Is disembarking the ship early permitted.

[Ourusualbeach]

Cruise ends with an overnight in Quebec city.  Is it possible to disembark and leave the ship on the first day and not return for the overnight and disembark with everyone else the next day.

 

Thanks

[startedwithamouse]

11 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Cruise ends with an overnight in Quebec city.  Is it possible to disembark and leave the ship on the first day and not return for the overnight and disembark with everyone else the next day.

 

Thanks

Yes, we're doing this because flight was much less expensive. 

[Ourusualbeach]

7 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Yes, we're doing this because flight was much less expensive. 

Great, thank you.

 

 

[CruisinChris]

You need permission before the cruise from HQ to do this.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, CruisinChris said:

You need permission before the cruise from HQ to do this.

I called the cruise line and they said it's up to the Captain once on board which is ridiculous

[roadster08]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I called the cruise line and they said it's up to the Captain once on board which is ridiculous

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I called the cruise line and they said it's up to the Captain once on board which is ridiculous

Well, rules is rules...

[cr8tiv1]

I just heard that 4 passengers walked off the ship in Kauai (last stop before sailing back to LA).  Captain did not know.  Ship did not know.  Ship waited and waited and delayed sailing until the ship somehow figured out they were not coming back.  

 

Princess has their credit card.  Princess has their passport numbers.  Princess will probably fine them heavily (my opinion) and pass the PVSA fine over to them.  

 

I will try to get some information and relay it back to you later.

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I just heard that 4 passengers walked off the ship in Kauai (last stop before sailing back to LA).  Captain did not know.  Ship did not know.  Ship waited and waited and delayed sailing until the ship somehow figured out they were not coming back.  

 

Princess has their credit card.  Princess has their passport numbers.  Princess will probably fine them heavily (my opinion) and pass the PVSA fine over to them.  

 

I will try to get some information and relay it back to you later.

Entirely different scenario than what I am asking about.  

[cheriberi]

I would think that might be a problem because you would have to go through Customs when you disembark & they probably wouldn’t be set up yet. 

[cr8tiv1]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Entirely different scenario than what I am asking about.  

 

Yes, almost totally different.  The question at hand would require that there is a customs official at the port to clear you or you get pre-cleared before arriving in Quebec.  In this case, the passengers in Kauai just left the ship.  They did not get processed through Customs and Immigrations.

 

I (more than once) was stopped on Hawaii cruiseS.  The most "serious" offense was that I had to meet with a CBP officer before taking some goods off in Honolulu.  They were on the ship to process crew.  Very long and complicated story.  Bottom line, in order to get off the ship, you will need to go through CBP clearance.  

 

They may have it set up at first port of entry into Canada.

They may have it set up in Quebec on "official" disembarkation day.

You may not need to process out with CBP

 

I guess you don't need me to ask the questions when I am onboard since the situations are different.  Ok with me.

[sunviking90]

Just now, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Yes, almost totally different.  The question at hand would require that there is a customs official at the port to clear you or you get pre-cleared before arriving in Quebec.  In this case, the passengers in Kauai just left the ship.  They did not get processed through Customs and Immigrations.

 

I (more than once) was stopped on Hawaii cruiseS.  The most "serious" offense was that I had to meet with a CBP officer before taking some goods off in Honolulu.  They were on the ship to process crew.  Very long and complicated story.  Bottom line, in order to get off the ship, you will need to go through CBP clearance.  

 

They may have it set up at first port of entry into Canada.

They may have it set up in Quebec on "official" disembarkation day.

You may not need to process out with CBP

 

I guess you don't need me to ask the questions when I am onboard since the situations are different.  Ok with me.

My understanding is that the cruise you are mentioning has a last “foreign” port of Ensenada 2 days before LA. The passengers that left the ship wouldn’t need to be processed thru customs as the ship was still in US waters from the last US port (another Hawaii stop I think). The issue there was the passengers deciding to finish their cruise in Hawaii which is a PVSA violation and not informing Princess.

