DCL has tentative bookings at Honolulu Harbor in 2012!

[morgan98]

Cruise lines used to offer cruises from San Diego or LA to Hawaii with a stop for a day in Mexico before they sailed to the islands. I am not sure how they enforce the distance foreign port. I know for a fact this cruise was offered the cruise before I took the Hawaii to Vancouver option.

I would hardly call Nassau a distant foreign port, but it qualifies enough on 3 day cruises...

There are also Alaskan cruises that depart from Seattle and go to various ports in Alaska, again with a one day token stop in Victoria or Vancouver, BC. I don't think these qualify as "distant foreign ports."

 

[tink too]

I was thrilled when DCL announced their Alaska cruises, and now it looks like they'll be announcing cruises to Hawaii in the near future. I guess I'd better start saving now so I can hand over all my £££ to DCL!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Cruise lines used to offer cruises from San Diego or LA to Hawaii with a stop for a day in Mexico before they sailed to the islands. I am not sure how they enforce the distance foreign port. I know for a fact this cruise was offered the cruise before I took the Hawaii to Vancouver option.

Such cruises begin and end at the same US port. So the foreign port does not need to be "distant." The cruise does not terminate in Hawaii.

I would hardly call Nassau a distant foreign port, but it qualifies enough on 3 day cruises...

There are also Alaskan cruises that depart from Seattle and go to various ports in Alaska, again with a one day token stop in Victoria or Vancouver, BC. I don't think these qualify as "distant foreign ports."

Again, Bahamas cruises from Florida and Alaska cruises from Seattle begin and end at the same port. So, again, the foreign port does not need to be "distant."

The issue is that a foreign ship can not legally cruise from Los Angeles to Honoululu, either directly or with a stop in Ensenada, if the cruise terminates at a different US port than where it started.

 

[clten]

Cruise lines used to offer cruises from San Diego or LA to Hawaii with a stop for a day in Mexico before they sailed to the islands. I am not sure how they enforce the distance foreign port. I know for a fact this cruise was offered the cruise before I took the Hawaii to Vancouver option.

I would hardly call Nassau a distant foreign port, but it qualifies enough on 3 day cruises...

There are also Alaskan cruises that depart from Seattle and go to various ports in Alaska, again with a one day token stop in Victoria or Vancouver, BC. I don't think these qualify as "distant foreign ports."

Horace is correct with the law he quoted. The key words are ONE WAY cruises between 2 US ports. (So the closed loop Bahamas, Caribbean Alaska and Mexican Rivera cruises don't fall under this condition.)

There is an exception to it though -- when there is no US flagged ship operating in a market, they may make an exception to the "distant foreign port". So you used to be able to do the one way LA/SD to/from Hawaii with a quick stop in Mexico. However, since NCL introduced US flagged ships to the Hawaii market, this is no longer allowed for non-US flagged ships.

 

[morgan98]

I apologize for my confusion

When I did the Hawaiian cruise I mentioned, it was before the NCL Pride of America was doing its salings. Therefore, this is my confusion.

 

[NancyIL]

There's a reason why no cruise lines offer cruises that begin in Los Angeles and end in Honolulu (even with a brief stop in Ensenada, Mexico).

It's illegal under US law.

Foreign-flagged ships are not allowed to carry passengers on one-way voyages between two US ports, unless the ship stops at a "distant foreign port," as defined be the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) of 1886.

Ensenada is not a "distant foreign port."

Hawaii cruises on foreign-flagged ships usually follow one of two models:

1. Roundtrips from California with a stop in Ensenada. (If the cruise begins and ends at the same US port, it has to go to a foreign port, but not to a "distant foreign port.") Such cruises take around two weeks.
2. One-way cruises (in either direction) between California and Vancouver, via Hawaii. Typically, this serves the purpose of repositioning a ship, while providing a more compelling itinerary than a simple cruise along the Pacific coast. Such cruises also take around two weeks.

One-way cruises between Florida and California are legal because they stop at a "distant foreign port."

Ah yes - I forgot about that pesky "distant" foreign port requirement! (That's also why one-way Alaska cruises don't cruise between Seward/Whittier and Seattle.) So much for the tie-in with Disney's Hawaiian resort!

**Now that I think more about this, I have seen cruise lines that started their one-way cruises to Hawaii in Ensenada to get around that requirement.

 

[NancyIL]

I apologize for my confusion

When I did the Hawaiian cruise I mentioned, it was before the NCL Pride of America was doing its salings. Therefore, this is my confusion.

Your cruise went from Hawaii to Canada - so no laws were broken.

 

[morgan98]

The cruise before mine went from San Diego with a stop in Ensenada before it went to Hawaii. I know because I almost booked it instead. However, this was before NCL had the Pride of America doing the Hawaii cruises, which is one of the rule changes in Horace's post.

