FYI customs mid cruise

[carqueen1]

Thanks for the info! Been to Long Beach port several times on previous cruises but don't really know the area or whats around other than the Queen Mary. Any other ideas of things to do in the area? I didn't plan on any excursions but if there is another Customs nightmare, I want to be prepared.......

[BruceMuzz]

Still waiting to get back on the ship and it looks like a good hour to go as there are still passengers getting off the ship. Long Beach was a planned sstop so going through customs was also planned. We were surprised because we never had to do this before though it does make sense as it is the first port. I think princess would have sold more excursions in long beach had passengers understood all of this. The o lyrics info regarding the customs inspection was last night in our cabin mail.

 

There have been two arrests this morning! I saw the second person being escorted out in handcuffs. Then another passenger informed us that this morning authorities came on the ship searched a few cabins and arrested someone. I will try to find out more. And here lies the reason we have these inspections.

 

We might walk to the Queen Mary now. There is a Princess Diana exhibit!

 

In most American ports, if a ship is calling there after visiting a foreign port on a closed loop cruise - and the cruise is not yet ended - there is no Customs or Immigration inspection for the passengers.

In most American ports, if a ship is calling there after visiting a foreign port on an open jaw cruise - and the cruise is not yet ended - there is a cursory Immigration inspection, but nothing from Customs.

 

But Long Beach is different.

There is only one other port in the world where the officials are so nasty, inhospitable, difficult, unpredictable, and determined to convince all passengers never to go back there. That's Dalian, China.

 

Every time a cruise ship visits Long Beach, there is an entirely new set of rules that do not exist anywhere else in America.

And those rules change about every 10 minutes or so.

A cruise ship visiting there has no idea what to expect from the officials - except we always know that it is going to be very unpleasant for us and our passengers.

 

Most cruise lines have refused to return to Dalian, and many cruise lines are now doing the same with Long Beach, California.

[Colo Cruiser]

The rules change by the minute?

CBP should have the ability to change rules, the bad guys sure do.

Thats how we maintain security in our ports.

Long beach is one of the busiest container ports in the world.

 

And as far as many cruise lines now refusing to return to Long Beach?

Besides Carnival who have been established there for years what other cruise lines are now refusing to go there?

[mariakitty]

I am on this same cruise in 2 weeks with my handicapped husband. I am NOT liking what I am hearing about this mess...WOW. I don't have any excursions planned for Long Beach but now thanks to your info I might....Can I ask how you were told to disembark? Was it by cabin numbers a few at a time?? How long was your wait until ship was ready to board roughly? Thanks! I appreciate the "heads up"!![/quote ]

 

if we had to do it over again we would have taken an excursion which would have alleviated the waiting. Part of the problem is there isn't sufficient seating in the waiting area outside so most have to stand. Not sure why we couldn't wait inside.

 

We disembarked according to a schedule. Excursion passengers were early and then it was by cabin deck. We are on Dolphin so we had the middle departure time. But essentially you could get off when you wanted to as the schedule wasn't really enforced.

 

We left the ship about 9 am and we're back on about 12:45. And since my mother is in a wheelchair I was one of the first backback on the ship. The entire morning was lost.

 

I asked our waiter about this at dinner last night. He wasn't allowed off the ship nor was our room steward. Our waiter said long beach is VERY strict and difficult and Princess doesn't encourage the Asian crew to disembark here. (He is Philippino). Looking back most of the crew we saw off the ship were European.

[SadieN]

........................

if we had to do it over again we would have taken an excursion which would have alleviated the waiting. Part of the problem is there isn't sufficient seating in the waiting area outside so most have to stand. Not sure why we couldn't wait inside.

 

 

....................................

 

Long Beach is very different from other ports. There is more seating outside, on the planters than there is inside the Dome. Inside there are about 4 benches to sit on.

 

The Passport Bus is easily accessible and is a quick ride to the Aquarium.

 

Do not understand what the hold up was. The latest we've ever debarked Carnival in Long Beach was 11am due to a crew check. We are usually on the bus by 10 and are among the last few to get off the ship.

Edited March 20, 2014 by SadieN

[SadieN]

Thanks for the info! Been to Long Beach port several times on previous cruises but don't really know the area or whats around other than the Queen Mary. Any other ideas of things to do in the area? I didn't plan on any excursions but if there is another Customs nightmare, I want to be prepared.......

