Border Wait

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mis2810

Guest
OMG, last night it was like a flashback to 2004. THREE HOURS in line to cross! When we go on a holiday weekend we normally wait until the day after to come back but this time it wasn't possible. Figured because so many people hate the heat and humidity this time of year it wouldn't be so bad - WRONG! We left at 5:20 - got home at 12:30!!! Backed up at both secondary immigration stops as well.

New household rule - if we can't leave the day after the holiday, we don't go!!!
 
mondone

mondone

Whitecaps
mis2810 said:
OMG, last night it was like a flashback to 2004. THREE HOURS in line to cross! When we go on a holiday weekend we normally wait until the day after to come back but this time it wasn't possible. Figured because so many people hate the heat and humidity this time of year it wouldn't be so bad - WRONG! We left at 5:20 - got home at 12:30!!! Backed up at both secondary immigration stops as well.

New household rule - if we can't leave the day after the holiday, we don't go!!!
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I've said that before myself and I didn't listen to my own advice. We also couldn't come back today like we normally would do. Was planning on leaving early in the morning but something came up and we couldn't get an early start. Figured we would just leave really late in the evening, but being Encanto was extremely quiet over the weekend, I started looking at CBP wait time website . From 10 a.m Till 2 p.m. the website posted no delay with 5 lanes open. Thought it was odd but I figured over that time it had to have been updated. So we left at two p.m to head back. Big mistake. FOUR miserable hours to cross, with A/C shut off like most had to do because it was so hot. Broke my previous record of three and a half hours a couple of years ago , when I swore never again. With the other nonsense of Border Patrol checkpoints in Arizona, and a quick pit stop in Why, got home at 10:35 p.m. In Phoenix

Thank you CBP for a totally bogus website that is a complete waste. It wasn't even right when I was waiting in line for 4 hours, it kept saying 90 minutes. BS! :mad:
 
brokenwave

brokenwave

Guest
There were more people in RP this weekend than I expected, Even JJ';s had a decent crowd, lots of ATV's being ridden on Sat. as I was leaving.
If you have to leave on Sun or Mon of a holiday weekend, my rule is you are on the road at 8AM or leave the next day.
I've had 3+ hour waits twice in all my trips, No Fun especially when it's summer.
 
Landshark

Landshark

Guest
All this said I would think the tourist/economic drought that RP has been struggling with is officially over. Look forward to the good times like they used to be.
 
mondone

mondone

Whitecaps
brokenwave said:
There were more people in RP this weekend than I expected, Even JJ';s had a decent crowd, lots of ATV's being ridden on Sat. as I was leaving.
If you have to leave on Sun or Mon of a holiday weekend, my rule is you are on the road at 8AM or leave the next day.
I've had 3+ hour waits twice in all my trips, No Fun especially when it's summer.
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Apparently" in -town" was busy. I wouldn't know, went straight to Encanto and never took a run into town this trip. Asked a local who told me it seemed like town was busy with Mexican nationals which wasn't the case. Sonoyta was backed up with mostly US Hispanics returning to the states.
 
Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
It was busy in town. VERY busy. We had the good sense to plan around the holiday this trip - went down Thurs. afternoon and came back up Sunday morning - no border wait at all. I know, it's not always possible to do that, but when we can, eliminates a LOT of the border headache altogether.

The crowd was primarily US Hispanics visiting, rather than plain ol' gringos. Saw lots of Cali plates as well as AZ

We were out on the water all day Friday and Saturday, so the going-ons in town were pretty irrelevant to us. Did see that the harbor was very busy getting the shrimp boats ready for the season opening on Sept. 15. Also noticed something that was kind of a let down - the new mall by the harbor. I'm guessing all work on it has stopped. In the meantime, it seems to have become a graffiti wasteland, at least the unfinished parts. Sad because it seemed to have so much potential to change the entire landscape in that area.
 
Stuart

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
mondone said:
Thank you CBP for a totally bogus website that is a complete waste. It wasn't even right when I was waiting in line for 4 hours, it kept saying 90 minutes. BS! :mad:
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Did they not give you a comment card to fill out? HAHAHAHAHA! I laugh, but indeed when we crossed Sunday morning, the officer gave us an official CBP comment survey about the service we received. Never got one of those before!
 
