Back to Back Alaska, North & Southbound

[kelbrucruises]

Hi, everyone. Can we book a northbound Alaska cruise out of Vancouver and then a southbound cruise back to Vancouver on the same ship? I get confused with the Jones Act so I wanted to make sure before we book. Thanks!

[LeeW]

No the Passenger Services Act doesn't prevent this - the cruise starts and stops in Canada, so it doesn't apply.  And booking from Seward doesn't matter, either - you are returning to the same US port.  You CANNOT book from Seward to Vancouver to LA - that would be a violation.

 

By the way, did this on Radiance last year.  You have enough time in Seward to take the glacier tour boat there.  Recommend this one:

 

https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Kenai-Fjords-Tours-Booking-Con&utm_source=Envoke-Envoke#openseason=false

 

Note that weather can vary wildly between two sailings.  We didn't even see Hubbard Glacier northbound and it was pretty rainy southbound.

 

[OCSC Mike]

54 minutes ago, LeeW said:

By the way, did this on Radiance last year.  You have enough time in Seward to take the glacier tour boat there.  Recommend this one:

 

Seconded. We did 10 days on land before Radiance southbound in 2018 and did the Kenai Fjords Tour during our 1 of our last 2 days on land in Seward.

[neverbeenhere]

We will be on with you in 2025. At least for now.

[ILCTCRUISER]

Agreed about Kenai Fjords Tour.  There are at least two larger vendors.  We used the one for which LeeW provided a link.   Weather is a factor just as it is for Hubbard, Dawes, etc.

[Envelope21]

We did it on Celebrity. It's a great way to really see everything. Enjoy!

 

[kelbrucruises]

So, I contacted the travel agent that we usually use, and she said the following:  Due to the Jones Act, we cannot book these two sailings as a back-to-back since they do not visit a distant foreign port. Vancouver, while not part of the U.S., is not considered a distant foreign port." Now I'm totally confused. Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

[RD64]

Did it this summer on HAL, totally enjoyed it, and hope to repeat in 2024.

[robtulipe]

2 hours ago, kelbrucruises said:

So, I contacted the travel agent that we usually use, and she said the following:  Due to the Jones Act, we cannot book these two sailings as a back-to-back since they do not visit a distant foreign port. Vancouver, while not part of the U.S., is not considered a distant foreign port." Now I'm totally confused. Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

Your TA is wrong on two points. The Jones Act is for cargo vessels only and not for passenger vessels like cruise ships.

As stated in post 2 above it is the Passenger Vessel Services Act that is applicable  and it doesn't apply here since the B2B cruises start and end in Vancouver, Canada, a foreign port.

Edited November 2, 2023 by robtulipe

[RedIguana]

1 hour ago, kelbrucruises said:

So, I contacted the travel agent that we usually use, and she said the following:  Due to the Jones Act, we cannot book these two sailings as a back-to-back since they do not visit a distant foreign port. Vancouver, while not part of the U.S., is not considered a distant foreign port." Now I'm totally confused. Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

Is your Travel Agent UPS? The Jones Act is for cargo. Passenger Vessel Service Act is for people. As @LeeWpointed out, it starts and stops in Canada, so the PVSA is irrelevant. A "distant foreign port" would only be required if it started and stopped in 2 different US ports. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, kelbrucruises said:

Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

That or find a better TA.

[jean87510]

1 hour ago, kelbrucruises said:

So, I contacted the travel agent that we usually use, and she said the following:  Due to the Jones Act, we cannot book these two sailings as a back-to-back since they do not visit a distant foreign port. Vancouver, while not part of the U.S., is not considered a distant foreign port." Now I'm totally confused. Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

I would!!  Or, try a land cruisetour so at least you won't see the same ports 2x.  We are doing that next September.  

[STEVE-O]

2 hours ago, kelbrucruises said:

So, I contacted the travel agent that we usually use, and she said the following:  Due to the Jones Act, we cannot book these two sailings as a back-to-back since they do not visit a distant foreign port. Vancouver, while not part of the U.S., is not considered a distant foreign port." Now I'm totally confused. Do I call Royal and try booking through them?

Get a new travel agent! It's perfectly fine to sail from Vanc to Seward and back to Vanc.  We've done it 5-6 times.

[island lady]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

That or find a better TA.

 

This exactly.  ^  And the reason why I am my own TA.  😉 

 

BTW...just booked Seward to Seward B2B 2025 yesterday with Next Cruise.  We have done that one 5 times already.  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by island lady

[JRG]

On 11/2/2023 at 12:42 PM, RedIguana said:

Is your Travel Agent UPS? The Jones Act is for cargo. Passenger Vessel Service Act is for people. As @LeeWpointed out, it starts and stops in Canada, so the PVSA is irrelevant. A "distant foreign port" would only be required if it started and stopped in 2 different US ports. 

 

And don't we cruisers know it.

 

Mrs. Jones deserves a proper burial at Sea, with all the Honors to meet the Beloved Mr. Davy Jones (not Bowie and not the other Jones) so that they may live in eternal mariner matrimony in his locker until they are called along with the rest of us by the Sea to give up our dead.  The Sea is Always Right.  Somebody needs to put the proverbial shark fin needle through her nose to make sure she is dead.

 

The Jones Act  is not equal to the PVSA  Act,   they just happend to both be cabotage laws.

If you are reading that they are the same then that information is not accurate.

 

The Travel Professionals of the World need to get this distinction correct or else the unintended consequences will be that cruisers continue to be given the wrong information.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by JRG

[RedIguana]

14 minutes ago, JRG said:

The Jones Act  is not equal to the PVSA  Act,   they just happend to both be cabotage laws.

If you are reading that they are the same then that information is not accurate.

The interesting part is that the PVSA is 34 years older than the Jones act. The sad part is that RCI actually uses the term "Jones Act" in their FAQ. 

 

Q

What is the Jones Act/Passenger Services Act/Cabotage Law and how does it affect me?

A

 

 

The Jones Act (also known as the Passenger Services Act) does not allow ships of Non-U.S registry to embark and debark guests at two different U.S ports, since travel between U.S. ports is prohibited on foreign flagged ships. Note: Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands (St. Thomas; St. Croix; St. John) are not in the category of U.S ports under this act.

Guests cannot pre-plan or purposely embark or debark a ship in a U.S port that will violate the Jones Act .  Any guest who insists on debarking the ship in a port which violates the Jones Act , will accept responsibility for any resulting penalties (penalty amount is determined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection).

Cabatoge Law is the term used in Europe - Similar to the Jones Act, the Cabotage Law is the transport of passengers between two points in the same country by a vessel registered in another country. This law does not affect guests joining the ship or leaving the ship in different ports in Italy.

Edited November 4, 2023 by RedIguana

[JRG]

27 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

The interesting part is that the PVSA is 34 years older than the Jones act. The sad part is that RCI actually uses the term "Jones Act" in their FAQ. 

 

Even sadder is that this confusion between the two terms is that it is global misunderstanding.   I read a post where the UK travel agent had given a cruiser the excuse that twisted things even further.  

 

The good news is that it will eventually getter better before it gets worse.   It can't get any worse than it already is.

 

 

[SoloAlaska]

This is such a common b2b. We did the deluxe tour through Seward City Tours before boarding my last cruise and loved it. It’s also a nice little town to just take the free bus and go for lunch etc.

[chmusar]

Doing this B2B next year on Radiance and cant wait 😀

[island lady]

Yes, common with Radiance B2B...but only a small bit of our Alaska tour.   We follow it up with renting a car in Anchorage, and then striking out on our own for a few weeks doing rental homes. 

 

Flights up there, may as well get the most for it.  😉