Leaving ship before reaching final port?

You do realize that the last post before your's was 7-1/2 years ago. You should be able to disembark in Victoria but you will need to work with Princess in advance to get approval.

 

 

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Thank you, yes I did realise, and will be contacting Princess after final payment. I was just showing appreciation for people sharing their experiences here.

 

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Three years ago we were on the Sapphire Asia cruise. One of the stops was at Keelung. Since my DW has relatives in Taipei, she decided to stay there a few days and fly to Hong Kong to meet the ship to continue the cruise. We told the front desk our plans about a week ahead of time. They arranged for a Taiwan customs and immigration official to process her luggage when she got off in Keelung. When she rejoined the ship in Hong Kong she had to have a new keycard made. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw our final bill that they had deleted the daily gratuities for the days she was away from the ship. We plan to do the same thing on our upcoming trip on the Diamond, getting off in Keelung rather than continuing the cruise to Yokohama.

Haha, I just read the first post before realising it is nearly 8 years old.....I thought " the Dawn Princess is doing the Mexican Riviera:eek:" it has just gone to P&O Aus.

Thank you for this! We are sailing to Alaska from Seattle, but are travelling from Victoria. We were hoping we could disembark in Victoria and save the cost of travelling back from Seattle.

 

this is a 12 year old post, better off starting a new one

Keep in mind that no port is ever guaranteed, so have a contingency plan in case the ship doesn't make it in to Victoria and you can't get off.

So true. I think the main reason that Congress hasn't done anything about it is that the cruise industry has not lobbied to have it repealed. I'm still not clear on why they haven't lobbied to have it repealed, perhaps someone with a better understanding of the industry can explain that to us.

 

Let me try to sum up the way the Passenger Services Act works. The PSA (often erroneously referred to as the Jones Act, which applies to cargo instead of passengers) applies to itineraries that both begin AND end in the US. If the itinerary begins and ends in the SAME US port, the ship must visit any non-US port at some point in the itinerary to meet the requirements of the law. If the itinerary begins in one US port and ends in another US port, it must visit what the law calls a "distant" foreign port at some point in the itinerary. "Distant" is defined in the regulation linked earlier in this thread, but generally it means a port not in North America (so, not Canada, Mexico, or most of the Caribbean). The law analyzes an itinerary not by what is advertised by the cruise line, but by what itinerary the individual passenger actually takes. Hence there being potential PSA problems when a passenger disembarks early (even if it's by accident or because of an emergency), or sails a back-to-back itinerary. The penalty for violation of the PSA is a fine of a few hundred dollars, which the cruise line usually passes along to the customer. The PSA is a US law, so it applies to sailings from US ports, but some other countries also have their own versions of the PSA. In general these laws are referred to as "cabotage" laws.

 

Now let's take an example. Say someone wanted to do a back-to-back Alaska cruise, Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to Anchorage. The passenger would get on in Anchorage, and get off in Anchorage, so the cruise would both begin and end in a US port, so the PSA would apply. Since it begins and ends in the same US port, the passenger would need to visit any foreign port, and since the ship stops in Vancouver, the itinerary would not violate the PSA.

 

Here's another example: Say someone wanted to do a similar back to back at the end of the Alaska season, except instead of returing to Anchorage, they want to stay on the ship for the repositioning to LA. The cruise would start in Anchorage, a US port, and end in LA, another US port, so it would need to visit a "distant" foreign port. Since the Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to LA itineraries only visit a regular, not a "distant", foreign port, this itinerary would violate the PSA.

 

Now let's take that example that someone mentioned about the Hawaii-Tahiti-Hawaii back to back cruise, where some people disembarked early, in Hilo, instead of continuing on to Honolulu, where they had embarked. So, these passengers embarked in one US port, Honolulu, and disembarked in another, Hilo. So, to meet the requirements of the PSA, they would need to stop in a "distant" foreign port at some point during their cruise. Since they stopped in Tahiti, which counts as a "distant" foreign port, they met the requirements of the PSA, even though they embarked in one US port and disembarked in another US port.

 

I guess that wasn't really summing it up, but it's hard to understand how it works without seeing a few examples.

 

Best and most succinct explanation I have seen about this.. Thank You.!!:)

Getting off the ship in SD would be in violation of the Jones Act!!........Karen

 

 

I thought it was only a violation of the Jones Act if the ship does not go to a foreign port.

