Ensenada Bus to San Diego - Your Experiences

[jrbills]

Thank you for the information. I appreciate it

[zoncom]

Did this gig on NCL maybe 91. NCL picks us up at SD airport, buses us to a nice hotel where we had drinks and outdoor picnic in garden. Couple hours later nice US coaches pull up and drive us to Ensenada ship.Very pleasant. I am contemplating Solstice Fall 13. Guess I will take my chances. X is cheaping out on charter buses. Not good. Mexico has become dangerous. Lets get EDDIE to run the show. X does listen to us here. Remember we got Caracus and Tobago off the port list by complaints.Cruise biz is very tough now with both bad economy plus over supply of ships.

[germanyboy]

Bussing Ensenada to San Diego is another different world than San Diego to Ensenada.

Been there the hard way, wouldn't do it again

[gmamacruiser]

Hoping you can all help me make a decision here.

 

Unfortunately our 2013 cruise finishes in Ensenada and we will need to bus it through the border to San Diego. I am leaning towards cancelling the cruise because the PVSA/Jones' Act means we cannot do a B2B and avoid the bus trip. Some of the posts I have seen on CC really put me off the whole idea, especially as we will be coming off one of the huge ships, the Solstice and I can only imagine how many coach loads there will be.

 

So, for those of you who have done this bus trip - What were your experiences? Were the buses in good shape? Did you feel safe on the journey and at the border crossing? Were there huge lineups at the border and what about washrooms at the border - adequate or not?

 

Please - give me the good, bad and ugly to help me make my decision.

 

Did this just yesterday, sept 23, 2013 from Celebrity Solstice back to San Diego airport. Will never book another trip that ends in Ensenada. Celebrity says trip from ship to airport takes approx 120 mins - took 6 HOURS. Bus pulled away from ship at exactly 8 AM and arrived at SD airport at 2 PM. Part of problem was driver made several wrong turns in Tiajuana. We were backing down bridges for long distances and making crazy u turns trying to get to border crossing. Then at border we sat in long bus line waiting to go through customs. In line long enough for full length movie to be shown. At crossing every bus passenger had to get off bus with all carry-ons and each passenger had to present self And passport to customs agent. Then stand in line to get back on same bus you arrived on. Finally, back in USA for rest of ride to airport - bout another half hour. There the driver mistakenly drove bus to arriving passenger area of airport rather than departing passenger area so another mistake. Many on bus missed flights and others were running hoping to make flights. We were staying over in San Diego for several days so we were ok just tired and uncomfortable. If going to do this my suggestions are - plan to stay over in San Diego for at least one night or book late flight so not stressed out on bus ride about making flight, take bottle of water and snack on bus (Celebrity should have provided this!!), and take sanitizing hand wipes. Also stress to cruise line you want a driver who knows how to get where going!!

There was restroom on bus - cleaner than ones on excursion buses in Monterey and Los Angeles, but no hand washing facility, sanitizer or toilet tissue. I had a package of handy wipes which I shared with other passengers. Just go prepared as I have outlined and hope your trip is better than ours but after talking to folks do not think our experience unusual. Hope this helps!

[jerspop]

I am sorry you had a bad driver. We left on coach 5 at 7.a.m approximately.Concerned as we had a 12.55pm flight. A long wait at the customs, certainly not a Celebrity fault. After all the concern we were checking in 10.15am. app., After all the bad experiences folks had last year we were pleasantly surprised at the nice coaches and I am sure improved road conditions.

[BEAV]

Anytime a Celebrity ship does Ensenada transfers, there are always horror stories as well as "happy endings" as evidenced by the two posts directly above. The truth is it takes a huge fleet of buses to shuttle 2000+ passengers from Ensenada to San Diego. There's no right or wrong answer here because each is sharing their own experience, some truly horrible, others slick and fairly streamlined.

 

How you manage through the transfer is pretty much a coin toss as to which bus and driver out of a huge fleet you'll wind up on.

