Thousands of passengers aboard the Norwegian Encore cruise ship spent much of Tuesday confined to the vessel at the Port of San Francisco due to extended delays in U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing.

The Norwegian Cruise Line ship, carrying 3,100 passengers and 1,700 crew members, arrived from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at 7:30 a.m. on April 28. As the first U.S. port of call on a 21-day itinerary from Miami to Seattle via the Panama Canal, federal regulations required full immigration screening for everyone on board. Normally, U.S. citizens use facial recognition for quicker clearance, but a malfunction forced all individuals, including citizens, through biometric checks involving fingerprints, photographs, and interviews. Roughly half the passengers were foreign nationals already slated for this process.

Compounding the issue, the ship docked three hours late because of strong winds and 10-foot swells under a Small Craft Advisory. Additionally, authorities had to wait for the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office to remove the body of a passenger who died on board before screenings could proceed. No reboarding was allowed until every person cleared, leaving some passengers stuck for nearly nine hours and others unable to explore the city at all.

Ginger Rolf described the ordeal as a 'nightmare,' saying what should have been a wonderful vacation day turned sour. Arthur Morrisette, an experienced cruiser, noted he had never encountered such thorough checks on prior voyages. David Jones recounted showing his driver's license and veteran's card during questioning.

A CBP spokesman attributed the delays to the late arrival, the death processing, and the need for full biometrics due to the tech failure. Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed the federal requirements, and the facial recognition breakdown led to longer waits. The ship departed on Wednesday evening after clearance, heading to Astoria, Oregon.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie expressed disappointment, stating the city wants visitors to enjoy every hour available. For comparison, Holland America's Koningsdam, which docked on Wednesday after prior U.S. screening in San Diego, faced only a 90-minute delay.

The incident underscores the challenges of processing large groups at seaports, where thorough border security measures can intersect with weather, technical problems, and emergencies. No compensation details from the cruise line have been announced.