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[Freeguy]

Hello 

we have 3 Celebrity cruises BtoB in 2025 leaving Fort Lauderdale stopping in LA (Panama canal16 night with stop in Cartegena) to Vancouver (pacific coast 6night) then on to Alaska ( 7 night plus 5 land tour) ending in Fairbanks AK. Same ship same stateroom sounds great right. Like 1 cruise … but I got a call telling me the PVSA prevents this. Anyone run into this and or can we do this? It is really one transport since we never change ships or even cabins..

thank you

[cruisestitch]

It should not be a violation. You are boarding in Florida, disembarking in Alaska so a DISTANT foreign port is needed.  
 

not just any foreign port but a DISTANT foreign port as defined in the law

 

now, in order for the first leg from Florida to California to be legal, you must be visiting a distant foreign port, presumably Colombia.  That takes care of it for the entire itinerary.

 

call back and ask to speak to a supervisor

[1025cruise]

If you were doing a B2B starting in LA this wouldn't fly, but the fact that you are starting in Florida, stopping in Cartegena, this should be fine.

[Freeguy]

Thank you Cruisestitch! I thought that would make it work too. A supervisor call is a good next step!

 

[DaKahuna]

Unfortunately, others have reported the same issue.  Although you effectively have three different trips, it is sometimes seen as being a single trip starting in LA and ending in Alaska.  As others said, you or you TA needs to call Celebrity to try and get this sorted out. 

 

 

[cruisestitch]

14 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Unfortunately, others have reported the same issue.  Although you effectively have three different trips, it is sometimes seen as being a single trip starting in LA and ending in Alaska.  As others said, you or you TA needs to call Celebrity to try and get this sorted out. 

 

 

But clearly this journey does not start in LA.  

[DaKahuna]

Just now, cruisestitch said:

But clearly this journey does not start in LA.  

 

 Celebrity sees it as three separate cruises not one contiguous one as there are three different booking numbers.   The  issue, IIRC, is that while FLL to LA is fine because of the foreign ports visited. LA to Vancouver and then Vancouver to Alaska does not make a 'distant foreign port visit.' 

 

 I am not saying it is right or wrong but that is what I can recall others who reported this issue saying.   But apparently calling Celebrity and explaining it to them has worked for others.  

 

[Alakegirl]

Sorry but that thinking is wrong.  LA to  Vancouver, is fine  because it’s not two US ports.  Similarly, Vancouver to Alaska is fine because it’s not two US ports.  
 

In total, the entire trip is fine because of the stop in South America which fulfills the requirement.

[cruisestitch]

56 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Celebrity sees it as three separate cruises not one contiguous one as there are three different booking numbers.   The  issue, IIRC, is that while FLL to LA is fine because of the foreign ports visited. LA to Vancouver and then Vancouver to Alaska does not make a 'distant foreign port visit.' 
 

neither of them require a distant foreign port visit. The PVSA only applies on voyages between a US port and a different US port, not between a US port and a Canadian port.  So when you are going from a US port to a Canadian port (or vice versa) PVSA is a non-issue. 

 

 

 

[WestLakeGirl]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Celebrity sees it as three separate cruises not one contiguous one as there are three different booking numbers.   The  issue, IIRC, is that while FLL to LA is fine because of the foreign ports visited. LA to Vancouver and then Vancouver to Alaska does not make a 'distant foreign port visit.' 

 

 I am not saying it is right or wrong but that is what I can recall others who reported this issue saying.   But apparently calling Celebrity and explaining it to them has worked for others.  

 

I think your memory is faulty. Even if what you posit was true and these were viewed as three separate cruises because of the three separate booking numbers, there should be no problem because cruise #1 does not violate PVSA, And PVSA doesn’t apply to the Other two.

 

So the only way that someone would think that there is a problem is if they consider them all as one big voyage,which in essence they are but even though it begins at one US port And ends at a different one, it visits a distant foreign port as required

[DaKahuna]

@Alakegirl @cruisestitch @WestLakeGirl  I  may have stated it wrong but i know I have read here on CC about people having Hawaii - Vancouver - Seward (AK) cruises booked being told they violate PSVA because they start and end in a US City without making a port visit in a "distant port visit".  I also know that people have called the cruise line and worked things out somehow.   

 

 

[Milhouse]

@DaKahuna FWIW, this is the thread that I was thinking about when you mentioned the potential issues with the PSVA:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2917447-violation-passenger-vessel-service-act/

 

Not sure how applicable it is though since the back to back to back has a stop in Cartagena.  But maybe the LA to Vancouver to Fairbanks back to back might be an issue?  I dunno.

