Vancouver Transfer to Ship - U.S. Direct Questions

[Dbld777]

We are originating via air, in a U.S. city, the morning of our departure on the Coral Princess out of Vancouver. We've purchased Princess transfers with our cruise. I'm hoping we can take advantage of U.S. Direct program out of the Vancouver Airport to avoid having to pass through Canadian Customs. Two questions, 1) Do we need to sign up in advance for the U.S. Direct transfer program with our Princess transfer? and 2) Will we have to retrieve our luggage at the Airport or does it go direct to the ship?

 

Thanks much for help in answering these questions.

[LeftcoastBC]

This is the first time that this has come up this year (I think) I just looked at the new YVR.ca site and see nothing about this program anymore.

 

It was easy to find in years past and I wonder if indeed it is still in effect.

 

Anyone else know?

[Putterdude]

Cheldi had posted that it had become available for Princess posters on June 6th. I found a link for it on the YVR site but you really have to look for it.

[LeftcoastBC]

hey how bout a share then. I don't even get a guess from their search site on YVR.ca for US Direct.

[c-to-sea]

I just spoke with a Customer Service rep at YVR. Apparently, they no longer show the information

clearly on their website and suggest that, since it is cruise-line specific, you contact

the cruise line you are sailing with to make arrangement.However, Port of Vancouver still gives

information on their site at:-

 

http://www.portmetrovancouver.com/about/cruiseandtourism/usdirectprocess.aspx

 

Looks like you need to check and arrange with Princess directly.

[Putterdude]

That's interesting cause I found it with pictures of all the direction signs and everything. I did post the link on another forum he had posted on and suggest that he post here with the hopes that Cheldi would spot it and give him a hand.

[c-to-sea]

One of life's great mysteries. PD's link on Wst Coast departures is to the old YVR website, which is still accessible.

However, if you go to it's home page, none of it's links actually work. Even the link to

the announcement of the new YVR website doesn't work. The change appears to have

taken place after last years cruise season.

[Putterdude]

One of life's great mysteries. PD's link on Wst Coast departures is to the old YVR website, which is still accessible.

 

That could be as I think that one I may have Googled but the heading on the website looked current.

[ceilidh1]

US Direct is still in effect for Princess Cruises - we began June 6th this season. Make sure that you have filled out your immigration info on the cruise personalizer, tag your bags with the cruiseline luggage tags and puchase a transfer. The criteria are that you must be flying in direct from the US, same day, with a US passport. When you get off the flight you will head out toward the immigration area and there will be signs that point the way to US DIRECT/CAT. The airport also has volunteers that ask passengers all the above questions and, if you qualify, you will be taken to an elevator and transferred to the CAT facitlity. This is a sterile program so if you decide to do this, you will be transferred directly to the port (and skip all the US immigration line ups) and through to check in. You will not be able to stop off in vancouver or do any pre-cruise shopping - if you choose to leave the ship after check in, you will need to do the regular passenger routing to get back on.

[Dbld777]

Thank you so much for the detailed information. As much as we would love to visit Vancouver, our flight logistics just won't permit it and streamlining our route to the ship seems like a great process. We will put the fair city of Vancouver on our future visits list as I've had several people telling me how nice the city is and asking if we were taking the time to see Vancouver.

 

Thanks again to all who've taken the time to answer my questions. Your responses on these forums are very much appreciated by us first timers!