Can you depart a ship for 2 days and return to finish?

[KsBubba]

We are trying to figure out if we could depart a ship in St. John, New Brunswick and rejoin the ship a couple days later in Halifax or Sussex NS. 

 

Our thoughts would be a few days on the cruise ship, travel by car for a few days, then catch the ship for the last 5 days.

 

We have no clue if the cruise line would allow this.

 

Thank you in advance for your comments.

[JimnKaren]

You need to contact the home office of the cruise line. Guest Services or something like that.

Jim

[CruiserBruce]

Probably...but yes, getting permission from the cruise line would be good. There will not be any reduction in your cruise fare. Plus, should something go wrong, like the ship doesn't make it to the port you wish to rejoin the ship, you are on your own, in terms of transport and cost, to catch the ship. It could get complicated if that next port is not in Canada, in terms of Immigration requirements.

[Essiesmom]

I believe the answer to be no.  There was a recent thread, in the last couple of days.  Apparently Canada has a law similar to the PVSA of the US.  A ship cannot pick up passengers in one Canadian port and drop them in another unless they are registered in Canada.  And the penalty fees are much greater then the approx. $700pp of the PVSA.   I think I am living in parallel worlds, as I can't find any of the threads I am looking for that I saw earlier today...  EM

[njhorseman]

45 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

I believe the answer to be no.  There was a recent thread, in the last couple of days.  Apparently Canada has a law similar to the PVSA of the US.  A ship cannot pick up passengers in one Canadian port and drop them in another unless they are registered in Canada.  And the penalty fees are much greater then the approx. $700pp of the PVSA.   I think I am living in parallel worlds, as I can't find any of the threads I am looking for that I saw earlier today...  EM

You're assuming the cruise starts or ends in Canada. What if this cruise starts and ends in NY for example. The OP would be embarking in NY, disembarking in one Canadian port then embarking in another Canadian port and finally disembarking  in NY. This would be legal under the PVSA and if Canada has a similar cabotage law it would be legal there too.

Edited May 8, 2019 by njhorseman

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, njhorseman said:

You're assuming the cruise starts or ends in Canada. What if this cruise starts and ends in NY for example. The OP would be embarking in NY, disembarking in one Canadian port then embarking in another Canadian port and finally disembarking  in NY. This would be legal under the PVSA and if Canada has a similar cabotage law it would be legal there too.

You are correct, but if it was a one way cruise, such that the passenger re-embarked in Halifax and then disembarked in Montreal or Quebec, that second portion would be in violation of Canada's CTA (Coastal Trading Act).  Without knowing the itinerary, it is impossible to predict, and if it was a round trip NYC itinerary, the line would most likely not allow downstream boarding due to the problems with manifests and CBP upon return to NYC.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

You are correct, but if it was a one way cruise, such that the passenger re-embarked in Halifax and then disembarked in Montreal or Quebec, that second portion would be in violation of Canada's CTA (Coastal Trading Act).  Without knowing the itinerary, it is impossible to predict, and if it was a round trip NYC itinerary, the line would most likely not allow downstream boarding due to the problems with manifests and CBP upon return to NYC.

Chief, that's why my two opening sentences say "You're assuming the cruise starts or ends in Canada. What if the cruise starts and ends in NY for example." In fact it would illegal not only if it's a one way cruise, but also if it was scheduled as a closed loop that originated in Canada, as opposed to a scheduled closed loop originating in the US.

 

[KsBubba]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

Chief, that's why my two opening sentences say "You're assuming the cruise starts or ends in Canada. What if the cruise starts and ends in NY for example." In fact it would illegal not only if it's a one way cruise, but also if it was scheduled as a closed loop that originated in Canada, as opposed to a scheduled closed loop originating in the US.

 

The cruise starts and ends in NYC.  We were planning to go visit family this fall in New Brunswick either way.  Taking a cruise could be a new way to see them for a few days.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, KsBubba said:

The cruise starts and ends in NYC.  We were planning to go visit family this fall in New Brunswick either way.  Taking a cruise could be a new way to see them for a few days.

While what you're proposing appears to be permissible under both US and Canadian law, you have to apply to your cruise line for permission to do it.  Cruise lines are frequently reluctant to do so because of the paperwork involved and potential complications in the process of clearing the ship for entry into both the US and Canada. Even if the cruise line approves your plan you may be charged a fee for the work the cruise line will have to do.

[Hlitner]

It does seem that in recent years more cruise lines are making it more difficult for these kind of deviations.  At least one mass market line now charges a fee.  We recently went through the Process with Princess and it involved a formal request (in writing) and a formal approval called "Request for Deviation From Scheduled Cruise Itinerary."   Other lines have their own procedures (and maybe a shorter name for the form).  

 

The bottom line for the OP is that we can all speculate, but the only answer that matters is what you get from your cruise line.  Since these kind of requests can take some time to get processed it would be wise to ask (your cruise line) for their specific procedures and then quickly file a request.  In our case we always book our cruises through various cruise agencies.  So, we simply e-mailed our Cruise Agent and provided her with the pertinent info related to the request (ports, dates, etc).  She took care of all the formalities with Princess and e-mailed us a copy of Princess's approval.   

 

Hank

[Heidi13]

Since you are boarding & disembarking in NY, the Canadian Coasting Trade Act is not applicable. As others suggest, submit a written request to the cruise line.