Boarding later in cruise

[NicNac4498]

Has anyone joined the ship at a later port? In our situation it would be 1 person joining Allure in Nassau on day 2. On Royal's website it just says you have to have it pre arranged, any other info?

 

Thanks

[Artemis]

We have received permission before, albeit not for Nassau and not for a closed-loop cruise, not sure that will matter, except that a passport will be required. The individual does need to make the request, written permission and instructions will issue. If you booked through a TA, handle through the TA; otherwise, contact RCI directly.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[Ourusualbeach]

Apparently policy has changed for cruises departing from a US port. You are no longer able to do this.

 

See post 16 in this recent thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2110592

 

Here is the text from that post.

 

 

Didn't take but a couple hours and here is their reply, so now we all know. After all the cruises I have taken I always thought you could catch up with the ship

 

THE FOLLOWING PASSENGER MOVEMENT IS DENIED.

This movement will result in a violation of our ship's Closed Loop Status. As per US Customs and Border Protection, in order to protect our ship's closed loop voyage status and prevent all United States Citizens from having to undergo a full immigration check after the voyage ends, we cannot allow guests to preplan late embark at any US or Foreign port to return to the original US port from which the ship departed. The terms of the cruise ticket contract apply.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[chengkp75]

Apparently policy has changed for cruises departing from a US port. You are no longer able to do this.

 

See post 16 in this recent thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2110592

 

Here is the text from that post.

 

 

Didn't take but a couple hours and here is their reply, so now we all know. After all the cruises I have taken I always thought you could catch up with the ship

 

THE FOLLOWING PASSENGER MOVEMENT IS DENIED.

This movement will result in a violation of our ship's Closed Loop Status. As per US Customs and Border Protection, in order to protect our ship's closed loop voyage status and prevent all United States Citizens from having to undergo a full immigration check after the voyage ends, we cannot allow guests to preplan late embark at any US or Foreign port to return to the original US port from which the ship departed. The terms of the cruise ticket contract apply.

 

That's the first time I've seen it spelled out, but from anecdotal evidence, nearly all the cruise lines have pretty much disallowed late boarding and early departure. The WHTI (western hemisphere travel initiative) is what allows passengers to cruise from US ports on closed loop cruises with the DL/BC identification. The passenger manifest created at embarkation is used by CBP to screen the passengers while the cruise is happening, so that the ensuing CBP clearing at disembarkation is merely cursory check of documents against the manifest. Late embarkation requires that a new passenger manifest be submitted to CBP, and this then may not be done in time to allow proper screening, so the disembarkation becomes a full face to face interview with CBP, just like an international air arrival.

[MADflyer]

While I would find embarkation more difficult, early departure is most certainly approved if the route is legal.

 

I was just able to book the Legend TA from Oslo to Bayonne and disembark early in Reykjavik to just take in the early port intensive section of the cruise. I was required to pay for the entire sailing and following full payment send in the required form to a central RCCL office that handles all the ships of Azamara, Celebrity and RCI and got the response within hours that the route was approved.

 

The initial approval is a Security Clearance. Then with the case of disembarkation Guest Services needs to give each passenger a clearance for early disembarkation certifying that the account has been paid in full prior to leaving the ship and the sea pass is surrendered to security upon disembarkation. Early disembarkation only works if they have customs agents at the port.

[chengkp75]

While I would find embarkation more difficult, early departure is most certainly approved if the route is legal.

 

I was just able to book the Legend TA from Oslo to Bayonne and disembark early in Reykjavik to just take in the early port intensive section of the cruise. I was required to pay for the entire sailing and following full payment send in the required form to a central RCCL office that handles all the ships of Azamara, Celebrity and RCI and got the response within hours that the route was approved.

 

The initial approval is a Security Clearance. Then with the case of disembarkation Guest Services needs to give each passenger a clearance for early disembarkation certifying that the account has been paid in full prior to leaving the ship and the sea pass is surrendered to security upon disembarkation. Early disembarkation only works if they have customs agents at the port.

 

What you describe is not only an "open jaw" cruise (as opposed to a "closed loop"), but a voyage starting in a non-US port, and one that is not limited to the western hemisphere, so the WHTI that I mention and the cruise line's reference in their statement regarding closed loop status does not apply. When the cruise ends in Bayonne, the CBP clearance will not be the cursory WHTI clearance for US citizens, but the longer full CBP clearance that the lines want to avoid by having late embark/early disembark on closed loop cruises starting in US ports with only ports of call in the western hemisphere.

[xxHadleyxx]

While I would find embarkation more difficult, early departure is most certainly approved if the route is legal.

 

I was just able to book the Legend TA from Oslo to Bayonne and disembark early in Reykjavik to just take in the early port intensive section of the cruise. I was required to pay for the entire sailing and following full payment send in the required form to a central RCCL office that handles all the ships of Azamara, Celebrity and RCI and got the response within hours that the route was approved.

 

The initial approval is a Security Clearance. Then with the case of disembarkation Guest Services needs to give each passenger a clearance for early disembarkation certifying that the account has been paid in full prior to leaving the ship and the sea pass is surrendered to security upon disembarkation. Early disembarkation only works if they have customs agents at the port.

 

 

As the PP pointed out, it is an entirely different ball game for cruises that are not closed loop cruises that start and end in the USA.

 

We have sailed on several med cruises (on RCI) that have 2 (and sometimes 3) possible embarkation and debarkation ports on the same closed loop cruise--but it is simply not possible under US law to do the same thing with cruises that start and end there.