nicky6425 Posted September 20, 2022 #1 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Does anyone have any experience going thru customs at the Boston Pier ? I am trying to decide which bus connection I should book. The 10 am seems too tight, but the next one at 12:30 pm would probably have us waiting at the bus station too long. Could there possibly be lockers there to store suitcase? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexmiller Posted September 20, 2022 #2 Share Posted September 20, 2022 I presume you are on one of the round trip out of Boston Canada/New England itineraries. We just got off the Summit on 9-11, from the first cruise of that itinerary this season. Customs occurs in Portland, Maine, onboard. You are not allowed to get off the ship until you are seen by the officials. Every passenger is processed in person on the ship in Portland the morning the ship arrives - and let me tell you, it was pretty dreadful - over an hour in a line that snakes onto the outer deck and then alllllll around deck 4. Pro tip, take it from me, be careful about booking a private tour that day - assuming you were even thinking about it - as the extreme delay in getting off the ship due to the customs and border patrol mandatory inspection, prevented us from being able to make our excursion, a walking foodie tour we had booked through Viator. Alas. Ship excursions though, no problem, as they adjust. SO, long story short, there is zero problem, zero delay in Boston getting off the ship - just waltz yourself off and head to your preferred mode of transport. The ease you get in Boston, is more than paid for by the trouble in Portland. UNLESS you are sailing Retreat class - suite passengers are processed lickity split in Portland - whole different story for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisestitch Posted September 20, 2022 #3 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Fwiw other itineraries are arranged differently, with Portland first. Passengers on the 3 October cruise will be going through C&I in Boston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicky6425 Posted September 20, 2022 Author #4 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Yes, unfortunately Boston is the first US port for us....thats why I'm wondering about bus times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-Airbalancer Posted September 20, 2022 #5 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Just got off the Voyager of the seas, Transatlantic that end in Boston As a Canadian we saw a customs officer for a face to face on the ship we took our bags off our selves , we were at the airport just before 8 am it was quick and easy , a shared cab with 4 people cost $15 to the airport , a friend took Uber and it was $15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted September 20, 2022 #6 Share Posted September 20, 2022 (edited) We did a B3B and the Second leg we cleared Customs in Boston. They did Customs on board the ship. Since we were on a B2B we couldn't be processed until the ship was fully cleared and the ship Zeroed out (the end of the line). The full ship was processed by around 9:30. We could have selected to be cleared early morning and use a transit pass to rejoin the ship. Customs Processing is done by numbers and you will receive a slot with an approx time frame. If traveling in a suite you can go to Retreat either at the very beginning or when ready and they escort you to a priority area and are cleared admitted and cleared immediately. Clearance is no more than flashing a passport if U.S. Citizens. Non-US passengers were processed in a different area and took longer. Edited September 20, 2022 by Jim_Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexmiller Posted September 21, 2022 #7 Share Posted September 21, 2022 20 hours ago, cruisestitch said: Fwiw other itineraries are arranged differently, with Portland first. Passengers on the 3 October cruise will be going through C&I in Boston Oops, oh ok. Well, gosh then I have nothing to share! Hopefully I at least helped some that are ending in Boston, with customs in Portland as far as the details surrounding our experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now