[Mark_K]

Did this just yesterday, sept 23, 2013 from Celebrity Solstice back to San Diego airport. Will never book another trip that ends in Ensenada. Celebrity says trip from ship to airport takes approx 120 mins - took 6 HOURS. Bus pulled away from ship at exactly 8 AM and arrived at SD airport at 2 PM. Part of problem was driver made several wrong turns in Tiajuana. We were backing down bridges for long distances and making crazy u turns trying to get to border crossing. Then at border we sat in long bus line waiting to go through customs. In line long enough for full length movie to be shown. At crossing every bus passenger had to get off bus with all carry-ons and each passenger had to present self And passport to customs agent. Then stand in line to get back on same bus you arrived on. Finally, back in USA for rest of ride to airport - bout another half hour. There the driver mistakenly drove bus to arriving passenger area of airport rather than departing passenger area so another mistake. Many on bus missed flights and others were running hoping to make flights. We were staying over in San Diego for several days so we were ok just tired and uncomfortable. If going to do this my suggestions are - plan to stay over in San Diego for at least one night or book late flight so not stressed out on bus ride about making flight, take bottle of water and snack on bus (Celebrity should have provided this!!), and take sanitizing hand wipes. Also stress to cruise line you want a driver who knows how to get where going!!

There was restroom on bus - cleaner than ones on excursion buses in Monterey and Los Angeles, but no hand washing facility, sanitizer or toilet tissue. I had a package of handy wipes which I shared with other passengers. Just go prepared as I have outlined and hope your trip is better than ours but after talking to folks do not think our experience unusual. Hope this helps!

We had a similar experience only an hour later (we left at 9:00) and more trouble. It took us closer to 6 1/2 hours 9:00-3:30, and in addition to no toilet paper in the lavatory, the door didn't work properly and a lady got stuck inside. Also, our bus driver had to pull over to the side of the road in Tijuana to ask for directions, and got lost in San Diego.

 

 

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[gmamacruiser]

I am sorry you had a bad driver. We left on coach 5 at 7.a.m approximately.Concerned as we had a 12.55pm flight. A long wait at the customs, certainly not a Celebrity fault. After all the concern we were checking in 10.15am. app., After all the bad experiences folks had last year we were pleasantly surprised at the nice coaches and I am sure improved road conditions.

 

Glad all went well for you especially with your noonish flight. Had done this once before number of years ago and went much smoother so was surprised at yesterday's 6 hour trip. Our bus was in the middle of "the pack" - mid 30s. Hate to know how late the later departing buses arrived at airport. I am going to write Celebrity and recommend they give each passenger a bottle of water as they board their bus. Thankfully I had a package of crackers and a cola in my carry on which my husband and I shared but most on our bus had nothing. They were at least expecting to find vending machine at Custom Bldg but we were told by officers there that there were not any. With all the cruises available out there this is a situation we will avoid in the future.

[Mark_K]

Anytime a Celebrity ship does Ensenada transfers, there are always horror stories as well as "happy endings" as evidenced by the two posts directly above. The truth is it takes a huge fleet of buses to shuttle 2000+ passengers from Ensenada to San Diego. There's no right or wrong answer here because each is sharing their own experience, some truly horrible, others slick and fairly streamlined.

 

How you manage through the transfer is pretty much a coin toss as to which bus and driver out of a huge fleet you'll wind up on.

Wouldn't you think after years of doing it, they would have the kinks worked out? Just off the top if my head, I could give them several ideas to improve things ...

 

Don't mislead people as to how long it will take. If it might be six plus hours, don't say it will take two.

 

If it might take six hours, five if which you're stuck on a bus with no access to water, provide water and at least some snacks.

 

If you know your buses are going to clog up security at the border, don't send them all off first thing in the morning, space it out even if it means delaying boarding for the next group.

 

If it's a weekday border busyness problem, make it so your cruises end on weekends.

 

Hire competent bus drivers and make sure the buses have adequate facilities e.g. Toilet paper.

 

 

 

 

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[BEAV]

Wouldn't you think after years of doing it, they would have the kinks worked out? Just off the top if my head, I could give them several ideas to improve things ...

 

Don't mislead people as to how long it will take. If it might be six plus hours, don't say it will take two.

