Upon arrival at San Francisco from Cabo San Lucas, the NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line passenger vessel Norwegian Encore entered port in the early hours of Wednesday, April 29th, but was subject to extended clearance procedures that delayed disembarkation for much of the day. The vessel berthed at approximately 07:30 a.m., yet for many aboard, formal entry processing extended to nearly 9 hours before permission to go ashore was granted.
Passengers reported that the anticipated port call, intended for routine shore leave, was instead spent largely within the confines of the ship while awaiting inspection. Accounts from those on board indicated that all passengers and crew were required to pass through screening conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the process proceeding at a markedly slower pace than is customary.
Several travellers conveyed that the experience differed significantly from prior voyages, noting that such extensive delays and procedures had not been encountered elsewhere. It was further indicated that some passengers remained aboard for the entirety of the day, while those who completed inspection were not permitted to re-embark until the overall process had concluded.
The operating company stated that the screening requirement followed federal regulation, under which all passengers arriving from an international voyage must undergo immigration formalities at the first port of entry into the United States.
Officials attributed the delay to a combination of operational factors. The vessel’s arrival occurred several hours behind schedule, which postponed the commencement of inspections. In addition, authorities were required to address the death of a passenger on board prior to initiating clearance procedures. A significant proportion of those on board were foreign nationals, necessitating individual biometric processing, including interviews and fingerprinting. Compounding these conditions, the facial recognition system ordinarily used for U.S. citizens was reported to be inoperative, resulting in all passengers undergoing the more time-intensive procedures.
Those who eventually passed through inspection described a process involving questioning, identity verification and biometric recording before being allowed ashore. The vessel was scheduled to remain in port until the following evening, when it was due to resume its itinerary.
For more Norwegian Encore incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page