Flying to catch ship in port

[Pebbs48]

I have had our cruise booked for months only to find out my husband has a training class he has to attend that ends the day we are scheduled to leave.

 

No way he can get to the departure port in time so we are looking into him flying to catch up to the ship at our 1st port - Nassau. Has anybody had any experience with this? I know it's doable just don't what to expect.

[sail7seas]

Be absolutely sure to get permission, in writing by e-mail if possible, for him to join the ship mid-cruise. It is not automatic that people can simply appear late at the next port or a subsequent port and be assured of boarding without getting prior approval from the cruise line.

 

He might not even be permitted into the port area at some ports without being on a list of approved names.

 

Sorry you/he are in this situation and hope it works out well for you.

[dchillis]

I have had our cruise booked for months only to find out my husband has a training class he has to attend that ends the day we are scheduled to leave.

 

No way he can get to the departure port in time so we are looking into him flying to catch up to the ship at our 1st port - Nassau. Has anybody had any experience with this? I know it's doable just don't what to expect.

 

Well I would say that people will probably stare at you and maybe point,, They could possibly whisper to each other something like "Hey see that woman over there her husband missed the boat she's hoping that he'll be at the next port....chuckle....." Other then that probably not much else. Hope this helps :rolleyes:

[Essiesmom]

As long as the cruise line knows and is expecting you, it will not be a problem. It happened to a couple at my table on fantasy in 1999...Husband didn't know you had to be at airport (NYC) x hours ahead of boarding...Missed flight to FL. And fly-on entertainers board and leave the ship at every port. EM

[sail7seas]

Entertainers do not have to meet PVSA as they are 'employees'/crew.

 

Guests have to meet terms of PVSA.

[Keith1010]

It is very important to coordinate all of this with the cruise line ahead of time.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

You definitely need to get all this straightened out before your cruise.

And get it in writing from the cruise line that they know why and where he will be getting on the ship.

[Carolin]

And make sure his passport is up to date.

[Essiesmom]

Entertainers do not have to meet PVSA as they are 'employees'/crew.

 

Guests have to meet terms of PVSA.

 

Perhaps, but the OP specified Nassau, which makes the PVSA irrelevant. EM

[sail7seas]

Permission to board in an alternative port must be obtained.

Some ports will not let you enter the area if you are not listed on an 'approved list'.

We were supposed to have boarded once in Canaveral but were considering, in advance, not boarding until first port which was Nassau. We had a routine we had to follow and HAL was very definite about it.

 

This is not hypothetical to me....... we experienced this situation.

In the end, we chose to board in Canaveral where the cruise originated.

 

[Sea Breeze]

We were doing a cruise out of Seattle, my son was in Alaska, we wanted hm to join us on our first port. I was willing to pay full fare.. But they said no, so he just took a ferry and joined us in each port...

 

If your working with a travel agent she/he can advise you on what to do.

[njhorseman]

We were doing a cruise out of Seattle, my son was in Alaska, we wanted hm to join us on our first port. I was willing to pay full fare.. But they said no, so he just took a ferry and joined us in each port...

 

If your working with a travel agent she/he can advise you on what to do.

 

You were denied because what you requested would be in violation of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), which prohibits foreign-flagged cruise ships from transporting passengers between two different US ports unless the cruise calls on what is called a "distant foreign port", which yours would not have.

[Shmoo here]

We were doing a cruise out of Seattle, my son was in Alaska, we wanted hm to join us on our first port. I was willing to pay full fare.. But they said no, so he just took a ferry and joined us in each port...

 

If your working with a travel agent she/he can advise you on what to do.

 

Sounds like a PVSA situation. The PVSA states that a foreign-flagged ship may not transport a passenger from one US port to a different US port without a stop in a distant foreign port. A distant foreign port is any port not in North America or the Caribbean.

 

So, if your son were to join you in, say, Juneau(or Skagway, or Ketchikan), and end the cruise in Seattle, that would violate the PVSA (a $200 fine, usually passed on to the passenger in violation).

 

:)

[dread_pirate]

A distant foreign port is any port not in North America or the Caribbean.