 

If it might take six hours, five if which you're stuck on a bus with no access to water, provide water and at least some snacks.

 

If you know your buses are going to clog up security at the border, don't send them all off first thing in the morning, space it out even if it means delaying boarding for the next group.

 

If it's a weekday border busyness problem, make it so your cruises end on weekends.

 

Hire competent bus drivers and make sure the buses have adequate facilities e.g. Toilet paper.

 

 

 

 

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Exactly, because the nature and description of the complaints are the same year after year after year. Talk about easy data to pinpoint when trying to implement corrective action............

[browger]

I have to find some humour in our 'Ensenada' bus tour. First off, we left at 7:30 a.m. If we had got through the border more efficiently.....remember, this is the US Customs, we would have had a 3 hour trip. Oh yes,

the Mexican Customs was a breeze, Custom's agent got on the bus,

collected our declarations, and smiled and said thank you! Back to the bus, we were 'not' allowed off, but the funny thing was they allowed

a guitar guy on the bus and 'sing to us', but no one felt like sinking. We were at the end of the bus, so when he finished, he asked for tips, everyone, pretended they were sleeping.....you have to find the humour in this, because there was no benefit to getting upset! You are right, we should have had water or told to bring water. We should have had a toilet

that was supplied with TP, hand wash and water.......One gentleman went down to the bathroom and had a cigarette, which stunk up the bus for a while.....ya think!

 

I have a SOLUTION, we skip the San Diego 'port', go straight down to Ensenada over night (it is your choice if you want to get off and spend the day in port), and then the ship goes back to San Diego, and all is well,

no bus trip~ I this idea plausable.

 

I still thing Celebrity is a fabulous cruise line, and we made the best of a ride in a 'air conditioned' bus, but there are still a few issues. I think Celebrity need to talk to the US Customs and get the kinks out. We actually had a 'nice bus' ride, except for the few little hiccups mentioned above.

[TeresaL]

Terrible bus trip. Took 6 hours. Driver got lost - we ended up at San Diego zoo instead of the airport! Take water, tissues & hand sanitizer and valium!

[avw]

We too had no toilet paper or hand wash...the cruise line rep at the border told me that NONE of the buses had these items. We spent the 6 hour trip in an bus that wasn't air conditioned! We had to open the emergency windows and ceiling escapes to get air flow during the three hour wait at the border. The seat padding was worn down, so you felt the metal frame.

 

We are fortunate that we had an excellent bus driver. He didn't get lost and drove exactly where he was supposed to go. After we got stuck at the border without any air, he went to a local store and bought the passengers cold bottled water out of his own pocket!

 

I am very glad that we booked an overnight stay in San Diego, as we were exhausted when we finally arrived at our hotel at 4 pm.

 

Celebrity may not be able to control what happens at the border, BUT...why didn't Celebrity think of water...and snacks...and toilet paper... and hand sanitizer? These are basics and it wouldn't cost much to supply them! And they know from past experience what happens on the Ensenada - San Diego transfer.

 

Why didn't Celebrity make sure that buses were air conditioned? It was an awful way to end an otherwise great cruise! They did a great job throughout the cruise and then let us down terribly at the end, when lasting impressions are made.

[bigbenboys]

We did the bus ride just the other day 9/23/2013. Our bus ride was fine. Our only problem was waiting for passengers that did not know what is meant by 6AM. We waited 45 mins in the bus for people. Richard

[Mark_K]

I have a SOLUTION, we skip the San Diego 'port', go straight down to Ensenada over night (it is your choice if you want to get off and spend the day in port), and then the ship goes back to San Diego, and all is well,

no bus trip~ I this idea plausable.

Unfortunately, that is not a solution as it would violate the PVSA. If transporting passengers between two US ports you have to visit a "distant" foreign port, which Ensenada most definitely is not.

 

 

 

 

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[RealDeal]

Disembarked on 9/23...bus #1. Left the port at 6:30 am & were at the airport at 9:30 am. Really could not have gone smoother.

[koolforkatz]

We were bus #37 - pulled away at 8:30, arrived at airport about 1:00. I would say we were in border lineup for about 1.5 hours. Maybe we were lucky - our bus had AC, toilet paper and hand sanitizer and our driver didn't get lost.