[cruisestitch]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

@Alakegirl @cruisestitch @WestLakeGirl  I  may have stated it wrong but i know I have read here on CC about people having Hawaii - Vancouver - Seward (AK) cruises booked being told they violate PSVA because they start and end in a US City without making a port visit in a "distant port visit".  I also know that people have called the cruise line and worked things out somehow.   

 

 

Yes the LA to Alaska is a problem but having the first leg attached to the other two negates the issue.

[cruisestitch]

31 minutes ago, Milhouse said:

@DaKahuna FWIW, this is the thread that I was thinking about when you mentioned the potential issues with the PSVA:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2917447-violation-passenger-vessel-service-act/

 

Not sure how applicable it is though since the back to back to back has a stop in Cartagena.  But maybe the LA to Vancouver to Fairbanks back to back might be an issue?  I dunno.

Take them one at a time

 

Vancouver to Alaska — ok (PVSA not applicable)

California  to Vancouver — ok (PVSA not applicable)

Florida to California via Cartagena — ok (PVSA fulfilled)

 

but put the first two together without the Florida - California via Cartagena leg — not ok — PVSA would require a distant foreign port which cannot be fulfilled

 

do all three and you are back to being ok again,  with the distant foreign port requirement met

Edited June 14 by cruisestitch

[MikeMary4449]

12 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

@Alakegirl @cruisestitch @WestLakeGirl  I  may have stated it wrong but i know I have read here on CC about people having Hawaii - Vancouver - Seward (AK) cruises booked being told they violate PSVA because they start and end in a US City without making a port visit in a "distant port visit".  I also know that people have called the cruise line and worked things out somehow.   

 

 

In our experience in 2016 we did Sydney to Hawaii B2B with Hawaii to Vancouver but could NOT add a leg to Alaska (round-trip Vancouver).  Our travel agent went around and around with Celebrity trying to make this work, but in the end, we were denied as Vancouver was NOT considered a "distant foreign port".  We think it is past time for Congress to change PVSA!

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, MikeMary4449 said:

could NOT add a leg to Alaska (round-trip Vancouver).

You wouldn't be permitted to add the Vancouver to Seward leg but the round trip from/to Vancouver is a permissible addition; what, exactly, did you try to do?

[MikeMary4449]

5 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

You wouldn't be permitted to add the Vancouver to Seward leg but the round trip from/to Vancouver is a permissible addition; what, exactly, did you try to do?

NO, as we stated, the "round-trip Vancouver" on the Solstice was NOT allowed to be added to our B2B (Sydney-Honolulu-Vancouver).  To stay on the same ship, we had no choice but to fly home from Vancouver after the first 2 legs.  As US citizens, the PVSA applies to us.  Not sure if it applies to non-US citizens.

Edited June 14 by MikeMary4449

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, MikeMary4449 said:

NO, as we stated, the "round-trip Vancouver" on the Solstice was NOT allowed to be added to our B2B (Sydney-Honolulu-Vancouver).  To stay on the same ship, we had no choice but to fly home from Vancouver after the first 2 legs.  As US citizens, the PVSA applies to us.  Not sure if it applies to non-US citizens.

PVSA applies to passenger vessel operations in the United States; nothing to do with citizenship of passengers.

 

I am surprised you could not add on the round trip cruise.

Edited June 14 by d9704011

[cruisestitch]

23 minutes ago, MikeMary4449 said:

NO, as we stated, the "round-trip Vancouver" on the Solstice was NOT allowed to be added to our B2B (Sydney-Honolulu-Vancouver).  To stay on the same ship, we had no choice but to fly home from Vancouver after the first 2 legs.  As US citizens, the PVSA applies to us.  Not sure if it applies to non-US citizens.

The PVSA regulates the cruise lines, nothing to do with the citizenship of the passengers

[1025cruise]

The PVSA also regulates ferries, etc. Any boat/ship that carries passengers is regulated by the PVSA. It's not going anywhere anytime soon.

The problem in the OP's case is the computer is flagging the LA-VAN-AK as non compliant, which is true. It's not seeing the FLL-LA leg that does make it legal.

[janabellev2.0]

@Freeguy  Sadly, this is a common issue.  Celebrity c/s has some 'guidance' built into their system that's wrong.  If I understand correctly, you're embarking in FLL and debarking in Fairbanks, with a port stop in Cartegena.  Failing a resolution going through the customer service lines, I would engage directly with executiveoffice@celebrity.com.  

[Freeguy]

Thank you cruise critic friends, my issue was explained and reviewed by Celebrity executive office,  no PVSA violation when all 3, back to back cruises(from Fl, stop in Cartegena, to LA, pacific coast and Alaska cruise tour to Fairbanks were reviewed together. We are good to go! 
Thank you all for your advice-

[cruisestitch]

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