Airport Security and Customs Nightmare

[HockeyMom]

I just got back from a cruise to Nassau and a flight back from Florida. Going through Customs getting off the ship was absolutely horrible. "Passports, PLEASE". Yes, I had a passport, even though I thought you only needed one for AIR TRAVEL to the Caribbean. The Customs Agents were giving almost everybody a hard time. No, not for what they were brining back, but in checking their PASSPORTS.

Then one day later I went through Airport Security in Florida. Again, another nightmare. They were stopping so many people it took forever. They kept saying over the loudspeakers that we are now on "heightened security". We are? When did this happen? What gives?

I did not encounter this on the flight down from New York last Friday. It just seemed that all the agents yesterday and today were much more "uptight".

Or am I being overly paranoid?

[LibertyLover]

1. About a month ago I returned from a trip to the UK

and had no problems. We flew in to Atlanta from Edinburgh. Originally we were supposed to fly from Edinburgh to Heathrow and then Heathrow to Baltimore (we live in Annapolis), but that was when Heathrow was socked in by fog and there were no domestic flights. The trains were fully booked between the holidays coming up and the fog, but I was able to get us rebooked on a direct Delta flight from Edinburgh to Atlanta and a connecting flight to Baltimore. We didn't have a great deal of time between flights and our flight out of Scotland was late taking off, so I figured what with having to reclaim luggage and go through Customs and Immigration, we could kiss our connecting flight good-bye. However, Customs was very quick and polite. Airport security wasn't bad either, with few people that I could see being stopped.

[peacebird]

2. my travel agent just told us no PASSPORT was needed for our cruise to Nassau in May

Tell me - how much hassle is there in boarding for the cruise? I had wanted to take a bottle of wine for our cabin, she said to put it in my checked bag. Did you have any problems with what you wanted to take on-board? My folks want to take their little "portable bar" (a small suitcase with scotch and vodka)
Will this be ok?

[HockeyMom]

4. My advice

Get the passport. They even asked for it for boarding the ship too. The procedure was much the same as going through airport security. All your checked bags go through the metal detector. I don't know about the carry on procedure since all my toiletries I packed in my checked luggage since I took a flight first. I only carried on my purse and a backpack with my jewelry and extra jacket.

If they want to take any liquids on board, put it in the checked luggage.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. You don't need a passport yet.

It's not mandatory until next year for ground and water arrivals. Having said that, I've heard more than a few reports from friends who were hassled crossing by land from Canada because they had only a driver's license and certified birth certificate which IS sufficient documentation under current rules. So if you have a passport,you may want to bring it and cut your risk of hassle. If you don't have one and don't want to get one, be sure to have your birth certificate (or naturalization cert if you weren't born here) and a state issued photo ID.

(I don't know about liquor regs)

[dysfunctional press]

3. it's the week of the Uber Bowl-

and they heightened the security level for that reason alone.