 

We brought water with us - it did note in the program to bring things like medication, valuables, water with you and we made sure to have a big breakfast.

 

I feel sorry for anyone who may have missed their flight but Celebrity had said from the outset not to book flights before 5:00 p.m. In retrospect we could have booked something earlier rather than staying overnight, but I didn't want to stress myself about it.

 

The view was gorgeous for the first half of the trip.

[koolforkatz]

Our only problem was waiting for passengers that did not know what is meant by 6AM. We waited 45 mins in the bus for people. Richard

 

One of the wildcards that is sure to slow down the entire process :rolleyes:

[Kalypso619]

I live in San Diego and spend quite a bit of time in Baja. The border wait is an absolute killer, and the reason I ended up getting a SENTRI pass. It is part of the trusted traveler program. Anyone who is part of the government GOES program can use the expedited process to clear US immigration and customs.

 

I am really surprised they took you all through Tijuana as the wait is almost always 3+ hours unless you've got GOES, SENTRI or can go through the Ready Lane. Otay would have been a better bet. The best bet would have been to send at least half of you through Tecate, though that port of entry is probably not equipped to handle 15 or 16 busses all at once.

 

I think one of the reasons some of your bus drivers got lost in Tijuana is because the approach to the port of entry has changed so many times over the last 2 years due to all the construction that it's now an almost daily mystery as to what the best approach is. And, IIRC, the approach was changed pretty significantly last week. So if most of the bus drivers were based in Ensenada they probably would not be very familiar with the new crossing approach. All these constant changes are nerve-wracking for drivers; it's the primary reason I don't drive in Tijuana...I'm not sure I could find my way to the SENTRI crossing lane! The last 2 taxi drivers I've had on recent day-trips to TJ complained about how difficult it is now to drop people off at "la linea" (the end of the pedestrian line to cross back)

 

 

All vehicles entering the US are inspected. All busses and shuttles using the bus lane are inspected once you get off the bus, collect your luggage and enter immigration. Your bus then goes through an inspection process (sometimes the whole bus is x-rayed) you don't see and the driver's credentials are certified at that time as well.

 

Ensenada is a nice port, but the whole crossing process at Tijuana is an antiquated goat rope.

[elena7seas]

We disembarked the Solstice in Ensenada on September 23, 2013. We had been pre-assigned to bus no. 15 for the transfer to Otay Mesa border crossing. We were told that our luggage that we left in the halls the night before would be pre-loaded onto the appropriate buses.

 

As I was interested in how the process would unfold, I kept note of the time that it took to complete each component of the journey. I realize that this is more detail than most people would ever want, but I am someone who likes to have as much information as possible about what to expect in unusual circumstances, so I post this here for others like me. J

 

We were directed by our disembarkation instructions to be in the Grand Epernay (MDR) at 6:30 AM. As we are Elite, we also had the option of waiting in the Tuscan Grill.

 

6:28 AM Arrived at the Tuscan Grill. I checked on the way to the Tuscan Grill and bus number 8 had just been called.

 

6:45 AM Buses number 13, 14 and 15 were all called at the same time. About 8 people left the Tuscan Grill together, and we went directly to the gangway on Deck 2. We experienced a slight delay getting an elevator on deck 5. At the gangway, there was no congestion and only 2 or 3 people in line ahead of us, but outside the ship, the Celebrity personal directing departing guests looked at our Number 15 and waived her hand vaguely in a direction to the right of the platform. There were lineups for each of the buses, but no lineup for bus 15.

 

It took us 3-4 minutes to discover that our lineup had already gone over to our bus, and were now lining up to board. We were among the last 6 people to board the bus. Since we hadn't wasted any time getting down to the gangway, other than the elevator issue, I can only guess that our number was called earlier at the Grand Epernay than at the Tuscan Grill, or that some people had gone directly to the gangway, and hadn't waited for numbers to be called. Being almost last to board the bus didn't cause any problems, as the bus was not full.

 

Our carry-on suitcases were placed in the luggage lockers underneath the bus.

