Any recent Brillance Alaska Embarkation experience

[MLH]

I have been reading that it can be a cluster embarking inVancouver.  Any one have any recent experience?

[Rackham]

8 hours ago, MLH said:

I have been reading that it can be a cluster embarking inVancouver.  Any one have any recent experience?

Yeah, last week. Check in time was at 1:30 pm (wanted to explore Vancouver a little first). Breezed through check-in at 1:20 pm. Like literally walked in, they scanned my SetSail pass, and I was handed a Brilliance paper ticket to keep with me until getting aboard the ship. Here's where the hour+ ordeal begins. You'll take the ticket, walk outside, and downstairs for security screening first and then US immigration control. Keep the ticket because you'll be mixed in with passengers for any other ship also embarking for both. We had a Celerity ship and a Holland America ship also embarking along with us. The lines will snake back and forth like you're waiting for a theme park attraction and move about as quickly. Immigration control is the automated kiosks where you'll insert your passport, answer some questions, and take a biometric photo. If your passport and responses are accepted, you'll get a ticket to take to the person at the end of the immigration area. If you're "X"ed, you'll have to wait in another line to speak with someone personally. My passport and answers were approved, so I got to leave without lining up again. All in all, without any issues going though the process, it took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to clear and get aboard the ship.

Edit: You didn't ask, but while I'm thinking about it, the debarkation process went basically as you'd expect at any other port, but a Canadian customs declaration form is required to be submitted after getting off the ship. Said form, and instructions to fill it out, are provided by Royal on night 6 (or at least it was on my sailing). You might want to bring a pen as Royal didn't provide one. I do travel with one, so it wasn't an issue, but there were people in the terminal needing to fill theirs out at the checkpoint.

[MLH]

2 hours ago, Rackham said:

Yeah, last week. Check in time was at 1:30 pm (wanted to explore Vancouver a little first). Breezed through check-in at 1:20 pm. Like literally walked in, they scanned my SetSail pass, and I was handed a Brilliance paper ticket to keep with me until getting aboard the ship. Here's where the hour+ ordeal begins. You'll take the ticket, walk outside, and downstairs for security screening first and then US immigration control. Keep the ticket because you'll be mixed in with passengers for any other ship also embarking for both. We had a Celerity ship and a Holland America ship also embarking along with us. The lines will snake back and forth like you're waiting for a theme park attraction and move about as quickly. Immigration control is the automated kiosks where you'll insert your passport, answer some questions, and take a biometric photo. If your passport and responses are accepted, you'll get a ticket to take to the person at the end of the immigration area. If you're "X"ed, you'll have to wait in another line to speak with someone personally. My passport and answers were approved, so I got to leave without lining up again. All in all, without any issues going though the process, it took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to clear and get aboard the ship.

Edit: You didn't ask, but while I'm thinking about it, the debarkation process went basically as you'd expect at any other port, but a Canadian customs declaration form is required to be submitted after getting off the ship. Said form, and instructions to fill it out, are provided by Royal on night 6 (or at least it was on my sailing). You might want to bring a pen as Royal didn't provide one. I do travel with one, so it wasn't an issue, but there were people in the terminal needing to fill theirs out at the checkpoint.

Thanks. We plan to drop off our bags at 930 am and then take the free shuttle to Capastrano Suspension Bridge for a few hours.  After you clear customs  do you have to get on the ship or can you go back out.  I'm thinking you can't as you cleared customs and cant leave.  Thinking I can try to beat the crowds in customs.

[Rackham]

47 minutes ago, MLH said:

Thanks. We plan to drop off our bags at 930 am and then take the free shuttle to Capastrano Suspension Bridge for a few hours.  After you clear customs  do you have to get on the ship or can you go back out.  I'm thinking you can't as you cleared customs and cant leave.  Thinking I can try to beat the crowds in customs.

You probably can't clear customs and leave, but if you could, you'd have to go through the entire process again (and might need to clear Canadian customs on your way out). I'd just drop off my bags with the porters and then head off for the day.

[smokeybandit]

It's been over a year now but yes, Vancouver was a cluster.

[MLH]

Whats wierd is when we went on celebrity from Vancouver to LA, it wasnt bad and I dont remember having to go through customs. We did stay at the pan pacific and dropped off our luggage there.  I think this time I am going to go to the Pan Pacific bellman stand and drop them off even though we are not staying there.

