Sept. 19 Disembark Statendam, Embark Rotterdam - any tips?

[deserttraveler]

We will be disembarking Statendam at Canada Place on the morning of Sept. 19, then getting on Rotterdam just for the three days to San Diego. Rotterdam is scheduled to sail at 2 p.m.

 

I figured on getting off Statendam as late as possible, then walking around to the Rotterdam line and boarding as early as possible.

 

Has anyone had any experience with changing ships, same day, at Canada Place? Any cautions about this?

 

Are there any Canadian immigration issues to consider? We are on US passports.

[jtl513]

If you are initially embarking in Seward on Sep 12th, don't be surprised if HAL cancels your Rotterdam cruise, as this is a violation of the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Even though you are changing ships, your initial embarkation is in one U.S. city and final disembarkation is in another, without a distant foreign port in between.

 

I'm surprised you were allowed to book the 2nd cruise! People have been known to get away with this by switching cruise lines in Vancouver, but even that is still illegal.

 

EDIT: OOPS - I just saw that you're doing this as a b2b, starting in VCR 9/5. That might make it OK, as long as the Seward-VCR cruise is not considered separate from the VCR-Seward one.

[deserttraveler]

I'll check with my TA. I'm on two different statuses with these: B2B I'm attached to enrichment staff, booked by a talent agency, with the Rotterdam 3 day booked separately with a TA.

 

Travel plans involve flying to Seattle, bus to Vancouver, Statendam to Seward and back, then the Rotterdam segment.

[DAllenTCY]

Oh my goodness....you just saved me a lot of money!

I had not noticed the 2pm departure on 9/19.......thought it was 5pm.

I just got through changing flights.

David

[RuthC]

EDIT: OOPS - I just saw that you're doing this as a b2b, starting in VCR 9/5. That might make it OK, as long as the Seward-VCR cruise is not considered separate from the VCR-Seward one.

It should, as the PVSA doesn't care where the ship starts/ends, or even where the cruise starts/ends. It cares where the passenger starts/ends.

In this case the passenger will start cruising in Canada, then end in the US. The PVSA doesn't apply.

[RevNeal]

It should, as the PVSA doesn't care where the ship starts/ends, or even where the cruise starts/ends. It cares where the passenger starts/ends.

In this case the passenger will start cruising in Canada, then end in the US. The PVSA doesn't apply.

 

We desperately need to get rid of this stupid law. If the purpose of the law is to protect US shipping, why the heck does it pay any attention at all to where a passenger begins and ends their traveling? Why would it still apply when the passenger changes ships and booking numbers? What if the were a day or two break between cruises instead of the departure being the same day as disembarkation??? It occurs to me that thecontrol factor over US citizens travel patterns within the USA could be challenged on constitutional grounds. Is there a lawyer out there willing to research this pro-bono?

[deserttraveler]

Each leg of the cruise starts in one country and ends in the other. Canada-USA-Canada-USA. I think it is the passengers who get on the Rotterdam the day before, in Seattle, that have to touch ground in Vancouver to make the Vancouver-San Diego portion legal for THEM. I guess if we are somehow running afoul of this arcane law, the worst that could happen would be that we'd be denied boarding in Vancouver? Or are there some other penalties. I generally agree with the notion that ignorance of the law does not excuse breaking it, but, my goodness, who among us has all the details of this one clear?

[DAllenTCY]

It's interesting that these regulations still exist. If you think about it, these laws were written way before the interstate highway system was built, and far in advance of passenger aviation as we know it. Between two US cities, rail travel was the main option. It was very affordable, and offered everything from coach to Pullman sleeping cars in the late '30's. So who still needs these archaic rules? Why don't we have the choice of sailing between Boston and Ft. Lauderdale, or Seattle and Los Angeles?

David

[RuthC]

What if the were a day or two break between cruises instead of the departure being the same day as disembarkation???

The break of one day cuts the journey into two separate events. Each event then needs to be looked at individually to see if the PVSA applies, and, if so, that the conditions of near/distant foreign ports are met.

 

Whether or not the PVSA needs to be repealed in it's entirety can be argued from many sides. I agree that it needs a good, hard look, at least as far as cruise ship passage goes, (as opposed to transportation). Remember, when the PVSA came into effect cruising as we know it today hadn't come into being.

[RuthC]

Each leg of the cruise starts in one country and ends in the other. Canada-USA-Canada-USA.