 

6:58 AM We boarded our Bus No. 15, and took seats on the left side of the bus, as we had learned on Cruise Critic that this would provide the most scenic view on the trip north.

 

The bus was reasonably new and in good condition, with fairly comfortable velour seats. There was lots of room for hand luggage in the open overhead compartments. There was a large digital clock at the front of the bus, which I found handy ;). The bus was from the America Tours company, registered in Chula Vista, CA.

 

(I did not use the bathroom facilities on board the bus, but I was told by the gentleman in the seat behind me that they were foul-smelling and did not have any hand-washing facilities, toilet tissue or hand sanitizer. He told his wife not to go there unless she was absolutely desperate.)

 

As we boarded the bus, we were given Mexican customs forms and a woman at the front of the bus went over the instructions re: what sections to complete, and outlined the appropriate response for every question. She went over this time and again to accommodate new arrivals, and also moved down the bus to help people individually. The form was a bit confusing in that there were two sections that had to be completed, and the second section was basically a repetition of the first section. Several questions did not need to be answered. The lady helping with the instructions stressed that the form must be signed and dated. (More on this later.) We were told that the forms would be collected by Mexican customs officials at a stop in Rosarito, about 20 miles before the border crossing at Otay Mesa.

 

It took less than five minutes to complete the forms and then we waited...and waited...for almost 40 minutes and finally a couple (in their late thirties, perhaps) boarded the bus.

 

7:40 AM Our bus finally pulled away from the dock. All other buses, up to and including bus No. 19, had left. Bus No. 20 and 24 were still at the dock, but I couldn't see if other buses numbered in the 20's had left.

 

The port of Ensenada was much nicer than I had expected from previous reports, and the drive along the coastline up to Rosarito was very interesting. The terrain had a certain austere majesty, and the sea coast was very beautiful, with a lot of crashing surf.

 

8:55 AM We pulled into a designated lay-by and two Mexican customs officials boarded our bus to collect the forms. Despite having previously received very detailed instructions, several people on the bus had not completed the second section as requested, or had not signed and dated their forms. Each Mexican official took half of the bus, and politely assisted the passengers to complete the forms. During this period, three buses that had pulled in behind us left before us.

 

9:15 AM We pulled into the line-up at the Otay Mesa border crossing. We were in a separate section of the border checkpoint, adjacent to the many lineups of cars and trucks. In our section, there appeared to be one dedicated lane for what I assume were global entry clients (SENTRI?), and one lane for buses.

 

It took an average of 8 minutes per bus to clear the checkpoint (between 7 and 10 minutes per bus). 10 buses passed through ahead of us in the 83 minutes that we were waiting to go through the border. It is my estimate that at least 7 of those would not have been ahead of us if we had departed on time. :rolleyes:

 

10:38 AM We pulled up to the border checkpoint, and were asked to disembark with all of our hand luggage. The luggage compartments in the undercarriage of the bus had been sealed previously and did not need to be inspected, but we were warned, very seriously, that if anyone left ANYTHING on the bus, the bus would be pulled aside and would have to go through a time-consuming secondary inspection.

 

The individual security check was the standard process that we are used to at airports, but we were not required to remove our shoes. After completing our security check, we were asked to line up to the side and wait for our bus to clear its security check.

 

The security area was immediately adjacent to where we disembarked from bus, and we re-boarded the bus a few feet from where we completed the security check. I don’t think the whole process involved walking more than 100 feet with our hand luggage.

 

10:58 AM We re-boarded our bus.

 

11:02 AM Our bus departed from the border.

 

11:22 AM We exited from the freeway into the greater San Diego area.

 

11:30 AM We arrived at the upper levels passenger drop-off point at Terminal 2. A few minutes earlier, we had arrived at the ground level passenger drop off area at Terminal 2, but without stopping, the driver drove on through and back into the airport road system and came around again to an upper levels area across from Terminal 2. Here all the luggage was unloaded from underneath the bus onto the sidewalk. There were two elevators (one on either side, at a bit of a walk) from this area down to the ground level, but we were able to secure a taxi at the roadside immediately behind where the bus had stopped.

