HAL Summer in Caribbean

[3rdGenCunarder]

HAL sails round trip, B oston to Montreal to boston. Canadi;an ports have to qualify in order to make that itinerary legal.

 

Boston toBar Harbor ( U.S. port), Halifax,S aint John, Charlot town, PRINCE Edward Island. tSdney, Quebec City, Montreal to, Boston. We have done that itinerary, over and ov er and over.

 

aLSO;Seattle to Alaska, stop in CanadaVANCOUVER/ Victoria/to Seattle.Round trip Seattle to Seattle. Canada has to quql or thqt itinerqry would not be permited.

 

That was part of my thinking when I thought Bermuda would be "distant" enough. It's farther from the US than Vancouver is.

 

If you do the Boston/Montreal one way, that's legit--board in one country, disembark in another. If you do it as a B2B, do you have to get off and do the clear-the-ship thing in Montreal or are you truly on a 2-week cruise?

 

Does the "closed loop" for Boston-Botson and Seattle-Seattle provide some kind of exemption?

 

As Bullwinkle used to say, I'm soooo confused! :confused:

[sail7seas]

We always chose to leave the ship in Montreal as we love lunch there. We had to clear passport control in the terminal but we were always on our own and leftthe terminal immediately after an official chec ked our passports.

 

Montreal is too wonderfdul a city to stay aboard and not enjoy the city. IMO

Edited August 4, 2016 by sail7seas

[jtl513]

HAL sails round trip, B oston to Montreal to boston. Canadi;an ports have to qualify in order to make that itinerary legal.

 

Does the "closed loop" for Boston-Botson and Seattle-Seattle provide some kind of exemption?

A round trip to the city of origin requires only a NEAR foreign port. The stops in Victoria and Ensenada etc are to satisfy the law. A trip from one US city to a different one requires a DISTANT foreign port. NYC-Bermuda-NYC is legitimate. NYC-Bermuda-FLL is not.

If you do the Boston/Montreal one way, that's legit--board in one country, disembark in another. If you do it as a B2B, do you have to get off and do the clear-the-ship thing in Montreal or are you truly on a 2-week cruise?

It doesn't matter which you call it. Either you are on two one-week cruises that do not go from one US city to another, or you are on a round-trip to the same city and you have visited a near foreign port.

 

I always thought that you could not sail from, say, San Diego to Vancouver and then stay on the same ship to go to Seward unless you spent 24 hours in Canada, but recently BruceMuzz said you can provided you "permanently disembark" in CA for a few hours and then re-embark on a new voyage. I'll try to find that thread.

Edited August 4, 2016 by jtl513

[Randyk47]

I guess it shouldn't be but I've always been confused by this "distant port" thing. In March we did a 10-day cruise on Silversea from San Juan, PR to Ft Lauderdale. All the stops were in the eastern Caribbean so not exactly distant but obviously qualified.

[RuthC]

I guess it shouldn't be but I've always been confused by this "distant port" thing. In March we did a 10-day cruise on Silversea from San Juan, PR to Ft Lauderdale. All the stops were in the eastern Caribbean so not exactly distant but obviously qualified.

IIRC, Puerto Rico has a variance from the PVSA regs that apply to the other US embarkation ports.

[jtl513]

IIRC, Puerto Rico has a variance from the PVSA regs that apply to the other US embarkation ports.

Yes - also Guam, Samoa, and USVI. Note in the following post that Bruce says you can not stay on the same ship from LA to Vancouver to Whittier, so now I'm thinking it was someone else that said you could do it if you "permanently disembarked" (i.e. paid your bill and took your luggage) for a few hours.

 

If a non-US flag ship has a "closed loop" voyage (New York to Bermuda to New York for example), it must visit any foreign port to satisfy US Law.

But if it boards passengers in multiple US ports - and possibly disembarks them in multiple US ports - everything gets far more complicated.

US Immigration doesn't want to get involved in determining which pax can leave the ship in one port, but not another, or which are violating US Law no matter which port they want to leave from.

 

Technically, a repo cruise from LA to Vancouver, then staying onboard the same non-US flag ship from Vancouver to Whittier is NOT legal.

This would be considered an open jaw voyage from LA to Whittier, with a near foreign port call in the middle. Legally a far foreign port call is required for that journey.

 

But if you study the PVSA regulations, there are exceptions made for US Territories; Guam, Samoa, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands. It is legal for a non-US Flag ship to cruise from Houston to San Juan. But on that voyage, nobody would be allowed to permanently disembark in Fort Lauderdale. Every passenger would be legally required to continue to San Juan.

