Arrive at Ensenada Earliest you would book a flight

We arrive at Ensenada and have to be bused to San Diego for our flight home. What is the earliest flight we can safely book? 2p? 1p?

Thanks

Here are factors to consider:

Ensenada, Mexico, is about 85 miles from the San Diego airport.

The border crossing can be problematic.

Check here to monitor border crossing delays at San Ysidro (Tijuana). At 10 am PDT today there is a 1 hour delay with 21 lanes open. If your charter has a SENTRI pass the crossing will be much faster. I don't know whether the SENTRI passes are available for commercial buses.

A few years ago I was on a chartered bus coming from an upscale spa in Mexico to the San Diego airport. At the border (Tecate), the US officials, who are very strict about any fruits or vegetables entering from Mexico, stopped the bus, had all the luggage off-loaded, and had the fruit sniffing dogs inspect the bags.

This spa runs weekly buses to and from SAN. Sometimes the buses are waved through, sometimes they are searched for produce.

Personally, I wouldn't book any flight leaving earlier than 3 pm. You may have more tolerance for risk.

What time is your ship scheduled to arrive in Ensenada?

I have to agree with a late afternoon flight out of San Diego. You just never know how long it will take to cross the border. It might go fast, but in the past people have reported taking several hours to get through. And if you happen to catch one of the days when the border crossing gets shut down (happened the last time I was in San Diego) it will take much, much longer.

Carnival (stupidly in my opinion) says people can makes flights as early as 11am out of San Diego when arriving in Ensenada but I wouldn't risk it.

Can you tell NCL that the time of flight is 1p, lets say and they will get u onboard a bus early?

Are there other ways to get to san Diego then the NCL transfers???

MArlene

Can you tell NCL that the time of flight is 1p, lets say and they will get u onboard a bus early?

 

Are there other ways to get to san Diego then the NCL transfers???

 

MArlene

There are a couple of limo companies in San Diego that will go to Ensenada to pick you up. I don't remember the company we used, but will try to find the info.

Bus service is available to Tijuana about every 1/2 hour. You have to walk across the border (same as on the cruise buses), then pick up the trolley to the airport. EXACT directions should be available on the web.

I just called my friend who lives south of Ensenada-she said that a guy named Carlos Victoria runs buses from Ensenada to San Diego. Might be worth a call

cell phone (646) 149 2772

USA phone number (323) 908 6873

email mailboxups@yahoo.com

Border crossing from Ensenada can EASILY take 4+ hours. Late afternoon would be the earliest I would book a flight.

If your ship docks at 7 am, allow at least one hour for the ship to clear Mexican customs. Sometimes it takes longer. You can always request to be on the first bus out. The process usually involves claiming your bags in a warehouse type area, getting bags to the right bus, and waiting for the bus to fill with the 45 or so other passengers getting on the bus.

All roads to San Diego lead through the border crossing. Here's a shot of the world's busiest border crossing. See all the cars lined up? See the trucks and buses in the far right lane? That will be you waiting in line. For what could be hours.

If I had to get to San Diego asap I'd do online check-in while still on the ship, arrange with the ship to be first in line at the gangway, hand carry ALL my own bags off the ship, and have a private limo waiting for me.

There is an off-the-wall alternative to crossing at San Ysidro. My map program shows that it is 116 miles from Ensenada to SAN via the crossing at Tecate. That's only 20 miles further than taking the route through Tijuana.

The Tecate crossing is not as busy (and has only 2 lanes versus 24 at San Ysidro). However, right now there's an hour wait at Tecate and only 30 minutes at San Ysidro -- go figure. (I cross the border into Canada at Blaine with some frequency and the real wait has always been longer than the projected times on that website. I start counting wait time when the car must slow to a crawl.)

IF I had knowledge of the condition of the road from Ensenada to Tecate, and IF on the morning of disembarkation, the website projected long delays and gridlock at San Ysidro and no delays at Tecate, and IF I had confidence in the limo driver, I MIGHT consider routing through Tecate. That's three IF's and one MIGHT. Two IF's and one MAYBE is my usual limit.

Plan for a 1/2 to cross.