Expired J1 visa

[adowler 0]

I am currently in the US on a J1 student visa from the United Kingdom, I have been here since July 2015 and my visa here expired in February 4th 2016.

I am working for Disney world on the college program and I extended my program so that my new end date is July 7th 2016.

I have an extended DS-2019 for but my visa is expired.

I am looking to go on a cruise to the Bahamas on the 8th of May- 12th May and the cruise will be

Cape Canaveral - Freeport - Nassau - Cape Canaveral.

Am I able to go on this cruise and still be okay to come back and finish my program?

My sponsor has sent me this response and I am struggling to make sense of it.

you are legally allowed to stay in the U.S. with an expired visa, so that

>is not an issue and you would also be allowed to travel anywhere in the
>U.S with an expired J-1 visa. An exception to this rule exists for J
>exchange visitors and their dependents who travel for less than 30 days
>solely to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands in the Caribbean (except
>Cuba). The expired J visas of such aliens are considered to be "extended"
>to the date of re-entry, eliminating the need to obtain a new visa at a
>U.S. consulate before that particular reentry.
>
>Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and certain other U.S. territories
>and possessions are part of the United States, so a J nonimmigrant does
>not need a visa to travel to those locations from within the 50 United
>States, or to return to the 50 United States from those locations.
>However, students and scholars should always carry full documentation
>(passport, DS-2019, and I-94) during such travel. Also, exchange visitors
>should be careful to verify that their travel does not involve transit
>through or short stays in other countries, since full documentation
>(including a visa) for return to the U.S. may be necessary.
>
>While this is the rule we have been given, I personally, can never
>guarantee you will be allowed to re-enter the U.S. This decision is made
>at the boarder.

Please help!

[newacct 688]

Yes, you can use Automatic Revalidation to visit Canada, Mexico, or Caribbean islands for less than 30 days and return to resume your J-1 status without needing a J-1 visa.