[Fuzzywuzzy]

On 7/25/2023 at 5:50 PM, Rackham said:

Yeah, last week. Check in time was at 1:30 pm (wanted to explore Vancouver a little first). Breezed through check-in at 1:20 pm. Like literally walked in, they scanned my SetSail pass, and I was handed a Brilliance paper ticket to keep with me until getting aboard the ship. Here's where the hour+ ordeal begins. You'll take the ticket, walk outside, and downstairs for security screening first and then US immigration control. Keep the ticket because you'll be mixed in with passengers for any other ship also embarking for both. We had a Celerity ship and a Holland America ship also embarking along with us. The lines will snake back and forth like you're waiting for a theme park attraction and move about as quickly. Immigration control is the automated kiosks where you'll insert your passport, answer some questions, and take a biometric photo. If your passport and responses are accepted, you'll get a ticket to take to the person at the end of the immigration area. If you're "X"ed, you'll have to wait in another line to speak with someone personally. My passport and answers were approved, so I got to leave without lining up again. All in all, without any issues going though the process, it took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to clear and get aboard the ship.

Edit: You didn't ask, but while I'm thinking about it, the debarkation process went basically as you'd expect at any other port, but a Canadian customs declaration form is required to be submitted after getting off the ship. Said form, and instructions to fill it out, are provided by Royal on night 6 (or at least it was on my sailing). You might want to bring a pen as Royal didn't provide one. I do travel with one, so it wasn't an issue, but there were people in the terminal needing to fill theirs out at the checkpoint.

It was exactly the same on July 30. 

[jim620]

We had a July 30 Embark on Brilliance and it was a tiring process.  We were a family of 4 with my MIL using a walker to get around.  Our time was 11am but nobody checked.  We first went underground to drop off our luggage and then was directed upstairs to check in with RC.  Since we couldn't use the escalators we had to wait for 1 elevator.  This elevator was also used by those who finished RC check-in to come back downstairs for the US customs and security so the wait was very long.  Once upstairs the RC check-in was relatively quick with each cruise line afforded their own area via separate entrances.  Once RC was done we were given a colored slip to indicate what cruise line we were with.  However no on from this point on asked us for the colored slip.  We then went back downstairs via the single elevator for US customs/Security.  On the way we were told conflicting information.  One attendant told us to stay as a group, then further down the queue another told us separate with one person helping my MIL in one shorter line and the rest go onto another longer line.  It took about 1 hour to snake our way thru the line to finally get to US customs where there was about 20 machines that scanned your passport and took your pics.  My MIL and wife who had gone onto the shorter line was waiting for us once we cleared customs.  My wife told me that the Customs agent told her that we should have kept together as one group since we were family but again we did what the line attendants told us.  The custom agent told my wife that there were too many "bosses" with wrong info.  All in all in was a very tiring experience and lasted about 1.5 hours.  At the end we were just glad to get on the ship and relax and eat lunch.  I wish that they would streamline the system a little better instead of having us go here and there.  But we did enjoy our Alaskan cruise immensely.

[Fuzzywuzzy]

On 8/14/2023 at 4:17 PM, jim620 said:

We had a July 30 Embark on Brilliance and it was a tiring process.  We were a family of 4 with my MIL using a walker to get around.  Our time was 11am but nobody checked.  We first went underground to drop off our luggage and then was directed upstairs to check in with RC.  Since we couldn't use the escalators we had to wait for 1 elevator.  This elevator was also used by those who finished RC check-in to come back downstairs for the US customs and security so the wait was very long.  Once upstairs the RC check-in was relatively quick with each cruise line afforded their own area via separate entrances.  Once RC was done we were given a colored slip to indicate what cruise line we were with.  However no on from this point on asked us for the colored slip.  We then went back downstairs via the single elevator for US customs/Security.  On the way we were told conflicting information.  One attendant told us to stay as a group, then further down the queue another told us separate with one person helping my MIL in one shorter line and the rest go onto another longer line.  It took about 1 hour to snake our way thru the line to finally get to US customs where there was about 20 machines that scanned your passport and took your pics.  My MIL and wife who had gone onto the shorter line was waiting for us once we cleared customs.  My wife told me that the Customs agent told her that we should have kept together as one group since we were family but again we did what the line attendants told us.  The custom agent told my wife that there were too many "bosses" with wrong info.  All in all in was a very tiring experience and lasted about 1.5 hours.  At the end we were just glad to get on the ship and relax and eat lunch.  I wish that they would streamline the system a little better instead of having us go here and there.  But we did enjoy our Alaskan cruise immensely.

We were on this cruise with you! You have explained it very well.

[jim620]

Thanks.  If Canada Place would revamp the embarkation process it would make a great beginning to a cruise.  The cruise itself was fantastic.  We saw a bunch of whales coming and going, also a pod of dolphins about 40-50.  On the way back we saw 2 sunfish.  The only minor complaint I had was the food in the buffet tended to get a little repetitive but the food in the MDR was very good.  The crew did an excellent job and we had a very enjoyable time.