Passenger Service Act Confusion

[Pam in CA]

Pam,

 

Is there such a thing as a Seattle to Whittier cruise? Wouldn't that, in itself, violate the PSA. If it leaves from one US port and ends in another US port, it must make a stop at a DISTANT foreign port and nothing in Canada qualifies. Roundtrips out of SEA are, of course, OK.

Nope. There is no Princess cruise from Seattle to Whittier that I know of; if there were, it would have to stop in Vancouver or Victoria which is what the R/T cruises out of Seattle do or have done in the past. I was merely using it as an example.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Thank you,

I will be printing these replies & taking them to Velma tomorrow. She had tried to tell us that Vancouver shares a border with the US so it was not a valid foreign port! Mexico shares a border with us also so I guess they will be disqualified next!

 

She's right. Neither Canada nor Mexico qualify as distant foreign ports. You have to go to Aruba.

[Pam in CA]

She's right. Neither Canada nor Mexico qualify as distant foreign ports. You have to go to Aruba.

Since the OP is embarking and disembarking in Canada, why or how does the PVSA come into affect? Whether or not Canada is a distant foreign port is a moot point since they're not leaving or returning to a U.S. port.

[Av8tor]

Nope. There is no Princess cruise from Seattle to Whittier that I know of; if there were, it would have to stop in Vancouver or Victoria which is what the R/T cruises out of Seattle do or have done in the past. I was merely using it as an example.

 

Pam,

 

I think you understand the PSA, but what you said is not technically correct and I want others to fully understand.

 

The Alaska cruises out of SEA are round trips and as such, they just need to stop at a foreign port so the NEARBY foreign port(s) in Canada make them 'legal.'

 

If there were any one-way cruises from SEA to Alaska, they would have to stop at a DISTANT foreign port and the closest would probably be in Asia or South America, making such a cruise impractical. That's why the Alaska one-ways use YVR as the beginning or ending port, because the cruise is then NOT between two US ports and therefore not subject to the PSA.

 

Just trying to clarify...

[Av8tor]

you are right the quote is wrong.....

 

You can only start at one US Port and end at a different US port if you visit a distant foreign port....

 

I agree with Sultan and 418,

 

There must be a DISTANT foreign port if the cruise is one way between two different US ports.

 

The poster that originally wrote the otherwise good explanation of the PSA that was pasted into BigGuy25's post, said he was a lawyer and even he got it wrong...See how complicated it can be!

[rollingstone]

Our B2B is booked. We were told (by the FCC "consultant") that she hoped the cruise line was not fined "thousands of dollars" because of our booking

To add insult to injury, she told us not to expect any upgrade (we have yet to get one!!) because this was a cheap fare!! (as compared to what?)

The only reason we booked onboard was for the double FCC offer.

Needless to say, after the cruise was booked, we filed a complaint against this person. The lack of understanding was one thing but I was quite insulted about the "cheap" remark.

Hopefully Princess will hire someone for the Star with more on the ball.

Thank you for being the ones with the info

Nancy

[Grego]

Our B2B is booked. We were told (by the FCC "consultant") that she hoped the cruise line was not fined "thousands of dollars" because of our booking

To add insult to injury, she told us not to expect any upgrade (we have yet to get one!!) because this was a cheap fare!! (as compared to what?)

The only reason we booked onboard was for the double FCC offer.

Needless to say, after the cruise was booked, we filed a complaint against this person. The lack of understanding was one thing but I was quite insulted about the "cheap" remark.

Hopefully Princess will hire someone for the Star with more on the ball.

Thank you for being the ones with the info

Nancy

 

She might be a good example as why some animals eat their young...

[Cruisin' Chick]

Our B2B is booked. We were told (by the FCC "consultant") that she hoped the cruise line was not fined "thousands of dollars" because of our booking

To add insult to injury, she told us not to expect any upgrade (we have yet to get one!!) because this was a cheap fare!! (as compared to what?)

The only reason we booked onboard was for the double FCC offer.

Needless to say, after the cruise was booked, we filed a complaint against this person. The lack of understanding was one thing but I was quite insulted about the "cheap" remark.

Hopefully Princess will hire someone for the Star with more on the ball.

Thank you for being the ones with the info

Nancy

 

What you pay for your cabin has nothing to do with any upgrade offers, at least not from my previous experience. She shouldn't be using words like "cheap" to a customer.

[Av8tor]

Our B2B is booked. We were told (by the FCC "consultant") that she hoped the cruise line was not fined "thousands of dollars" because of our booking

To add insult to injury, she told us not to expect any upgrade (we have yet to get one!!) because this was a cheap fare!! (as compared to what?)

The only reason we booked onboard was for the double FCC offer.

Needless to say, after the cruise was booked, we filed a complaint against this person. The lack of understanding was one thing but I was quite insulted about the "cheap" remark.

Hopefully Princess will hire someone for the Star with more on the ball.

Thank you for being the ones with the info

Nancy

 

What is this "double FCC offer" you're talking about?

 

I thought there was no difference in using FCCs on-board or at a later date from dry land. Was the Star having a special or is this fleet wide?

[cdngrl]

Our B2B is booked. We were told (by the FCC "consultant") that she hoped the cruise line was not fined "thousands of dollars" because of our booking

To add insult to injury, she told us not to expect any upgrade (we have yet to get one!!) because this was a cheap fare!! (as compared to what?)

