Asking my HAL Friends how they think this itinerary can even work??

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I was looking at The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection for the fun of it, talk about crazy high prices but I saw an itinerary that makes no sense to me.

Since it has been many months since anyone has even bothered to post in the CC Ritz Carlton board, I thought I would ask my friends here how this cruise is even possible. It is a 7 day cruise that starts in San Juan PR and ends in Ft Lauderdale???

November 20 2024

San Juan, Puerto Rico

November 21 2024

Virgin Gorda, BVI

November 22 2024

Sailing Time

November 23 2024

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

November 24 2024

San Salvador, Bahamas

November 25 2024

Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas

November 26 2024

Bimini, Bahamas

November 27 2024

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

 

Last I knew San Juan was considered US and was not a distant foreign port to not have a problem with the PSVA Passenger Vessel Services Act

They are selling their smallest Suite for $6900 per person plus port taxes of $253 but if you want to splurge their Owners Suite is just $46,700.00 pp for this 7 day cruise. This is on their newest yacht coming out this year called Ilma.

[rafinmd]

I think there's an exception in the PVSA that allows one way cruises from either Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands until there is a US carrier that is up to the job.  I can't remember which of the two it is but my best recollection is that it's San Juan.

 

Roy

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks Roy!!  I knew someone here would know an answer. It just shocked me since I have never seen an itinerary like this.

[FOPMan]

The Disney Wonder is doing something similar in May- San Juan, St. Thomas, Bahamas, Private Island,, Fort Lauderdale.

[sppunk]

I’m more curious if the Bahamas gets taken off lists due to the new travel warnings there. 

[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I think there's an exception in the PVSA that allows one way cruises from either Puerto Rico or Virgin Islands until there is a US carrier that is up to the job.  I can't remember which of the two it is but my best recollection is that it's San Juan.

 

Roy

Exactly this - one way cruises to/from Puerto Rico to a stateside port are allowed.

[Essiesmom]

I believe the San Juan exception was made years ago at the request of Carnival Corp as they planned to run one way cruises from Florida.  But the concept wasn’t popular so the itineraries were scrapped.  EM

[bob brown]

The exception for San Juan is sort of an enigma, as it is excepted from part of the PVSA rule, prohibiting cruises starting from one US port and ending in another (itself), but it is not considered a "distant foreign port" to serve as an intermediate stop, on say, a Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, Panama Canal cruise.   Whether it would be considered "a near foreign port" for a cruise that would say go from say Fort Lauderdale to San Juan and return, without any additional foreign ports, I am not sure..Probably a moot point since.I don't think there would be any cruises that would ever sail that far with only that that on a round trip itinerary, anyway...🤷‍♂️

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

The exception for San Juan is sort of an enigma, as it is excepted from part of the PVSA rule, prohibiting cruises starting from one US port and ending in another (itself), but it is not considered a "distant foreign port" to serve as an intermediate stop, on say, a Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, Panama Canal cruise.   Whether it would be considered "a near foreign port" for a cruise that would say go from say Fort Lauderdale to San Juan and return, without any additional foreign ports, I am not sure..Probably a moot point since.I don't think there would be any cruises that would ever sail that far with only that that on a round trip itinerary, anyway...🤷‍♂️

Any of the Atlantic and Caribbean ports qualify for a foreign port for the roundtrip cruise requirements.

[bob brown]

3 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Any of the Atlantic and Caribbean ports qualify for a foreign port for the roundtrip cruise requirements.

Yes…as long as they are foreign.  But for example, Key West would not, right?

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Yes…as long as they are foreign.  But for example, Key West would not, right?

Correct.  Key West is in the USA.  Not a foreign country.

[bob brown]

3 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Correct.  Key West is in the USA.  Not a foreign country.

😉

[leerathje]

I've always wondered how, on the West Coast, is Ensenada considered a distant foreign port?

 

L.

 

[richwmn]

29 minutes ago, leerathje said:

I've always wondered how, on the West Coast, is Ensenada considered a distant foreign port?

 

L.

 

It isn't. For the itineraries that include Ensenada only a near foreign port is necessary.

[chengkp75]

18 hours ago, bob brown said:

The exception for San Juan is sort of an enigma, as it is excepted from part of the PVSA rule, prohibiting cruises starting from one US port and ending in another (itself), but it is not considered a "distant foreign port" to serve as an intermediate stop, on say, a Fort Lauderdale to San Diego, Panama Canal cruise.   Whether it would be considered "a near foreign port" for a cruise that would say go from say Fort Lauderdale to San Juan and return, without any additional foreign ports, I am not sure..Probably a moot point since.I don't think there would be any cruises that would ever sail that far with only that that on a round trip itinerary, anyway...🤷‍♂️

Puerto Rico is not considered a foreign port at all, neither distant or near, so any round trip from Florida would need a foreign port.  The Puerto Rico exemption is just that one way travel to/from Puerto Rico to the mainland US does not require a distant foreign port, it does require a foreign port.

[CruiserBruce]

5 hours ago, leerathje said:

I've always wondered how, on the West Coast, is Ensenada considered a distant foreign port?

 

L.

 

Need to know the difference between a cruise that is roundtrip out of a US port, versus a cruise that starts at one US port and ends at another.

[bob brown]

On 2/1/2024 at 7:35 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Need to know the difference between a cruise that is roundtrip out of a US port, versus a cruise that starts at one US port and ends at another.

Ensenada serves round trip cruises, such as Los Angeles to Hawaiian Islands and return as a port of call.   It occasional serves as a termination port for a one way Hawaii to Ensenada repo cruise, where the passenger's will then be bussed to San Diego or Los Angeles, or the reverse.  In these cases, the ship will sometimes "deadhead" to San Diego or LA...

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Ensenada serves round trip cruises, such as Los Angeles to Hawaiian Islands and return as a port of call.   It occasional serves as a termination port for a one way Hawaii to Ensenada repo cruise, where the passenger's will then be bussed to San Diego or Los Angeles, or the reverse.  In these cases, the ship will sometimes "deadhead" to San Diego or LA...

There hasn't been the one way Hawaii to Ensenada in quite a while.