Easter Sunday Border Wait Expectations

Rhino

Guest
Particularly for those of you involved in the accomondations rental or transportation industries in RP, I'm looking for best guesses on Border wait times for Easter Sunday. A comment was made on another thread that most of the visitors would be Nationals; is that true? If so, the Lukeville experience will be much less stressful than if tons of Americans will be there as well for the holiday. Unfortunately, one of my family members has to be back in Phoenix around 2PM Sunday so I'm trying to get the timing right.
 
Ditto on leaving early Sunday morning (or late Saturday evening....if you're comfortable on driving at night up to the border...it closes at midnight). I would not depend on the Border Wait Time website...as was indicated, it sometimes does not update hourly like it's supposed to, and I think that they get the estimated time based on asking the people coming thru.
 

Rhino

Guest
Thanks guys (you too Jerry and your whacked-out wabbit) for your imput. I was hoping to hear from Russ and maybe Steve Schwab and others as well who would have a decent feel if most of the anticipated visitors are Mexican Nationals who wouldn't be crossing the border. I know last Easter the town was packed primarily with Nathionals so the border wasn't horribly busy. Don't get me wrong, I hope lots of American folks are going down and will deal with the border in any case.
 
The last trip down, I asked one of the agents checking us gringos before we crossed into Mexico about the 2 extra lanes. She said they wouldn't be opening them anytime soon....they did not have enough manpower to man the existing lanes!!! So don't expect them to be opened except on the really big holidays....Memorial Day weekend, Labor Day....

Maybe they would have enough manpower if they stopped the outgoing inspections!!!!:hairout:
 

Terry C

Guest
What I can't understand it ALL the peeps standing around BS'n and looking on. Put them in the other two new lanes. Does it really take 3-4 to man a booth?
 

dmcauley

Guest
I've come out many times on Easter Sunday and never experienced a significant wait time. never left after 11 am tho'. i believe it is mostly nationals leaving.
 

mexicoruss

Lovin it in RP!
My 2 cents...This holiday (Semana Santa) is almost entirely made up of Nationals. They will come from Nogales, San Luis, Mexicali and Tijuana none of which pass through the Lukeville crossing. Add to that group Mexicans that live in Phoenix - Tucson - and Southern California that will make the trip to be with families here in Penasco. That number is hard to determine (Mexicans from the states coming here) but it could be significant based on the numbers that have been forced to move to Mexico from Arizona in the last few years. If I had to be in Phoenix at 2:00 pm Sunday I would leave no later than 7:00 - 7:30 Sunday morning, I have a half a notion it could be backed up as early as noon (condos check out at 11:00) it only takes one hour to get to the border but if you get there at the same time as everyone who is checking out it could turn 15 minutes wait into 2-3 hours easily and the border guards on the US side (even though theres a post about friendly ones) have been increasingly time consuming per each car. They will be especially diligent when the traffic going north is increased with Mexican/American travelers going home to Phoenix or Tucson from Mexico.
Having said all that I could be completely wrong and it could be smooth sailing, but if I was a betting man and I had to be somewhere at a certain time north of the line, I would err on the side of prudence. 2 cents o 3 pesos
 
We left Rocky Point yesterday heading home to Tucson. There was a endless parade of cars heading south from the border...mostly Mexican Nationals but also tons from Phx and Tucson. I did notice at the border, that many car plates were from Juarez.
 
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