Customs clearance for B2B in Puerto Calderda, COR

We will be on the Journey in February and will do a B2B Miami to LA. This is our first B2B, so we are not familiar with the customs procedures for people who stay on for the next cruise. Our change over port is Puerto Caldera.

We arrive at 6am and leave at midnight. In order to plan for a private excursion (of course none are offered by Azamara) it would be good to know when approx. we can leave the ship (how extensive are clearance procedures) and when be back onboard. The Journey leaves at midnight but I am thinking there will be a life boat drill way before then and for that I am guessing, everyone has to be present. I am hoping someone who did a B2B through P. Caldera this year will read this and have some input. Thank you in advance.

Is PC your first port in CR? Likely not, as with our cruise that ends in PC, the first port in CR will be elsewhere in CR, probably Golfito or Quepos? If so your ship and its passengers would clear customs then (as soon as it arrives and lands passengers in their country) If that's the case, then the ship has already cleared customs when it arrives in PC and you'll just need to wait for docking and port officials to say it's safe to disembark. (Like flying a domestic flight- no customs)

We have a similar situation with an early departure in Quepos (ship is in Golfito prior day) and I was just discussing this with my TA in order to plan a transfer to the Osa Penisula after a 6 AM arrival. But since we will have cleared CR customs in Golfito, we are hopeful not to be held beyond 8 am when we would need to leave or miss a connection.

Maybe someone "official" can confirm this, I'd like to be sure too, but that's generally how it works when cruising "within" a country.

Is PC your first port in CR? Likely not, as with our cruise that ends in PC, the first port in CR will be elsewhere in CR, probably Golfito or Quepos? If so your ship and its passengers would clear customs then (as soon as it arrives and lands passengers in their country) If that's the case, then the ship has already cleared customs when it arrives in PC and you'll just need to wait for docking and port officials to say it's safe to disembark. (Like flying a domestic flight- no customs)

 

We have a similar situation with an early departure in Quepos (ship is in Golfito prior day) and I was just discussing this with my TA in order to plan a transfer to the Osa Penisula after a 6 AM arrival. But since we will have cleared CR customs in Golfito, we are hopeful not to be held beyond 8 am when we would need to leave or miss a connection.

 

Maybe someone "official" can confirm this, I'd like to be sure too, but that's generally how it works when cruising "within" a country.

I am a dummie, why did I not think of this. Makes sense that you clear customs when you first enter the country. Thanks for pointing that out. Now I just need to find out when the life boat drill is, so we know when to be back on board! I would assume around 5, even if the ship does not sail until midnight. Sounds like we are on the same cruise, we are also going to Golfito and Quepos.

You aren't a dummie! There aren't any dumb questions on CC!

It seems that Journey is making several trips through the canal from Miami to Caldera and back and Miami around the Carribbean for most of late Jan and and Feb, but I think we must be on the same cruise since there is only one Miami to Caldera cruise!

We are leaving from Quepos because we are staying on the Osa for 4 nights before flying back to the states. If we get all the way to Caldera, wed have to take a charter flight back, which seemed too complicated and expensive to do just for one more dinner and the morning rush off the ship. So we will arrange to "check out" from the ship in Quepos and be met by our guide there instead.

Have you jumped onto the roll call yet? We've got quite a few folks organizing tours and it seems like it's going to be a great cruise! I also learned that theyve changed the Azamazing evening from the Biodiversity museum in Panama City to a performance in Cartengna. We had signed up for the PC one and it was just changed to our late night in Columbia!

Looking forward to meeting you!

We will be on the Journey in February and will do a B2B Miami to LA. This is our first B2B, so we are not familiar with the customs procedures for people who stay on for the next cruise. Our change over port is Puerto Caldera.

We arrive at 6am and leave at midnight. In order to plan for a private excursion (of course none are offered by Azamara) it would be good to know when approx. we can leave the ship (how extensive are clearance procedures) and when be back onboard. The Journey leaves at midnight but I am thinking there will be a life boat drill way before then and for that I am guessing, everyone has to be present. I am hoping someone who did a B2B through P. Caldera this year will read this and have some input. Thank you in advance.

Hello, If you are in need of a good tour guide, I can highly recommend this one.

PUNTARENAS. All passengers boarded in Caldera because of limitation of luggage handling in Puntarenas. In Puntarenas, Costa Rica we took a tour of the Puntarenas Area with Ricky Ricardo (rickyricardotours@hotmail.com) Mob.Tel # 506-8848-1499 Ricky lives in Puntarenas so it was easy for him to meet us for this tour. He was kind enough to come to the Peace Lodge neat San Jose to get us and bring us to the ship.

Hi

We went through the Panama Canal from Miami in march and disembarked in Caldera. We were due to arrive from Quipos at 6am on the day of disembarkation but the captain told us he would be docking at 11pm the previous night as in this port they can not store the bags in the normal place for some reason. They have to take it off on deck 5 so would get the luggage off as soon as possible so not to block the lifeboats. I am sure thy may tell you the same thing.

So you may be able to get off the ship as early as 6/7am if you wanted to.

Hope that Helps

Gareth