Can I remove some baggage at a port of call stop, and then reboard?

[bob brown]

I have booked the full 180 day, ATW cruise on the Insignia for January. I am boarding in New York (my home), and passing thru New York 174 days later, to finally disembark in Miami (and flying home).

 

So....what I would like to do on that port of call day in New York is to take the bulk of my baggage and purchases home (only 12 miles away), and then return to the ship for the final 6 days to Miami, with just a small bag, left on board.

 

Would this be allowed?

 

The reason I am asking, is I experienced something a little similar, but not exactly the same, last summer....I was on a 32 day cruise thru the NWP from Alaska to New York aboard the Crystal Serenity. We had an overnight stay in New York, before disembarkation the next day (the cruise ended there).

I asked, if I could take home most of my bags the day we arrived, and return to the ship for the last night. They told me that if I took my large luggage off the day we arrived, I would have to clear customs that day, and not be allowed to reboard.

I did take a couple of small bags off, as if going on an 'excursion', and returned without them, but not all that I wished to...

[GeezerCouple]

I have booked the full 180 day, ATW cruise on the Insignia for January. I am boarding in New York (my home), and passing thru New York 174 days later, to finally disembark in Miami (and flying home).

 

So....what I would like to do on that port of call day in New York is to take the bulk of my baggage and purchases home (only 12 miles away), and then return to the ship for the final 6 days to Miami, with just a small bag, left on board.

 

Would this be allowed?

 

The reason I am asking, is I experienced something a little similar, but not exactly the same, last summer....I was on a 32 day cruise thru the NWP from Alaska to New York aboard the Crystal Serenity. We had an overnight stay in New York, before disembarkation the next day (the cruise ended there).

I asked, if I could take home most of my bags the day we arrived, and return to the ship for the last night. They told me that if I took my large luggage off the day we arrived, I would have to clear customs that day, and not be allowed to reboard.

I did take a couple of small bags off, as if going on an 'excursion', and returned without them, but not all that I wished to...

 

What would happen if one (e.g., you) wanted to ship things home part way through a cruise?

Or wanted to give them to friends/relatives who live near a port of call?

What if one wanted to donate them (e.g., to a charity pre-selected, as some have done in, e.g., the Caribbean)?

 

I can understand IF Customs wants to vet the items, but not allowing the person back on the ship?

 

GC

[Paulchili]

Maybe it depends on whether NYC is your first US port where customs would take place? If you’ve been to a US port before NYC then you wouldn’t need to clear customs in NYC and could take things home.

I am just guessing here.

[bob brown]

What would happen if one (e.g., you) wanted to ship things home part way through a cruise?

Or wanted to give them to friends/relatives who live near a port of call?

What if one wanted to donate them (e.g., to a charity pre-selected, as some have done in, e.g., the Caribbean)?

 

I can understand IF Customs wants to vet the items, but not allowing the person back on the ship?

 

GC

Good question's...

 

As for them last year telling me that...they 'explained' it, saying that even if I was open to going thru custom's both days, they would only allow it once...that if I took my luggage off the first day in New York, I would have to surrender my seapass that day.

 

Again, it is a different situation, and perhaps I am just "overthinking it", but I would like to be assured it would be okay to plan it that way for next year....

[LHT28]

Why not call Oceania or get your TA to ask if it is OK ?

 

 

Maybe CBB (Cynthia) will comment as I think they did this on their RTW cruise when it stopped in LA

[bob brown]

Maybe it depends on whether NYC is your first US port where customs would take place? If you’ve been to a US port before NYC then you wouldn’t need to clear customs in NYC and could take things home.

I am just guessing here.

On our world cruise, New York will be our first US port on returning, and for those continuing the final 6 days, I believe can just get off for the day to tour, and return, without going thru custom's...only those that choose to forgo the final 6 days would have to clear custom's that day (the ship would be 'cleared' for immigration purpose, shortly after arrival).

[bob brown]

Why not call Oceania or get your TA to ask if it is OK ?

 

 

 

I will probably do that, but I would like to get some opinion's and/or experience's here first.

Sometimes, you get conflicting answer's from different people, and end up more confused then when you started...:)

[LHT28]

On our world cruise, New York will be our first US port on returning, and for those continuing the final 6 days, I believe can just get off for the day to tour, and return, without going thru custom's...only those that choose to forgo the final 6 days would have to clear custom's that day (the ship would be 'cleared' for immigration purpose, shortly after arrival).

I think the 1st US port you go through customs & Immigration then they punch your card to show you have been cleared

 

We did this in Key West before hitting Miami & also in Charleston before hitting some other US port before Miami disembarkation

[cbb]

We did not take luggage off in LA on ATW16 as we live in south Florida.

