Once Boarded on Embarkation Day……

[grak]

……can you get off and explore area and reboard before sailing? Specifically in San Francisco…we’re usually on board by noon and would like to get off for a couple of hours. Is that something that can be done?

[reedprincess]

22 minutes ago, grak said:

……can you get off and explore area and reboard before sailing? Specifically in San Francisco…we’re usually on board by noon and would like to get off for a couple of hours. Is that something that can be done?

Generally that's a no in US ports, due to immigration and customs concerns 

 

So, if you're wanting to explore before actually being aboard - you can drop your luggage, then go explore, then return within the boarding window and before final all aboard.   But boarding then disembarking again - nope, not generally doable.

 

In European ports (which I realize you didn't ask about, but future reference) - usually non-issue as long as EU/Schengen immigration rules are quite different - common area and all that. 

[grak]

Thanks…..I had a feeling that would be the case.

[memoak]

Why not sightsee and then board after 1:00. We almost always catch lunch near the port and avoid the crowds

[suekel]

Drop your luggage...go back later.  I'm going to do that next time I sail out of LA and go tour the USS Iowa.  

[sfpd3000]

8 hours ago, grak said:

……can you get off and explore area and reboard before sailing? Specifically in San Francisco…we’re usually on board by noon and would like to get off for a couple of hours. Is that something that can be done?

I've seen it done before.  A gentleman had to run back home because his wife forgot her medication.

[555]

I can't see why it wouldn't be possible. Isn't a US port treated like any other visited port? 

Once you're cleared to be on the ship you should be free to come & go.

[d9704011]

9 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Generally that's a no in US ports, due to immigration and customs concerns 

I understand you don't know the ship's itinerary but what 'immigration and customs concerns' exist?  Never seen any of that on any cruise I've embarked in the United States.

[NavyVeteran]

12 hours ago, grak said:

……can you get off and explore area and reboard before sailing? Specifically in San Francisco…we’re usually on board by noon and would like to get off for a couple of hours. Is that something that can be done?

It depends on the port, on the itinerary, and on the local immigration rules.

On an Alaska cruise leaving from Vancouver, you clear US immigration when you board the ship. Therefore you can't leave and go back into Canada.

On an Alaska cruise leaving from Seattle, things would be different, since you are not leaving the United States yet - your next ports are also in the United States.

You should be able to leave the ship when embarking in San Francisco. Your next port is probably in the United States. Even if it is not, you are probably not clearing immigration for another country in San Francisco.

[HotRoot]

If you are on a B2B you can leave the ship.  Why would you not be able to leave just because you boarded that day?

[latebloomer56]

11 hours ago, suekel said:

Drop your luggage...go back later.  I'm going to do that next time I sail out of LA and go tour the USS Iowa.  

We did this once before worked out nice.

[skynight]

12 hours ago, grak said:

……can you get off and explore area and reboard before sailing? Specifically in San Francisco…we’re usually on board by noon and would like to get off for a couple of hours. Is that something that can be done?

You can get off. I would not recommend it. Here are some issues.

- If you arrive at the pier early you could be on board as early as 10:30 and as late as 11:30. It appears like most sailings from S.F. are at 4pm. You will have to re-board by probably 3pm. This does not give you much time to look around the Embarcadero and nearby piers, such as pier 39.

-Once on board you most likely will not be ale to get to your cabin until sometime after noontime, maybe as late as 1pm. You will be lugging around your carry ons. When you remain on board there normally is a drop off check baggage area available for carry ons. You pick them up before initially going to your cabin. Lunch is available on board. You can also handle the muster during your wait time.

-When reboarding you will be required to go back through security.

-There may be some immigration requirements leaving and re-boarding, not sure.

-As I always do I recommend that you arrive at least one day early and stay at a hotel. You can look around that day.

[matamanoa]

With reference to the above post, we have always been able to drop off our carry on luggage into our cabin even if the cabin was not properly made up yet.  That's the first thing we do when we get on board.  It also usually gives us an opportunity to meet our room steward who is always in the area getting the cabins ready.  Then we're free to roam the ship and go for lunch.  I'm not sure about whether you can get off the ship once you've checked in so I'll leave that information to the folks who know.  If our cabin should be ready, then we also get the muster drill video out of the way, check in at our muster station and that is one less thing we have on our to do list.  On the odd occasion we have been lucky enough to receive our luggage early in the afternoon and we are happy to be able to unpack and let the vacation begin!

[skynight]

On my last b2b cruises this past March on the Ruby passengers were asked with frequent announcements to remain clear of the cabins until an announcement was made that they were ready. That was around 1pm. The fire doors were all closed. It was possible to open the fire doors, but an alarm went off. The cabin stewards were all busy. You could bring your carry ons with you around the ship, or you could check them in one of the DRs.

I am aware of this because during the b2b turn around I did return to my cabin. But, on my next b2bs I intend to remain away from this busy area during turn arounds even though all my belongings will be in the cabin.

The process may not be the same on all ships. It may depend on the Hotel Manager. 

[555]

We were on the Ruby last Nov. and although the fire doors were closed, if you proceeded to drop off your luggage no one said a word. We didn't stay long enough to bother any one but just get rid of our bags. 

[MustangGT]

On our recent cruise on the Sapphire, we wanted to drop off our carry ons but the medallions were not activated yet.  I think that was a good thing.  It lead to me changing my feeling on “just dropping off my carryon and meeting my cabin steward” as many of us like to do.  With 19 cabins and a suite to turn around, the stewards need to work quickly and if everyone thinks they won’t be disturbing the workflow, we would be fooling ourselves.

We will wait for the announcement to head to the cabin from now on.

Not to say everyone has to do the same!  JMHO

[cr8tiv1]

8 hours ago, sfpd3000 said:

I've seen it done before.  A gentleman had to run back home because his wife forgot her medication.

 

Alan often works as a SFPD officer manning the port.  Like any other US port, you will need:

 

Your medallion

Photo ID

Go through security, again

 

in order to re-board the ship after check in.  I can see that any carry on luggage maybe be the issue.  Princess has done away with timed arrivals so as long as you can check in - in a timely manner, you could probably leave the ship and return.  If this were the case, I would drop EVERYTHING off with the porters and just take a back pack with you.

[skynight]

3 hours ago, 555 said:

We were on the Ruby last Nov. and although the fire doors were closed, if you proceeded to drop off your luggage no one said a word. We didn't stay long enough to bother any one but just get rid of our bags. 

This was the way it was on my turn around day. You could get to your cabin and no one said anything. My cabin door was closed like a normal day and my cabin was serviced. I could have remained there all during boarding. New passenger cabin doors were open and the entry screen was not programmed to accept the medallion scan. The screen had some generic information showing.  

[helenb]

This thread makes me nostalgic for the Love Boat show from the 70s, where people would just walk onboard, bring their friends/family, and then there would be an announcement warning the non-cruisers to disembark because sailing would be underway soon. I'm pretty sure there were episodes where someone came onboard, disembarked, then made it back before ship departure. Heck, I even remember episodes where someone disembarked at the end of the cruise, then returned to the ship while the disembarkation process was still going on (usually to meet up with their new romance).

 

How times have changed!