Jump to content

Vancouver airport immigration and customs


Recommended Posts

Exactly! LOL. We were so impressed with how efficient, streamlined, and professional it was going through the procedures in Vancouver compared to just trying to get through security in the US. And yes, it was 2:50 a.m. for a 6:10 am flight. They started boarding at 5:30 :)

 

The problem is that US Immigration/Customs Pre-clearance at YVR doesn't open until 04:30, and in reality that means 04:45 because they seem to have a staff meeting before they open. So you're not getting into the E (US pre-clearance gates) before 04:45 at the earliest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have not made our travel arrangements yet. Wanted to get this information first.

 

Since we arrive at port on a Sunday morning ---- but do not disembark until Monday at 8:00 a.m. ..... would we not go through formal CPB on Monday with our luggage?

 

I understand US Customs does not open until 4:30 at the airport. But - what time could we get off the ship? Will Canada let us disembark early? Will CBP be open at port at 4:30 a.m.

 

Or do I have all of this wrong? Hey, thank you so much ...... this site has never led me wrong and it is my first go to for info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Clarification needed - it sounds like you mean that you stay ON THE SHIP overnight in Vancouver? That's very unusual, though not unheard of. Some of the smaller/fancier lines do this on occasion either at the start or end of a trip, but I have no personal experience with the practicalities of what hours they let you (dis)embark while docked.

 

In terms of Canadian customs & immigration, you'll generally do these as soon as you arrive in Canada - so if it's an overnight stay on the vessel, you can expect to see CBSA on arrival Sunday, but never again (as long as duty free shops stay closed, there's no customs issue either while the ship remains docked in Canada - but expect to see tax added to your booze on the ship). If you are leaving the ship Sunday and overnighting in a hotel it's much simpler - you definitely see CBSA on disembarkation.

 

Best guess is that if the vessel leaves for a US port after your cruise, US CBP would only get involved on the second day so that new pax embarking and those who are doing B2B can all be pre-cleared for entering USA. It would be simply impractical to keep the vessel in preclearance for two days as people constantly come and go for excursions etc. whereas making folks on a B2B get off and reboard for processing means no extra CBP staff time compared to a normal embarkation day.

 

If you're flying home Monday, you'll see CBP at YVR for preclearance - and as mentioned they will not be open until some time after 4:30am each day.

 

TL;DR - when you want to enter Canada you see CBSA, when you want to enter USA you see CBP.

 

Edit - checking your post history, looks like you're on Crystal Serenity next June which does indeed overnight at Canada Place. Further complicating matters, you actually enter Canada in Victoria on Saturday! expect to be asked to complete a customs declaration for Canada and hand it in to the front desk BEFORE you get to Victoria. Your names will be run for clearance behind the scenes and anyone with a red flag (criminal record etc.) most likely will be forbidden to board in LA, with actually meeting CBSA very likely to occur in Vancouver on Sunday (Victoria has fewer staff). But it's possible that you will all have to see CBSA in Victoria for formal immigration too.

 

Given this is a Crystal cruise, and they have done overnights before, I suggest you post on the Crystal board - there are a handful of folks over there I know have done overnights here in Vancouver this year, e.g. before the Northwest Passage cruise. They will be the best-placed to answer about how & when they could get on and off the ship while in port!

Edited by martincath
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given this is a Crystal cruise, and they have done overnights before, I suggest you post on the Crystal board - there are a handful of folks over there I know have done overnights here in Vancouver this year, e.g. before the Northwest Passage cruise. They will be the best-placed to answer about how & when they could get on and off the ship while in port!

 

Will post there ......... thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have two questions. We embark on a cruise in SF, and disembark in Vancouver. I understand when we disembark we go through Canadian customs. And I know we will go through customs again to get on the plane to SF.

 

How much time does it take to go through customs once we disembark the ship (we walk off with carry on), and how much time does it take go through security/customs at the airport?

 

Also, we disembark on a Mon. with one other ship in port.....how easy will it be to get a cab with our early walk off??

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have two questions. We embark on a cruise in SF, and disembark in Vancouver. I understand when we disembark we go through Canadian customs. And I know we will go through customs again to get on the plane to SF.

 

How much time does it take to go through customs once we disembark the ship (we walk off with carry on), and how much time does it take go through security/customs at the airport?

 

Also, we disembark on a Mon. with one other ship in port.....how easy will it be to get a cab with our early walk off??

 

Thanks

You've ALMOST got it - you do both Immigration AND Customs as you leave the ship, then again at the airport. Unlike RT cruises, with a ship coming in from a different country that has not had everyone pre-cleared, it's not just a token 'glance at your declaration card and wave you through' situation - you will actually have to speak to CBSA staff, show passports etc.

 

Given you are cruising in and it sounds like flying back to USA same day the odds of you being targeted for extra questioning beyond the initial 'Why are you visiting and for how long?' are slim, but unless you are among the first few people off the ship it's impossible to say how long you'll wait - even if you personally take 30 seconds with the agent, the queue can get pretty long.

