Ships returning to USA after European Season - boarding delays ?

[Rubynic]

Hi

 

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in October - this is the first cruise out of Fort Lauderdale after she has spent the summer in Europe. Would the boarding be expected to be as normal or are there likely to be delays as there are additional customs/immigration requirements ?

 

Any advice or personal experiences appreciated. If there are expected to be delays then we may plan to get to the port later in the day & arrange our pre-cruise hotel/activities accordingly. (We are flying into Miami the day before).

[fishywood]

I've disembarked Transatlantic cruises arriving in the US and it is much slower than normal. The entire crew will undergo an Immigration inspection before disembarkation of arriving passengers can start which certainly could delay the start of embarkation for you. And there are many reports that lunch on board is quite chaotic as a Health Department Sanitation Inspection will be ongoing. So you may want to add a leisurely lunch on shore to your plans before heading to the port.

[floridalover5623]

From what I've read it's one of the voyages that we just avoid because of the boarding headaches. For us it's just easier to shift our vacation a few weeks.

[skynight]

Most likely there will be boarding delays. Be prepared for 1pm/2pm and lots of crowds. Princess is usually informed by authorities and will advise you when it gets closer to sailing. The delays are generally caused by extended C.G. inspections as well as Immigration Customs requesting more detailed reviews of passengers and crew.

[caribill]

Since there will likely be Coast Guard inspections, then delayed boarding is a high probability.

 

It could be from 1 to 4 hours and no way to predict how long it will be in advance.

 

I do not know if you will receive any advance notice as Princess will not know in advance what time boarding can actually start.

[Colo Cruiser]

USPH and CG inspections.