Random Customs Search?

I just got back from a 7 day cruise aboard Caribbean Princess (southern caribbean) with my girlfriend. It started and ended in San Juan, PR, and upon disembarking, both of our cruise cards sounded an alarm instead of the normal "ding" and we were told to step aside while the other passengers continued disembarking.

We were escorted off of the ship with no explanation, told to collect our luggage (which was already separated from the other passengers' luggage), and taken directly to customs. The officer asked us a few questions, and searched our luggage. The process only took a few minutes, but we were never given an explanation. The silver lining is that we got to skip ahead of the line and were given free bus transfers to the airport.

Has this happened to anyone else? Was it just a random search?

Did you purchase a large amount of duty free items on board the ship itself?

Sign me up!

the Customs' dogs must have sniffed something you picked-up in Jamaica and/or Caymans.

We didn't purchase any duty free items, and aside from the pictures they sell on the ship, and a few refrigerator magnets, we didn't have anything to declare. In fact, we were flagged before anyone had seen our customs declaration.

I don't think it would have been a random search. They can do that easily, say, every 50th passenger going through the Customs checkpoint. No, they went to the trouble of separating your luggage and having Princess go into their passenger system to flag your records. Clearly, they wanted to talk to you. The dogs must have hit on something in (or on) your luggage. Not that the dogs can't be mistaken, of course.

Aside from that, how did you like your cruise? The Statuesque Mrs. RNE and I will be boarding Emerald Princess two months from today. Looking forward to it. ^

Your name may have matched somebody they were looking for.

Oh and just to be safe, check all your credit card statements, just in case somebody made a huge purchase on one of the islands that alerted them without you knowing.

It's always a good idea to keep an eye on one's credit card activity�especially after traveling. But Customs would have asked the OP about�or at the very least mentioned�such a large transaction if that were the impetus for the search.

As a very regular cruiser, not only have we never had this happen, but have never seen it happen to other people exiting a cruise. Something must have been a trigger for the search.

Never seen this happen myself either (or heard of it, I doubt that it's random, something must have gotten them flagged). Although I have been behind someone who had put away their entry form and had to go digging through their purse to get it when they got to the proper spot, pulling an orange out of their purse in the process. (And by pulling out, I mean pulling it out and waving it around in the air with one hand while continuing to dig through the purse with the other). That couple got a side trip to one of the little rooms there.

New here not sure where to post. I just returned from BVI after a week there. In San Juan customs the others went through with no glitch. My wife and I enetered and she was fine... he scanned my passport and stared at screen and asked the last 4 of my SSN.

Called over another agent and gave him my passport. That agent had me get my bags and go to yet another agent. This agent looked at screen and asked my last 4 again. He went into an office where I could see him call someone on a phone.

Came back and I asked if anything was wrong. Than he stated no just checking??? He let me go... did not check my bags or ask me anything else???? I am born and raised in USA and a retired USMC veteran... it just makes me wonder?

I do not travel a lot outside USA but do on occasion... any body have an idea what may have been up??? Any where else I could post or check?

Thanks and Blue Skies,

"Elderly" lady cruise passengers were found to be working as illegal drug mules in recent raids, stashing the hash in their luggage among their souviners.

So they need to diversify the inspection profile to include the "innocent" looking along with the more profiled guility.

It's possible your name is similar to one recently added to a watch list. Or someone with a similar name to yours lost his passport. You can never know for sure why the agents took an interest in you, but their asking for your social security number was probably to ensure you are really you. The State Department ties your social security number to your passport, but it's not on your passport, so an impostor with your passport would probably not know your social security number. But you, of course, do. ^

Are you serious, or are you joking? Do you have a link to any story about this?