Can we disembark in Victoria

[smj]

We are considering the eurodam for a Seattle to Seattle. Victoria the the last port on the evening before returning to Seattle. Is it possible to disembark in Victoria?

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

If you mean, disembark for good, I think you can but you should call HAL in Seattle and find out for sure. 

 

I am doing something similar on an east coast cruise and was told I could disembark a day early in Quebec (an overnight stay) but had to let the front desk know fairly soon after boarding that was what I was going to do.

Edited August 1, 2019 by SJSULIBRARIAN

[CruiserBruce]

Been on a couple of cruises where Victoria was the next to last stop, and Canadians have disembarked there. Don't know about US citizens. 

 

Agree, it needs to be arranged with HAL in advance. 

[Copper10-8]

It is possible but, as been said, you need to arrange it with HAL, and you need to see CBSA upon arrival in Victoria

[epanchenko]

They can't legally hold you hostage, you are free to leave and not come back whenever you want.  You can't ask for any money back though for missing part of the cruise...It would be nice if you told them...

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, epanchenko said:

They can't legally hold you hostage, you are free to leave and not come back whenever you want.  You can't ask for any money back though for missing part of the cruise...It would be nice if you told them...

Love people who say this. Can you illegally enter and remain in the country? 

[epanchenko]

5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Love people who say this. Can you illegally enter and remain in the country? 

 

You are free to do what you want.  If you get caught, you have to accept the consequences.  Many people overstay visas.  I wasn't thinking about the visa angle of the question when I read the original post.

[Seasick Sailor]

We had to disembark in Costa Rica on a Viking Star in December 2018 due to medical reasons. The ship has to put in a manifest change request and a port officer meets you as you disembark to carry out Customs requirements. 

[RustaRoo]

Of course, you can, I live in Victoria and I have done it.  The correct procedure is to contact HAL and ask for a 'deviation request'.  If approved, you will be given a disembarkation time AFTER all other guests have departed for their tours.  I was on a 14-day round-trip Alaskan cruise, which originated in Seattle.  Victoria, which meets the requirements for the Jones Act, was the last port prior to returning to Seattle.  It simply made no sense for me to stay onboard and then fly home the next day from Seattle.

The whole process worked like a charm 🙂

[*Miss G*]

Great answers above.  I’d only add that, last year, we couldn’t get into Victoria due to high winds and waves so we never docked.  As long as you are aware and have a Plan B you’re good to go.

Edited August 12, 2019 by *Miss G*

[pengu1n]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

Great answers above.  I’d only add that, last year, we couldn’t get into Victoria due to high winds and waves so we never docked.  As long as you are aware and have a Plan B you’re good to go.

Does that happen frequently or were you on the same cruise as we were?  I think it was Canada Day because I remember fireworks as we were anchored.

[*Miss G*]

10 hours ago, pengu1n said:

Does that happen frequently or were you on the same cruise as we were?  I think it was Canada Day because I remember fireworks as we were anchored.

 

The time we missed was in April.  I have seen a few posts where they have missed that port because it’s a very narrow channel to the inner harbour. When the weather picks up they won’t attempt it.

[RustaRoo]

On 8/12/2019 at 7:09 AM, *Miss G* said:

 

The time we missed was in April.  I have seen a few posts where they have missed that port because it’s a very narrow channel to the inner harbour. When the weather picks up they won’t attempt it.

I live in Victoria, cruise ships do NOT dock in the inner harbour, they dock at Ogden Point, which is on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  USA is right across the strait, you can see lights from Port Angeles, in the evening.  However, there are 2 ferries (one to Port Angeles and one to Seattle) that DO dock in the Inner Harbour, near the Parliament Buildings.

[*Miss G*]

7 hours ago, RustaRoo said:

I live in Victoria, cruise ships do NOT dock in the inner harbour, they dock at Ogden Point, which is on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  USA is right across the strait, you can see lights from Port Angeles, in the evening.  However, there are 2 ferries (one to Port Angeles and one to Seattle) that DO dock in the Inner Harbour, near the Parliament Buildings.

 

I apologize for using the wrong wording.  We could not enter the outer harbour.

[boze9999]

I have disembarked internationally early on a number of cruises. You MUST get permission from your HAL TA or HAL Guest Relations (Seattle) ahead of time.  HAL will need to contact the Canadian authorities to obtain formal permission for your final leave of the ship and to ensure the appropriate Border agents are available for your final international processing. HAL will also need to process your exit from the ship as a permanent departure vs a daily exit. As others have said, you will also want to let the front desk and your room stewards know you are departing early. Finally,  HAL will not off load your luggage, so you will need to be able to personally handle all of your own luggage on your exit. 

Edited August 26, 2019 by boze9999

[npcl]

On 7/31/2019 at 9:13 PM, epanchenko said:

They can't legally hold you hostage, you are free to leave and not come back whenever you want.  You can't ask for any money back though for missing part of the cruise...It would be nice if you told them...

