Customs declarations - Returning to Adelaide from NZ, via Melbourne

[RobinBancs]

We are doing one of the Princess trips to NZ that departs from Adelaide, visits Melbourne (where I imagine it offloads and picks up many more cruisers) and then sets sail to NZ.  It does the reverse on the way back.  Would we lodging our customs declaration in Melbourne or Adelaide?

[OzKiwiJJ]

You'll clear immigration at the first Australian port on your return from NZ, unless they send some Border Force people over to join the ship at the last NZ port and do it onboard during the Tasman crossing. 

[RobinBancs]

Thanks.  Does that mean that things like duty free are handled there or in Adelaide?

[RobinBancs]

I am a novice at international travel. Having to finally get a passport for this cruise.  

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, RobinBancs said:

Thanks.  Does that mean that things like duty free are handled there or in Adelaide?

Duty free or any other declarations are usually when you disembark so for you that would be Adelaide.

 

Of course my comments were based on pre-pandemic procedures, there might be some changes once cruising recommences, we just don't know.

 

When is your cruise?

[RobinBancs]

January 2023, so a long time away.  I appreciate that help!

[OzKiwiJJ]

No worries. Don't rush to get your passport until you know the cruise will go ahead. 2023 should be OK, I hope.

[OzKiwiJJ]

If you have any other questions about cruising just ask. Most of us here have done a fair few cruises so someone usually has the answer to most questions.

[Ondine]

I was on a similar Princess cruise late 2019 and it was not very well organised for the Adelaide people.  I joined in Melbourne but heard the South Australians complaining bitterly. 

 

The South Australians boarded normally in Adelaide but when they got to Melbourne they had to get off the ship and stay in the Station Pier terminal for 2-3 hours while immigration did their thing requiring the ship to be passenger free.  They then went through immigration checks in order to reboard.  They were not happy.  I believe their luggage could stay on board.  This created havoc with Melbourne boarding much delayed.

 

On return from NZ there was much confusion as to whether they would have to debark in Melbourne again to clear customs (which I believe is what happened) and then board again. 

 

Evidently it was to do with immigration not being available in Adelaide or not organised at the time.  Someone stuffed up I guess.

[RobinBancs]

18 hours ago, Ondine said:

I was on a similar Princess cruise late 2019 and it was not very well organised for the Adelaide people.  I joined in Melbourne but heard the South Australians complaining bitterly. 

 

The South Australians boarded normally in Adelaide but when they got to Melbourne they had to get off the ship and stay in the Station Pier terminal for 2-3 hours while immigration did their thing requiring the ship to be passenger free.  They then went through immigration checks in order to reboard.  They were not happy.  I believe their luggage could stay on board.  This created havoc with Melbourne boarding much delayed.

 

On return from NZ there was much confusion as to whether they would have to debark in Melbourne again to clear customs (which I believe is what happened) and then board again. 

 

Evidently it was to do with immigration not being available in Adelaide or not organised at the time.  Someone stuffed up I guess.

That sounds like a nightmare, especially if they haven't even left the country!  We'll be doing our trip with a 7 and 10 year old kid and had plans of visiting the Melbourne zoo on the way across (reciprocal membership rights with Adelaide finally being put to good use 🙂).  Sitting around in Station Pier for 2-3 hours with the kids would be anything but fun, and if something like that stole away our day in Melbourne, we would be fuming.  I understand exactly how they would have felt and fingers crossed that doesn't happen!

 

 

[RobinBancs]

20 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

If you have any other questions about cruising just ask. Most of us here have done a fair few cruises so someone usually has the answer to most questions.

The community was awesome the first time we cruised.  We picked up so much on CC from both direct questions and the search feature.  It's been one of the most useful resources for us for sure 🙂 

[OzKiwiJJ]

It's quite common for cruises with multiple embarkation/disembarkation ports for an itinerary to require everyone to be off the ship until a zero count is reached. Princess is well known for having overlapping itineraries like that. It usually isn't a problem, most people go sightseeing for a few hours then return to the ship and you usually get given a "transit passenger" card to bypass the embarkation procedures. However it can be annoying for people who don't want to get off the ship that day, and cruise terminals aren't the most pleasant places to sit around in for hours.

 

We've only experienced that situation a few times and usually it was not a big deal to go somewhere for coffee or lunch. I grumbled a bit one time as I'd caught a nasty cold and just wanted to stay in my cabin but, no, we had to get off the ship. Luckily it was at Portside in Brisbane so we were able to have coffee, potter around the shops, and by the time we'd had lunch it was time go go back onboard.

 

We also experienced the other side of the coin. The day we were embarking on our 2019 Hawaii/Tahiti cruise the weather in Sydney was foul. The ship was returning from a world cruise so had Worldies disembarking, plus the remainder of the Worldies in transit to Brisbane, plus H/T passengers who embarked in Auckland, plus all the new H/T passengers embarking.  To add to the chaos there were a whole heap of travel agents who were going onboard for lunch and a look around the ship. Unfortunately about six of the transit passengers decided the requirement to leave the ship and clear immigration didn't apply to them so, of course, the zero count was delayed until they were tracked down and removed from the ship. Now Circular Quay is a lovely place on a nice, sunny day, but on a cold, wet day with heavy rain it is dreadful. There is very little undercover shelter outside the terminal building and Border Force would not let anyone into the terminal, ie to wait in the seating area upstairs, until that zero count had been reached. As you can imagine tempers were strained. Luckily we still managed to get onboard in time for a later than usual lunch in the MDR and there is nothing like a Princess Grand Marnier souffle to soothe ruffled tempers. 😊

[Womble99]

We have done a couple of the Adelaide to NZ cruises in the past and have had the customs clearance done in Melbourne each time and yes the requirement to disembark was there for each leg.

 

We have chosen to spend the day out and about in Melbourne on the turn around days each time and it has been pretty straight forward. Off in the morning (with a transit passenger card) and then just express through if there is still passengers boarding when you return.

 

The bonus is you are not taking luggage off and back on so it is really just like any other port visit we have found.