The only reason we booked onboard was for the double FCC offer.

Needless to say, after the cruise was booked, we filed a complaint against this person. The lack of understanding was one thing but I was quite insulted about the "cheap" remark.

Hopefully Princess will hire someone for the Star with more on the ball.

Thank you for being the ones with the info

Nancy

 

grrr. in my experience i have known more than the fcc on board and its very frustrating. if i understand correctly, you booked on board direct through princess? just give princess a call and ask if you have been marked 'no upgrade' or 'will accept upgrade if one becomes available'. if one becomes available, then you are on the elusive, mysterious and baffling upgrade list.

 

good luck! and i'm glad you made a report regarding the misinformation and treatment given you by the on-board consultant.

[caribill]

What is this "double FCC offer" you're talking about?

 

 

 

Princess is running a promotion that if you book a cruise while on board that will be completed in 2009, then the FCC amount will be doubled.

[fun and breezes 2]

So what about a 3 day cruise FLL to Princess Cays and back to FLL? It's round trip to and from the same US port with no stops at another port because you tender at Princess Cays. Would this fit the category of a cruise to nowhere that leaves US territory? Can you do this as a back to back?

[DanJ]

So what about a 3 day cruise FLL to Princess Cays and back to FLL? It's round trip to and from the same US port with no stops at another port because you tender at Princess Cays. Would this fit the category of a cruise to nowhere that leaves US territory? Can you do this as a back to back?

 

Princess Cays is in the Bahamas, so that qualifies as the foreign port. You don't have to actually dock the ship, tendering still counts. You don't even have to go ashore. Just so long as the ship calls on a foreign port. This cruise is not a cruise to nowhere, since it goes somewhere, and you will have to clear US immigration when you come back. Cruises to nowhere have no ports at all. You can do this back to back as many times as they offer it if you wish.

[wrp96]

So what about a 3 day cruise FLL to Princess Cays and back to FLL? It's round trip to and from the same US port with no stops at another port because you tender at Princess Cays. Would this fit the category of a cruise to nowhere that leaves US territory? Can you do this as a back to back?

 

 

Princess Cays is in the Bahamas and fits as the foreign port stop on that roundtrip itinerary.

[jsiegel]

Thank you,

I will be printing these replies & taking them to Velma tomorrow. She had tried to tell us that Vancouver shares a border with the US so it was not a valid foreign port! Mexico shares a border with us also so I guess they will be disqualified next!

 

Good luck. Velma has been giving lots of people lots of wrong information about lots of topics. She told me that I and my significant other would have to pay too different fare prices to share one cabin because I was Platinum level and he was only Gold level. I intend to write to Princess about her because she is a poor reflection on the company. She needs more training or another job.

 

Jackie

[fun and breezes 2]

Princess Cays is in the Bahamas, so that qualifies as the foreign port. You don't have to actually dock the ship, tendering still counts. You don't even have to go ashore. Just so long as the ship calls on a foreign port. This cruise is not a cruise to nowhere, since it goes somewhere, and you will have to clear US immigration when you come back. Cruises to nowhere have no ports at all. You can do this back to back as many times as they offer it if you wish.

 

Princess Cays is in the Bahamas and fits as the foreign port stop on that roundtrip itinerary.

Thanks for answering my question. Your explanation was very helpful.

[Av8tor]

Just to end the speculation once and for all...

 

I called Princess and VERIFIED that the PVSA (or PSA as they clled it) is definately "SHIP SPECIFIC."

 

You can go from 1 US port to another US port IF you switch ships in a foreign port. Yo do NOT have to overnight in the foreign port and you do NOT have to switch cruise lines. Just changing ships will make the two cruises "legal."

 

 

Woo Hoo!! SEA-YVR (Star) and YVR-LAX (Coral) here I come!!!

[Crzn-Life]

My wife and I wanted to book a b2b Vancouver to Whitier and back to Vancouver and were told by the future cruise consultant that we couldn't. Others have told us she is wrong. Who's right?

 

In a later post you refer to the future cruise consultant by name and that rang a loud bell with me. She was on the Golden last year and was the most opinionated and domineering consultant we'd ever run across and she was absolutely WRONG and totally screwed up cruise we had booked. It took forever for our TA and Princess to get it straightened out. We've had other future cruise consultants make mistakes but they were nice people so you didn't worry about it. But this one was really bad and obnoxious to boot. It was no surprise to read in one of your later posts that she said negative things to you when you went back to book. Can't figure out why on earth she is still working on the ships.

 

We've learned that it's good to get the FCCs while onboard but it's your TA that you have to count on to get it right.

[m steve]

A trip to Cuba courtesy of Uncle Sam.

[FLACRUISER99]

I've heard that sometimes when you book B2B cruises you only get credit for one cruise. Other times I've heard you get credit for two cruises. Does anyone know when you do or don't get credit for two B2B cruises?

If you get 1 booking number It counts as one Cruise, 2 booking numbers 2 Cruises.

[Cuizer2]

My wife and I wanted to book a b2b Vancouver to Whitier and back to Vancouver and were told by the future cruise consultant that we couldn't. Others have told us she is wrong. Who's right?

Your B2B cruise is perfectly fine under the PVSA. The future cruise consultant was mistaken.