Again, it's not the individual legs of the journey that matter. It's where the passenger boards and disembarks. You have indicated that you board in Vancouver, then disembark in San Diego. Since your journey does not both begin and end in the US, the PVSA does not apply.

I think it is the passengers who get on the Rotterdam the day before, in Seattle, that have to touch ground in Vancouver to make the Vancouver-San Diego portion legal for THEM.

Correct. Anyone starting in Seattle must disembark in Vancouver, then stay over one night before they can sail from Vancouver to San Diego.

I guess if we are somehow running afoul of this arcane law, the worst that could happen would be that we'd be denied boarding in Vancouver? Or are there some other penalties. I generally agree with the notion that ignorance of the law does not excuse breaking it, but, my goodness, who among us has all the details of this one clear?

There is a fine, the amount of which is minimal compared to cruise fare. I believe it's $300 per person.

[deserttraveler]

You have eased my mind about this.

[deserttraveler]

My TA is trying to get an answer from HAL on this. Now I realize that I was thinking wrongly about the "legs" of the trip. In fact, looking at it from the passenger standpoint (thanks, Carol), we embark at Vancouver and disembark at San Diego. From the US standpoint, shouldn't that have the same status as a westbound transatlantic? Does visiting the US ports en route make a difference? I'm not looking for a way around the law, just not looking for trouble.

 

My previous Alaska trip was a Seattle RT that did the Victoria stop the last night before returning to Seattle, and that was 4 hours and 59 minutes of foreign port that somehow satisfied the law even though I did not get off the ship in Victoria. So it would seem that there is a bit of flex even though on the whole it seems pretty arcane. Even if the Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver B2B is somehow construed as separate trips, I would be on the ground in Vancouver for 7 hours on the turnaround day, Sept. 19. That's more than the 5 hours in Victoria that satisfied the law for the Seattle inside passage trip.

 

This is starting to seem like the question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin! A person shouldn't have to get a lawyer just to enjoy a short cruise.

[cocobird]

We will be disembarking Statendam at Canada Place on the morning of Sept. 19, then getting on Rotterdam just for the three days to San Diego. Rotterdam is scheduled to sail at 2 p.m.

 

I figured on getting off Statendam as late as possible, then walking around to the Rotterdam line and boarding as early as possible.

 

Has anyone had any experience with changing ships, same day, at Canada Place? Any cautions about this?

 

Are there any Canadian immigration issues to consider? We are on US passports.

 

 

You might want to be aware that per the Vancouver port authority, Rotterdam will be docked at Ballantyne Pier, NOT Canada Place. The following was posted on the roll call for the Rotterdam Hawaii/Tahiti cruise departing Vancouver on Sept. 19:

There are actually SIX cruise ships berthed in Vancouver on September 19! The Spirit of Endeavour, Celebrity Mercury, Ryndam and Statendam will all be berthed at Canada Place Terminal.

I contacted Customer Service at MetroVancouver Port Services to enquire about the two other ships and received this reply:

 

"Hello David,

Thank you for your email. The Rotterdam and the (Norwegian) Pearl will be berthed at Ballantyne Pier on September 19th. I hope the above is helpful. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

Regards,

Wendy"

 

This is not the easiest pier to reach and is a taxi ride away from Canada Place.

[deserttraveler]

Every bit of information helps! Taxi to Ballantyne Pier it will be, I guess.

 

Deserttraveler

[CoolChile]

....you just saved me a lot of money! I had not noticed the 2pm departure on 9/19.......thought it was 5pm. I just got through changing flights. David

 

Taxi to Ballantyne Pier it will be, I guess.

Deserttraveler

Hello David and Carolyn! I happened on to this thread as we're also embarking Sept 19 in Vancouver, although I realize this is more of a continuation for you both. Hope you have a great trek to Alaska!

 

A bit of an update: The info about where ms Rotterdam will be docked Sept 19 has been somewhat inconsistent. Some of us on our roll call were so unsure about whether it would be Canada Place or Ballantyne Pier that we thought -- just to be sure we didn't "miss the boat" -- we might have to rappel down from the Lions Gate bridge with a case of wine under each profusely-sweating arm pit. :p But it seems now that "they" are more settled on Canada Place.

 

Second, I'm coordinating a Meet & Greet for the following day and would love to have you join us. Here is a link to the page containing info on it and how to e-wave me:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1065318&page=30

 

As you may be aware, after your Pacific Coastal, Rotterdam will carry on to Hawaii and the South Pacific :D but please let me know if you'd like to attend our first M&G Sept 20. Would love to hear from you. And from any others reading this who may be on the Pacific Coastal portion to San Diego.

