Leave Ship in One Port and Rejoin the ship the next day in Another Port??

[mikjr]

Has anyone ever left the ship at one port and rejoined the ship at another port?    Why I ask...  we have family in HILO Hawaii, and Princess is now added KONA (Maui replacement) to the itinerary.  SO, if allowed, it would be nice to leave the ship in KONA, spend the night with our family in Hilo and rejoin the ship in HILO the next afternoon.    Is this allowed??

 

[Steelers36]

17 minutes ago, mikjr said:

Has anyone ever left the ship at one port and rejoined the ship at another port?    Why I ask...  we have family in HILO Hawaii, and Princess is now added KONA (Maui replacement) to the itinerary.  SO, if allowed, it would be nice to leave the ship in KONA, spend the night with our family in Hilo and rejoin the ship in HILO the next afternoon.    Is this allowed??

 

Yes, it could be allowed.  You (or your TA if using one) needs to submit a Deviation Request which is reviewed and approved and sent to the ship.  Something this simple (not completely leaving the ship early) could probably by handled by speaking with Guest Services shortly after getting on the ship.  But it would be safer to submit the request and have it on record. 

[NavyVeteran]

What happens if the ship misses the port in Hilo because of weather conditions? Then you would be stuck in Hawaii and the ship would be sailing back to the west coast without you.

I'm also not sure how the PVSA would apply. If you are off the ship for one night, would it count as two one-way cruises - both illegal under the PVSA?

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

What happens if the ship misses the port in Hilo because of weather conditions? Then you would be stuck in Hawaii and the ship would be sailing back to the west coast without you.

I'm also not sure how the PVSA would apply. If you are off the ship for one night, would it count as two one-way cruises - both illegal under the PVSA?

You have raised a valid point, so guest should be well aware of weather conditions before leaving ship in Kona.  I would think GS could know if there is any expected weather that could keep the ship from the Hilo stop.  I do not see a PVSA issue since guest completes the booked voyage on the ship.  The amount of time spent on big island Hawaii is irrelevant.

[Guest ldtr]

45 minutes ago, mikjr said:

Has anyone ever left the ship at one port and rejoined the ship at another port?    Why I ask...  we have family in HILO Hawaii, and Princess is now added KONA (Maui replacement) to the itinerary.  SO, if allowed, it would be nice to leave the ship in KONA, spend the night with our family in Hilo and rejoin the ship in HILO the next afternoon.    Is this allowed??

 

Depends upon where the cruise starts and ends.  If the cruise starts in a US part such as LA or San Francisco  then the answer would probably be no.  Not allowed..  It would be a violation of PVSA since traveling from 1 US port to Kona (another US port)  and then traveling from Hilo (a US port) back to the main land ending in a different US port.  Even though the entire cruise would be a close loop cruise back to the same port you would in effect be splitting the cruise into two sections with each section violating the PVSA.

[Guest ldtr]

14 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

You have raised a valid point, so guest should be well aware of weather conditions before leaving ship in Kona.  I would think GS could know if there is any expected weather that could keep the ship from the Hilo stop.  I do not see a PVSA issue since guest completes the booked voyage on the ship.  The amount of time spent on big island Hawaii is irrelevant.

Except it involves two different ports and cities.  It would be like if someone wanted to leave a costal CA cruise in Santa Barbara and board again in SF.

 

I seem to recall a posting about  someone wanting to do something similar in Hawaii a few years ago and the cruise line said no

 

It also becomes an issue if someone misses the ship in an Hawaii or Alaska port.  They cannot just rejoin in the next port.

Edited September 15, 2023 by ldtr

[mikjr]

My understanding of the PVSA is that as long as you are on the ship when it docks at the foreign port, you are not in violation.  

 

[Steelers36]

6 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Except it involves two different ports and cities.  It would be like if someone wanted to leave a costal CA cruise in Santa Barbara and board again in SF.

