Can one join the cruise later on a US Flagged Ship?

[alexadeparis]

Hi all,

I am a first time poster and have never been on a cruise before but have been lurking a while. I am hoping you will be able to answer this question for me. I did a search but did not find this exact question answered.

 

The compressed version of my story is that I am planning a Hawaii trip in October 2014 as a vow renewal with family and friends. The extended group will stay on Maui for a week, then the hubby and I were going to Kauai for a week alone after the ceremony (second honeymoon).

 

We were looking at fitting a cruise into this mix and in my research, I found out about the PVSA act, which apparently causes a lot of grief for B2B cruisers. I understand that this act only applies to foreign flagged ships, so hopefully I will be able to do what I want to do.

 

Norwegian has the Pride of America, which I have found is a US Flagged ship, that cruises the following itinerary:

 

 

Day 1: Depart from Honolulu

Day 2: Arrive Maui

Day 3: Depart Maui

Day 4: Hilo

Day 5: Kona

Day 6: Arrive at Kauai

Day 7: Depart from Kauai

Day 8: Arrive at Honolulu

 

My question is basically this: if we pay for the entire cruise, could we hop on at Maui (after the first week of our stay on land), sail and visit Hilo and Kona and then disembark in Kauai (and begin the second week of our stay on land). So really only staying 4 days of the 7 day cruise? It doesn't seem like it would be in violation of the PVSA and it doesn't make sense to fly from maui to honolulu to start the cruise and go back to maui by boat the next day, nor does it make sense to fly from honolulu back to kauai after the end of the cruise to begin our second week of our land trip. Hope I am making sense here.

 

 

Any advice or comments? Please help.

[smeyer418]

Hi all,

I am a first time poster and have never been on a cruise before but have been lurking a while. I am hoping you will be able to answer this question for me. I did a search but did not find this exact question answered.

 

The compressed version of my story is that I am planning a Hawaii trip in October 2014 as a vow renewal with family and friends. The extended group will stay on Maui for a week, then the hubby and I were going to Kauai for a week alone after the ceremony (second honeymoon).

 

We were looking at fitting a cruise into this mix and in my research, I found out about the PVSA act, which apparently causes a lot of grief for B2B cruisers. I understand that this act only applies to foreign flagged ships, so hopefully I will be able to do what I want to do.

 

Norwegian has the Pride of America, which I have found is a US Flagged ship, that cruises the following itinerary:

 

 

Day 1: Depart from Honolulu

Day 2: Arrive Maui

Day 3: Depart Maui

Day 4: Hilo

Day 5: Kona

Day 6: Arrive at Kauai

Day 7: Depart from Kauai

Day 8: Arrive at Honolulu

 

My question is basically this: if we pay for the entire cruise, could we hop on at Maui (after the first week of our stay on land), sail and visit Hilo and Kona and then disembark in Kauai (and begin the second week of our stay on land). So really only staying 4 days of the 7 day cruise? It doesn't seem like it would be in violation of the PVSA and it doesn't make sense to fly from maui to honolulu to start the cruise and go back to maui by boat the next day, nor does it make sense to fly from honolulu back to kauai after the end of the cruise to begin our second week of our land trip. Hope I am making sense here.

 

 

Any advice or comments? Please help.

 

 

there is no legal prohibitions but you need to talk with NCL to arrange it.

[chengkp75]

As far as the PVSA is concerned, the PoA can be considered a bus, get on and off when you want. The problem would be with NCL cancelling your reservation when you did not show in Honolulu on embarkation day.

 

You should also look at the cost difference between paying for a 7 day cruise and only being onboard for 3 days, versus the air fare between islands, which used to be rediculously cheap.

 

Long story, short, you're good to go as far as PVSA is concerned, but you will need to make the financial decision, and notify NCL of your intentions so that they will hold the cabin.

[alexadeparis]

I know I am going to get hammered on the price. My thought is that I may never make it to Hawaii again, and by doing the land-cruise-land thing, that I would at least see the majority of it by going island hopping. I will be in Honolulu for at least a day or two before I head over to Maui for my first week's stay, so I will see that too.

 

The question then, if there are no PVSA issues, is do you think NCL would let me do this? Would there be any legitimate reasons that you can think of that they would frown upon this?

[chengkp75]

No, they will actually make more money with you only being onboard for a few days. You may get some resistance from the booking agents, but stick to your guns, and go higher and higher until you get permission to do it. The worst they could do is require you to check in in Honolulu on the normal embarkation day. if you check with NCL once in Hawaii, you may be able to get your documents checked while you are there before the cruise. Documentation check would be the only sticky point.

[Eng23]

I know I am going to get hammered on the price. My thought is that I may never make it to Hawaii again, and by doing the land-cruise-land thing, that I would at least see the majority of it by going island hopping. I will be in Honolulu for at least a day or two before I head over to Maui for my first week's stay, so I will see that too.

 

The question then, if there are no PVSA issues, is do you think NCL would let me do this? Would there be any legitimate reasons that you can think of that they would frown upon this?

You need to call NCL and discuss this with them. Your biggest issue is as chengkp75 mentioned. If you do not board the ship on it's initial departure from Honolulu your reservation most likely will be cancelled or your cabin given away.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Are either of those 2 stops tender stops? If there is bad weather at a tender then the ship could just skip it and "sail for the day", meaning the OP would need to plan flights from the next stop. And if that happens they would need to ensure that their hotel is aware of any changes.

