immigration and alaska cruise

[stereo]

Hi All--We are considering taking the Millie from Vancouver BC to seward AK--Since Vancouver is a foreign port do passengers go through US customs etc. as they board the ship or at the first Ak. port??? Thanks

[Fouremco]

Hi All--We are considering taking the Millie from Vancouver BC to seward AK--Since Vancouver is a foreign port do passengers go through US customs etc. as they board the ship or at the first Ak. port??? Thanks

No, Vancouver is a domestic port. Seward is the foreign one! :)

[thinfool]

No, Vancouver is a domestic port. Seward is the foreign one! :)

 

Silly rabbit!! LOL

 

OP....yes, you clear US customs in Vancouver.

[cruisestitch]

You first must enter Canada, either by air, rail or highway or ferry.

 

Then, at Canada Place terminal, you leave Canada AND then clear US Customs/Immigration.

[Jborosara]

It's a nightmare...just know that going in

 

 

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[Northern Aurora]

Even though we live in Alaska we've done three Alaska cruises. On the northbound runs from Vancouver to Seward we have gone through US customs in Canada Place before boarding the ship, and so once we reached the first Alaskan port passengers just walked off to enjoy their day. Didn't find it a nightmare at all.

[freedom750]

Its a very easy process.

When you arrive in Vancouver you will follow the signs and get in a line to clear Canadian customs (it is almost exactly the same set up as in any airport in the USA). You will declare your destination (i.e. one/two days in Vancouver at the _______ Hotel or where ever it is) or if not staying in Canada, then you will declare that you are going to the ship terminal.

When you arrive at Canada Place (most ships go out of there now) you will take your bags to the drop off place for the ship (unless you are travelling light and want to take them with you through customs and on to the ship), then go into the building and go through US customs, then get your cruise ship documents and room card and then board the ship.

Very smooth.

You will love the Alaska cruise - just bring layers for clothes as it could be warm (don't worry about it being hot - hot is not a term used for Alaska), cool or down right cold with wind.

On our last Alaska cruise there were 34 of us and we documented the number of whales we saw at 127. A cow and calf swam right beside the ship in a channel, some were fairly close but most were further away and unless you had binoculars, you would only see their dark shape and the steam from their blow holes.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

It's a nightmare...just know that going in

 

 

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I agree. Canada Place cannot handle more than one ship at a time. There were 3 ships in the day I had to clear US immigration. I stood in line for FOUR HOURS. It was ugly. Will never sail from Vancouver again. Sorry Vancouver, you are a lovely city.

[dwp1127]

It must depend on when you get there. We did the Century in July, there were 2 other ships in the same day (Disney, and I can't remember the other), and we were through Customs in about (no exaggeration) 5 minutes. Granted, we got there early, but it was hands-down the smoothest embarkation we've ever had.

[freedom750]

It's all about timing. On almost every cruise we've been on I hear the same comments. One person says that they waited for hours to get through the lines and another person says that they went through without any lines at all. Same thing for disembarkation. I got off the Caribbean Princess on Dec. 21 in Houston in 20 minutes but I read the blogs about others standing in the same line for over 4 hours and having the staff bring them sandwiches because they didn't want to step out of line to eat.

In the end it all balances itself out. Like life, you win some and lose some.

[Gig103]

It's a nightmare...just know that going in

 

 

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I thought it was a piece of cake last year. Maybe because I got there early, but the lines weren't long for anything.

[sandancer]

This should be interesting for us. We are UK citizens arriving from Hawaii on the Solstice to do b2b to Alaska. Will we still have to go to US immigration in Alaska as we will have technically left the US in Vancouver and then re-entered in Alaska?

[middlehaitch]

Hi sanddancer,

you will be popping in and out of both customs and immigration quite a few times on your trip. Each time you enter either Canada (Vancouver x 2) or the US (Hawaii & Alaska) it will happen. The US quite often has immigration at the point of departure.

Have you got your ESTA?

 

Cheers, h.

Oh I have just re read your post and I thought you were doing an Alaska back to back after the Hawaii cruise. Now I read it different; still in and out of US so customs and immigration x 2.

Edited December 29, 2013 by middlehaitch
adding info