 

 

Here are the links for the free Passport Bus and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

 

http://www.lbtransit.com/services/passport.aspx

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

 

The busstop is in the middle of the parking lot.

Go right outside the Dome, past the crew info office. The busstop will be under the trees.

Also along the route is a Walmart, CVS & Albertson's. Also to the Pike and Shoreline Village. The Walmart area is dicey but OK during the day.

 

 

Could take the Metro (metro.net) to Union Station and Olvera Street or to the museums and Space Shuttle in Exposition Park but both are about an hour away.

We ride these lines with no problem but there is always the possibility of stoppages along the lines.

$1.50 per section + $1 for reloadable TAP card. Senoir discount only available with Senior TAP card, Mom got hers about 8 weeks after application. Best to get the all day $5 pass.

Only reliably clean bathrooms are in Union Station.

 

 

Union Station Route-- Blue Line (Long Beach)- Red or Purple Line (7th St Transfer Station-- Union Station $3

 

Exposition Park-- Blue Line (Long Beach) - Silver Line (Pico Station) $3

[SadieN]

......................., and many cruise lines are now doing the same with Long Beach, California.

 

Could it be that most cruiselines have contracts with San Pedro? Long Beach only has the one dock and Carnival is now using it 5 days a week (4 days year round).

 

As a pax who has sailed out of Long Beach many many times we haven't had any real problems. Longest wait was about 30 minutes. Just waited longer in San Pedro a few weeks ago. Didn't get thru customs until 11am with more behind us.

Only once did we exit around 11am in Long Beach due to crew check. With Carnival we are among the last few off and thru by 10am. I think it has to do with the differences in crowd control.

[beg3yrs]

There is only one other port in the world where the officials are so nasty, inhospitable, difficult, unpredictable, and determined to convince all passengers never to go back there. That's Dalian, China.

 

Most cruise lines have refused to return to Dalian, and many cruise lines are now doing the same with Long Beach, California.

 

Hi Bruce - love the first-hand information in your posts.

 

Re: Dalian, we went through there on the Diamond Princess as PAX in 2012 and didn't notice anything untoward regarding customs. That said, the ship had already been through Shanghai and Beijing and, the cruise most recently originated in Beijing. Would that have made a difference in the treatment in Dalian? Really nice city BTW.

Edited March 20, 2014 by beg3yrs

[Mingus]

@Mingus...yeah. The ticket office lady told us it is for all ships, not just Princess. Just show your cruise card. I'm sure private tours and special events probably cost more, but fun to just stroll the ship, lunch, shopping, etc. for free.

Enjoy:p

 

Thanks hillslife for confirming this......will definitely try it out in Sept.

[USNUZULOOSE]

Thanks for the info! Been to Long Beach port several times on previous cruises but don't really know the area or whats around other than the Queen Mary. Any other ideas of things to do in the area? I didn't plan on any excursions but if there is another Customs nightmare, I want to be prepared.......

 

Having lived in Southern Ca , but in N Ca we know the area very well. You can take the free trolley's around town. The drivers can help you. We knew what we wanted to do and rented a car and we had plenty of shopping. The aquarium is near the port and the trolley will take you. It will take you downtown to spots of shopping as well. I enjoyed the coastal cruise and I would do it again.

[Putterdude]

Returning from a HAL cruise to San Diego, as a Canadian and therefore an "alien" we had to muster for CBP clearance a couple of hours before arrival in San Diego. It was nothing more than showing our passports, them looking at the picture and saying good morning.

 

It was reminiscent to the days when I crewed on a cruise ship going to Alalska, northbound US Customs came aboard before Ketchikan and we had to muster with our seamen's ID cards and then same procedure was done southbound by Canadian Customs as we entered British Columbian waters.

[cothulio]

Thanks for the info! Been to Long Beach port several times on previous cruises but don't really know the area or whats around other than the Queen Mary. Any other ideas of things to do in the area? I didn't plan on any excursions but if there is another Customs nightmare, I want to be prepared.......

 

We were some of the lucky folks that had a tour booked in Long Beach although an hour late starting with the customs fiasco....the Getty Center in the Santa Monica Hills well worth seeing (beautiful museum and gardens) followed by a quick trip through Beverly Hills & Rodeo Drive . However, I was disappointed as misunderstood that it didn't include the Getty Villa.....15 miles away near Malibu. It is a villa that was excavated in the ruins of Pompei by J.P. Getty and resurrected on the California coast with all the artifacts that were found in it. Next time we'll rent a car and head there!