Dave

 

It would be a violation of the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1896) not the Jones Act. The Jones Act has to do with cargo not pax. Basically the two are the same, they just apply to different things. (people vs. cargo) :)

 

Tom

We successfully arranged with Princess to disembark in Victoria BC. Our cruise planner now shows us on a 6 night cruise ending in Victoria. No mention of the Seattle end of actual cruise.

 

We are also aware of possible missed port and are booking return tickets on the Seattle Clipper just in case. Is only $30 more pp to book return so a cheap plan B.

 

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Years ago, having a very sea sick friend leave an RCI Cruise in San Diego(we had only traveled frm LA to SD) there is not doubt you will be fined I used her credit card to be accessed the $300 before she left the ship. At the time I learned more than I wanted to about the PSA. If it is an emergency, the ship will still be fined but they will not bill u. As I said, I know more about this law then most does anyone know why it was enacted? Because of the Great lakes and Canadian competition over 100 years ago.

Years ago, having a very sea sick friend leave an RCI Cruise in San Diego(we had only traveled frm LA to SD) there is not doubt you will be fined I used her credit card to be accessed the $300 before she left the ship. At the time I learned more than I wanted to about the PSA. If it is an emergency, the ship will still be fined but they will not bill u. As I said, I know more about this law then most does anyone know why it was enacted? Because of the Great lakes and Canadian competition over 100 years ago.

 

As we are leaving the ship in Canada (having boarded originally in USA), we will not face any penalty. Had we chosen to disembark at a stop in Alaska before reaching the Canadian port, then it would cause problems.

we have a cruise planned out of Seattle for seven days ending back in Seattle it's last port of call is Victoria Canada we would like to leave the ship there is that possible

We have a cruise planned out of Seattle Washington for seven days ending back in Seattle Washington it's last port of call is Victoria Canada can we leave the ship at that port

We have a cruise planned out of Seattle Washington for seven days ending back in Seattle Washington it's last port of call is Victoria Canada can we leave the ship at that port

 

It should be as you are not violating the PVSA. However, you will need to clear this with Princess before you board.

Darn... I will assume that this means that one would be fined if they decided to extend their time at Hawaii, and not sail back to Ensenada.

Darn... I will assume that this means that one would be fined if they decided to extend their time at Hawaii, and not sail back to Ensenada.

 

Correct. This would not be allowed under the PVSA (unless your cruise left from Vancouver) then it might be possible.

Correct. This would not be allowed under the PVSA (unless your cruise left from Vancouver) then it might be possible.

 

Vancouver departures add an interesting wrinkle - because when you cruise to Hawaii out of Vancouver, you pass through US Customs/Border Patrol immediately before boarding the ship - Does this mean you have essentially "crossed the border" back into the US.??

we have a cruise planned out of Seattle for seven days ending back in Seattle it's last port of call is Victoria Canada we would like to leave the ship there is that possible

We did this in Sept. We had to get permission from the cruise line (Princess) ahead of time. Turned out there was another couple that got off as well. We had to wait for at least an hour after everyone else was allowed to leave for their excursions etc, but it sure saved us a lot as we left from Victoria (took the Clippr to Seattle) and my car was there.

 

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I think you will have to pay a $300. fine. Best to ask Princess first good luck.

Tony

You do realize that the last post before your's was 7-1/2 years ago. You should be able to disembark in Victoria but you will need to work with Princess in advance to get approval.

Thanks for posting this. I wish Cruise Critic would lock threads to prevent replies after a certain time period without a response. This zombie thread has been resurrected a many times. It started almost a dozen years ago in November 2005 and died a natural death two days later; then brought back to life in May 2009, dying out the same day; resurrected again in November 2009, then June, July, and October this year. In the meantime, there are dozens of other threads with information about the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

 

I think you will have to pay a $300. fine. Best to ask Princess first good luck.

Wrong. Please see all of the previous replies that give the correct info. The fine is only if you disembark in a different U.S. port from which you started without having gone to a distant foreign port. Ships are allowed to transport passengers from a U.S. port to a foreign one. Ships doing closed-loop cruises have to stop in a foreign port but it doesn't have to be a distant one.