I would also be interested in an answer to OPs question as we have a cruise in the fall finishing in LA the day before “official” debarkation. We have an overnight in LA. I’m thinking we don’t have to do the usual wait until after 1pm for a flight.

[cr8tiv1]

27 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

My understanding is that the cruise you are mentioning has a last “foreign” port of Ensenada 2 days before LA. The passengers that left the ship wouldn’t need to be processed thru customs as the ship was still in US waters from the last US port (another Hawaii stop I think). The issue there was the passengers deciding to finish their cruise in Hawaii which is a PVSA violation and not informing Princess.

I would also be interested in an answer to OPs question as we have a cruise in the fall finishing in LA the day before “official” debarkation. We have an overnight in LA. I’m thinking we don’t have to do the usual wait until after 1pm for a flight.

 

I still "needed" to stop and be "processed" with a Customs and Border Patrol Officer in Honolulu.  This voyage began in Los Angeles NON-Stop to Hawaii (not involving a stop in Ensenada prior to arrival in Hawaii).  Goods that I brought ashore were bought at Macy's, Trader Joes, and other items from California.  Didn't matter.  I needed to be interviewed by a CBP officer before I would be allowed off the ship.  It was not my first encounter with this issue of "customs" but was the most involved.  I have detailed my experience in other threads. 

 

Suffice it to say, that passengers "may be" subjected to immigration and/or customs processing when traveling from the US into Canada.  They stop you at the border when you fly or cruise (Vancouver).  I will be pleasantly surprised if they just let us walk off the ship in Quebec.  The question seems to be, will there be anyone in the terminal on the first verses second day?

 

As for your situation.  LA has facial recognition to process you off the ship on disembarkation day.  Will CBP have those cameras set up for you on the ship arrival date. San Pedro is not monitored or set every day.  They are only there when they are needed.

[SCX22]

There was a couple in our party that terminated their cruise in Quebec the first day with no problems.  

 

Since, there will be passengers getting off to explore Quebec that day, Canadian Border Patrol will be at the pier.  For entry into Canada by cruise ship, all passengers fill out the Canadian customs declaration form.  You will present your passport and that form to the Canadian Border Patrol agent and they will either clear you or take you aside for further questioning based on your answers on the form.  The ship has to get a zero count before they will let passengers back on board much like for those on a back to back cruise starting and ending in the U.S.

 

Since the cruise ends in Quebec and the ship is just acting like a floating hotel for the evening, the ship's security doesn't care about about whether or not you will be reboarding for the night.  It's less work for the security staff in the morning because it's less people they have to worry about to get to the zero count, allowing for earlier embarkation of the next group of passengers.

 

Probably the least of your worries, but just be aware, there's no refunds for the unused portion.

[SCX22]

33 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I still "needed" to stop and be "processed" with a Customs and Border Patrol Officer in Honolulu.  This voyage began in Los Angeles NON-Stop to Hawaii (not involving a stop in Ensenada prior to arrival in Hawaii).  Goods that I brought ashore were bought at Macy's, Trader Joes, and other items from California.  Didn't matter.  I needed to be interviewed by a CBP officer before I would be allowed off the ship.  It was not my first encounter with this issue of "customs" but was the most involved.  I have detailed my experience in other threads. 

 

How long ago was this?  In January of this year on the Royal Princess, our first call in Hawaii was Kona, a tender port.  Guest Services sent out a note the night before reminding passengers that food items were not to be brought off the ship because of local agricultural laws.  We tendered as usual with no CBP officers to greet us once shoreside.  Then again, there's not a cruise terminal building there.

 

What you outlined above is a good reason to pick a Hawaii cruise that doesn't have Honolulu as it's first call in Hawaii.

