Cruising from the US vrs Foreign ports

[fdthird]

What are the differences?

[CruisingAlong4Now]

You can't drive to most foreign ports.  

 

Define foreign. Non-continental US? Non-US territories? Across the ocean? Since you are from NJ, would you consider FL foreign 😉?  What's the difference between a car trip from NJ to Illinois and a car trip from Paris to Marseilles? 

 

OK. Passport is usually required. Visa may be required. Longer air travel (maybe more expensive.) Different currencies. Different languages. Generally different time zones. 

 

Opportunity for land experience before/after cruise. Getting to Rome three days before your cruise is definitely more exciting than getting to Miami three days before your cruise.  Staying in Barcelona after the cruise is very common.  Very few people stay in Galveston for several days after their cruise.

 

On non-US focused cruiselines, you will find more local cruisers on non-US based cruises. 

 

Edited December 30, 2019 by CruisingAlong4Now

[blackshirt]

Differences in what context? I’ve not noticed any difference in terms of check-in and boarding. The foreign ports I’ve cruised from were pretty much the same experience as any US port.

[Plum Happy]

Where do you want to go?  What ports are of interest to you?

[Clarea]

You need a passport.

[mjldvlks]

Cruised from US, Canada and Europe. The boarding process is virtually the same everywhere [other than possible visa/identity document requirements]. I've never noticed it taking any longer.

[scottbee]

1 hour ago, fdthird said:

What are the differences?

 

You avoid the unpleasantness of dealing with US CBP ?

 

Yes, there are plenty of great Americans, but it appears few work at Immigration and Customs.  I've been in 2 hour border line-ups at land, sea and air crossings into the USA; no other country has ever taken more than 20 minutes.

 

[Biker19]

15 minutes ago, scottbee said:

no other country has ever taken more than 20 minutes

You must avoid LHR.

[LeeW]

Foreign ports (except Vancouver, because you do US Immigration there) may not need to zero the ship count between cruises.  So if you do a B2B you may not need to get off.  In the Med they often load passengers at several ports instead of the entire ship changing at one port.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, scottbee said:

no other country has ever taken more than 20 minutes.

 

Endured a 35 minute crossing into Canada last week.   Only 13 minutes coming back.

 

Canada customs has pulled me inside to pay as little as $1.35 in duty and as much as $49 for six bottles of wine between two adults.  Once you are over your limit you pay for every bottle - thanks Canada. 

 

US customs is always more pleasant to deal with and have never charged me for being a few bottles over as long as I declare them upfront.  

[bonsai3s]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

You must avoid LHR.

 

Absolutely correct...waited 4 hours just to get through LHR recently.

[johnjen]

My only bad experience was in a US port. Bayonne. Stupid taxi union moron trying to dictate at me for doing an Uber ride from his "domain." Sorry, don't diss me early in the morning, no coffee nor breakfast on board and debarking....never again.

[fdthird]

Thanks for your comments. 

[mugtech]

Found there is more Asian food on ships sailing out of Asia.

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

Really the only difference I've seen is when a Visa is required. Other than that the experience is the same. Most port agents speak English & the process is the same. It will feel very much the same.

[I_r_a]

Was wollen sie?

 

Ira

[SRF]

18 hours ago, Biker19 said:

You must avoid LHR.

 

And CDG without status.

 

And MANY other airports around the world.

[spookwife]

18 hours ago, scottbee said:

 

You avoid the unpleasantness of dealing with US CBP ?

 

Yes, there are plenty of great Americans, but it appears few work at Immigration and Customs.  I've been in 2 hour border line-ups at land, sea and air crossings into the USA; no other country has ever taken more than 20 minutes.

 

clearly you have never flown into Narita then.  

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎12‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 10:06 AM, fdthird said:

What are the differences?

From the USA you are a local.  From anywhere else you are a foreigner!  Your question is kind of vague.  It's obvious that customs, immigrations, visa requirements, passport requirements, port security, TSA issues, transportations, hotels, different laws, different customs, are all different and it depends on what port you are talking about, and where the ship is going.  Or are you talking about the cruise itself? 

[fdthird]

Really the cruise.  Are they run differently, different rules, different food, different shows and activities, etc. 

[Pratique]

4 hours ago, fdthird said:

Really the cruise.  Are they run differently, different rules, different food, different shows and activities, etc. 

