US you will receive detailed instructions in your cabin. Read them and follow the instructions exactly.

You will not have to pack up your belongings. Your cabin will be serviced like any other day.

There will be two options. Leave the ship to tour around, or remain on board.

If you leave the ship you can depart anytime after disembarkation has begun. You will require your passport, medallion and intransit card. You can re-board anytime after general boarding has begun, usually around 11am up until final boarding for sail away. On leaving the ship you will go through immigration. On re-boarding you will have to go through security. Then you proceed to the gate and board. No real waiting.

If you decide to stay on board you and all other intransit passengers will be instructed to meet in a lounge or some other location at a specific time, probably around 9/9:30am. Do not ignore this instruction. If even one person is a no show every one waits until that person can be located. You will have to have your passport and medallion with you. Once every passenger that is disembarking has done so, as a group the intransits, you, will be led off the ship, through the terminal and immigration and then back onto the ship. In Ft. Lauderdale the immigration was very quick using facial recognition. Not sure how it's handled in Port Canaveral, but thinking the same way.

From experience I don't believe the intransit group will be too large. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

While I cannot speak to the experience as someone from the UK...we've done several TA sailings and it's never been a huge deal...other than *sometimes* the line(s) can be a bit long...not always.  (We tend to always do self disembark which gives you a bit of an advantage...)

[Greg4502]

B2B - Book early enough and plan to book same cabin for each cruise. Wait too long, you might have to change cabins. 

[antsp]

Does anyone know if port everglades has Global Entry 

[Mara4166]

3 hours ago, Greg4502 said:

B2B - Book early enough and plan to book same cabin for each cruise. Wait too long, you might have to change cabins. 

We booked the TA the first day it was available since we wanted one of 2 specific cabins. We plan to do the same for the following cruise.  Fingers crossed we do not need to move.

[hrhdhd]

6 hours ago, antsp said:

Does anyone know if port everglades has Global Entry 

It doesn't matter anymore with facial recognition for everyone. It's quite fast.

[antsp]

Not on a Transatlantic surely, every one is arriving in the USA for the 1st time

[Torfamm]

8 hours ago, Mara4166 said:

We just booked the TA from Southampton to Port Canaveral for November 2026.  Does anyone know how immigration will work upon arrival.  My DH and I both have British passports.  Our current plan is to book a B2B into the Caribbean once those cruises are available later this year.  Is immigration done by the cruise ship when we board so there is little interaction when we arrive in the US, or will we have a queue to go through after we arrive.  The question is not necessarily specific to Port Canaveral since I assume it would be similar to any port after a TA.

You will have to leave the ship on the turnaround day and go through immigration.. I’m not sure if they will use facial recognition  in Port Canaveral, which makes the process much faster.
 

I know that they can only use facial recognition in San Pedro for closed loop cruises. For a transpacific or Panama Canal Cruise, they don’t use it. I’m not certain if that’s true in Port Canaveral.

[Potstech]

Hopefully you are talking about a B2B on the same ship. If different ships then things could be different.

[capriccio]

8 hours ago, antsp said:

Does anyone know if port everglades has Global Entry 

We have global entry, but last summer Port Everglades terminal 2 (Princess) was using facial recognition on everyone or at least those with US passports.  I'm not sure how those holding passports from other countries were processed.  The process was incredibly fast - even faster than GE.