diff --git a/builder/digitalocean/step_power_off.go b/builder/digitalocean/step_power_off.go
index a29116cae..9964db802 100644
--- a/builder/digitalocean/step_power_off.go
+++ b/builder/digitalocean/step_power_off.go
@@ -15,31 +15,31 @@ func (s *stepPowerOff) Run(state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 	dropletId := state.Get("droplet_id").(uint)
 
-	// Gracefully power off the droplet. We have to retry this a number
-	// of times because sometimes it says it completed when it actually
-	// did absolutely nothing (*ALAKAZAM!* magic!). We give up after
-	// a pretty arbitrary amount of time.
-	var err error
-	ui.Say("Gracefully shutting down droplet...")
-	for attempts := 1; attempts <= 10; attempts++ {
-		log.Printf("PowerOffDroplet attempt #%d...", attempts)
-		err := client.PowerOffDroplet(dropletId)
-		if err != nil {
-			err := fmt.Errorf("Error powering off droplet: %s", err)
-			state.Put("error", err)
-			ui.Error(err.Error())
-			return multistep.ActionHalt
-		}
-
-		err = waitForDropletState("off", dropletId, client, 20*time.Second)
-		if err == nil {
-			// We reached the state!
-			break
-		}
+	_, status, err := client.DropletStatus(dropletId)
+	if err != nil {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("Error checking droplet state: %s", err)
+		state.Put("error", err)
+		ui.Error(err.Error())
+		return multistep.ActionHalt
+	}
+
+	if status == "off" {
+		// Droplet is already off, don't do anything
+		return multistep.ActionContinue
+	}
+
+	// Pull the plug on the Droplet
+	ui.Say("Forcefully shutting down Droplet...")
+	err = client.PowerOffDroplet(dropletId)
+	if err != nil {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("Error powering off droplet: %s", err)
+		state.Put("error", err)
+		ui.Error(err.Error())
+		return multistep.ActionHalt
 	}
 
+	err = waitForDropletState("off", dropletId, client, 20*time.Second)
 	if err != nil {
-		err := fmt.Errorf("Error waiting for droplet to become 'off': %s", err)
 		state.Put("error", err)
 		ui.Error(err.Error())
 		return multistep.ActionHalt
diff --git a/builder/digitalocean/step_shutdown.go b/builder/digitalocean/step_shutdown.go
index 3bbbf83f8..16996bb02 100644
--- a/builder/digitalocean/step_shutdown.go
+++ b/builder/digitalocean/step_shutdown.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/multistep"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/packer/packer"
+	"log"
 )
 
 type stepShutdown struct{}
@@ -14,17 +15,29 @@ func (s *stepShutdown) Run(state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 	dropletId := state.Get("droplet_id").(uint)
 
-	err := client.ShutdownDroplet(dropletId)
-	if err != nil {
-		err := fmt.Errorf("Error shutting down droplet: %s", err)
-		state.Put("error", err)
-		ui.Error(err.Error())
-		return multistep.ActionHalt
+	// Gracefully power off the droplet. We have to retry this a number
+	// of times because sometimes it says it completed when it actually
+	// did absolutely nothing (*ALAKAZAM!* magic!). We give up after
+	// a pretty arbitrary amount of time.
+	var err error
+	ui.Say("Gracefully shutting down droplet...")
+	for attempts := 1; attempts <= 10; attempts++ {
+		log.Printf("ShutdownDropetl attempt #%d...", attempts)
+		err := client.ShutdownDroplet(dropletId)
+		if err != nil {
+			err := fmt.Errorf("Error shutting down droplet: %s", err)
+			state.Put("error", err)
+			ui.Error(err.Error())
+			return multistep.ActionHalt
+		}
+
+		err = waitForDropletState("off", dropletId, client, c.stateTimeout)
+		if err == nil {
+			break
+		}
 	}
 
-	err = waitForDropletState("off", dropletId, client, c.stateTimeout)
 	if err != nil {
-		err := fmt.Errorf("Error waiting for droplet to become 'off': %s", err)
 		state.Put("error", err)
 		ui.Error(err.Error())
 		return multistep.ActionHalt