US Direct, DUI, Canadian Customs - first hand experience

[sharp_cruiser]

Before we left for our trip, I did quite a bit of research on this and had a bit of panic as well. I wanted to post our experience and maybe it will help others.

 

I would like to state this is just our experience - I have no idea if this is standard procedure, or did we get lucky?

 

One member of my traveling party had a DUI from the US on his record less than 5 years ago. We did a Southbound cruise (with a prior independent land tour). I also per-booked a Princess transfer to the airport and had provided them with my return flight information (all within the US).

 

In Whittier (Princess cruise), we were dropped off by the shuttle and we were on the ship in about 20 minutes. I have absolutely NO idea where we encountered Canadian customs on embarkation. We first went to a desk that requested your passports, but those seemed to be Princess employees, who were primarily concerned with getting your credit card on account, and giving you room keys. Went through baggage screening with our carry on items. Walked on the ship. So, if we experienced Canadian Customs there, we never heard a peep from them.

 

Once on board, I could not sign up for US Direct. No one on the desk had any idea what it was. They told me to sign up for EZ Check. This is NOT the same! EZ check checks your bags and you don't see them from the night before you disembark until when you arrive at home. So at that time, I believed all I had was a bus ride to a multi hour customs battle at the airport.

 

Disembarking in Vancouver was not much different. The day before I learned what color group we were in - the paper said "Princess transfers - Direct to US". It said we would get our luggage at the airport and then check in for our flights. There was another color group called "Princess transfer to airport" and that one said you had to get your luggage at the cruise ship dock. At that time I started to wonder if we had been placed in US Direct? I don't know the answer to that.

 

When our color was called we walked off the ship. The only customs officer I saw was collecting our customs declaration form, which he studied for less that 1 second each and we all paraded down the staircase. Then we were put on a bus to the airport, collected our luggage and checked in for the flight. We went through airline security, check on baggage scanning, etc. Then we saw a US customs agent who didn't care to take too much time with us. I think we were ready to board our flights in about 1.5 hrs. (Of course, United airlines is a huge rotting piece of trash, lost our luggage and caused us to run to our connection, but that is a different thread!)

 

Again, I cannot say that this is typical or standard, or what your experiences would be. Feel free to ask some questions.

[Sierra Fox]

Which ship were you on? I'm going to try to do this on the Coral in a couple of weeks.

 

So I guess if I already have the Princess transfers, I just need to go to the Passenger's Service Desk and sign-up for EZ Check and expect that no one will know what US Direct is. I understood that it was a combination of the transfers and EZ Check, but why do they give the program a separate name if they aren't going to take the time to inform their employees of how it works?

 

What time was your flight on United and what time did you arrive at the airport? We're flying United as well and it's direct to Denver so if our luggage makes it onboard in YVR, then United won't have another chance to lose it....hopefully. - SF

[citygirl]

Thanks, it does sound like you did US Direct but, how did you get to Canada in the first place, didn't you fly and have to go through customs and immigration at the airport??

[greatam]

Thanks, it does sound like you did US Direct but, how did you get to Canada in the first place, didn't you fly and have to go through customs and immigration at the airport??

 

Sounds to me like US Direct with a SOUTHBOUND cruise (board in the USA).

 

To the OP-you never entered Canada. So no immigration where they could check for the DUI.

[clarku]

I plan on printing out the description of the US Direct program from Vancouver Airport Authority, http://www.yvr.ca/guide/around/onboard/ , and bring that with me when I try to verify that we're reserved for it on our southbound cruise. We already are signed up for a transfer and ez check, I just find it odd that nobody on the ships seem to know what the US Direct program is. In prior posts, some people have mentioned that they physically seal the bus with tape and that there's a separate entrance at the airport that expedites you through customs. There's no mention of that with EZ check, hmmm......:confused:

[JJ2sail]

U.S. Direct is for cruises starting in Canada not ending in Canada. It is to avoid the long lines at immigration when flying into Vancouver, and speed you to your ship on the same day of sailing.

