Customs Declaration. Do you........

What not to do....

Dont wear the Rolex home

Dont have the cigars sticking out of your shirt pocket ( I saw this happen )

Buy padded bottle bags at The Container Store.  Then store them in your luggage in vacuum sealed bags with some clothes.

Dont discuss your purchases with anyone.  It's none of their business.

never put $0 on the bottom line of the form. It raises suspicion. No one goes to the Caribbean ( or anywhere else ) and buys nothing.  Declare a few t shirts.  A hat, whatever.

What to do.....

be polite to the customs agent. A simple good morning goes a long way. Remove your sunglasses, and have your passports and form ready.  Don't smile. You just came OFF a cruise ship. No one is happy.  If they say welcome home, say thank you, glad to be back.  

No, I don't lie on the declaration form.  Then again, I rarely buy anything expensive on a cruise.  When I do I declare it.  Why take a chance....  On our last cruise, I declared 8 bottles of wine and they didn't charge me any thing - go figure.

Yes and no ... Yes, i am fairly accurate on the declaration form and believe if you can afford to buy something beyond the amount allowed for that country, you can afford the tax.  No because my son once put a dozen cuban cigars in my carry-on that I did not know were there so I suppose I lied to customs when I said I did not have cigars...

I try and abide by the rules of the ship and the places I visit so my vacation is not ruined by my own stupidity.

I declare everything. Why hide something (guess i'm just used to it with my trips from Buffalo to Canada). 

I do try and protect my goods though, so the padded bottle holders or wrap them in clothes... Why go through all that trouble just to have it break and be useless. 

You are not hard to catch.  Love it when people lie. Bam!  Triple duty or seized

I have a very short list since I have very little to declare. So, yes I declare everything.

ctav

I declare everything.   Some cruises I have nothing to declare as I have been to those stops before so I have no need for any more t-shirts or hats from that port.   I'm always polite and have my passport and customs slip ready.   I also wish them a great day after I say thank you. 

If I bring back more then my allowance of booze I have my travel companions put it on there form so we all take home the max.

We aren't much for buying major stuff while away.  Mostly souvenirs for holiday gifts. Yes we declare it. No sense being dishonest about it.

Always declare everything. Sailing into the states, then flying to Canada. It is just easier.

We declare everything. The most expensive thing I've bought was a diamond bracelet, and it didn't go over the allowance.