 

Ditto at the airport - assuming you are US citizens with appropriate ID and you aren't over your duty-free allowances, it should be a very quick processing (unless you've never used the kiosks before - it can take a couple of minutes the first time to figure out what to do). BUT - how many folks ahead of you are tourists, don't know the kiosks, etc. etc.

 

Since you're traveling carry-on, if you queue up for self-disembark ASAP my best guess is five minutes to get off the ship and through CBSA if you are first off, maybe 15mins if you are among the last self-disembarkers but still before the folks who have to collect luggage.

 

Taxi queue will also be short for early-off people so you should walk right into a cab - you could be at YVR within 45 mins from when you got off the ship. Exactly how big the queues are at YVR will depend on how many flights leave in the next 2-3 hours and how early other air pax show up. Beating most of your fellow cruisers there means it's likely you'll be done with Security in 10-15mins and US CBP in the same or less - but there are more variables than at the pier.

 

Having Global Entry or NEXUS will help at YVR - but TSA Pre is worthless here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Port customs and airport customs delays depends if you go at peak times.

 

When the ship docks, there will be a large rush of people rushing to the airport between 7 and 9am for noon flights. I like to enjoy my breakfast and be one of the last to get off around 9:30am. The cab lines are shorter too.

 

It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to travel from the cruise terminal to the airport.

 

Once at the airport, they recommend 3hrs before your flight. This allows for check-in, US customs, and security (hand, body, cavity, carry-on's, checked luggage, liquids, electronics, medications, weapons, WMD's, and the random complementary personalized secondary experience).

 

So choose a noon flight for earliest choice. But something after 3pm gives you time for breakfast or other sightseeing activities at your bonus port.

Edited by xlxo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We sail from Los Angeles and end in Vancouver with an overnight stay. Questions:

1. Do we go through Canadian customs when we get off the ship or at the airport?

 

2. Since it is an overnight - would we be able to take an early morning flight to the US? Wondering about hours of getting through customs.

 

3. Did I read right - we will go through Canadian customs and then through US customs in Vancouver?

 

Thank you ---- yep, I'm a bit confused ~grin~

 

Sounds like you are on a repositioning cruise....

 

You clear Canada customs in your first port of entry into Canada. For some repositioning cruses that is Victoria for others that is Vancouver. Very rare these days but it could also be Nanaimo. When I have done it on some of the NCL ships, Victoria is the first stop then Vancouver. They collect the customers cards in LA and clear the entire ship in Victoria. The view people that the authorities want to talk to are paged and handled separately. When the ship reached Vancouver the next day, we had already been cleared and there was nothing involved.

 

Airlines generally recommend being at the airport two hours before departure for US bound flights. If you are a US or Canadian national, there are automated kiosks at the airport for customer that make the process go quickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
.....We are flying from Atlanta to Vancouver with a stopover in Toronto first. So do we go through customs in Toronto? or Vancouver or Atlanta? I'm so confused :confused:

 

Since there is no Canadian pre-clearance in Atlanta, you will de-plane and clear Canadian C&I in Toronto, and then your flight from Toronto to Vancouver will be considered domestic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Another related question. We have not yet made our flight arrangements. Our ship leaves Vancouver, and we'll return to Vancouver as well on the 2nd part of our vacation. Is it better to fly into Seattle and then take the Amtrak to Vancouver, and then do the same when we finish our trip? Versus flying in and out of Vancouver?

Thank you for all the great info!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends....

  • how much are you saving per person vs the cost of travelling 3 to 5 hours between the airport. This will depend on where you are coming from.
  • there are two trains a day Northbound and two trains a day Southbound. You may need to budget a hotel in Seattle for those train schedules. How well does your flight and train schedule work out.
  • the Amtrak train does not pickup at the airport.... you need to plan the extra time and cost to get between airport and train station.
  • Quick Shuttle, Amtrak, and Bolt operate a dozen buses between the Seattle and Vancouver. However only Quick Shuttle offers pickup at the airport with 6 to 7 daily trips each way.
  • you can Orca whale watch your way from Vancouver to Seattle too!
  • some like to rent a car and drive the 3 to 5 hours
  • are you making the crossing on a busy weekend? Are you travelling on a long weekend makes the crossing longer?
  • the Seattle airport does make sense if you plan to add an additional city for sightseeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another related question. We have not yet made our flight arrangements. Our ship leaves Vancouver, and we'll return to Vancouver as well on the 2nd part of our vacation. Is it better to fly into Seattle and then take the Amtrak to Vancouver, and then do the same when we finish our trip? Versus flying in and out of Vancouver?

Thank you for all the great info!

I think I gave you some train info on another thread - your DH was a train buff, no?

 

If you're spending pre- and post-cruise in Vancouver, then the only rational reason to use SEA is if it saves you enough $ to be worth the time spent. Many factors in how much cheaper a SEA flight is vs. YVR - only you can decide if the cost saving is worth time & effort of travel.

