DCL has tentative bookings at Honolulu Harbor in 2012!

[tvguy]

There are ways around everything....it's been done before...

Norwegian Cruise Line has re-introduced inter-island sailings with its NCL America division. Congress passed a bill in February, 2003 granting Norwegian Cruise Line exclusive rights to operate year-round, inter-island Hawaii service without having to call at a foreign port. In order to do this, the ships must sail under the U.S. Flag, with American crews and will be subject to all U.S. laws, including taxation and environmental regulations.

Pride of Aloha, the former Norwegian Sky, entered year-round Hawaii service on July 4, 2004 following a re-flagging ceremony which added her to the U.S. registry. Her seven-day Hawaiian itineraries sail round-trip

from Honolulu year-round on Sundays. The port intensive route calls at Nawiliwili, Kauai (overnight); Hilo, Hawaii; Kona, Hawaii and Kahului, Maui (overnight). The ship is in port every day and offers scenic cruising on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Never been done. NCL America did what any cruise line could have done, gone with U.S. flagged ships, which are exempt to the law.

 

[teskak]

My suggestion is for a vessel to be based out of Hong Kong.

Reasons:

Hong Kong is building a new cruise terminal. For anybody familiar with the area, cruises currently leave from a terminal / upscale shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. The HK government has now put out contracts for the conversion of the old Kai Tak airport (the one with the runway into the bay) into a cruise terminal. All the better for more ships to berth at once.

There is a ferry terminal at HK DL that did not get used, but is being improved.

Disney is building another park in Shanghai.

The American market is close to being saturated with Disney offerings, but China market has not been tapped. I spent some time talking with an officer on the Wonder who indicated this was a big focus for their market. Courtesy of China's "one child" policy & explosions of economic growth there are millions of indulged children who are perfect for the marketing of the Mouse.

For the same reasons given on this thread about not wanting long flights, Chinese probably have a similar view of travelling to the USA in great numbers - but HK would be perfect.

 

[lmhall2000]

Never been done. NCL America did what any cruise line could have done, gone with U.S. flagged ships, which are exempt to the law.

My point was they found a way around the law...even if for four years...it does not have to be that particular route...I'll take a wait and see, I think it's too naive to say "never gonna happen" with anything in life....especially when you're dealing with Disney.

Tara

 

[CruznLexi]

When we looked into cruisig to Hawaii we booked about a year and half out. Orginally did the San Diego to HNL- route with a 90 min stop in Mexico. This justify's the foreign port. But airfare was crazy as it was not really a RT ticket. We ened up going RT from LA to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas. I highly recomend doing a cruise this way. my cruise far was about $3700 with a balcony. We also had 2 over night stops. Air fare was just $300 to LA verses $750 to Hawaii. I did check the price of air to Hawaii and it is currently about $950 per person. If you are prone to getting sea sick a Hawaii cruise is not for you. The crossing is quite rough. Barf bags were posted on the stairwells. I looked into NCL and turned quicly away by the reviews. We did everything in the ports on our own. Saved a lot of money. But with Aulani they may do like Princess Vancover to HNL- HNL to down under.

 

[NancyIL]

My point was they found a way around the law...even if for four years...it does not have to be that particular route...I'll take a wait and see, I think it's too naive to say "never gonna happen" with anything in life....especially when you're dealing with Disney.

Tara

Sorry - even the Mouse isn't that powerful. DCL isn't going to re-flag their ship with a US flag and the labor laws that go with it.

 

[lmhall2000]

Sorry - even the Mouse isn't that powerful. DCL isn't going to re-flag their ship with a US flag and the labor laws that go with it.

Why there are so many bent on saying "never" "can't" is really amazing to me...if Walt Disney had listened to all those back in the 50's when he was dreaming up putting a theme park in the wetlands of Florida...we wouldn't be enjoying what we do today, I never said DCL would re-flag, I was just saying that was one way a cruise ship dealt with the 1886 law...who is to say that there are not other avenues to be taken? If any had said it was 'unlikely'...then I'd go with that, I'm just not one of those who ever makes a declarative of never/can't/won't...anything is possible....

 

[NancyIL]

Why there are so many bent on saying "never" "can't" is really amazing to me...if Walt Disney had listened to all those back in the 50's when he was dreaming up putting a theme park in the wetlands of Florida...we wouldn't be enjoying what we do today, I never said DCL would re-flag, I was just saying that was one way a cruise ship dealt with the 1886 law...who is to say that there are not other avenues to be taken? If any had said it was 'unlikely'...then I'd go with that, I'm just not one of those who ever makes a declarative of never/can't/won't...anything is possible....

OK - it is highly unlikely that DCL will get the PVSA changed so it (and other cruise lines) can sail between the US mainland and Hawaii on one-way cruises.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

OK - it is highly unlikely that DCL will get the PVSA changed so it (and other cruise lines) can sail between the US mainland and Hawaii on one-way cruises.

I agree. As already noted in this thread, the roadblock is the PVSA, a Federal cabotage law from 124 years ago that almost nobody wants to change. (That's very different than naysayers questioning the business sense behind Walt Disney's dream in the 1950s to build a perfectly legal theme park in the orange groves of Anaheim.)

There was an attempt to make the PVSA stronger a few years ago. NCL would have benefited from the proposed change because it would have effectively made it impossible for foreign-flagged ships to offer 2-week roundtrip roundtrip cruise itineraries from the West Coast that include Hawaii because it would have required more time in more foreign ports. NCL would have effectively gained a monopoly in Hawaii with NCL America. Fortunately, that didn't go anywhere.