 

Be sure to tour the Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego ( $15 for Seniors and $10 for retired military), the Guadalupe Wine Valley Tour in Ensenada....some of the best champagne we ever tasted and we have Napa Valley and the Gold Country/El Dorado-Placer County Wine areas here in Northern California that we wander through!

 

Anyway, have a great time!

[cothulio]

 

There have been two arrests this morning! I saw the second person being escorted out in handcuffs. Then another passenger informed us that this morning authorities came on the ship searched a few cabins and arrested someone. I will try to find out more. And here lies the reason we have these inspections.

 

QUOTE]

 

We saw 2 ship's officer and a custom agent leaving a cabin with an elderly couple standing in the doorway looking shook up while we were searching for our tour group meeting place that morning. The two officers were upset with whatever happened in the cabin.....we had no idea what we were all in for!

[shredie]

However, I was disappointed as misunderstood that it didn't include the Getty Villa.....15 miles away near Malibu. It is a villa that was excavated in the ruins of Pompei by J.P. Getty and resurrected on the California coast with all the artifacts that were found in it.

 

Well, not exactly...

http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/

 

It is a replica of a Roman Villa and the art, although authentic and beautiful, is not the contents of one Pompeii building but things collected from all over the ancient world. It's definitely worth a trip, but you should not be too disappointed you missed it.:)

[BEAV]

 

We have been on 53 cruises and NEVER have we seen such a fiasco. Usually customs boards the ship....we walk past them with an open passport and a customs form. This takes only a few minutes.....not several hours. Customs told me Princess was at fault as they usually dock in San Pedro where customs boards the ship. Our plans for the day were ruined, but we made the best of it.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to "buy" that story from the Customs agent. Long Beach has, for some time now, been a port stop on the Princess Coastal cruises that originate/terminate in San Francisco. Princess uses San Pedro for sailings that originate and/or terminate there. We sailed a similar Coastal cruise on the Grand out of SF last September and Long Beach was one of our port stops for the week, just as was the case on this sailing.

[ccrain]

The inspection in Long Beach was a 100% full passenger check, with customs and about 250 crew members.

 

The reasons for the delay were as follows:

 

1) Every passport was electronically scanned in the port entry area

 

2) The first wave of customs agents were 20 minutes late to the port.

 

3) There was a very limited number of agents to start and the full complement of agents showed up an hour and a half late

 

4) PRINCESS WAS NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESS.

 

So let's contrast this with the immigration inspection in Hilo, the following cruise. It was a 100% passenger check, with customs and about 200+ crew members. this inspection took about 3 hours TOTAL and when we went through, ran about 1.5 hours AHEAD of the published schedule.

 

Some interesting tidbits about this inspection:

 

1) There were ONLY TWO officers - and they showed up on time...

 

2) The inspection was not electronic and was performed in Vista

 

3) Princess was allowed to organize, control and expedite the inspection by handing out scheduling letters the night before, scanning people in and out of the inspection process (thus allowing the Princess computer to ID people), having cleared immigration cards stamped after completion

 

4) In Vista, there were about 12 Princess personnel expediting the inspection process.

 

this is more than adequate evidence for me that Princess was not at fault for the Long Beach fiasco, and the drink voucher, costing the ship over $16,000, was a very nice, but not necessary gesture.

[ar1950]

The inspection in Long Beach was a 100% full passenger check, with customs and about 250 crew members............................

 

......................this is more than adequate evidence for me that Princess was not at fault for the Long Beach fiasco, and the drink voucher, costing the ship over $16,000, was a very nice, but not necessary gesture.

 

Good points one and all. However, I'm wondering if they are enough to convince Mr and Mrs "We have been on 53 cruises and NEVER have we seen such a fiasco" that there is no fault to be assigned to Princess. Or that Princess offered the free drink voucher as a compensation was not "the real slap in the face was thinking they could make it all better by offering a free drink....really!"

 

Probably not.......??.:cool:

[macusr]

Reading this thread with interest as I have the following itinerary and wondering if that means we need to expect something to happen at Bar Harbor.

 

Cruise embarks from Quebec City, has 5 port calls in Canada, then port calls in Bar Harbor & Boston before disembark in NYC.

 

So, does that mean immigration & customs in Bar Harbor? Our port stop is from 7am-6pm.