 

But, if I am recalling you correctly and the train ride would be an inherently enjoyable thing for you, then perhaps fly into one airport and out of the other so you only need to travel between them once? Unless two rides on the train, diff directions and potentially diff times of day, would be of genuine interest of course.

 

Tl;DR - 'better' is subjective! ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, martincath, you did. I still haven't decided about flying to Seattle or Vancouver. Hubby does not want to spend much time in Seattle, and would rather hotel in Vancouver. You actually hit the nail on the head about what I'm thinking - flying into Seattle, taking bags to Amtrak for the evening train, then doing a little walking to Skyview Observatory or the other tall building (can't remember the name of it), and then taking the evening train to Vancouver, hotelling that night, and then going to the ship the next day. Then when we return, spending a couple days in Vancouver touring (thanks to all the great info from you Vancouverites), and then flying out of Vancouver.

The plane trip to Vancouver has 2 stops with changes and long layovers, and the plane trip to Seattle is non-stop. I think I'd prefer that. The trip back from Vancouver is one stop, and not hours and hours of layover, so I think that option is more reasonable.

 

I think the one concern I had and why I asked the question earlier was how difficult it is to get through customs, etc. And thinking it was easier to do the train back to the U.S.

 

Again, thank you all for the wonderful information. I have spent many hours reading it all, and trying to make our plans. The planning has been wonderful! And our trip is six months away!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the one concern I had and why I asked the question earlier was how difficult it is to get through customs, etc. And thinking it was easier to do the train back to the U.S.

 

Going through US customs on departure from YVR (and other major Canadian airports) is no more difficult than going through customs on arrival at a US airport. If anything, it is easier. Other than first thing in the morning when customs opens, you don't get the bunching up and long lines that occur when large trans-oceanic planes land at the same time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The plane trip to Vancouver has 2 stops with changes and long layovers, and the plane trip to Seattle is non-stop. I think I'd prefer that. The trip back from Vancouver is one stop, and not hours and hours of layover, so I think that option is more reasonable.

That's actually a good point to clarify from my note above - it's not just whether the train/bus time & cost still saves you enough to be worthwhile, it's the end-to-end flight AND land transport (if any) times. A non-stop to SEA then a train may actually be just as fast as a 2 stop flight!

 

Customs/Immigration at the train station is more pleasant, and much more consistent in timing, than at YVR. If you're in business class you get priority disembarkation so you'll be off the train and through CBSA within 2-5 minutes; even the last coach carriage (which we inevitably get, since we roll into the station minutes before departure on the US end since we've seen the view so many times) is consistently around the 20min mark from train stopping to getting through CBSA. Airport is always dependent on how many other flights get in about the same time as you - you may breeze through, you may take an hour - while that single Amtrak train is literally the ONLY job the CBSA folks have to do, as buses all stop at the border.

 

A single-stop from YVR, unless the layover is ridiculous, should be the fastest way home compared to any method of going to SEA for even another non-stop flight. And as was said above, seeing US CBP here rather than on touchdown is more efficient - and the kiosks make it even smoother for US/CAD citizens these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so much martincath. That is the info I was looking for. Hubby really doesn't want to stay in Seattle, but I think it might be fun to do a few hours while we're waiting for the evening train. Neither of us has ever been.

I just don't think either one of us would be happy about 12 hours and two stops and lots of layover on our way to our vacation. And adding a train to the first part of our vacation will make hubby very happy, and make him feel like he's starting his vacation.

Thank you again for all your wonderful advice. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Just testing my knowledge after reading this very informative thread:

 

Outbound we're flying ATL>SEA>YVR. If I understand correctly, we will clear Canadian customs and immigration as we deplane in YVR.

 

The next day we're cruising to Alaska. If I understand correctly, we will pre-clear US customs and immigration at the cruise port before embarkation.

 

A week later we're back from the cruise. If I understand correctly, we will clear Canadian customs and immigration at the cruise port on debarkation.

 

That evening, we're flying YVR>ATL nonstop. If I understand correctly, we will pre-clear US customs and immigration in YVR before getting on our flight.

 

4 out of 4? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just testing my knowledge after reading this very informative thread:

 

Outbound we're flying ATL>SEA>YVR. If I understand correctly, we will clear Canadian customs and immigration as we deplane in YVR.

 

The next day we're cruising to Alaska. If I understand correctly, we will pre-clear US customs and immigration at the cruise port before embarkation.

 

A week later we're back from the cruise. If I understand correctly, we will clear Canadian customs and immigration at the cruise port on debarkation.

 

That evening, we're flying YVR>ATL nonstop. If I understand correctly, we will pre-clear US customs and immigration in YVR before getting on our flight.

 

4 out of 4? :)

 

Yes on all 4.

 

We flew from ATL to YVR Clear customs in YVR

Before boarding the ship we cleared customs at Canada Place

 

We flew back from Anchorage to Atlanta so we didn't have to go through customs again but what I have read you will clear customs at YVR before boarding the plane to Atlanta

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...