 

So, if your son were to join you in, say, Juneau(or Skagway, or Ketchikan), and end the cruise in Seattle, that would violate the PVSA (a $200 fine, usually passed on to the passenger in violation).

 

:)

No, not quite. Many Alaska cruises go from Whittier to Vancouver, CA - last time I looked, Vancouver is in North America. It's just not US. (Yes, Juneau to Seattle would be a problem if the ship didn't stop in Vancouver on the way home - many do for just that reason.)

 

And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

[sail7seas]

<snip>

 

 

And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

 

 

 

Aruba is a Distant Foreign Port and meets needs of PVSA.

[Shmoo here]

No, not quite. Many Alaska cruises go from Whittier to Vancouver, CA - last time I looked, Vancouver is in North America. It's just not US. (Yes, Juneau to Seattle would be a problem if the ship didn't stop in Vancouver on the way home - many do for just that reason.)

 

And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

 

Vancouver is in Canada, a foreign port. Traveling from a US port to a foreign port doesn't violate the PVSA.

 

Closed loop cruises (starting and ending in the same US port on the same ship) don't violate the PVSA, either. As long as they stop at any foreign port.

 

:)

[fleckle]

No, not quite. Many Alaska cruises go from Whittier to Vancouver, CA - last time I looked, Vancouver is in North America. It's just not US.

That is a totally different situation, confusing apples and oranges.

 

Vancouver is not a distant foreign port.

The PVSA requirement prohibits passengers from embarking at one US port and disembarking at a different US port without visiting a distant foreign port.

 

 

(Yes, Juneau to Seattle would be a problem if the ship didn't stop in Vancouver on the way home - many do for just that reason.)

Juneau to Seattle :confused::confused:

 

Passenger embarkation at any Alaska port with disembarkation in Seattle is not allowed.

As previously pointed out by many, no port in North America satisfies the distant foreign port requirement.

 

That is why most Alaska cruises that embark at Seattle are round trip closed circuit cruises, for which the visit to a nearby foreign port (such as Victoria) is satisfactory.

 

The cruises that embark at Seattle and disembark at Vancouver, or vice versa, are fine too because they are not transporting passengers between two different US ports.

 

 

The repositioning cruises from Florida to Seattle are allowed because they visit a distant foreign port, often Cartagena, along the way.

 

....And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

Again, this is confusing two totally different situations.

 

If you start and end your cruise in Ft. Lauderdale, there is no distant foreign port requirement.

Certainly your ship may visit distant foreign ports on a closed circuit cruise, but only a visit to a nearby foreign port is required.

[Sea Breeze]

No, not quite. Many Alaska cruises go from Whittier to Vancouver, CA - last time I looked, Vancouver is in North America. It's just not US. (Yes, Juneau to Seattle would be a problem if the ship didn't stop in Vancouver on the way home - many do for just that reason.)

 

And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

 

It all worked out fine, one night I saw a ferry right behind us, as we were doing a inside passage, it was my sons ferry.

 

We never knew why they said no as it was my travel agent telling me no, after calling ncl. But I understood the chances was slim.

[fleckle]

It all worked out fine, one night I saw a ferry right behind us, as we were doing a inside passage, it was my sons ferry.

 

We never knew why they said no as it was my travel agent telling me no, after calling ncl. But I understood the chances was slim.

Glad it worked out fine for you after all.

 

It's a shame that you were not told why they said no. A good travel agent should have explained the reason to you.

 

Just saying no without the explanation makes it sound as though they simply didn't want to be bothered, instead of explaining why it would be illegal.

[Cruisin' Chick]

No, not quite. Many Alaska cruises go from Whittier to Vancouver, CA - last time I looked, Vancouver is in North America. It's just not US. (Yes, Juneau to Seattle would be a problem if the ship didn't stop in Vancouver on the way home - many do for just that reason.)

 

And if the Caribbean didn't count, all our Caribbean cruises would be illegal - I'm on one from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba & Curacao and back. If the Caribbean countries didn't count, how could we do that?

 

As that poster stated, the cruise started in (and ended in) Seattle. A different situation than the one-way cruises. The son wouldn't have been allowed to join the ship in Ketchikan as it would have been a violation of the PVSA.