 

Overall observations:

 

From the time we boarded the bus (6:58 AM) to our arrival at the San Diego airport (11:30 AM) was a duration of 4 hours and 32 minutes.

 

By my calculations, we were at least 7 buses behind where we should have been in the border line-up, due to some passengers arriving 40 minutes late and others not completing their Mexican customs forms as instructed. In addition to our delayed start, as it took an average of 8 minutes to process each bus, we were about 90-100 minutes later arriving at the San Diego airport than we could have been. I do not point this out to complain about the individuals, but to explain why the transfer took as long as it did.

 

Our driver was very good, and seemed always to know exactly where he was going. All in all, the transfer was not unpleasant. We had packed water and snacks, and had things to keep us occupied during the border wait. Believe me, as a Vancouverite, I have plenty of experience with border waits. :p

 

Random things to keep in mind:

 

Be sure to label any carry-on luggage with your departure luggage tags. Celebrity personnel helping with the departure process look at your luggage tags in order to tell you where to find your bus.

 

Have a pen with you.

 

Know your passport number by heart, or have it conveniently at hand.

 

Bring water and snacks for the journey.

 

Make sure you use the facilities on the ship before boarding the bus.

 

Bring packets of Kleenex for the journey.

 

Bring a scarf in case the air-conditioning is blasting icy cold air. This may have been a result of sitting at the back of the bus where the cold air seemed to originate, but I was very cold for a good part of the trip, despite wearing a sweater.

 

I would not hesitate to do a transfer from Ensenada again if it was necessary in order to take a terrific coastal cruise. However, the mast on the Solstice that was 1.5 metres too tall to go under Vancouver's Lion's Gate Bridge has been altered and now is retractable, so in future, a pacific coastal cruise on the Solstice could go out of Vancouver and end in beautiful San Diego. In fall 2014, however, this itinerary will not be repeated on the Solstice. Instead, she will be sailing from Vancouver to Honolulu.

 

I do wish Celebrity would schedule the Solstice on this excellent itinerary during a time when teachers are out of school so that I could treat my daughter who is a teacher to this lovely coastal experience.

 

Cheers and happy sailing to all!

[maggie.1008]

We did This cruise in may .bus 44 did not arrive in San Diego until 6pm

[jeffbook]

Our transfer was very similar to that of Elena7seas. We were on bus #20, and departed by my watch at 7:30 AM. We did the border crossing at Otay Mesa and waited in a bus line for 1.50 hours before we disembarked with hand luggage for Immigration inspection. A short wait for all passengers to reassemble (rest room stops, etc.) and then re-board the bus after the drug dogs had sniffed the luggage bays.

 

Arrived at the San Diego Airport entrance at 11:16 ( I won our small 4 passenger group pool on arrival time, made 3 bucks with an eta of 11:20) Intercruise people were very helpful at border crossing and we were in a special line that bypassed the "regular" pedestrian line. Also, we made an early stop when 2 people boarded our bus to ensure that we had the Mexican immigration forms properly filled out. Our driver did a nice job.

 

I had spoken with Captain's Club reps a few months ago and they recommended no flight bookings prior to 5 PM out of San Diego. After this call, we decided to pack our patience and a paperback book. It remains a mystery to me why people don't research this crossing more thoroughly with regards to departure times from San Diego. Given the Jones Act, I don't really know how Celebrity could have managed this much better than we did. Lines at the border during various parts of the day are clearly out of Celebrity's control.

[gmamacruiser]

Read where another passenger on this cruise said departure info said to bring water on bus trip from Ensenada to San Diego. I just reread the departure info letter and it did NOT say this. It was advising passenger what not to pack in your bags that would be picked up outside your stateroom door during the night before departure. Things like your passport, meds clothes to wear next day, etc. it said do not pack your water bottle if you might want it for the trip home - that is all it said about water. Again, if on one of these bus rides from Ensenada to San Diego take water, snacks, hand sanitizer and tissues with you. The ride Celebrity said would take 120 minutes took 6 hours and there was no drinking water, snacks, toilet tissue or hand washing facilities on board. There was a working potty, thank goodness!