Has anyone who missed their Seattle departure been unable to rejoin the ship?

I have just learned that if we miss our sailing (RT SEA), we will not be able to rejoin the ship until it visits a foreign port because of restricitons associated with the Jones Act. I am wondering how often this has happened to people.

My specific situation/sailing is as follows:

I am arriving day of departure in SEA six hours ahead of sailing time with only two later flights to fall back on. I always buy travel insurance, but need to know (so I can start worrying now) about PVSA. Our sailing is SEA rt, with Victoria as the final port. According to HAL, if we miss the sailing, our first opportunity to rejoin the ship will be Victoria on day 13 of our sailing!

Check your insurance policy. Some policies don't cover trip delay. Others won't kick in unless your delay is more then a minimum number of hours. Maybe 6 maybe 8. Further trip delay is generally limited to a specific dollar amount. $150 /day with a $500 maximum is an example.

You're arriving 6 hours before departure. When do you have to be on the ship? An hour before? 90 minutes? 2 hours? How long will it take to get from SEA to the port? 30 minutes? You don't have 6 hours of extra time, maybe 4.

You might literally have to chose between making the ship or waiting for your luggage. Consider carryon only. At least make sure you can live with what's in your carryon, together with whatever you purchase on the ship (and at your first port). The airline is under no obligation to ship your luggage to your first port if you don't have enough time to wait at baggage claim.

You want to stop worrying? Change your flight.

You want to stop worrying? Change your flight.

+1. Or change your cruise.

I am looking for actual instances in which this happened, not advice about changing flights, etc. There are plenty of things to worry about in this life and I am hoping to find out whether this is actually one of them.

Yes this is something to worry about. I would not go in the day of the sailing unless i wanted to worry. Do air thru the cruise line or book a day out.

I have just learned that if we miss our sailing (RT SEA), we will not be able to rejoin the ship until it visits a foreign port because of restricitons associated with the Jones Act. I am wondering how often this has happened to people.

 

My specific situation/sailing is as follows:

I am arriving day of departure in SEA six hours ahead of sailing time with only two later flights to fall back on. I always buy travel insurance, but need to know (so I can start worrying now) about PVSA. Our sailing is SEA rt, with Victoria as the final port. According to HAL, if we miss the sailing, our first opportunity to rejoin the ship will be Victoria on day 13 of our sailing!

I am taking the same Amsterdam cruise in May, arriving SEA three days early. I am sitting here inhaling deeply because I don't want to stress you. But ... you are pushing it with your flight plan. One question - are you on a direct flight? Instead of giving you all the reasons things could go wrong, I would just say try to have a back-up plan. Honestly - I'm not sure what that would be. :( You said "according to HAL" you can't join the ship until day 13. Did you talk with them directly about this? Just making sure. Hopefully someone else knows about these things and can give you some advice. (I don't think it's the Jones Act ... although everyone calls it that.) Can you book a transfer with HAL? That's what I would call about. At least with a HAL transfer from SEA they (HAL) will know your plans and would know you are "on your way." If at all possible, change your flight to come in the night before. That's probably going to cost you too much - but worth a call to the airline. And GOOD LUCK!!

I missed an HAL sailing due to flight delays. It was out of Florida. I can tell you that HAL was NO help at all.

Zero!

My family was on the ship have arrived on different flights (I was on a business trip). I had HAL transfers and was met at the baggage claim area by an HAL representative. The ship had not yet sailed, but there was not enough time to even make a try.

Or so they said.

I was locked in a van parked at the airport (with 3 other passengers who had delayed flights) until the ship sailed away.

I swear to you that you do not want to risk this situation. My insurance did not pay and my husband was changed a single supplement fee for his/our room.

We got not a $ of refund from HAL.

Due to foul weather I was not able to make flight connections to catch up with the ship and eventually flew home....at my own expense ..... on a full price ticket due to the last minute nature of booking my flight home.

You said "according to HAL" you can't join the ship until day 13. Did you talk with them directly about this? Just making sure. Hopefully someone else knows about these things and can give you some advice. (I don't think it's the Jones Act ... although everyone calls it that.)

I missed an HAL sailing due to flight delays. It was out of Florida.

I am looking for actual instances in which this happened, not advice about changing flights, etc. There are plenty of things to worry about in this life and I am hoping to find out whether this is actually one of them.

