San Francisco cruise immigration delays
Definition
A topical phrase describing the hours-long holdups faced by thousands of cruise passengers—most notably on the Norwegian Encore—at San Francisco's port due to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bottlenecks, triggered by technical glitches and a passenger pile-up.
Travel industry shorthand for the bureaucratic gridlock turning a sunny West Coast homecoming into an unplanned shipboard sequel.
Examples
The San Francisco cruise immigration delays transformed our victory lap around the bay into a seven-hour game of passport bingo.
After surviving the San Francisco cruise immigration delays, passengers emerged squinting like vampires at high noon, passports in hand.
Blame the San Francisco cruise immigration delays for why my cruise souvenir is now a grudge against bureaucracy.
San Francisco cruise immigration delays: proof that even the Golden Gate can't rush the red tape.