That's why ships relocating from New York to the Caribbean often end the voyage at San Juan. A far foreign port call is not required in this case.

Edited August 4, 2016 by jtl513

[jtl513]

Originally Posted by rafinmd

I'm wondering what the actual PVSA rules for B2B cruises. It is clear that you cannot do a B2B on the same ship like San Diego to Vancouver to Seward. When does the journey become legal?

 

If I boarded the Amsterdam in San Diego, got off in Vancouver the same day and continued on the Noordam the same day, would that be legal?

 

What about getting off the Amsterdam and on the Radiance of the Seas the same day? Is that legal or just something that happens because neither cruise line nor the government is likely to notice it?

 

Is any of this technically legal or is an overnight stay somewhere required?

 

Thanks

Roy

 

Originally posted by chengkp75:

Both above examples are legal since they involve two different ships for each leg of the voyage. Princess also has a way, where during their repo season, they go Hawaii to Vancouver, then a one night Vancouver to Seattle, and then Seattle round trip to Alaska. You could not do all three together, but if you got off in Vancouver, made your own way (bus, train, ferry) to Seattle, you can then reboard the same ship for Alaska. Basically, to take the same ship, you need a calendar day break in the voyage, and you need to have "permanently" disembarked in between (gotten off with your luggage and paid your bill).

[sail7seas]

Great info in thistthread.l Thank you.

[blizzardboy]

iT IS BAloney when ev erryone rants it is hurricanes. In all our summr sailing, the only time we missed ports and our cruise ended early because of a hurricane was Canada, sailing from Montreal to Boston.

 

 

You ought to check the weather in the Caribbean. From CC Cruise News:

(1:10 p.m. EDT) -- Late August through early September is prime time for hurricanes and tropical storms in the Caribbean. Even as it dies down, Tropical Depression Fiona spurred Royal Caribbean to make adjustments to itineraries, and Tropical Storm Gaston is on the horizon.

 

Both Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas will skip stops in St. Thomas. Oasis of the Seas, which is also missing St. Kitts, will visit San Juan on August 23, have a sea day and then visit Labadee on August 24. Freedom of the Seas will visit Costa Maya and Cozumel instead of St. Martin and St. Thomas.

 

I would be really disappointed to be on those cruises.

[serendipity1499]

Bermuda is not a "distant foreign port".:(

 

Please clarify :confused: & tell me how HAL got permission for our 7 day cruise ?

 

We took HAL's Veendam to Bermuda from New York Aug. 15, 2010..

 

 

Our Itinerary was NYC, At Sea, St George, Bermuda, 3 days in Hamilton, Bermuda, at sea, back to NYC..

 

Our Roll call had 43 Cruise Critic members..

[RuthC]

Please clarify :confused: & tell me how HAL got permission for our 7 day cruise ?

 

We took HAL's Veendam to Bermuda from New York Aug. 15, 2010..

 

 

Our Itinerary was NYC, At Sea, St George, Bermuda, 3 days in Hamilton, Bermuda, at sea, back to NYC..

HAL didn't "get permission" for that cruise, as a stop at a "distant" foreign port was not required, only a stop at a "near" foreign port. Bermuda is a "near" foreign port.

 

Your cruise started AND ended in the same US port, which requires only the "near" foreign port stop.

It is only when the cruise starts at one US port, and ends in a different US port, that the "distant" foreign port is required.

[serendipity1499]

HAL didn't "get permission" for that cruise, as a stop at a "distant" foreign port was not required, only a stop at a "near" foreign port. Bermuda is a "near" foreign port.

 

Your cruise started AND ended in the same US port, which requires only the "near" foreign port stop.

It is only when the cruise starts at one US port, and ends in a different US port, that the "distant" foreign port is required.

 

Thanks Ruth...Forgot about that..

[jtl513]

Well, that ruins my idea.

Not if your idea was FLL-BOS-FLL or BOS-FLL-BOS with a "near foreign" stop at Bermuda. But note that everyone would have to do the full round-trip, whether the Bermuda stop was northbound, southbound, or both.

[sail7seas]

T

You ought to check the weather in the Caribbean. From CC Cruise News:

(1:10 p.m. EDT) -- Late August through early September is prime time for hurricanes and tropical storms in the Caribbean. Even as it dies down, Tropical Depression Fiona spurred Royal Caribbean to make adjustments to itineraries, and Tropical Storm Gaston is on the horizon.

 

Both Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas will skip stops in St. Thomas. Oasis of the Seas, which is also missing St. Kitts, will visit San Juan on August 23, have a sea day and then visit Labadee on August 24. Freedom of the Seas will visit Costa Maya and Cozumel instead of St. Martin and St. Thomas.