[chengkp75]

Are either of those 2 stops tender stops? If there is bad weather at a tender then the ship could just skip it and "sail for the day", meaning the OP would need to plan flights from the next stop. And if that happens they would need to ensure that their hotel is aware of any changes.

 

Kona is the only tendering port, and that is in the middle of their cruise, so even if they miss that, they will be able to get on in Maui as scheduled, and off in Kauai as scheduled, and even see Hilo the next day.

[alexadeparis]

Thanks everyone for all of your help so far. Seems as long as I let NCL know what I want to do, they should be ok with it. :)

[CruiserBruce]

Thanks everyone for all of your help so far. Seems as long as I let NCL know what I want to do, they should be ok with it. :)

 

I would say they might be OK with it. Not they should be OK with it.

[varoo]

Hi all,

I am a first time poster and have never been on a cruise before but have been lurking a while. I am hoping you will be able to answer this question for me. I did a search but did not find this exact question answered.

 

The compressed version of my story is that I am planning a Hawaii trip in October 2014 as a vow renewal with family and friends. The extended group will stay on Maui for a week, then the hubby and I were going to Kauai for a week alone after the ceremony (second honeymoon).

 

We were looking at fitting a cruise into this mix and in my research, I found out about the PVSA act, which apparently causes a lot of grief for B2B cruisers. I understand that this act only applies to foreign flagged ships, so hopefully I will be able to do what I want to do.

 

Norwegian has the Pride of America, which I have found is a US Flagged ship, that cruises the following itinerary:

 

 

Day 1: Depart from Honolulu

Day 2: Arrive Maui

Day 3: Depart Maui

Day 4: Hilo

Day 5: Kona

Day 6: Arrive at Kauai

Day 7: Depart from Kauai

Day 8: Arrive at Honolulu

 

My question is basically this: if we pay for the entire cruise, could we hop on at Maui (after the first week of our stay on land), sail and visit Hilo and Kona and then disembark in Kauai (and begin the second week of our stay on land). So really only staying 4 days of the 7 day cruise? It doesn't seem like it would be in violation of the PVSA and it doesn't make sense to fly from maui to honolulu to start the cruise and go back to maui by boat the next day, nor does it make sense to fly from honolulu back to kauai after the end of the cruise to begin our second week of our land trip. Hope I am making sense here.

 

 

Any advice or comments? Please help.

You are correct that there is no PVSA issue involved here.

As others have stated, even though you pay for the entire cruise be sure to obtain approval from NCL in advance so they know what you will be doing and have it in their records.

That way your cruise will not be canceled when you do not board at Honolulu.

 

The worst that could happen would be that the ship might need to skip Kauai as Nawilliwilli is a tricky port for getting cruise ships in and out.

In that case, you would just disembark at Honolulu and fly to Lihue.

 

 

If you are willing to skip the cruise, another possibility would be to trade off the cruise for 2 short flights.

 

Fly from Maui to the Big Island, either Hilo or Kona.

Rent a car and drive around to the other side of the island so you get to visit both Hilo and Kona, plus gaining the additional sightseeing opportunities along the way on a very nice drive.

Then fly from there to Kauai.

 

You can easily compare the total costs of the cruise plus whatever excursions you would take at Hilo and Kona on the cruise to the costs of paying for the 2 flights, a couple of nights in hotels, the rental car and a few additional meals.

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Here's a different suggestion: why not check into going on a guided tour of Hawaii? Years ago, my college roomie had booked one with her husband, but decided to dump him for good and invited me to take his place. It was one of those three islands in nine days (including flights to and from LA) and included most meals, entertainment (including a luau and a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center), inter-island flights, the guide bus, all the sights, even a helicopter tour. There was also a longer tour that hit four islands in 12 days. From the time we got to Honolulu to the time we went back to the airport for our return to LA, we didn't have to schlep luggage, etc. We even had some free time on each island.

 

You might find it a better deal. Then save a cruise for when you'll want to be on the ship from the first day on.

[NMLady]

Here's a different suggestion: why not check into going on a guided tour of Hawaii? Years ago' date=' my college roomie had booked one with her husband, but decided to dump him for good and invited me to take his place. It was one of those three islands in nine days (including flights to and from LA) and included most meals, entertainment (including a luau and a trip to the Polynesian Cultural Center), inter-island flights, the guide bus, all the sights, even a helicopter tour. There was also a longer tour that hit four islands in 12 days. From the time we got to Honolulu to the time we went back to the airport for our return to LA, we didn't have to schlep luggage, etc. We even had some free time on each island.

 

You might find it a better deal. Then save a cruise for when you'll want to be on the ship from the first day on.[/quote']

 

That is a good suggestion. We did a Hawaii tour like that from Perillo Tours.

[alexadeparis]

I will look into that also

[puddles99]

As others have said, this is really Norwegian's call.

 

My guess is that the Kauai departure isn't an issue (ships leave without "late" passengers on a somewhat frequent basis and you'd be like any other "no show"). It's the embarkation in Maui vs. Honolulu that could be a challenge if you don't pre-clear it with the cruise line.

 

I would suggest talking to a reputable travel agent or calling NCL directly and discussing your options. You won't have to commit just to get some questions answered.

 

Good luck!

[Eng23]

Thanks everyone for all of your help so far. Seems as long as I let NCL know what I want to do, they should be ok with it. :)

There is no guarantee that NCL will be ok with it. You need to call them and get clearance from them to do what you are planning. You cannot assume that just because you call and let them know what you are planning on doing that NCL will allow it.