Roberto

Roberto

Guest
Stuart said:
Did they not give you a comment card to fill out? HAHAHAHAHA! I laugh, but indeed when we crossed Sunday morning, the officer gave us an official CBP comment survey about the service we received. Never got one of those before!
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They only hand those out when there is no wait !!!:D:D:D
 
M

mis2810

Guest
Having only five lanes available for crossing is only part of the problem. The biggest problem on the Mexican side. Only one real lane, and one impromptu lane coming through Sonoyta until you have to merge back into one. Until they expand the crossing on the Mexican side it will always be this bad - or worse.
 
mondone

mondone

Whitecaps
Stuart said:
Did they not give you a comment card to fill out? HAHAHAHAHA! I laugh, but indeed when we crossed Sunday morning, the officer gave us an official CBP comment survey about the service we received. Never got one of those before!
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They know the comments they would have received yesterday are one's they wouldn't want to hear. :rolleyes:
 
Roberto

Roberto

Guest
mis2810 said:
Having only five lanes available for crossing is only part of the problem. The biggest problem on the Mexican side. Only one real lane, and one impromptu lane coming through Sonoyta until you have to merge back into one. Until they expand the crossing on the Mexican side it will always be this bad - or worse.
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Think about that. If that is the case the entry lanes into the US would be empty part of the time waiting for vehicles, but they are not. When it's jammed there is a continuous line at each US lane that is open. The Mexican road there can feed all the cars the US lanes can handle. It just feels aggravating waiting in a single file and being badgered.
 
mondone

mondone

Whitecaps
mis2810 said:
Having only five lanes available for crossing is only part of the problem. The biggest problem on the Mexican side. Only one real lane, and one impromptu lane coming through Sonoyta until you have to merge back into one. Until they expand the crossing on the Mexican side it will always be this bad - or worse.
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Add to that the vehicles that jump the line by taking shortcuts or with the assistance of the local police ($$$). Cops came along side me at 3 hour mark and motioned to let them cut through in front of my SUV with a fancy new Ford F150 right behind them who maneuvered precisely in the lane. Saved them a few hours.:mad:
 
M

mis2810

Guest
mondone said:
Add to that the vehicles that jump the line by taking shortcuts or with the assistance of the local police ($$$). Cops came along side me at 3 hour mark and motioned to let them cut through in front of my SUV with a fancy new Ford F150 right behind them who maneuvered precisely in the lane. Saved them a few hours.:mad:
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I feel torn by that. I know it's not the right thing to do, and I wouldn't pay a Mexican cop for an "escort" to the front of the line, but the frustration makes you want to find a "shortcut".
Roberto said:
Think about that. If that is the case the entry lanes into the US would be empty part of the time waiting for vehicles, but they are not. When it's jammed there is a continuous line at each US lane that is open. The Mexican road there can feed all the cars the US lanes can handle. It just feels aggravating waiting in a single file and being badgered.
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Lots of people getting pulled over into secondary also.
 
fatboyharley

fatboyharley

Guest
Got to the border yesterday at 11:30 and had a one hour 20 minute wait to cross and yes we also got a comment card. Guess I won't complain about our wait now.
 
Kelney

Kelney

Guest
Stuart said:
It was busy in town. VERY busy. We had the good sense to plan around the holiday this trip - went down Thurs. afternoon and came back up Sunday morning - no border wait at all. I know, it's not always possible to do that, but when we can, eliminates a LOT of the border headache altogether.

The crowd was primarily US Hispanics visiting, rather than plain ol' gringos. Saw lots of Cali plates as well as AZ

We were out on the water all day Friday and Saturday, so the going-ons in town were pretty irrelevant to us. Did see that the harbor was very busy getting the shrimp boats ready for the season opening on Sept. 15. Also noticed something that was kind of a let down - the new mall by the harbor. I'm guessing all work on it has stopped. In the meantime, it seems to have become a graffiti wasteland, at least the unfinished parts. Sad because it seemed to have so much potential to change the entire landscape in that area.
Click to expand...
I get a mall report rather than a fishing report? Come on Stu, get with the program!
 
M

MargaritaMaster

New Member
We contributed to the AZ gringo visitor count this past weekend, and also noticed unusually high# of CA plates. Fortunate to have crossed back to US yesterday about 10 am with only about 10 min wait and no hassles. There were 5 lanes, but moving very slowly.
 
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