I don't claim to be the expert on all nuances of the PVSA, but it has to do with start and end ports in USA and, based on those, may require a distant foreign port or a near foreign port to be called upon.  As long as the absence from the ship doesn't affect missing the foreign port or cause the guest to end the voyage at a different US port than the departure port (for a closed-loop cruise), then I don't see a problem.

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Steelers36

[Guest ldtr]

10 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I don't claim to be the expert on all nuances of the PVSA, but it has to do with start and end ports in USA and, based on those, may require a distant foreign port or a near foreign port to be called upon.  As long as the absence from the ship doesn't affect missing the foreign port or cause the guest to end the voyage at a different US port than the departure port (for a closed-loop cruise), then I don't see a problem.

 

It has to do with transportation between US cities.  If you leave the ship in one port and then reboard the ship in a different port then the ship has provided  two point to point trips.  Each between two different US cities.

 

Will see if I can find those earlier posts.

 

They can contact Princess and see if they will allow the deviation .  My money is on the they will not side.

Edited September 15, 2023 by ldtr

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, ldtr said:

It has to do with transportation between US cities.  If you leave the ship in one port and then reboard the ship in a different port then the ship has provided  two point to point trips.  Each between two different US cities.

 

Will see if I can find those earlier posts.

 

They can contact Princess and see if they will allow the deviation .  My money is on the they will not side.

The key in the situation presented is that the guest/passenger is not permanently leaving the ship.  And the guest is still boarding and disembarking at the port of origin and the guest will be on the ship when it visits the required foreign port.

[Guest ldtr]

The following is from a Royal Caribbean blog post.  This would imply that if you get off at one US port you cannot just re board at the next US port, even if you complete the rest of the cruise because it would be a violation.  Same as with getting off in Kona and re boarding in Hilo.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/09/06/what-happens-if-you-miss-your-cruise-ship

 

Passenger Vessel Services Act complications

 

Missing the cruise ship gets more complicated when you miss the ship in a U.S. port of call and want to meet up with the ship in another U.S. port of call.

This is because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA), which prohibits foreign-flagged cruise ships from transporting passengers from one U.S. port to another.

 

While there are a few exceptions to this rule (round-trip sailings from the U.S. that visit a foreign country and travel from one U.S. port to another U.S. port including a stop at a “distant foreign port” like Cartagena or Bermuda), cruise lines will violate the PVSA if you depart from Miami and miss the ship on a port day in Key West, for example. This is because the cruise line technically transported a passenger from one U.S. port to another. 

If you miss the ship in Charleston, South Carolina and the next port of call is Port Canaveral, Florida, you unfortunately will not be able to board the ship in Charleston without breaking the PVSA. Instead, you will have to meet the ship in the first foreign port of call, such as the Bahamas, but this can cause you to miss much more of the cruise than you’d like.

 

 

[Guest ldtr]

Here is a post from 2007 taking about this issue on an hawaiian cruise

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/627713-missing-the-ship-and-reboarding-at-next-port/

 

Just off of the Summit Hawaii and this was a new one on me.

 

The daily had a paragraph everyday that said per the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) that if you miss the ship at any of the ports you will not be allowed to reboard at the next port.

 

Later on in that stream someone posted

 

We were on this cruise dec 2007. They did not have the disclaimer in the newspaper at that time.friends missed the ship and were not allowed to rebord the next day.They were told its the jones act and we had not visited a foreign port.they were left in kona and had to make arrangements to fly home.a very expensive trip.At least celebrity is now printing the warning in the daily paper as our friends learnt the hard way.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by ldtr

[mikjr]

Looks like the previous post laid out the regulations...  

Edited September 15, 2023 by mikjr

[Steelers36]

35 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Here is a post from 2007 taking about this issue on an hawaiian cruise

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/627713-missing-the-ship-and-reboarding-at-next-port/

 

Just off of the Summit Hawaii and this was a new one on me.