I don't consider Victoria, BC to be a distant foreign port. But, In June, Princess allowed us to disembark in Victoria a day early, rather than go back to Seattle. We hadn't planned this in advance, just did it on the ship on our way to Victoria! I also used my cell phone to get a reservation at a hotel! We weren't charged anything!

 

As an american, I know little about geography, but I think Victoria is in Canada, which is a different country.

(Or, as I learned from Goldie Hawn in protocol, it's like another country, but attached)

 

As your (shortened) voyage did not end in a US port, the Passengers Services Act does not apply.

It only applies to voyages that both begin and end at a US port.

Deleted. Covered by previous answers.

So true. I think the main reason that Congress hasn't done anything about it is that the cruise industry has not lobbied to have it repealed. I'm still not clear on why they haven't lobbied to have it repealed, perhaps someone with a better understanding of the industry can explain that to us.

 

Let me try to sum up the way the Passenger Services Act works. The PSA (often erroneously referred to as the Jones Act, which applies to cargo instead of passengers) applies to itineraries that both begin AND end in the US. If the itinerary begins and ends in the SAME US port, the ship must visit any non-US port at some point in the itinerary to meet the requirements of the law. If the itinerary begins in one US port and ends in another US port, it must visit what the law calls a "distant" foreign port at some point in the itinerary. "Distant" is defined in the regulation linked earlier in this thread, but generally it means a port not in North America (so, not Canada, Mexico, or most of the Caribbean). The law analyzes an itinerary not by what is advertised by the cruise line, but by what itinerary the individual passenger actually takes. Hence there being potential PSA problems when a passenger disembarks early (even if it's by accident or because of an emergency), or sails a back-to-back itinerary. The penalty for violation of the PSA is a fine of a few hundred dollars, which the cruise line usually passes along to the customer. The PSA is a US law, so it applies to sailings from US ports, but some other countries also have their own versions of the PSA. In general these laws are referred to as "cabotage" laws.

 

Now let's take an example. Say someone wanted to do a back-to-back Alaska cruise, Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to Anchorage. The passenger would get on in Anchorage, and get off in Anchorage, so the cruise would both begin and end in a US port, so the PSA would apply. Since it begins and ends in the same US port, the passenger would need to visit any foreign port, and since the ship stops in Vancouver, the itinerary would not violate the PSA.

 

Here's another example: Say someone wanted to do a similar back to back at the end of the Alaska season, except instead of returing to Anchorage, they want to stay on the ship for the repositioning to LA. The cruise would start in Anchorage, a US port, and end in LA, another US port, so it would need to visit a "distant" foreign port. Since the Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to LA itineraries only visit a regular, not a "distant", foreign port, this itinerary would violate the PSA.

 

Now let's take that example that someone mentioned about the Hawaii-Tahiti-Hawaii back to back cruise, where some people disembarked early, in Hilo, instead of continuing on to Honolulu, where they had embarked. So, these passengers embarked in one US port, Honolulu, and disembarked in another, Hilo. So, to meet the requirements of the PSA, they would need to stop in a "distant" foreign port at some point during their cruise. Since they stopped in Tahiti, which counts as a "distant" foreign port, they met the requirements of the PSA, even though they embarked in one US port and disembarked in another US port.

 

I guess that wasn't really summing it up, but it's hard to understand how it works without seeing a few examples.

Thank you for your explanation, that was helpful

On 11/27/2005 at 10:08 PM, Joy2Day said:

And a voyage that originates or ends in Mexico or Canada does not transport passengers between 2 US ports, so they don't have to comply with the 'distant foreign port' issue. That is why a Vancouver-LA cruise would not have a problem with a SF disembarkation and why one-way Hawaii cruisers embark in Ensenada.

Except I was just told today that Vancouver is not a distant foreign port on our LA to Vancouver sailing.

7 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Except I was just told today that Vancouver is not a distant foreign port on our LA to Vancouver sailing.

A DISTANT foreign port (in the eyes of the PVSA) is any port that is NOT in North America, Central America, the Bermuda Islands, or the West Indies (including the Bahama Islands, but not including the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).

 

Vancouver is in North America.

49 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Except I was just told today that Vancouver is not a distant foreign port on our LA to Vancouver sailing.

LA to Vancouver is a legal cruise.  We have done it many times.  You embark in one country and disembark in another.  Your issue, from another post, are continuing to Alaska and disembarking in Seattle.  

Edited November 30, 2023 by kiwimum