However, in Canada CBSA could deny them access since permanently disembarking requires the approval of the country in which the disembarkation is occurring. So if one is leaving a cruise early the cruise line must make sure that the appropriate country agrees and will have the appropriate personnel available.

 

For example we just got off of a HAL cruise that stopped in Victoria. There were some passengers that were getting off there.  Those passengers had to be escorted by ships personnel to the CBSA personnel, they could not just walk off themselves like those that were just getting off for the port visit.

[epanchenko]

I stand corrected.  I just came back from a HAL cruise that stopped in Victoria myself, and saw customs people there...

[WeRockChalkKU]

We are considering doing this in Quebec City and are US citizens. We had hoped to be able to wait until late afternoon to disembark due to not being able to check in to our Air BnB until that time and having a place for our luggage. If we have to meet with Canadian authorities sounds like disembarkation time be dictated by their schedule? Thanks for any help with this, 

[Vict0riann]

We disembarked in Victoria on Sunday, others were disembarking with us who were not from Victoria (but I think they were Canadians).  We did arrange it before the cruise, but the permission came through almost immediately.  As Copper says, you have to go through Customs - we were told we could disembark any time between 2:30 and 9 p.m., so we could have stayed on board for dinner.  But we had arranged to have lunch in the Pinnacle, so left about 3.  

 

By the way, Ogden Point is no more.  As of September the area will be called the "Breakwater District".  Turns out Ogden was a Hudson's Bay trader with a bad reputation!   The breakwater is painted with designs depicting the Salish nations, and is the longest mural in Canada....

[*Miss G*]

7 minutes ago, WeRockChalkKU said:

We are considering doing this in Quebec City and are US citizens. We had hoped to be able to wait until late afternoon to disembark due to not being able to check in to our Air BnB until that time and having a place for our luggage. If we have to meet with Canadian authorities sounds like disembarkation time be dictated by their schedule? Thanks for any help with this, 

 

It would be interesting to read others’ experiences with this.  Assuming you are doing the New England/Canada itinerary you will have already been processed by the Canadian authorities prior to your first port in Canada.

[WeRockChalkKU]

12 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

It would be interesting to read others’ experiences with this.  Assuming you are doing the New England/Canada itinerary you will have already been processed by the Canadian authorities prior to your first port in Canada.

Great point. Yes, Quebec City would not have been our first Canadian port. So maybe we would not be required to be seen by Canadian officials in QC.  However maybe there is a difference with being previously cleared for a day visit versus being cleared to stay on land. Thanks

[DaveOKC]

On 7/31/2019 at 8:19 PM, smj said:

We are considering the eurodam for a Seattle to Seattle. Victoria the the last port on the evening before returning to Seattle. Is it possible to disembark in Victoria?

Yes it can be done - my brother did the exact thing 2 years ago.  You do need to contact HAL and make arrangements though.  As I recall, there were ALOT of people doing this on our cruise, both US and Canadians.

[Donald]

Most cruise passengers do not realize the legalistics behind visitor visas.

 

When your cruise ship enters the national waters of another country, it typically receives a blanket visa for all passengers and crew onboard (there are some exceptions to this practice).

So long as the ship remains in port, this blanket visa is valid.

When the ship departs, the blanket visa is cancelled.

 

If you happen to be a passenger or crewmember on the ship that has just departed - and you are not on that ship - then you are illegally in the country - unless you have contacted local immigration authorities and received a proper visa to be in that country.

Canada is one of the countries that operates this way.

 

There are other details at play, however.

A closed loop cruise from the USA (starting and ending in the same US Port) enjoys more relaxed immigration and customs procedures when it returns to the USA, as all passengers originated and ended their voyage in the same US Port.

 

But if even one passenger joined the ship or left the ship in any other port on that particular cruise, the US Government requires far more complicated clearance procedures for the ship when it ends its voyage in the USA. This can possibly cost the cruise line more money and result in clearance delays. As a result, some cruise lines will not allow deviations except in cases of emergency.

[*Miss G*]

Thanks for the additional details as it’s always nice to be informed.  As these questions are about cruises ending in Canada, those closed-loop rules don’t apply.

[RobTheGob]

People from the USA that are visiting Canada as tourists do not require visas, for stays up to 180 days.

 

The Government of Canada Immigration website indicates they don't care how a tourist arrives (car, bus, boat, plane or ??). So as long as you tell the border guard your intentions -  I think you're OK from an immigration standpoint. So - it may be up to the cruise line if this can happen.

 

On one of our trips a few years ago - we got off the ship in Victoria with all our luggage, went home, did laundry and returned with different clothes (Caribbean mode to Alaska mode), The head of security on the ship said "you can't do that unless you were approved" and I just laughed and replied "watch me". The border agent chuckled about it as well (but we knew the secret handshake!).

 

Ten days later we disembarked in Victoria - the cruise line had approved it months earlier (being Canadian meant no issues with the border agent).