 

 

I don't neeed to check. I hav e sailed at least 10 cruises summer in the Caibbean. HOT and Humid The summer weather we have had this year in Boston could be described in just the same way.It has been extremely hot (for us here in Boston) aS TO hURrICaneesa in Caribbean The only time WE HAD A cruisecdanceled due to hurricane was when we were sailing Canada/ NE. NOT Caribbean.

Edited August 24, 2016 by sail7seas

[jtl513]

Not if your idea was FLL-BOS-FLL or BOS-FLL-BOS with a "near foreign" stop at Bermuda. But note that everyone would have to do the full round-trip, whether the Bermuda stop was northbound, southbound, or both.

A Bahamas stop would also work, and would be easier than going to Bermuda.

.

Edited August 24, 2016 by jtl513

[DFD1]

Temperatures around the country this year have been strange. It has been as hot along the east coast and the upper south as it has been in Florida.

 

We find a Caribbean cruise getaway enjoyable any time of year. They're cheap and usually fun and easy.

 

HAL will put a ship back in the Caribbean in summer when business points it in that direction. The ships go where the money is. If Europe, the Pacific, or Alaska get weak enough, they will move a ship back to The Caribbean.

 

I may be wrong, but I doubt the seasonal weather issues in the Caribbean have much to do with it.

[navybankerteacher]

[quote name=DFD1;5085421

 

...

 

I may be wrong' date=' but I doubt the seasonal weather issues in the Caribbean have much to do with it.[/quote]

 

Actually, seasonal weather in the Caribbean does play a part: it is a lot less pleasant in the Caribbean from May through the Fall than in Alaska or the Mediterranean, for example, so ships are re-deployed - coming back to the Caribbean in late Fall through the Spring ---- when the seasonal weather is better than in other places.

[Randyk47]

Actually, seasonal weather in the Caribbean does play a part: it is a lot less pleasant in the Caribbean from May through the Fall than in Alaska or the Mediterranean, for example, so ships are re-deployed - coming back to the Caribbean in late Fall through the Spring ---- when the seasonal weather is better than in other places.

 

I think the point is that weather consideration in the Caribbean notwithstanding revenue considerations will ultimately drive any decision to do summer Caribbean cruises. It can and is being done by other lines. Certainly there are other options like the Med and Alaska but there are obvious issues in the Med that may or may not resolve themselves in the next few years and the Alaskan market is pretty saturated.

[sail7seas]

I think the point is that weather consideration in the Caribbean notwithstanding revenue considerations will ultimately drive any decision to do summer Caribbean cruises. It can and is being done by other lines. Certainly there are other options like the Med and Alaska but there are obvious issues in the Med that may or may not resolve themselves in the next few years and the Alaskan market is pretty saturated.

 

 

The temperatures don't vary all that much in Casreribean through the year. It getws far more humid in summer.

Edited August 24, 2016 by sail7seas

[Lizzie68]

Hurricane season would definitely be part of the decision process for me - I see this morning there is a threat of another one building - but quite honestly, why bother to go for hot and sunny there when it involves tiring travel when it's hot and sunny closer to home?

[Himself]

I think the hurricane threat keeps many of the cruise lines from deploying ships to the Caribbean during the summer months.

[sail7seas]

I still think ALL decisions made by cvruise lines are abouyt money.

 

They get higher fares for same ship, same cabin, in Alaska, Canada/ NE and Eureope.

[footballmp]

I used to only sail to the Caribbean in the Summer on HAL. I was also on the inaugural sailing of the Zuiderdam and my kids loved it! Since then we have been forced to sail the Caribbean on either Disney (too expensive!) or RCL (ships too big 6k passengers!). HAL please put a ship in the Caribbean in the Summer! The demand is obviously there with RCL building more and more monster ships!

[rafinmd]

I used to only sail to the Caribbean in the Summer on HAL. I was also on the inaugural sailing of the Zuiderdam and my kids loved it! Since then we have been forced to sail the Caribbean on either Disney (too expensive!) or RCL (ships too big 6k passengers!). HAL please put a ship in the Caribbean in the Summer! The demand is obviously there with RCL building more and more monster ships!

 

Those aren't the only options. There are roughly 2K passenger Carnival ships at least in Charleston, Jacksonville, and Tampa and roughly 2K passenger Majesty OTS and Enchantment OTS in Port Canaveral and Miami.

 

I like the variety of itineraries HAL offers in both Alaska and Europe. You might consider either those ships or those destinations. My own opinion is a HAL ship in the Caribbean in the summer would be a waste.

 

Roy