 

Several others did as LA was their home and many returned with far more bags than when they began ATW. Oth ers shipped boxes home using a freight carrier or used Luggage Free to get their stuff home to other parts of the US from LA.

 

I know one who had family meet her at home in the port of LA and she carried stuff off the ship to their vehicle and then completed the voyage to Miami.

 

I do not know all of the customs details but LA was not our first US port; we had been to several Hawaiian ports previously. (Walmart in Hilo was popular for many to buy more suitcases & duffel bags.)

 

Heck, I knew some people who got boxes from the post office in America Samoa and filled it with as much stuff as they could and mailed it home. I know others who did likewise in Key West.

 

Several of the worldies did what they could to lift the local economy at several of the ports!

 

If I remember, the ATW Concierge handled many of the details for everyone. I'll ask the people who shipped stuff and find out the procedure used then.

[StanandJim]

This is a tricky question because of the way that Bureaucracy works.

 

There is a little known law called the Merchant Marine Act which prohibits foreign flagged ships from transporting passengers between American Cities as TRANSPORTATION (i.e. cruises are excluded).

 

If you do anything, such as removing the bulk of your luggage which makes it look like your true World Cruise Itinerary is ending in New York, the ship might be in violation for transporting you (for money) from NY to Miami.

 

I would not suggest trying it without an authorization in writing from Oceania which they have run past their lawyers.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

[LHT28]

We did not take luggage off in LA on ATW16 as we live in south Florida.

 

.

Thanks for updating that

 

I knew I read it someplace that people did take stuff off in LA

 

I guess the best thing to do is get written permission from Oceania or just take small bags off at one time :)

[njhorseman]

This is a tricky question because of the way that Bureaucracy works.

 

There is a little known law called the Merchant Marine Act which prohibits foreign flagged ships from transporting passengers between American Cities as TRANSPORTATION (i.e. cruises are excluded).

 

If you do anything, such as removing the bulk of your luggage which makes it look like your true World Cruise Itinerary is ending in New York, the ship might be in violation for transporting you (for money) from NY to Miami.

 

I would not suggest trying it without an authorization in writing from Oceania which they have run past their lawyers.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

 

You're citing the wrong law. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 more commonly known as the Jones Act, applies to the transportation of merchandise, not passengers. Even the wiki citation you gave says "...requires that all goods..." . There's not a word in it about the transportation of passengers.

There actually is an older US law, the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 that governs the transportation of passengers, but the OP would not be in violation of that law as he will not be ending the cruise in NY and then taking the ship to Florida after formally disembarking.

What the OP needs to do is contact Oceania to inform them of his plans so that Oceania can inform CBP, which will decide what type of customs clearance will be required for the baggage being taken off the ship in NY.

[StanandJim]

You're citing the wrong law. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 more commonly known as the Jones Act, applies to the transportation of merchandise, not passengers. Even the wiki citation you gave says "...requires that all goods..." . There's not a word in it about the transportation of passengers.

There actually is an older US law, the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 that governs the transportation of passengers, but the OP would not be in violation of that law as he will not be ending the cruise in NY and then taking the ship to Florida after formally disembarking.

What the OP needs to do is contact Oceania to inform them of his plans so that Oceania can inform CBP, which will decide what type of customs clearance will be required for the baggage being taken off the ship in NY.

 

I stand corrected, thank you.

[riandei]

I have nothing to add...except i wish i had your problem

 

Im jealous!!

[bob brown]

Thanks for all those responses. It hadn't occurred to me that what I was asking could possibly be involving the PVSA, but I can see how it might be on the "fringe" of it. Oceania can not sell to anyone, just the 6 day voyage from New York to Bermuda to Miami, since it doesn't stop at a "distant" foreign port. As a matter of fact, the fare for the 174 day New York to New York full ATW cruise is the same as continuing on to Miami (one of several reasons that I elected to stay on for it).

 

My main reason for wanting to get rid of the bulk of my stuff, was to simply make disembarking, and flying home from Miami a lot easier....and perhaps to pickup my mail and take care of any other business, that I could squeeze in that day in New York. I certainly did not need to go 'touring'...

But if it presents an issue of some kind, I can handle it at Miami, and take advantage of their free shipping service.

 

As I said earlier, I will have my TA check with Oceania for their 'official' answer...

[cbb]

we have already decided to ship our luggage using LuggageFree or LuggageForward (whichever one O is using in 2020) when we arrive in SFrancisco at the end of ATW. We'll simply have too much luggage- probably 4-6 bags-to wrangle and pay for at the airport.

 

We'll just carry on a bag for the flight to Miami. We did not care to sail Miami-Miami because the last 2 weeks are a repeat of the 1st 2 weeks.