Customs and border control question japan to Vancouver to US

[guinnesshalfpint]

I am taking an Asia transpacific cruise from Japan to Vancouver. I am a US citizen.  I know that there will be border control at the pier when we disembark in Vancouver, but then I am flying from Vancouver to Dallas and onward.   Will I go through customs and border control at YVR and DFW airports as well?  Thanks in advance. 👍

[Langoustine]

YVR only.

[martincath]

Unless it's a late flight - CBP does not operate 24hrs at YVR. Flights after ~9pm are impacted by their daily 8:30pm closure, so if that's the case for you then you'll have to do all your customs/immigration on landing at DFW. They reopen at 4:30am, so flights from ~5:30am on use the normal Preclearance-at-YVR process.

[azcruise]

Sorry - I just realized I was looking at the wrong cruise arrival....

Edited March 29, 2019 by azcruise
oops

[guinnesshalfpint]

Wow, thanks for all of the great info!

[mtmatull]

If we are not flying out on the day our ship arrives in Vancouver, what happens when you walk off the ship? We will be walking off with our luggage with a private car picking us up.  I assume we will need to clear Canadian customs.  Does anyone know how long this usually takes at the pier?

[martincath]

I think that your ship stops at Victoria as the Port of Entry for Canada - which means that Immigration is dealt with there, and USUALLY customs too (our experience is that you are all given Canada Customs cards to fill out and hand in onboard to the front desk by the day before Victoria arrival). As a non-Canadian-resident the customs part won't impact you at all unless you are bringing something illegal/that needs a license/are giving gifts to Canadians/otherwise LEAVING your goods behind in Canada - if any of that applies CBSA will flag your card and you'll most likely be called by name to meet with them onboard before you are allowed off in Victoria. As a Canadian, if we sneakily bought something shiny on the ship we'd be reported to CBSA so they could make sure they got their Duty payment, but that's only the case for residents.

 

You may see CBSA around as you leave in Vancouver, and it's even possible that you might get randomly selected for luggage inspection/an extra grilling, but odds are VERY high that you will just walk off the ship and head right out to the street. I do feel it's appropriate to mention that if you have booked a private car service to take you to your hotel rather than the airport, you are 100% guaranteed to be paying far over the odds for the value of the service! We have provincial minimum and maximum pricing laws that requires all companies to charge within the same range, and there is only a single exception - trips to and from YVR airport when undertaken by the concession-holder there (Aerocar). So any other trip means you have to pay for one full hour ($90+ depending on car size) plus tax - even though the furthest downtown hotel is maybe 10 minutes drive if you hit traffic...

 

Most downtown hotels are actually quite walkable from the pier, with many within just three or four blocks. If you walk from the ship to the street with your luggage, you have already walked further than you have left to walk to at least three of them!

[Tara Jane]

We are staying at YWCA thanks to your  recommendation.  6 of us so do you suggest we walk it or taxi?  I discovered it is a public holiday the day we arrive on May 20th how will that impact on our ability to get to hotel and getting around?   Do you recommend the hop on hop off bus or just a day ticket and DIY?  

Thanks for your wonderful help as always.

[martincath]

You're welcome TJ. If you're up for a touch over 3/4 of a mile on foot, then walking to the Y is quite feasible. Burn off some of those cruise calories😉! Googles shortest walking route makes sense - using Cambie cuts the distance by a hundred metres or so compared to any of the 'all 90 degree turn' routes, but even going the simplest way (down Howe to Robson, along Robson to Beatty - and you literally can't go any further as the street ends at Beatty! - then left past the Hampton to the front door) is still under a mile and dang near impossible to get lost. You might be tempted to deviate very slightly along Water St to see the Steam Clock on the way - I wouldn't, as this entices a horde of tourists every time it blows (on the quarter hour) and the sidewalks are not wide enough to handle the people alone and allow anyone to get past, let alone folks inconsiderate enough to have their suitcases blocking the path! Starting your visit with bad karma is never a good plan 😉

 

Victoria Day is not the same week as Memorial Day this year, so there won't be the expected increase in US tourists that a holiday down south brings us; locals with kids who can't take a week off might be more in evidence downtown - especially at kid-friendly places like ScienceWorld which is always a zoo on local holidays. Taxis shouldn't be impacted though except positively - any day off work means fewer commuters clogging the roads! There's no big parade or fireworks in Vancouver but if you check local event calendars you'll see what is going on around town on the day, just in case any of it entices you (there is a parade out in Langley, but that's a real schlep on transit).

[Tara Jane]

So very helpful. Think it will be taxi to Y as we aren't spring chickens.

Sounds like the holiday won't be a problem.😀