Jump to content

Disembark - How long does it take?


RenoFrank
 Share

Recommended Posts

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

There is a portion of Cruise Critic devoted to San Diego, located here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

San Diego has a very long history of troublesome disembarkations. However, on that board, we have been seeing much more positive reports the last 6 or 10 months. As a result, while the airport is very close, I wouldn't recommend a flight before 11am.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say later in the afternoon or the next day. I have disembarked in San Diego 3 times and not once been off the ship until after noon.... All three times passenger's names and cabin #'s were called over and over again. Luckily for us my sister had done the cruise the year before us and advised us to fly home the next day, and she was sooo right. We definitely would have missed our flight!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say later in the afternoon or the next day. I have disembarked in San Diego 3 times and not once been off the ship until after noon....

 

I have to work the next day but will book the 3:45pm flight. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say later in the afternoon or the next day. I have disembarked in San Diego 3 times and not once been off the ship until after noon.... All three times passenger's names and cabin #'s were called over and over again. Luckily for us my sister had done the cruise the year before us and advised us to fly home the next day, and she was sooo right. We definitely would have missed our flight!

 

Sorry but I don't understand what having several passengers called for disembarking would have to do with causing you a delay? They don't hold up the process waiting for a late few - all others disembark and they then check the ship for the remaining passengers.

 

Besides, every ship I've been on has all passengers off typically by 10:00 AM as they start to board the next itineraries passengers around 11:00. Being delayed past noon doesn't sound right. And even so, why would that result in waiting until the next day to schedule a flight? :confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry but I don't understand what having several passengers called for disembarking would have to do with causing you a delay? They don't hold up the process waiting for a late few - all others disembark and they then check the ship for the remaining passengers.

 

Besides, every ship I've been on has all passengers off typically by 10:00 AM as they start to board the next itineraries passengers around 11:00. Being delayed past noon doesn't sound right. And even so, why would that result in waiting until the next day to schedule a flight? :confused:

 

To understand the challenges in San Diego, you need to know how the US Immigration Service works.

Even though it is a Federal organization, it is divided into geographical sections. Each section is managed by a Commanding Officer who is given great leeway on how he wants to interpret and enforce US Immigration regulations.

The officer in charge of the San Diego area is a very unhappy, short, Mexican-American man who seems convinced that foreigners are trying to sneak aboard cruise ships that call at Mexican Riviera ports, then sneak past him when the ships call at San Diego, entering the USA illegally.

So he has decided that when a cruise ship coming in from Mexico or another foreign port calls at San Diego, ALL passengers must clear immigration onboard the ship before anyone is allowed to disembark.

Invariably, there are a few passengers onboard who are confused, deaf, suffering from dementia, don't speak English, don't know that the cruise has ended, or just plain don't want to be bothered to go through immigration. These people fail to show up, meaning that ALL passengers must wait for them before disembarking.

 

After a few hours of searching and dozens of increasingly urgent announcements, the missing passengers are located; asleep in bed, swimming in the pool, reading a book in the library, having a late breakfast, or some other activity. Security has to escort them to their cabins to collect their things, sometimes pack their things, then gets them to the Immigration checkpoint onboard the ship.

Only after they have been cleared by US Immigration officers can any passenger leave the ship.

 

Meanwhile, passengers who booked early flights can see their airplanes at the airport just across the street, departing without them.

 

The other geographical sections of the US Immigration Service do not have this crazy requirement. In other US ports, when a ship arrives from an international cruise, passengers who have cleared immigration - either onboard or in the terminal - can leave. Passengers who show up late for immigration in those ports are delaying only themselves and the immigration officers.

Edited by CHPURSER
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...