[deserttraveler]

Hi Cool Chile,

My cruise docs say Canada Place even though the Vancouver port info still leaves it a bit up in the air.

 

And thanks for the Meet and Greet info! I'll look in the direction you've indicated.

 

Deserttraveler

[PathfinderEss]

We will be disembarking Statendam at Canada Place on the morning of Sept. 19, then getting on Rotterdam just for the three days to San Diego. Rotterdam is scheduled to sail at 2 p.m.

 

I figured on getting off Statendam as late as possible, then walking around to the Rotterdam line and boarding as early as possible.

 

Has anyone had any experience with changing ships, same day, at Canada Place? Any cautions about this?

 

Are there any Canadian immigration issues to consider? We are on US passports.

To answer your question, it is not as easy or fast as you think. We did basically the same thing earlier this summer and all I can say is WOW, what a mess. You cannot just walk from one ship to the other. You will have to go through customs coming and going. You will need to go out to the underground parking lot to get your bags on to the other ship. They will not transfer them, again because of customs. So you go thru custom, then go outside with your luggage to the underground parking area, find the right stevedores taking luggage for your particular ship (hint, it is close to the hotel elevators of the Pan Pacific), then its back thru customs. All this can take some time (could be several hours), so make sure you have a lot of patience, you will probably need it. My suggestion to you is, because my DH and I did like you want to, we waited till it was absolutely necessary to get off the other ship, DON'T, get off as soon as possible, before the going thru custom line gets to busy or it could even take longer. Better to sit and wait at your specific ship waiting area, then spend all that time standing in line.

[deserttraveler]

Melodie,

Thanks so very much for this! I will make sure we get off the ship by 8:30 or so.

 

Desert Traveler (Caroline)

[hockey grannys go 4]

We will be disembarking Statendam at Canada Place on the morning of Sept. 19, then getting on Rotterdam just for the three days to San Diego. Rotterdam is scheduled to sail at 2 p.m.

 

I figured on getting off Statendam as late as possible, then walking around to the Rotterdam line and boarding as early as possible.

 

Has anyone had any experience with changing ships, same day, at Canada Place? Any cautions about this?

 

Are there any Canadian immigration issues to consider? We are on US passports.

 

Just off the Vancouver Port Schedule Aug 11/2010 2:35 pm the Rotterdam will be at CANADA PLACE on the 19th of Sept 2010 hope this is some help. We will be embarking from there on the 19th for a 34 day cruise

[PathfinderEss]

Your welcome deserttraveler. When we did this we had 3 ships in 2 Hollands, 1 Princess, we figured about 6 thousand people, which is a lot but you have to think bigger. 6 thousand people off, 6 thousand on, so Canada Place is handling some 12 thousand passenger. I think that sums up how come it can become a zoo............deserttraveler have a wonderful cruise, sounds like fun.

[DAllenTCY]

I just received the following by e-mail from HAL. On September 19, 2010 the ship will be docked at the Ballantyne pier in Vancouver, B.C.

David

[deserttraveler]

David,

Thanks! This puts things back to what I thought in the middle of this whole discussion, cab from Canada Place to Ballantyne Pier. With about 8000 passengers disembarking at Canada Place that morning, how difficult will it be to get a cab? Are there any car services I could book ahead of time? (I'll check the ports of call board)

AND, any revised time frame suggestions for disembarking Statendam, clearing immigration, getting the cab to be at Ballantyne by 11 a.m.? I can imagine delays at every step (I'm a worrier), so would still aim to disembark Statendam 8:00-8:30.

[rafinmd]

I'll check with my TA. I'm on two different statuses with these: B2B I'm attached to enrichment staff, booked by a talent agency, with the Rotterdam 3 day booked separately with a TA.

 

Travel plans involve flying to Seattle, bus to Vancouver, Statendam to Seward and back, then the Rotterdam segment.

 

I would check with HAL on this as well. I suspect as part of the enrichment staff you may be considered "crew" for purposes of the Alaska B2B and it is POSSIBLE that for PVSA purposes all that counts is the 3-day international cruise. If so, that could make things a bit easier for you.

[DAllenTCY]

You should have plenty of time to switch ships. The Ballantyne pier is just down the road from Canada Place. You can see one from the other.

David

[hockey grannys go 4]

My email from Vancouver port authority states the Rotterdam well be birthed at Ballantyne pier on the 19th. The pier is only a 15 Min walk but if i were in your position i would get a cab.