 

The daily had a paragraph everyday that said per the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) that if you miss the ship at any of the ports you will not be allowed to reboard at the next port.

 

Later on in that stream someone posted

 

We were on this cruise dec 2007. They did not have the disclaimer in the newspaper at that time.friends missed the ship and were not allowed to rebord the next day.They were told its the jones act and we had not visited a foreign port.they were left in kona and had to make arrangements to fly home.a very expensive trip.At least celebrity is now printing the warning in the daily paper as our friends learnt the hard way.

 

 

I don't put a lot on some blog referred to in the post prior to this one - especially when it had an obvious mistaken named port. 

 

But the above could be something as it sounds like the ship was not departing Hawaii at the time for continental US, but still had at least one more port stop in Hawaii.  That old CC post doesn't explicitly indicate if the rule about missing the ship was for all ports or the last one.  I do agree that it could be interpreted as a violation, but the passenger can rejoin the same ship before it leaves Hawaii. 

 

I think we need the expert to weigh in, but I am leaning to your position. 😉

 

 

@chengkp75, where are you?  CASE:  Guest is on a closed-loop cruise from, say LA, to Hawaii with 3 stops in HI ports and then a near foreign port stop in Ensenada before returning to LA.  Can the guest stay off the ship overnight on big island Hawaii and re-join the ship the next day and not cause a violation of PVSA?  Ship has port stop in Kona and then Hilo the next day.

[cr8tiv1]

Weather will be your main concern.  If it were the other way around, Hilo and join the ship in Kona, I would be a bit more worried (Kona is a tender port and we all know how that could play out).  Hilo is a very sheltered bay and harbor.  It would be very unlikely that the ship would not be able to port in Hilo.  

 

With that said, the Grand Princess had a fire that prevented her full control and thus the Coast Guard would not allow her to port in Hilo.  Instead, she limped her way to Honolulu.  She stayed there for three nights until she was "fixed" enough to limp back to CA.

 

It would not be considered a violation of the PVSA because passenger embarked in LA/SF and disembarked in the same city (closed loop).  It would be the same as "missing" the ship and catching up to it.  Passengers do it it all the time when overnighting in Cabo San Lucas.  Some stay off the ship for the night.

 

Here's a back up.  Get a hotel in Kona for the night for all the family.  Knowing that the ship will be in Hilo, you can all drive back over the Saddle Road to meet the ship in Hilo.  Great stay vacation for Hilo family.  Very safe for you all.

 

 

 

 

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

@chengkp75, where are you?  CASE:  Guest is on a closed-loop cruise from, say LA, to Hawaii with 3 stops in HI ports and then a near foreign port stop in Ensenada before returning to LA.  Can the guest stay off the ship overnight on big island Hawaii and re-join the ship the next day and not cause a violation of PVSA?  Ship has port stop in Kona and then Hilo the next day.

Previous posters are correct, this would be a violation of the PVSA, as you would have two point to point cruises without a "distant" foreign port.  CBP has decided that a port call of just a few hours (or even overnight) in a US port is not "permanently disembarking", since you are boarding the ship again in the same port.  Leaving the ship in one port, and not reboarding the ship in that same port, ends the voyage, and when trying to board at the next port, starts another voyage.  This is documented by the ship on the passenger manifest, as a new manifest has to be submitted for departure Kona (different from arrival Kona, since passengers are not departing on the ship that arrived on the ship), and another manifest for departure Hilo (different from arrival Hilo, since new passengers that did not arrive in Hilo on the ship are now departing on the ship).  So, since the manifest shows that these passengers did not continue the voyage when the ship left Kona, they "permanently disembarked" the ship, and therefore participated in a one way, point to point cruise without the distant foreign port.  Even the second half of the voyage is illegal, since the port call in Ensenada does not meet the "distant" port requirement.

[roadster08]

It appears that not only would the cruise require a stop at a foreign port, but also that you would have to rejoin in that foreign port for it to be legal.

