Pearl Seas Cruises

[bob brown]

I couldn't find any threads for this one ship line, owned by American Cruise Lines owners, so wonder if it should be discussed here, or the "Other Cruise Lines" category?

[twototravel]

@bob brown We were booked on the Pearl Mist to cruise the St Lawrence River but it got cancelled due to Canada being closed for Covid. They transferred our money to ACL and we cruised with them instead. The ship has recently been renovated which is good because the reviews about the interior were not so good. Their Canada itinerary still appeals to us but the trip is very pricey.

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 7/31/2023 at 6:49 PM, bob brown said:

I couldn't find any threads for this one ship line, owned by American Cruise Lines owners, so wonder if it should be discussed here, or the "Other Cruise Lines" category?

I moved this thread to the Other Cruise Lines forum, which I think is the right place.  There are some posts that mention Pearl in the ACL forum, but in one of them our friendly expert chengkp explains that ACL can't fold Pearl into the main brand because the ACL ships are US-flagged and qualified under the PVSA and Pearl ships do not qualify.

[bob brown]

On 7/31/2023 at 8:07 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I moved this thread to the Other Cruise Lines forum, which I think is the right place.  There are some posts that mention Pearl in the ACL forum, but in one of them our friendly expert chengkp explains that ACL can't fold Pearl into the main brand because the ACL ships are US-flagged and qualified under the PVSA and Pearl ships do not qualify.

Okay, thanks.  

It is sad that the Pearl Mist is not US registered.  Since it was built in the US, it could have been, but for economic reasons, I suppose, they chose not to....

If it was US registered, sure....the crew expense would cost more, but they manage to make money anyway on their riverboats.   And they would be able to do all sorts of coastal cruises in the off-season, that they can not do now....🤷‍♂️

[BaumD]

Just got off of Pearl Mist. It was NOT built in the US, but in Canada. The crew is primarily from the Philippines, so couldn't be registered in the USA for both reasons. The USA built ACL ships never leave the US. I'm sure there are many confusing legal reasons the two lines are kept separate. They don't share loyalty programs. The only overlap, you can book an ACL cruise while on Pearl Mist and vis-a-versa.  .

[bob brown]

17 hours ago, BaumD said:

Just got off of Pearl Mist. It was NOT built in the US, but in Canada. The crew is primarily from the Philippines, so couldn't be registered in the USA for both reasons. The USA built ACL ships never leave the US. I'm sure there are many confusing legal reasons the two lines are kept separate. They don't share loyalty programs. The only overlap, you can book an ACL cruise while on Pearl Mist and vis-a-versa.  .

Oh...my mistake...thanks for clarifying that.  I don't know why I assumed it was US built.  I should have looked it up first.  I guess I thought it was similar to the former Victory ships that AQV owns....

 

How did you like your cruise?

Edited August 2, 2023 by bob brown

[BaumD]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Oh...my mistake...thanks for clarifying that.  I don't know why I assumed it was US built.  I should have looked it up first.  I guess I thought it was similar to the former Victory ships that AQV owns....

 

How did you like your cruise?

I would cruise with them again. Different itinerary would be preferred. Some of the stops in the great lakes are very small towns and not a lot to see or do.

[LDVinNC]

I took a cruise last fall on the Pearl Mist.  Out of Portland ME we went up into Canada.  Loved the ship, but our weather was bad and two ports - of course the ones in which I had the most interest - had to be cancelled.  Bar Harbor and Campobello Island.  Service great, food great.  

[chengkp75]

On 8/1/2023 at 2:28 PM, BaumD said:

I'm sure there are many confusing legal reasons the two lines are kept separate.

Pretty basic, really.  ACL pays US corporate tax.  Pearl, as covered by Section 883 of the IRS code, does not pay any tax on revenue generated in the US on a foreign flag ship.  This is just like the major cruise lines, whose revenue all comes from foreign flag ships, so they pay no taxes.  ACL is a US corporation, as required by the PVSA, and if they took over Pearl, then Pearl would be subject to US taxes, since the IRS exemption only applies to foreign ships owned by foreign corporations.  Conversely, if Pearl were to take over ACL, then ACL would lose their "US ownership", and not be PVSA compliant anymore.  NCL had to create NCL America (a US corporation, owned by at least 75% US citizens) for their US flag vessel.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Meanwhile Chile has started the process of eliminating its version of the Jones Act and the PVSA:

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/legal-regulatory/chile-weighs-bill-allow-cabotage-cruise-ships-all-sizes

[chengkp75]

14 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Meanwhile Chile has started the process of eliminating its version of the Jones Act and the PVSA:

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/legal-regulatory/chile-weighs-bill-allow-cabotage-cruise-ships-all-sizes

A somewhat unique situation given Chile's geography, and it will take time to see if any major industry develops there, and I don't know what their current domestic passenger service industry (ferries and local boats) consists of, or whether they will be impacted.