Posters on CC always suggest arriving a day (or two) before your embarkation day. I'd expect most CC members wouldn't book flights this tight. There is a poster in the cruise air forum who missed a cruise do to flight issues.

HAL already told you they won't let you join the cruise until day 13. What time are you required to be on board? Figure a 30 minute taxi ride. Another 30 minutes to deplane and get your luggage. You do the math.

You don't make your ship. Trip delay not trip interruption benefits may apply. Check your policy. You might not even qualify.

I am looking for actual instances in which this happened, not advice about changing flights, etc. There are plenty of things to worry about in this life and I am hoping to find out whether this is actually one of them.

Are you taking a direct flight? If so, from where?

Do air thru the cruise line or book a day out.

Actually air through the cruise line would probably hurt in this case, not help. A very false sense of security.

I missed an HAL sailing due to flight delays. It was out of Florida. I can tell you that HAL was NO help at all.

 

Zero!

 

My family was on the ship have arrived on different flights (I was on a business trip). I had HAL transfers and was met at the baggage claim area by an HAL representative. The ship had not yet sailed, but there was not enough time to even make a try.

 

Or so they said.

 

I was locked in a van parked at the airport (with 3 other passengers who had delayed flights) until the ship sailed away.

 

I swear to you that you do not want to risk this situation. My insurance did not pay and my husband was changed a single supplement fee for his/our room.

 

We got not a $ of refund from HAL.

 

Due to foul weather I was not able to make flight connections to catch up with the ship and eventually flew home....at my own expense ..... on a full price ticket due to the last minute nature of booking my flight home.

Are you saying HAL kept your DH's original trip fee, your original trip fee, AND they charged DH more during the cruise (single supplement)?

I missed the ship departure one time in Seattle on Princess. I flew to Ketchikan and boarded there. I don't know how the Jones Act would apply here, as you are departing from a US port either way. If it was Vancouver/Ketchikan there might be an issue. HAL may not be as obliging either.

There is a poster in the cruise air forum who missed a cruise do to flight issues.

 

HAL already told you they won't let you join the cruise until day 13.

I didn't realize there was a cruise air forum. I may repost over there. However, since so many posters on this forum have cruised to AK multiple times, I thought it would be the best forum for info about actual occurances. This would, in fact, affect people sailing on southbound itineraries (from Seward or Whittier) as well.

Interestingly, I asked the rep if they require everyone HAL books air for on these departures to book a day in advance. They do not! Her comment was that most people are coming from the East and therefore pick up a few hours enroute so there isn't much of a problem.

We had a very similar situation last summer. We were scheduled to sail on the HAL 14 night Alaska cruise, but we were unable to arrive the day before because my daughter was in Costa Rica. We had to fly from the east coast on the day of embarkation.

Here's what I did. I put in a written request to HAL to DISEMBARK in Victoria. That way, if we missed embarkation we planned to fly to Ketchikan to embark there and disembark in Victoria. From Victoria we planned to take the Victoria Clipper to Seattle. This entire plan was approved by HAL in writing (well, e-mail).

Fortunately, we did not need to put this plan into action because we easily made embarkation in Seattle. Once on board the Amsterdam, we just let the purser's desk know that we didn't need to disembark in Victoria.

HAL is quite correct, when ships sail from Seattle to Alaska they what is know as a "closed loop" voyage, the voyage begins and ends in Seattle which is permitted under the PVSA. If a pax where to miss their ship in Seattle and try to join it in say Ketchikan then it would not be a closed loop voyage and in violation of the PVSA. Victoria would be the only place that the pax could join the ship.

Not on HAL, but due to the US Air mess at Christmas a few years ago a friend missed a cruise out of Florida where the first port was Key West. It was a short cruise and due to the time of year it was impossible to find reasonable flights to the only foreign port, so she completely missed the cruise. And I don't believe she was ever reimbursed by travel insurance.

If for some reason you do miss the ship, at the very least you will be looking at a $300 per person fine to board the ship in another US port if HAL lets you board at all. In addition you would be responsible for plane tickets to the next port, hotels etc. Be aware that last minute plane tickets, especially to Alaska are not cheap.

I missed the ship departure one time in Seattle on Princess. I flew to Ketchikan and boarded there. I don't know how the Jones Act would apply here, as you are departing from a US port either way. If it was Vancouver/Ketchikan there might be an issue. HAL may not be as obliging either.

Hey, info the OP was looking for!