 

Something for pier runners to also consider and why taking a ship excursion is less risky than third party on US only cruises. The ship waits as long as possible for ship excursions to return. 

[chengkp75]

36 minutes ago, roadster08 said:

It appears that not only would the cruise require a stop at a foreign port, but also that you would have to rejoin in that foreign port for it to be legal.

Not even this.  If the cruise starts in a US port, and you get off in another US port, rejoin in a foreign port and end back in the original US port, that first segment, when you embark in one US port, and get off in a different US port, would be a violation.  You would have to have two foreign ports, get off in one, and rejoin in another, for this to be legal.

[cattolica]

11 hours ago, mikjr said:

Has anyone ever left the ship at one port and rejoined the ship at another port?    Why I ask...  we have family in HILO Hawaii, and Princess is now added KONA (Maui replacement) to the itinerary.  SO, if allowed, it would be nice to leave the ship in KONA, spend the night with our family in Hilo and rejoin the ship in HILO the next afternoon.    Is this allowed??

 

Would the following be your solution?

Have your family drive over to Kona.   Spend the day with them there.   Get back on the ship.....sail to Hilo.  Spend the day with them in Hilo.    Get back on the ship and continue your cruise.

The only thing you lose is spending the night with them.   Seems like you would still get to spend some quality time with family.

 

[voljeep]

so, what happens if they don't say anything ... and just don't get back to the ship in time for sailing?

I know, I know - other passengers, blah, blah, blah - it's MY cruise

and the risk of missing the ship at the next port due to weather, etc

[Steelers36]

14 minutes ago, voljeep said:

so, what happens if they don't say anything ... and just don't get back to the ship in time for sailing?

I know, I know - other passengers, blah, blah, blah - it's MY cruise

and the risk of missing the ship at the next port due to weather, etc

Based on post above, including the official word from our resident expert, it is the same violation. 

[Steelers36]

42 minutes ago, cattolica said:

Would the following be your solution?

Have your family drive over to Kona.   Spend the day with them there.   Get back on the ship.....sail to Hilo.  Spend the day with them in Hilo.    Get back on the ship and continue your cruise.

The only thing you lose is spending the night with them.   Seems like you would still get to spend some quality time with family.

 

Not only is this the best solution - it is the ONLY solution.

[beg3yrs]

22 minutes ago, voljeep said:

so, what happens if they don't say anything ... and just don't get back to the ship in time for sailing?

I know, I know - other passengers, blah, blah, blah - it's MY cruise

and the risk of missing the ship at the next port due to weather, etc

The ship's staff "knows" you weren't on board. That causes lots of other problems too. Announcements over the PA looking for you, security going into your cabin safe to try and find your passport to give to the port agent and so on. You show up at the next port and likely you will be denied reboarding.

[chengkp75]

40 minutes ago, voljeep said:

so, what happens if they don't say anything ... and just don't get back to the ship in time for sailing?

I know, I know - other passengers, blah, blah, blah - it's MY cruise

and the risk of missing the ship at the next port due to weather, etc

You'd be fine getting off and just not getting back on before the ship sails, but you would not be allowed back on the ship (remember, you "dinged" off the ship in the last port, so they know you weren't onboard for the sailing) at the next port.  You would also be levied the fine.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

You'd be fine getting off and just not getting back on before the ship sails, but you would not be allowed back on the ship (remember, you "dinged" off the ship in the last port, so they know you weren't onboard for the sailing) at the next port.  You would also be levied the fine.

yep, we were out drinking and didn't realize we weren't on ship time and missed the boat - Oh, MY 🦄

well, we did somehow make it to the next port, at our cost, and fully expect to be able to board the ship.

 

We called the ship / whoever, and explained our lapse of judgement.

 

Fine, what fine?

 

closed loop out of CA with the stop in Ensadena (sp) Mexico