Customs at european ports

[peeweeram]

Going on my first European cruise. Will be stopping in 4 different countries. Do we have to go through customs at each port stop? If so, how long does this usually take? Seems like it would cut into your day at each stop.

[KeithJenner]

What specific ports?

 

Almost all ports in Europe have no customs at all to deal with, but we can't say for sure as there are some (i.e. St Petersburg) which are a problem.

[sanger727]

We did a European cruise with stops in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. We didn't have to go through customs at any of them, it was just like a Caribbean cruise where we only went through customs when disembarking. The only difference was that as US citizens (instead of EU citizens), they kept our passport at guest services for the cruise (I assume it has to do with the customs paperwork/requirements that the cruise line is responsible for).

[old nutter]

You will not be expected to go through customs or immigration checks at each port. The ship will do the necessary clearance before disembarkation starts. Depending on your cruise, all of the countries will probably belong to the EU and have common borders anyway. There will probably be government controls out and into the port, but as long as you show your ship keycard they will normally let you straight through. Some ports have bag search X-rays on return, but they are rarely the cause of any delays. No issue at all.

[easyboy]

We did a European cruise with stops in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. We didn't have to go through customs at any of them, it was just like a Caribbean cruise where we only went through customs when disembarking. The only difference was that as US citizens (instead of EU citizens), they kept our passport at guest services for the cruise (I assume it has to do with the customs paperwork/requirements that the cruise line is responsible for).

It happened to us too at Southampton UK.

[hawkeyetlse]

As KeithJenner said, it would be helpful if the OP came back with more specific details about their itinerary. And if they could clarify what they mean by "customs". I haven't encountered customs (questioning about goods you are carrying, baggage inspections, charging duty on excess goods, etc.) at any European ports of call. Customs agents are sometimes hanging around when you leave the ship, and they can search your bags if they want to. They just never want to.

 

As far as passport control goes (lots of people call this "customs", too), I think St Petersburg is the only exception that passengers on NCL's European itineraries need to worry about.