[shastatroy]

The disembarkation was supposed to be by deck. Aloha deck was supposed to disembark at 7:20 am......wait wait wait in line. Disembarkations did not actually begin until much later. You could NOT get back on the ship until after 12:00. My spouse wanted to go back for lunch, but due to the long line to return, he was not able to return until 1:30 pm. Many many people were talking about filing a claim against Princess.

 

Then the real slap in the face was thinking they could make it all better by offering a free drink....really!

 

We have been on 53 cruises and NEVER have we seen such a fiasco. Usually customs boards the ship....we walk past them with an open passport and a customs form. This takes only a few minutes.....not several hours. Customs told me Princess was at fault as they usually dock in San Pedro where customs boards the ship. Our plans for the day were ruined, but we made the best of it.

 

Yeah, everyone should file a claim against Princess, the Port of Long Beach, US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. How dare they inconvenience so many people for over 3 hours!!! And all you got was a drink voucher? I would at least expect them you give you 50% of your fare back!! I hope you all rise up and demand what you truly deserved.......wait a minute, you were in Ensenada yesterday and you want to just walk off of the ship without any restraints? And you want to blame Princess because Customs was taking to long and not all of the passengers were getting off the ship? Good luck with that claim.;)

[BEAV]

Reading this thread with interest as I have the following itinerary and wondering if that means we need to expect something to happen at Bar Harbor.

 

Cruise embarks from Quebec City, has 5 port calls in Canada, then port calls in Bar Harbor & Boston before disembark in NYC.

 

So, does that mean immigration & customs in Bar Harbor? Our port stop is from 7am-6pm.

 

Most likely you'll either have Immigration inspections in Bar Harbor -or- officials will board at the last Canadian port and actually sail with you to Bar Harbor, performing immigration inspections on board.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Well, not exactly...

http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/

 

It is a replica of a Roman Villa and the art, although authentic and beautiful, is not the contents of one Pompeii building but things collected from all over the ancient world. It's definitely worth a trip, but you should not be too disappointed you missed it.:)

 

I agree. While my sons liked the Villa better, I preferred the Getty Center. If you like statues, then the Villa is for you. If you prefer amazing paintings by the masters, then the Center is for you. Just depends on what medium you prefer.

[sept10dsm]

Are you going through Customs or Immigration, or both? They are two different things. Normally, you'd go through Immigration at the first US port following a foreign port, not Customs as that would require you to pack your bags, fill out a Customs declaration, etc. I believe Customs is only done at your final US destination.

 

I've seen people arrested while on a cruise. It can be any one of a number of reasons. In the case I saw, a 26-YO man was discovered in the hot tub late at night with a 16-YO girl in the nude. He was confined to his cabin with guards outside and removed from the ship by the FBI at the next port. People aren't aware but dogs are often brought onboard during port stops and cabins are examined. Surprisingly (or not), drugs are often found in passenger safes where the passenger assumes they won't be detected. Someone could be arrested for an outstanding warrant. The ship's manifest is examined and the people arrested at the first US port.

On all our Canada/NE cruises after the Canada portion, there was immigration on the ship. All had to go through.

[sept10dsm]

Reading this thread with interest as I have the following itinerary and wondering if that means we need to expect something to happen at Bar Harbor.

 

Cruise embarks from Quebec City, has 5 port calls in Canada, then port calls in Bar Harbor & Boston before disembark in NYC.

 

So, does that mean immigration & customs in Bar Harbor? Our port stop is from 7am-6pm.

 

We had this on all our Canada/NE cruises. They come onboard and look over passport.

[macusr]

We had this on all our Canada/NE cruises. They come onboard and look over passport.

 

So did this impact your 1st US port stop?

[caribill]

So let's contrast this with the immigration inspection in Hilo, the following cruise. It was a 100% passenger check, with customs and about 200+ crew members. this inspection took about 3 hours TOTAL and when we went through, ran about 1.5 hours AHEAD of the published schedule.

 

Some interesting tidbits about this inspection:

 

1) There were ONLY TWO officers - and they showed up on time...

 

2) The inspection was not electronic and was performed in Vista

 

 

 

When we have had this type immigration inspection on board the average time spent in front of the immigration officer was less than two seconds. They just seem to verify it is a passport and send you on your way.

 

By the way, non-US citizens go to a different room on the ship for their immigration inspection. I suspect it takes longer to process each one of these people.