I read once where a cruiser on a New England cruise (started in USA stopped in Canada before returning to orig port) missed her ship at a US port because her independent tour ran late. She was allowed back on at the next stop. However, she had to pay a fine of something like $300.00~$600.00 for violating the Jones act (or whatever the correct name is.)

But of course, if HAL isn't going to let you back on, the point is moot.

I didn't realize there was a cruise air forum. I may repost over there. However, since so many posters on this forum have cruised to AK multiple times, I thought it would be the best forum for info about actual occurances. This would, in fact, affect people sailing on southbound itineraries (from Seward or Whittier) as well.

 

Interestingly, I asked the rep if they require everyone HAL books air for on these departures to book a day in advance. They do not! Her comment was that most people are coming from the East and therefore pick up a few hours enroute so there isn't much of a problem.

And this means NOTHING. Cruise air, does not mean you will make your ship. The cruiseline is ONLY a booking agent.

You are looking for answers that will make you feel better, no one can predict the future, or what will happen to you. IF you are not willing to get in a day prior, then you are accepting this plan. I wish you smooth sailing. :)

Are you saying HAL kept your DH's original trip fee, your original trip fee, AND they charged DH more during the cruise (single supplement)?

My travel insurance didn't pay anything because my flight was delayed by bad weather (read your policy!) HAL said they were not responsible for booking me on a flight that was really too close to the departure time of the ship. So much for cruise line air giving you any protection!

HAL kept 100% of my original trip fee. HAL kept 100% of my husband's trip fee and changed DH the single supplement as he occupied the room alone.

I couldn't use my return air ticket and lost the value of that and had to pay a same day price to book a ticket home.

But the worst part really was not being allowed to make my way to the ship on my own by taxi as they knew I had booked the cruise line transfer and were waiting for me at the luggage claim.

If I had known that the HAL people were not going to even try to get me to the ship I would have gone for a taxi and tried on my own. If I then failed to get on the ship I could have at least waved farewell to my family.

Hard and expensive lessons learned.

....since so many posters on this forum have cruised to AK multiple times, I thought it would be the best forum for info about actual occurances.....

Mary....I have the feeling that you want to know whether the cruiseline will actually follow the rule and deny you boarding, and the answer is absolutely YES. They will not let you board. As WRP96 mentioned, there is a $300 fine that is applied if you are permitted to board in another American port, and the fine is on the passenger....not the cruiseline....but many cruiselines don't want to run afoul of the PSVA in any way and just deny the passengers boarding. They can allow you to board and pay the fine, but they don't have to.

Two years ago, we had a very close call on a 14-day New England cruise which was round trip out of Bayonne, NJ on Celebrity. The first stop was Boston, then three other American ports, then Halifax. When we thought we might not make the boarding in Bayonne, I called Celebrity and was told the first port we could board was Halifax. They wouldn't even consider letting us board in Boston and pay the $300 fine. Fortunately, we managed to get ourselves to the pier in time to board.

All of the cruiselines take the PSVA seriously.

Duplicate post.

HAL kept 100% of my original trip fee. HAL kept 100% of my husband's trip fee and changed DH the single supplement as he occupied the room alone.

Wow!!!

I do know that some travel insurance policies will cover any single supplements that might be accessed by the cruiseline if one person in the cabin is unable to make it. However, I am now wondering if this is only due to illness, family emergencies etc. It is something I will definitely look into. Travel insurance seems to work best for medical emergencies. There is so much fine print for everything else.

It is still beyond me how they could charge your DH a single supplement, when they got full price for the cabin. This seems so wrong!!!!

I assume you have not sailed HAL again?

I do remember reading about one poster who missed her cruise. She got up to the dock before the ship sailed away, but was not there in time to board. Her first port was day 3 or 4 of a 7 day cruise. She had travel insurance and did not cover her. As mentioned above, her delay was under the minimum covered by her plan.

Lots of fine print.

I missed the ship departure one time in Seattle on Princess. I flew to Ketchikan and boarded there. I don't know how the Jones Act would apply here, as you are departing from a US port either way. If it was Vancouver/Ketchikan there might be an issue. HAL may not be as obliging either.

We had a very similar situation last summer.Here's what I did. I put in a written request to HAL to DISEMBARK in Victoria. That way, if we missed embarkation we planned to fly to Ketchikan to embark there and disembark in Victoria. From Victoria we planned to take the Victoria Clipper to Seattle. This entire plan was approved by HAL in writing (well, e-mail).