Alaska / Canadian Customs/Immigration questions please

[CTOM]

We're on an upcoming southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver four our first cruise. Thanks to all you CruiseCritics who have been so helpful already. Flying into Alaska and then flying home to U.S. from Vancouver.

 

When we disembark, will we go through immigration right away with Canadian officials? We're concerned about 2,000 passengers disembarking at once and how long the lines are! I imagine we'll have to go through immigration again before our flight later that day at the airport too.

 

Also, if we use HAL's shuttle to the YVR airport, how are those lines to get on the bus?

[lynndon]

Immigration is at the airport. We stayed as a large group in the lounge until there was a bus ready to take us to the airport and then loaded directly onto the bus and left for airport.

[alwaysfrantic]

We waited a long time last month for the bus to the airport. The signage was not very good, but we did get in the right line. It was slow moving and the busses were filled from various lines to keep them all moving (slowly)

[1025cruise]

Yes, when you disembark you will need to go through Canadian customs/immigration. When you get to the airport, you will clear US customs/immigration so that when you land in the US, you are considered "domestic".

[david,Mississauga]

Yes, when you disembark you will need to go through Canadian customs/immigration. When you get to the airport, you will clear US customs/immigration so that when you land in the US, you are considered "domestic".

 

When we disembarked two years ago there was no delay at all with Canadian Immigration/customs. We had been asked to fill out a customs declaration in advance and we just handed it to the agent as we barely paused whilst walking by. We were not asked to produce any identification and no questions were asked about what few purchases we had made. It seemed that way with everyone.

 

Although we were flying out of Vancouver on a domestic flight, we boarded one of the buses that had mostly people for US destinations. (It was less crowded than the one designated domestic.) Everything about the disembarkation and the transfer was very efficient.

[judymag]

Last week in Vancouver no delays at customs departures are staggered so that helps don't know what immergratiom is like leaving yvr but arrivals was awful enjoy your cruise

 

 

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[Avery's Gram]

We're on an upcoming southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver four our first cruise. Thanks to all you CruiseCritics who have been so helpful already. Flying into Alaska and then flying home to U.S. from Vancouver.

 

When we disembark, will we go through immigration right away with Canadian officials? We're concerned about 2,000 passengers disembarking at once and how long the lines are! I imagine we'll have to go through immigration again before our flight later that day at the airport too.

 

Also, if we use HAL's shuttle to the YVR airport, how are those lines to get on the bus?

 

 

We flew out of Vancouver on Saturday and the lines were long to get on the bus but well organized. We left the ship at about 8 and had plenty of time for our 1 pm boarding time. But lines at the airport made our Global Entry worth its weight in gold....GE lines were short or non existent compared to other lines.

[sue1898]

I highly recommend downloading the Mobile Passport app. It's pretty new but I read about it here and we used it coming into DC from Amsterdam on Sunday. Although there were long lines for folks with paper forms, there was no line for us with the paperless Mobile Passport app.

[Schooner-ca]

I highly recommend downloading the Mobile Passport app. It's pretty new but I read about it here and we used it coming into DC from Amsterdam on Sunday. Although there were long lines for folks with paper forms, there was no line for us with the paperless Mobile Passport app.

 

 

 

Hi there the Vancouver Port can handle 3 ships at once. This should not be a concern.

 

 

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