Edited July 18, 2023 by SCX22

[sunviking90]

49 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I still "needed" to stop and be "processed" with a Customs and Border Patrol Officer in Honolulu.  This voyage began in Los Angeles NON-Stop to Hawaii (not involving a stop in Ensenada prior to arrival in Hawaii).  Goods that I brought ashore were bought at Macy's, Trader Joes, and other items from California.  Didn't matter.  I needed to be interviewed by a CBP officer before I would be allowed off the ship.  It was not my first encounter with this issue of "customs" but was the most involved.  I have detailed my experience in other threads. 

 

Suffice it to say, that passengers "may be" subjected to immigration and/or customs processing when traveling from the US into Canada.  They stop you at the border when you fly or cruise (Vancouver).  I will be pleasantly surprised if they just let us walk off the ship in Quebec.  The question seems to be, will there be anyone in the terminal on the first verses second day?

 

As for your situation.  LA has facial recognition to process you off the ship on disembarkation day.  Will CBP have those cameras set up for you on the ship arrival date. San Pedro is not monitored or set every day.  They are only there when they are needed.

The passengers left the ship in Kauai after already having visited 3 other Hawaiian ports including Honolulu so the situation would be different than yours I think.

[cr8tiv1]

23 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

 

How long ago was this?  In January of this year on the Royal Princess, our first call in Hawaii was Kona, a tender port.  Guest Services sent out a note the night before reminding passengers that food items were not to be brought off the ship because of local agricultural laws.  We tendered as usual with no CBP officers to greet us once shoreside.  Then again, there's not a cruise terminal building there.

 

What you outlined above is a good reason to pick a Hawaii cruise that doesn't have Honolulu as it's first call in Hawaii.

 

Pre-pandemic.  We stopped in Hilo first, but was told to wait until Honolulu to meet with the CBP officer since they would be onboard to process off crew.  This was pre-packaged food items and other non food items.  I knew before hand from a previous cruise that I would need to "declare" items that I was taking off the ship.  Basically, I was using Princess as a "barge" to get items from point A to point B.  CBP required me to show each and every item I was taking off the ship with me.

 

I travel often enough between CA and HNL that I know about agricultural requirements and what is and not allowed allowed into the state.  None of what I was bringing in was contraband. BTW...the items I was taking ashore would have not been questioned if I brought them by plane.

 

I was just trying to be helpful regarding leaving the ship early.  My situation was extremely unique. I will stop sharing my experience.  Good luck to the OP.

 

The question involves "Will I be able to leave the ship a day earlier". 

 

The not so simple answer is...will there be Customs and Immigrations procedures necessary and/or in place?  Until this next season begins (next week), no one has the answer for Quebec.  

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I just heard that 4 passengers walked off the ship in Kauai (last stop before sailing back to LA).  Captain did not know.  Ship did not know.  Ship waited and waited and delayed sailing until the ship somehow figured out they were not coming back.  

 

Princess has their credit card.  Princess has their passport numbers.  Princess will probably fine them heavily (my opinion) and pass the PVSA fine over to them.  

 

I will try to get some information and relay it back to you later.

Completely different that this cruise. 

[Ourusualbeach]

49 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

There was a couple in our party that terminated their cruise in Quebec the first day with no problems.  

 

Since, there will be passengers getting off to explore Quebec that day, Canadian Border Patrol will be at the pier.  For entry into Canada by cruise ship, all passengers fill out the Canadian customs declaration form.  You will present your passport and that form to the Canadian Border Patrol agent and they will either clear you or take you aside for further questioning based on your answers on the form.  The ship has to get a zero count before they will let passengers back on board much like for those on a back to back cruise starting and ending in the U.S.

 

Since the cruise ends in Quebec and the ship is just acting like a floating hotel for the evening, the ship's security doesn't care about about whether or not you will be reboarding for the night.  It's less work for the security staff in the morning because it's less people they have to worry about to get to the zero count, allowing for earlier embarkation of the next group of passengers.

 

Probably the least of your worries, but just be aware, there's no refunds for the unused portion.

