Has anyone done this??

[cruisinval]

Hubby and I need a quick get away! Just booked a short Princess cruise out of Vancouver in three weeks, we live in Los Angeles area. Flying into YVR that morning, doing three night (no stops) cruise back to Los Angeles! Our options are limited to Mexican booze cruises out of LA, and didn't want to do that again!

 

Also, does anyone know how long customs takes at YVR? Thanks :D

[AKman2495]

Hubby and I need a quick get away! Just booked a short Princess cruise out of Vancouver in three weeks, we live in Los Angeles area. Flying into YVR that morning, doing three night (no stops) cruise back to Los Angeles! Our options are limited to Mexican booze cruises out of LA, and didn't want to do that again!

 

Also, does anyone know how long customs takes at YVR? Thanks :D

 

In 2012 we did the 3 day Vancouver to LA followed up by a 2 week Panama cruise.

 

We flew in YVR and had no problem at all getting through customs. Less than 5 minutes. We had fun on the 3 day cruise, but were more relaxed than many because we had more to go. Overall it was a good cruise and we met a lot of nice people. Many people on that cruise will be Canadians. Nice people.

[f-mattox]

We've done a 3-day out of L.A. (we live in the area too) but I sure wouldn't categorize it as a booze cruise; I know the Carnival ships get pretty wild on the short runs, but we were on Golden Princess and it seemed like your typical Princess crowd--a little older and more reserved.

[twoflyers]

Hubby and I need a quick get away! Just booked a short Princess cruise out of Vancouver in three weeks, we live in Los Angeles area. Flying into YVR that morning, doing three night (no stops) cruise back to Los Angeles! Our options are limited to Mexican booze cruises out of LA, and didn't want to do that again!

 

Also, does anyone know how long customs takes at YVR? Thanks :D

 

I flew into YVR in mid-June and the lines were quite long. It took me about 30-40 minutes to clear customs. That said, it was getting to the height of cruise season, but when you travel in another three weeks, cruise season will be pretty much over - thus your repositioning cruise.

If you Google "Vancouver Customs Wait Times" you will find a website which will allow you to view YVR Customs wait times for each day and time. That should give you a good comparison for the day you will be traveling, i.e. Monday, Wednesday, etc. Have a nice cruise!!

[Pam in CA]

While I'm sure it's possible, I've never been on a Princess cruise anywhere that could be termed a "booze cruise." Even a 4-day cruise out of LA.

 

The short cruises definitely have a different vibe. They are more difficult for the crew as they don't have time to get into a routine before passengers leave and new ones board. Embarkation/disembarkation days are very stressful and when they come every 3-4 days, the crew is working extra hard more frequently. I don't think the crew likes the short cruises very much.

[shredie]

Our options are limited to Mexican booze cruises out of LA, and didn't want to do that again!

 

 

Did you sail on a Princess ship? I agree with others here that a short Princess cruise doesn't qualify as a "booze cruise." I've done both the short Carnival cruises and the Princess cruises out of LA, and there's no comparison, really.

[Astro Flyer]

Also, does anyone know how long customs takes at YVR? Thanks :D

In mid-July 2013 we arrived at YVR from LAX at 1030 & customs was very fast & efficient.

 

We rarely arrive on sailing day & put our Princess tags on our bags before our flight just in case they got misdirected. When they didn't arrive on the carousel we were told by a Princess rep at the airport they probably went with other bags to the ship. We independently took the light rail system to the pier & not Princess transportation (eZair flight) but our bags did arrive at our cabin.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I flew into YVR in mid-to-late September a few years back for a repo similar to yours on Celebrity. Since the Alaska cruise season was over (hence the repo), there was little or no line at all for customs at YVR.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[JLC@SD]

W did a 5 day north bound LA to Vancouver a few years age. We stopped in SF and Victoria. Highly recommend a short Princess coastal repositioning trip.

[SkystheLimit]

We arrived in YVR from ATL two weeks ago on Saturday around 10:30am. Customs clearance was about 15 minutes. Baggage claim was much longer--problems with the baggage carousel.

 

Our first time to YVR. What a beautiful city! We loved our cruise but would have been completely satisfied with our time in YVR.

[Putterdude]

The larger lines at CBSA counters at YVR tend to be in the late afternoon and into the evening when there are quite a number of international flights from Europe and Asia that have to be cleared. With a morning in September I would allow about 30 to 45 minutes from the arrival gate, gather luggage, clear CBSA and be out on the curb to head to Canada Place. To that you should allow a full 35/40 minutes to get from YVR to Canada Place and that doesn't vary much whether you take a cab for about $35, a limo for about $64+ tax, or the Canada Line for $9 pp which evolves schlepping your luggage 3 blocks from Waterfront Station to Canada Place.

[cruisinval]

Thanks so much for the great responses :)

[Calgon1]

Also, does anyone know how long customs takes at YVR? Thanks :D

 

 

- Depends on what, and how much of it, you're smuggling . . .