[clarku]

U.S. Direct is for cruises starting in Canada not ending in Canada. It is to avoid the long lines at immigration when flying into Vancouver, and speed you to your ship on the same day of sailing.

 

 

It's supposed to work both ways, ending or beginning @ Vancouver. You can search past threads and see that people have used it disembarking @ Vancouver.

[NANZEE]

U.S. Direct is for cruises starting in Canada not ending in Canada. It is to avoid the long lines at immigration when flying into Vancouver, and speed you to your ship on the same day of sailing.

 

Aug 25th Northbound Island Princess

I have read the Vancouver airport website about US Direct and also in the 2008 Princess Alaska cruise Answer book on their website (both say the same thing) but no where does it tell you if you have to get something extra from Princess like different luggage tage, sign up somewhere or pay anything. Have you used this? In reading both it appears you just qualify for the 5 points and walk through US Direct to van instead of going downstairs collecting your luggage and going through Customs. Nothing seems to be free so anyone out there used this and am I correct? Dave (NewPennCrusier) posted he did recently but have not gotten a response from him on how to use this on another thread.

[clarku]

Looking at another page from YVR website, http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/infoPassengers/usDirect.html , it seems that they've changed the name from US Direct to Onboard Check-In initiative, for those disembarking in Vancouver. When I was researching this last year and making reservations, it was all lumped as US Direct, regardless of embarking or disembarking in Vancouver. It really shouldn't be this hard to figure out, ugh!

[Grego]

Yyyykkkkesss. I am really getting confused now. Is there anyone who disembarked in Vancouver that used US Direct/EZ Check?

[baron45]

So let me get this straight:

 

If I fly from the US to YVR for a cruise, I am not eligible for US Direct if I use a cab or limo to the cruise ship?

[msmoger]

So let me get this straight:

 

If I fly from the US to YVR for a cruise, I am not eligible for US Direct if I use a cab or limo to the cruise ship?

 

That is correct. You would have to be transported on a bus specifically designated for US Direct Passengers.

[lovetocruise99]

Yyyykkkkesss. I am really getting confused now. Is there anyone who disembarked in Vancouver that used US Direct/EZ Check?

 

I tried to use U.S. Direct on Radiance last week but couldn't due to two different airlines on my flight home. Here's what you do to skip all of this craziness. Simply carry your own bags (all of them) off the ship. They always let the self embarking people off first so you can clear customs quickly, then grab the first cabs in line at the port. Go to the airport where you'll find no one in line yet to check in for their flights. There's also not going to be a line a security yet.

 

We left Radiance of the Seas on a Friday morning with heavy traffic around 7:45. We were sitting at our gate drinking coffee by 9:15.

[Putterdude]

So let me get this straight:

 

If I fly from the US to YVR for a cruise, I am not eligible for US Direct if I use a cab or limo to the cruise ship?

 

No you are not eligible, the simplest way to explain US Direct is to say that you and your baggage travel from the ship to the airport "in bond", you in theory never set foot in Canada. By taking your own cab or limo you are setting foot in Canada.

[sharp_cruiser]

Which ship were you on? I'm going to try to do this on the Coral in a couple of weeks.

 

So I guess if I already have the Princess transfers, I just need to go to the Passenger's Service Desk and sign-up for EZ Check and expect that no one will know what US Direct is. I understood that it was a combination of the transfers and EZ Check, but why do they give the program a separate name if they aren't going to take the time to inform their employees of how it works?

 

What time was your flight on United and what time did you arrive at the airport? We're flying United as well and it's direct to Denver so if our luggage makes it onboard in YVR, then United won't have another chance to lose it....hopefully. - SF

 

Fox: We were also on the Coral. The only reason we didn't use the EZ check was b/c the second leg of our flights was with Frontier, not United. Princess told us we could not use it. That is why we had to get our luggage at the airport.