Adjustments to the food are made based on the demographics of the passengers.

[lovemylab]

13 hours ago, SRF said:

 

And CDG without status.

 

And MANY other airports around the world.

 

I've flown through CDG numerous times and never had to wait more than 30 minutes.  Longest wait I've ever had at any airport was Philadelphia (2.5 hours).  All depends on how many international flights are landing at the same time as you.

 

[lovemylab]

On 12/30/2019 at 3:15 PM, twangster said:

US customs is always more pleasant to deal with and have never charged me for being a few bottles over as long as I declare them upfront.  

 

US Customs are always more pleasant to you because you have a US passport.  Likewise, when I am travelling back home to Canada the Canadian agents have always been pleasant to me and I've also never been charged for being a few bottles over (like you, I also declare them upfront). 

 

Moral of the story is border agents are usually more pleasant to those returning home vs. those trying to gain entry into the country 🙂

 

I find clearing the borders in Europe to be quick and painless compared to the US or Canada.  In Europe you stand in a line, they scan/stamp your passport and then you're on your way.  Very few of them ask questions about how long you're staying, where you're staying, what you do for a living, purpose of the trip, etc. like the US & Canadian agents do.

 

 

 

[twangster]

5 minutes ago, lovemylab said:

US Customs are always more pleasant to you because you have a US passport.

 

Canadian by birth.  Born 20 miles from the US border.  Crossed hundreds of times with a maple leaf on my passport, including as a young high school kid on my way to party my tail off on spring break in the U.S.  Wanna know which government gave me a harder time crossing? 

 

Canadian entering through Montreal in 2018.  42 minutes in the airport.  Thank goodness I had my maple leaf passport cruising to Hawaii a couple of months ago from Vancouver.  The non-Canadian queue in YVR was over 70 plus minutes.  It only took me 18 minutes.  

 

Flying back from a business trip when my kids were young I had Canada customs go through every label on the clothes I bought at the Disney store for my toddler.  This one was made in Philippines, $0.20 duty.  This garment from Taiwan, $0.17 duty.  It took them nearly 30 minutes to go through my luggage.  Labor cost to taxpayers was probably over $100.  Duty paid?  $1.35.  What a frickin waste of taxpayers dollars.  I declared everything though so just $1.35 for my overage.  

 

Granted flying to the U.S. from YYZ is a huge PITA.  Quicker to drive to Buffalo than to fly through Toronto.  Let's not go there.

 

Even as a green card holder CBP was kinder to me than my country of birth. 

[lovemylab]

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Canadian by birth.  Born 20 miles from the US border.  Crossed hundreds of times with a maple leaf on my passport, including as a young high school kid on my way to party my tail off on spring break in the U.S.  Wanna know which government gave me a harder time crossing? 

 

Canadian entering through Montreal in 2018.  42 minutes in the airport.  Thank goodness I had my maple leaf passport cruising to Hawaii a couple of months ago from Vancouver.  The non-Canadian queue in YVR was over 70 plus minutes.  It only took me 18 minutes.  

 

Flying back from a business trip when my kids were young I had Canada customs go through every label on the clothes I bought at the Disney store for my toddler.  This one was made in Philippines, $0.20 duty.  This garment from Taiwan, $0.17 duty.  It took them nearly 30 minutes to go through my luggage.  Labor cost to taxpayers was probably over $100.  Duty paid?  $1.35.  What a frickin waste of taxpayers dollars.  I declared everything though so just $1.35 for my overage.  

 

Granted flying to the U.S. from YYZ is a huge PITA.  Quicker to drive to Buffalo than to fly through Toronto.  Let's not go there.

 

Even as a green card holder CBP was kinder to me than my country of birth. 

 

The days of Canada Customs checking every single garment are (for the most part) a thing of the past.  I realize years ago it used to be a common occurence but most people that have been crossing the border in recent years haven't experienced that.

 

Wait times are hit and miss in any airport.  Same with rude agents.  Rudest agents I've ever encountered were in Philly.  Flew through again a few months later and they were some of the friendliest. 

 

As for YYZ, that is the primary reason we now have Nexus cards.   We usually clear security and border protection at YYZ in 20 minutes with Nexus.  Without it...well, like you said, let's not go there.