By getting a slip at Ensenada’s Hutchison Cruiseport Village Marina, you will gain access to the marina staff’s help to get checked into the country, including getting your FMM and TIP all settled.
When we checked into Mexico in Ensenada in November 2021, we stayed at the Cruiseport Village Marina inside the protected breakwater in the large industrial and cruise ship port of Ensenada. The friendly staff in the marina helped us get all checked into the country and make sure we had our FFMs to be allowed to stay in Mexico for 6 months and that we had our TIP (temporary import permit) for our boat.
Marina Slip Reservation Process at Cruiseport Village Marina in Ensenada
As was the case at the time when we checked in, I just contacted the marina by email to ask if they still offered these services and for their current rate list. THIS IS CURRENT AS OF JUNE 2023.
I sent my initial inquiry email to the email address listed on the website: info@hutchisonportsecv.com
Within a few hours, I received this response from Ana at the marina office to help with setting up a reservation for a slip at Cruiseport Village Marina:
In case you cannot read the image, it says:
FROM: Ana P. González Flores – gonzalez.ana@enseit.com
Hello Rachel,
Thank you for contacting us!
Here at ECV Marina we can help you with all the paperwork and assist you through the process of check-in, check-out, immigration, and Temporary Importation so you don’t have to worry about it, you only have to have all the documents as required by the port authorities. Our help and assistance are FREE when you stay with us.
Below are our rates and required documents.
If you want to request a reservation, please fill out the attached form.
Our experience getting a slip reservation for Cruiseport Village Marina in Ensenada
In our personal experience staying in this marina in Ensenada in November of 2021, it truly was this simple! These folks deal with FMMs and TIPs every day! They know the process and how to get you through any hiccups (such as an un-canceled previous TIP on your boat).
We didn’t even contact them for our reservation until we were literally on our way there from San Diego. I don’t recommend this. You should contact them for the reservation at least a few days in advance. Luckily for us, our lack of planning ahead still turned out fine!
Consider your length of stay carefully
My best advice for getting a slip at Cruiseport Village Marina in Ensenada would be to really consider how long you will be staying at the marina before continuing south. IF YOU EVEN MIGHT STAY LONGER THAN A COUPLE OF DAYS, you will want to seriously consider paying for a whole month at the marina.
We learned this lesson the hard way.
We paid $320 USD for our first three nights at the marina. When weather didn’t cooperate and we weren’t ready to leave yet, we chose to stay longer and we paid $440 USD to stay for another 30 days. We should have just paid the $440 at the very beginning. They would not credit us the first three days toward our 30 days (which is fine – they were under no obligation to do so!).
You just need to let them know a day or two before you leave so that they can handle the check out paperwork through the port captain.
Checking in and checking out
Are you saying, “Wait! Didn’t you just check in?!”
Yes.
In Mexico, you have to check into the country when you arrive in Ensenada (or where-ever you arrive to). But additionally, while cruising in Mexico, you have to check into and out of each PORT as you move about the country. This is a very fluid process- some cities and towns do have a port captain that you need to check in and out with when you arrive and depart, some do not have one. If there is one, and if there is a fee, it is generally very nominal.
Don’t stress about it. Just get yourself down here to Mexico and see what cruising in Mexico is all about!! ~Rachel