 

Of note, and I only want to say this to warn you... United sux so awfully. Of ALL the flights at YVR, only United's were late, and all of them were late. People were missing connections left and right. We had only 30 minutes to connect in Denver to another terminal for Frontier. United would not bump us to their own flight that we could have made. Even the flight attendent told us we wouldn't make it. We landed in Denver, no one at the gate, got shuffled to "customer service". Line would have taken us over an hour, AND the flight I wanted to be put on was, guess what, delayed another hour! So we said forget it and ran our fool heads off to Frontier... took 5 MINUTES!! But guess what??? United decided not to transfer our bags. They showed up 1 day later... on Northwest... :mad: Sorry for the venting, just heads up.

[loves2cruz]

Just got home from the Coral Princess and Guest Relations did not know of the term US direct. We were southbound and wanted to do this in Vancouver. I believe they did offer the program, perhaps under a different name, but there are only certain airlines that participate. Although pre-cruise Princess told me that Delta and Continental participate, on the ship I was told that in fact they did not. All I can say is there is a lot of confusion about this program. I had been concerned about saving time at the airport not having to go through customs. In fact, we took a taxi, much quicker than the transfer and had to wait a couple of hours for our flight. Fairly long line at airport, but it went quickly. This was a Monday so perhaps it would take longer on a weekend.

 

When we got off the ship we went through Canadian customs at the Vancouver port. We were on line a very short time. We disembarked the ship at approximately 9:00a.m. on a Monday. Very simple, a Canadian customs agent looked at our passports and asked what our plans were. We told him we were headed to the airport and he wished us a good day.

 

Someone on line ahead of us was planning on staying in Vancouver for a couple of days after the cruise and I could hear that she was asked questions about where she was staying, what her plans were, how she was going to get around, was her touring pre-arranged, etc. He asked if she was planning on renting a car. In fact, he asked her this a couple of different times. She told him where she was staying and what she was planning on doing, that she wasn't renting a car and then she went through, but I would say he spoke to her a good few minutes. His biggest concern seemed to be how she was going to be getting around.

[Putterdude]

Just got home from the Coral Princess and Guest Relations did not know of the term US direct. We were southbound and wanted to do this in Vancouver. I believe they did offer the program, perhaps under a different name, but there are only certain airlines that participate. Although pre-cruise Princess told me that Delta and Continental participate, on the ship I was told that in fact they did not. All I can say is there is a lot of confusion about this program. I had been concerned about saving time at the airport not having to go through customs. In fact, we took a taxi, much quicker than the transfer and had to wait a couple of hours for our flight. Fairly long line at airport, but it went quickly. This was a Monday so perhaps it would take longer on a weekend.

 

When we got off the ship we went through Canadian customs at the Vancouver port. We were on line a very short time. We disembarked the ship at approximately 9:00a.m. on a Monday. Very simple, a Canadian customs agent looked at our passports and asked what our plans were. We told him we were headed to the airport and he wished us a good day.

 

Someone on line ahead of us was planning on staying in Vancouver for a couple of days after the cruise and I could hear that she was asked questions about where she was staying, what her plans were, how she was going to get around, was her touring pre-arranged, etc. He asked if she was planning on renting a car. In fact, he asked her this a couple of different times. She told him where she was staying and what she was planning on doing, that she wasn't renting a car and then she went through, but I would say he spoke to her a good few minutes. His biggest concern seemed to be how she was going to be getting around.

 

The US Direct Program was established thru the co-operation of the Port of Vancouver, YVR, the cruise lines, the airlines, and both CDN and US customs. It is a good and effective program and it just seems rediculous to me that TAs and cruise ship employees are not up to speed on it.

As for the cutoms officer line of questioning, as a person who used to cross the border in either direction up to twice a week, you never know what they are going to ask or why they are asking the question. But they are trained to be much better questioners then we are answerers and he may have known or suspect something and want to trip the person up.