Wait times for border crossings

[Goofy219]

I am going to the OCC on Monday for a possible unfill. My question is for you who have recently been. I am flying in that morning. Will arrive in San Diego at 10:42. I scheduled my flight back out at 3:12. That is 4 and 1/2 hours. When I called to confirm my appointment, the girl I spoke to said they were recommending at least 7 hours from time of fill to fly out again because of longer lines at the border crossing. Have any of you experienced increase wait times at the border crossing back in to San Diego? I have done my trips 3 times before like this and had no trouble making my flights. What are your thoughts.

[ErinRed]

Gosh 7 hrs seems like an awefully long time. But I have yet to do a fill so I am not sure of the time needed to cross the boarder. I know when I booked my flight home after the surgery they said to give it at least 3 hrs.

[DwayneH]

I was there august 30 th and sat at the border for almost 2.5 hours. i got to the airport at 12:35 for for a 1:25 flight and almost missed my flight. When i had surgery june 28 th we crossed the border in 15 minutes at about 7:20 am

[petrafarmer]

The thing is that you can never be sure. Once it took 4 hours to get across another time just a bit more than one hour. I say better safe than sorry, make your flight later. You don't want the hassle of missing you flight and having to rebook. We all know how accomodating airlines are these days. NOT!!!!

[Dolittle]

I am going to the OCC on Monday for a possible unfill. My question is for you who have recently been. I am flying in that morning. Will arrive in San Diego at 10:42. I scheduled my flight back out at 3:12. That is 4 and 1/2 hours. When I called to confirm my appointment, the girl I spoke to said they were recommending at least 7 hours from time of fill to fly out again because of longer lines at the border crossing. Have any of you experienced increase wait times at the border crossing back in to San Diego? I have done my trips 3 times before like this and had no trouble making my flights. What are your thoughts.

I'd say your cutting it close. You didn't say if the OCC van was picking you up at the airport and taking you back to the airport later that day??? If your using the OCC van, you might be able to do that in 4 1/2 hours, but you'd have to hustle and hope you don't get hung up in Customs. If your doing it on your own and using the trolley/bus and walking across the border both ways,, I don't think it can be done in that time frame. I usually count on 1 hour travel time each way just for the trolley/bus from the airport to the border and or the border back to the airport. Not counting taxi time to and from the border/OCC clinic and the line at US Customs when crossing back into the USA. I've never timed myself doing it on my own, but I don't think I could do it on a good day in 4 1/2 hours.

[davies61307]

I just returned home yesterday after being banded and the crossing into the US took almost an hour. Now we were on the shuttle so we had to go in a special line, get out of the shuttle, go into customs, and then meet up with the shuttle on the other side of the border. We were also coming back over at around 11am, so that might also determine how long the wait is. I've always seen the crossing time as a guessing game, I'd give myself a few extra hours, but 7 seems like a lot. I think the wait at the clinic might be where you spend most of your time. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Goofy219]

Thanks everyone for the replies. And yes Dolittle, I am having the OCC van pick me up and take me back to the airport. I will just hope and pray I make my connecting flight. Thanks again. I will let everyone know how it goes.

[AshleyMarie]

I was there yesterday and I was in line for 2 hours.

[lovesMaui]

Okay here's what happened to me. I had a fill last month. I live an hour from the border. My husband has gone across the border many, many, times for dental work. He thought we should pay the $100 for the fill and park at one of the pay to park places next to the border, then walk across and take a cab for $5.00 to the Surgery Center. I didn't want to do this because on the way home, the cab drops you off at a certain place and then you wait in a long, long, line to walk across the border back to San Diego. I didn't want to hassle it so we paid the $199.00 to be picked up in the OCC Van. I was surprised when the OCC driver picked us up in the Mexicoach parking lot in San Diego in a truck, not a van, but I didn't say anything nor did the driver. After the fill, on the way back to the border, we notice that the truck gets in the line that all people get in to cross the border, not the special line the van gets in. We asked the driver about this and he tells us that because he is in a truck and not the OCC Van, he has to cross the border like everyone else! He said earlier that day he waited in line 3 hours! Well we could have saved ourselves a $100 and taken ourselves across the border! We felt kind of deceived as we were never informed of any of this until the very end. Anyone else have this experience?

[Goofy219]

Okay. I finally made it home TODAY, instead of yesterday. Here's what happened. Myself and 2 others arrived at the airport at 10:45. Approximately 2 HOURS LATER the driver shows up to pick us up after myself and another one kept calling the clinic. We were told 30 more minutes, then 5 more minutes. Well it ended up being 2 hours later. Then we had to go to Terminal 1 to pick up 2 others. One had landed about an hour before and the other had been there like 2 hours as well. We finally get on the way to OCC and get there and have to wait. It was 2 more hours after we got their before three of us were seen for our fills/unfills. Then we had to wait for the driver to come from the Marriott to take us across the border. Another 30 minutes until he showed up at the clinic and then 1.5 hours in line at the border crossing. Needless to say, I DID NOT make my connecting flight back home that same day. I ended up staying in San Diego and flew out this morning at 6:40. I was very dissapointed because I have never had to wait for the driver to pick me up from the airport nor have I ever had to wait at the clinic very long. No apologies or even an expanation of why the driver was sooooo late. And to think we had to pay for them to pick us up.

[lovesMaui]

Goofy, I think what you had to go through is ridiculous! And to think you had to pay for it!