There are three ways to enter the United States of America. You can go by land, air, or by sea. If you have a US passport, the process is straightforward. You talk to a CBP agent at the border, and if everything checks out, you’re back on American soil.
The issue is that there can be a line at the border to talk with an agent. The line for US passport holders is typically shorter than the one for everyone else, but it can still be quite a wait.
To speed up the process, eligible persons can sign up for one of the expedited entry services, like Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI. The only one of the three that’s good for all points of entry is Global Entry. Well, good for almost every point of entry.
While you can use Global Entry at airports and land entries, it will not help you get through passport control any faster if you arrive by sea. And for most people, arriving by sea means returning from a cruise.
Global Entry and Cruises
Cruise passengers must go through the same process as anyone else entering the United States. After disembarking at the port, everyone collects their belongings and gets in line for passport control and customs. Since all passengers leave pretty much simultaneously, it’s like several wide-body planes getting to an airport all at once, and the lines can get long.
Even so, CBP’s website provides little to no information about using Global Entry at cruise ports. Before the pandemic, the only cruise port with a Global Entry lane was Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
While the cruise industry paused in 2020 and 2021, CBP transitioned from using Global Entry for select passengers to using biometric scanners and facial recognition for all passengers.
Biometrics
Although Global Entry doesn’t offer any assistance while taking a cruise, it is not necessary for most passengers. In comparison, during our return from a Virgin Voyages cruise in July 2022, we had to wait in a long queue to go through immigration. However, during our February 2024 cruise, we didn’t have to wait at all, thanks to CBP’s Biometric Facial Comparison Technology.
The technology is currently in place at 39 seaports and CBP keeps an updated list on its website: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/biometrics/seaports
Although Global Entry is helpful in expediting arrivals at airports, it has its own limitations when it comes to cruise ships. Since the number of passengers arriving at once is far greater than what airports need to handle, it becomes a challenging task. However, cruise lines possess valuable information about their passengers, which can help in streamlining the screening process for CBP. By working together and leveraging advances in technology, entering the US from a cruise ship can be as easy as just walking off the ramp.
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