Agricultural Inspection ? Bypassing it

[4275princess]

I read somewhere that if you keep the tags on your luggage from the cruise ship; you can bypass this inspection. The article indicated that not a lot of people know this. Has anyone else heard/done this????

 

I can't do "early walk off" because of physical limitations. My flight is @ 1:20 & I imagine Princess will have me off the boat between 8:30-9a. I know the airport will be getting crowded by that time. I just want to get through this inspection, check in and security quickest way.

 

I understand there is no curb-side that can do this & Princess does not offer Ez Air.

 

Any info is appreciated.

[Arrow Fan]

I read somewhere that if you keep the tags on your luggage from the cruise ship; you can bypass this inspection. The article indicated that not a lot of people know this. Has anyone else heard/done this????

 

I can't do "early walk off" because of physical limitations. My flight is @ 1:20 & I imagine Princess will have me off the boat between 8:30-9a. I know the airport will be getting crowded by that time. I just want to get through this inspection, check in and security quickest way.

 

I understand there is no curb-side that can do this & Princess does not offer Ez Air.

 

Any info is appreciated.

I dont think you can bypass Ag.inspection. They put a separate sticker on your bags to indicate you've been through it. I remember when we were there last year ,some people who tried to check their bags with the airline without these stickers were sent back to be inspected. The best way is to grab a porter as soon as you get there and he will take you through the whole process very quickly.

[DDMau]

I read somewhere that if you keep the tags on your luggage from the cruise ship; you can bypass this inspection. The article indicated that not a lot of people know this. Has anyone else heard/done this????

 

I can't do "early walk off" because of physical limitations. My flight is @ 1:20 & I imagine Princess will have me off the boat between 8:30-9a. I know the airport will be getting crowded by that time. I just want to get through this inspection, check in and security quickest way.

 

I understand there is no curb-side that can do this & Princess does not offer Ez Air.

 

Any info is appreciated.

 

Have your taxi driver drop you off at the AG inspection station, all you have to do is put your bags on the belt then pick it up at the other end with the needed sticker. Very easy and quick. I would not take the chance of not having the sticker because they will send you back.

[tinybabynurse]

Check this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php/t-1296561.html

 

Read the regulations for yourself and decide what you want to do. I always run everything through the Ag inspection and get the stickers. Only takes a minute and then you are certain not to have a problem

[Host Faith]

I would go through the inspection any way. It's a very quick process using a conveyor belt. Takes less than a minute, especially if you head straight to the airport from the ship. I've seen dozens of people turned away because their stickers from the screening were missing, only to end up way in back of the line. Not doing the inspection brings too much of a risk for losing time.

[4275princess]

Thanks for the replies. I guess what I read was inaccurate. I will have the cab drop us off @ AG Inspection area.

[LuckyZ]

So if I am staying overnight in San Juan upon return from the cruise, can I bypass the Ag line on the embarkation and just do it at the airport the next day?

[Clubber]

We have never gone through it and have always gone right from the ship to the airport with our disembarkation tags on. The customs agent always asks about produce, etc... when getting off the ship. Maybe it will be different this year. We'll find out soon.

[Host Faith]

So if I am staying overnight in San Juan upon return from the cruise, can I bypass the Ag line on the embarkation and just do it at the airport the next day?

 

The Ag inspection is only at the airport.

[Irish1978]

Ah the memories - chaos in San Jaun! When we were there it took us almost 90 minutes to get through the inspection....luckily our table mates were experienced cruisers in and out of San Juan and had warned us about it otherwise we would have missed our flight. Was the most unorganised process I have ever seen with coach drivers cutting the que with 50+ bags on a series of trolleys - at one point it got so heated security had to be called :eek:

[Host Faith]

Ah the memories - chaos in San Jaun! When we were there it took us almost 90 minutes to get through the inspection....luckily our table mates were experienced cruisers in and out of San Juan and had warned us about it otherwise we would have missed our flight. Was the most unorganised process I have ever seen with coach drivers cutting the que with 50+ bags on a series of trolleys - at one point it got so heated security had to be called :eek:

 

Oh yeah, it can be pretty hectic there. I've seen the frustration of people who weren't aware of the Ag screening, and finally reached the check in counter, only to be turned back to go through the screening. Thank God for CC, where I learned about this and made a beeline for the screening as soon as I reached the airport. When flying out of San Juan, we head right to the airport after leaving the ship. We go through the screening, and are normally some of the first people to check in. We're at our gate by about 9:30-9:45. We normally book flights for around 11:30 or so. I don't mind the wait as long as it's in a nice chair, near my departure gate, instead of standing in a long line to check in. :)

[BenjiRodney]

I read somewhere that if you keep the tags on your luggage from the cruise ship; you can bypass this inspection. The article indicated that not a lot of people know this. Has anyone else heard/done this????

 

I can't do "early walk off" because of physical limitations. My flight is @ 1:20 & I imagine Princess will have me off the boat between 8:30-9a. I know the airport will be getting crowded by that time. I just want to get through this inspection, check in and security quickest way.

 

I understand there is no curb-side that can do this & Princess does not offer Ez Air.

 

Any info is appreciated.

 

And the color of the sticker changes from day to day so the airline will know that you have been through the inspection process. I know from getting bumped off flight last year.:)

[melissa89n]

I thought we had to go through the Ag inspection even though we weren't checking bags, but it turned out it's only for checked bags. I'm glad I asked someone before we went through the line! We just got back yesterday.