 

[NancyIL]

The cruise before mine went from San Diego with a stop in Ensenada before it went to Hawaii. I know because I almost booked it instead. However, this was before NCL had the Pride of America doing the Hawaii cruises, which is one of the rule changes in Horace's post.

Gotcha!

 

[Husurdady]

Wouldn't it be great if they would add New Zealand or Australia with a stop in Hawaii? Have always wanted to go there.

Or maybe VIET NAM............haven't been there in the last 40 years.[April 14, 1970]

 

[TNShellBelle]

Here is the quick quote from the Honolulu Star Advertiser article.

Although a Disney spokesman wouldn't comment on any of the company's cruise itineraries beyond 2011, the state Department of Transportation confirmed that Disney has tentative bookings at Pier 2 in Honolulu Harbor in May and September of 2012.

And here is the link to the entire story:


Aloha!
Jen

YAY, hope it happens!

 

[smeecanada]

True - although a 7-night cruise gives you time to see more of Europe on land pre and/or post-cruise.

Not interested in that option at the moment. Thanks.

 

[smeecanada]

The issue is that a foreign ship can not legally cruise from Los Angeles to Honoululu, either directly or with a stop in Ensenada, if the cruise terminates at a different US port than where it started.

Then how are they able to do the Panama Cruises?. Beginning in Florida and ending in California and vice versa. Those cruises terminate at a different US port than where it started. The same thing happens with alot of Alaskan cruises. They depart from Seattle and end in Anchorage/Seward (I think).

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Then how are they able to do the Panama Cruises?. Beginning in Florida and ending in California and vice versa. Those cruises terminate at a different US port than where it started.

As I recall, the repositioning cruises stopped at Cartagena, Colombia, which is a "distant foreign port" beyond North America.

Please reread my posts about the requirement for foreign ships to stop at a "distant foreign port" when providing a one-way (not closed loop) cruise between two US ports, due to the PVSA of 1886.

The same thing happens with alot of Alaskan cruises. They depart from Seattle and end in Anchorage/Seward (I think).

I'm not aware of such an itinerary. The cruises to Anchorage/Seward that I know about depart depart from Vancouver.

The Alaska cruises from Seattle are closed loop cruises that include one or more Canadian ports on their itinerary to satisfy the foreign port requirement of the PVCA. (Because they are closed loop cruises, they only need to include a foreign port, not a "distant foreign port.")

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Well, if this happens... I know where we're going in 2012! haha

Hey, this is how people predicted Alaska cruises- and they happened. So this just might be the real deal... we'll see.

 

[beckinoz]

I would love for Disney to come to Oz. I would love to travel around Oz with Mickey and co.

 

[NancyIL]

Then how are they able to do the Panama Cruises?. Beginning in Florida and ending in California and vice versa. Those cruises terminate at a different US port than where it started. The same thing happens with alot of Alaskan cruises. They depart from Seattle and end in Anchorage/Seward (I think).

As mentioned above, there are no Seattle to Alaska one-way cruises. Cruises from Seattle are roundtrip. One-ways are between Vancouver and Alaska.

 

[DCL Repeaters]

As I recall, the repositioning cruises stopped at Cartagena, Colombia, which is a "distant foreign port" beyond North America.

Please reread my posts about the requirement for foreign ships to stop at a "distant foreign port" when providing a one-way (not closed loop) cruise between two US ports, due to the PVSA of 1886.


I'm not aware of such an itinerary. The cruises to Anchorage/Seward that I know about depart depart from Vancouver.

The Alaska cruises from Seattle are closed loop cruises that include one or more Canadian ports on their itinerary to satisfy the foreign port requirement of the PVCA. (Because they are closed loop cruises, they only need to include a foreign port, not a "distant foreign port.")

Your statement about DCL calling in Cartagena isn't quite true. Out of the (4) completed PC cruises the Magic made in '05 & '08, she stopped in Cartagena ONCE and that was the '08 EB cruise. I was on the '05 EB and the '08 WB and we did not stop in Cartagena.

 

[Anal Annie]

If these are just repositioning cruises on either end of the Alaska season, they will likely be very popular and pricey - just as the Panama Canal cruises were in 2005 and 2008. I don't think I'll be lining up for this itinerary.

Once again they fall into our school year which runs August to June. We will never get a DCL repo as long as DS lives at home!

 

[JenKatt]

Your statement about DCL calling in Cartagena isn't quite true. Out of the (4) completed PC cruises the Magic made in '05 & '08, she stopped in Cartagena ONCE and that was the '08 EB cruise. I was on the '05 EB and the '08 WB and we did not stop in Cartagena.

No but the cruises have stopped in Aruba or Curacao. Pretty sure that's a distant foreign port....