Thanks for the response to the question at hand.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I just heard that 4 passengers walked off the ship in Kauai (last stop before sailing back to LA).  Captain did not know.  Ship did not know.  Ship waited and waited and delayed sailing until the ship somehow figured out they were not coming back.  

 

Princess has their credit card.  Princess has their passport numbers.  Princess will probably fine them heavily (my opinion) and pass the PVSA fine over to them.  

 

I will try to get some information and relay it back to you later.

This is a surprise to me as I would think those passengers would not abandon their luggage and security should be asking questions of any guest disembarking in a mid-cruise port with their bags.  Maybe this wasn't PCL and this other line was more lax or the guests had a story fooling security.  I know we had pre-arranged with Princess to leave ship early and it was all good, but when we got to the gangway, security was all over us to check who we were and if on the list as cleared by GS.

 

(This was a legal departure with no PVSA concerns as it was in Italy).

[cr8tiv1]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

This is a surprise to me as I would think those passengers would not abandon their luggage and security should be asking questions of any guest disembarking in a mid-cruise port with their bags.  Maybe this wasn't PCL and this other line was more lax or the guests had a story fooling security.  I know we had pre-arranged with Princess to leave ship early and it was all good, but when we got to the gangway, security was all over us to check who we were and if on the list as cleared by GS.

 

(This was a legal departure with no PVSA concerns as it was in Italy).

 

Reported on Live Emerald July 6 thread.  I asked the same questions.  Where was security?

[Steelers36]

23 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The not so simple answer is...will there be Customs and Immigrations procedures necessary and/or in place?  Until this next season begins (next week), no one has the answer for Quebec.  

This is my two-cents on Quebec City arrival.  The ship will have stopped at a Canadian port prior to QC.  That is when they would have cleared ship and done any CBSA formalities (I would think).  At QC, I am thinking guests just depart the ship for their port stop on Day 1.  I am not even sure they would need to do a CBSA process on the following morning since they were all admitted to Canada some days prior.

 

Aa for departing guests boarding in QC, it would not surprise me to learn they are clearing US CBP (like Vancouver) because we have US pre-clearance at all of our major airports in order to streamline the process and not have clearance requirements at many more US airports.

[SCX22]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

This is my two-cents on Quebec City arrival.  The ship will have stopped at a Canadian port prior to QC.  That is when they would have cleared ship and done any CBSA formalities (I would think).  At QC, I am thinking guests just depart the ship for their port stop on Day 1.  I am not even sure they would need to do a CBSA process on the following morning since they were all admitted to Canada some days prior.

 

Aa for departing guests boarding in QC, it would not surprise me to learn they are clearing US CBP (like Vancouver) because we have US pre-clearance at all of our major airports in order to streamline the process and not have clearance requirements at many more US airports.

 

You are correct.  The cruise I posted about went to Quebec from Greenland with no intermediate stops in Canada.

[capriccio]

5 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

They may have it set up at first port of entry into Canada.

They may have it set up in Quebec on "official" disembarkation day.

You may not need to process out with CBP

 

And which scenario will be in place on the day the OP plans to disembark may only be known closer to that date and, quite possibly, known to the ship's captain before corporate headquarters and especially customer service reps.

[Sprigs616]

On 7/18/2023 at 6:34 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

Cruise ends with an overnight in Quebec city.  Is it possible to disembark and leave the ship on the first day and not return for the overnight and disembark with everyone else the next day.

 

Thanks

 

You need to request a "Route Deviation" if you wish to disembark early.  

 

I don't have any experience with disembarking early in Quebec but I'm disembarking a day early from my Princess (British Isles) cruise next month.  Because I booked my cruise through a TA, my TA contacted Princess and requested the "Route Deviation" for me, which was approved.  My travel buddy (also disembarking early) booked directly through Princess so she had to request the Route Deviation directly through Princess (also approved).  It only took a day or two before we received our approval letters but I was advised to submit the request well ahead of time.