Customs - 10-day Mexico out of SF on 3/31/2013

[usviking]

The itinerary for the Grand Princess 10 day Mexico cruise out of San Francisco leaving on Mar 31, 2013 stops in San Diego as the next port after Cabo San Lucas prior to returning to San Francisco.

 

Will customs be conducted at San Diego and all required to disembark? Or, will it be on final disembark is San Francisco.

 

I am happy either way, just curious.

 

.

[Blondilu]

I went on a 10 day RT from San Francisco in 2009. Originally planned for Mexico, with no US stops, but the ship turned around because of the whole Mexico swine flu thing. It became a US cruise with one stop at Ensenada. They didn't even let us off and we still had to fill out the paperwork.

 

Anyway, I remember turning in something when we got off the ship in San Diego and then I think again in San Francisco we had to complete another form. My memory is real vague but I know for a fact we completed some form in San Diego because I remember watching them just throw them all into a big barrel. No doubt they didn't want them because no one actually got off the ship in Mexico, but it's required to complete them anyway.

 

And I kind of remember the form in San Francisco because my roommate had bought an expensive ring on board and she had to declare that purchase. Not too helpful, I know, but to the best of my memory the answer is we filled out customs reports in both places. Hopefully someone else can be more clear.

[paul929207]

You will go thru immigration in SF. Otherwise you would have to pack everything and take it off the ship in SD, then bring it back on. In addition, you could buy things in duty free.

[Times Prince]

Because California is a major agricultural state, be aware that bringing any fruit or plants into the state is a NO-No as a threat to that industry. There are even agricultural inspection stations on the highways leading into the state.

 

I would expect to have to complete the agricultural inspection on disembarkation, and would expect California officials to be monitoring people coming ashore at San Diego.

[caribill]

The itinerary for the Grand Princess 10 day Mexico cruise out of San Francisco leaving on Mar 31, 2013 stops in San Diego as the next port after Cabo San Lucas prior to returning to San Francisco.

 

Will customs be conducted at San Diego and all required to disembark? Or, will it be on final disembark is San Francisco.

 

I am happy either way, just curious.

 

.

 

I would expect immigration in San Diego and customs in San Francisco.

[Blondilu]

Immigration and customs does sound right, now that I think about it.

[aaerobear]

There is no ag inspection on cruises arriving into California, nor will you have to bring your luggage to an inspection. Clearance in SF is generally handled by reporting to one of the dining rooms and having your passport checked, and that is it.

[Treven]

There is no ag inspection on cruises arriving into California, nor will you have to bring your luggage to an inspection. Clearance in SF is generally handled by reporting to one of the dining rooms and having your passport checked, and that is it.

This was what I had to do when SFO was the last stop on a Panama Canal cruise; the previous stop was Cabo.

[pris993]

Everything is done at your first port of entry, which is San Diego.

 

IN SF, they have dogs at the dock, basically they are looking for "drugs". Did read in the newspaper that they caught some folks with drugs on a HAL ship a while back, major smuggling situation.

[aaerobear]

ONCE and only ONCE have there been dogs screening passengers at the pier in SF this year and that was earlier this spring when the Star Princess made it's first US stop in several months. ( a major fiasco made worse by US Immigration and customs and the Coast Guard). I know they were only doing their jobs, but a little more coordination would have helped.

 

There is usually one dog at the pier and he only goes around the baggage area before passengers disembark to the baggage area.

[caribill]

ONCE and only ONCE have there been dogs screening passengers at the pier in SF this year and that was earlier this spring when the Star Princess made it's first US stop in several months.

 

The main problem is it was not screening on the pier, but on the ship itself, six people at a time taking about two minutes for each group of six people.

 

The crowding on the ship near the exit area was worse than I have ever seen before on land or sea. Sardines in a can have more room than thsoe waiting in that area did.