Nobody really wants to repeal the PVSA. Cruise lines currently operate out of U.S. ports with foreign-built, foreign-crewed ship. They have to comply with some U.S. regulations (U.S. Coast Guard compliance with International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) and U.S. oversight (such as the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program). But they enjoy a non-U.S. cost structure that allows good profitability, without U.S. labor laws. The cruise lines have a good thing going, and they know it. Any weakening of the PVSA would likely be accompanied by more Federal control over cruise ships.

Laws similar to the PVSA protect the U.S. maritime cargo industry from foreign competition. There's big money on the side of keeping the status quo.

Could the PVSA be repealed? Sure. Anything is possible.

It it likely to happen? No. It's very, very unlikely.

 

[SanDeeKath]

Why there are so many bent on saying "never" "can't" is really amazing to me...if Walt Disney had listened to all those back in the 50's when he was dreaming up putting a theme park in the wetlands of Florida...we wouldn't be enjoying what we do today, I never said DCL would re-flag, I was just saying that was one way a cruise ship dealt with the 1886 law...who is to say that there are not other avenues to be taken? If any had said it was 'unlikely'...then I'd go with that, I'm just not one of those who ever makes a declarative of never/can't/won't...anything is possible....

You are drinking too much of the Disney CoolAid. It isn't going to happen. Trust me on this. There are millions upon millions of dollars involved with this little law. Disney couldn't even get a darn pass into Glacier Bay for their Alaska cruises. What makes you think they could repeal a law that has been fought over for decades by other lines too? Disney is magical but not that magical. Go to CruiseCritic dot com and read about what others have said about this age old issue for the last 15 years of that website's existence. It's debated almost daily. Yet the rules are rules and they are not changing.

Katherine

 

[ludari]

There will not be a DCL cruise originating from Honolulu -- at least not intra-Hawaii cruises or Hawaii-to-U.S.-mainland cruises.

DCL has to deal with the realities of U.S. law. (Please read some of preceding posts, which touch on the reasons.)

Bummer. Thanks for the information, nevertheless they are all sorts of Disney cruises that I have yet to take so if I haveto wait for a Disney Hawaii trip no big deal.

 

[sayhello]

You are drinking too much of the Disney CoolAid. It isn't going to happen. Trust me on this. There are millions upon millions of dollars involved with this little law. Disney couldn't even get a darn pass into Glacier Bay for their Alaska cruises. What makes you think they could repeal a law that has been fought over for decades by other lines too? Disney is magical but not that magical. Go to CruiseCritic dot com and read about what others have said about this age old issue for the last 15 years of that website's existence. It's debated almost daily. Yet the rules are rules and they are not changing.

Katherine

THIS!

Sayhello

 

[lmhall2000]

You are drinking too much of the Disney CoolAid. It isn't going to happen. Trust me on this. There are millions upon millions of dollars involved with this little law. Disney couldn't even get a darn pass into Glacier Bay for their Alaska cruises. What makes you think they could repeal a law that has been fought over for decades by other lines too? Disney is magical but not that magical. Go to CruiseCritic dot com and read about what others have said about this age old issue for the last 15 years of that website's existence. It's debated almost daily. Yet the rules are rules and they are not changing.

Katherine

Never said they would repeal anything, just merely pointing out that where there is a will, money, and opportunities...I never say never...neither does Disney, historically.

 

[jkrislc]

NCL once had a foreign flagged ship sailing Hawaii year-round. They stopped at on island in the Pacific (Kiribati?/Fanning Island) as their foreign port stop. This might be an option DCL is considering as it would allow them to sail round trip from Honolulu.

 

[CruznLexi]

Here is my thought on the cruise that goes to Hawaii.It will do a1 way to Hawaii from La with a stop in Ensenada. Then it will do another cruise from HNL to Vancouver and do same on the return.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Here is my thought on the cruise that goes to Hawaii.It will do a1 way to Hawaii from La with a stop in Ensenada. Then it will do another cruise from HNL to Vancouver and do same on the return.

One-way cruises on foreign ships (such as the any of the DCL ships) between the two U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and Honolulu) are not legal under Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) of 1886 unless the itinerary also includes a distant foreign port, as defined by the PVSA. Ports in Canada and mexico do not qualify as distant foreign ports.

 

[mellers]

One-way cruises on foreign ships (such as the any of the DCL ships) between the two U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and Honolulu) are not legal under Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) of 1886 unless the itinerary also includes a distant foreign port, as defined by the PVSA. Ports in Canada and mexico do not qualify as distant foreign ports.

Perhaps I don't know enough about cruising laws, but it seems to me that Disney could do a round trip Hawaii cruise from Seattle, with a stop in Victoria, or a round trip from LA, with a stop in Ensenada.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Perhaps I don't know enough about cruising laws, but it seems to me that Disney could do a round trip Hawaii cruise from Seattle, with a stop in Victoria, or a round trip from LA, with a stop in Ensenada.

Yes, DCL could do closed-loop cruises from Los Angeles, with a stop in Ensenada, just long enough to satisfy the PVCA. Other cruise lines sometimes offer such cruises. Such an itinerary typically takes two weeks. It's a long distance from the West Coast to the middle of the huge Pacific Ocean with many days at sea.

Seattle via Victoria would also be legal, but the distance is even greater.

With either of the above itineraries, disembarking in Hawaii for a resort stay at Aulani would not be an option. There would be stops at several ports in Hawaii, but then the cruise ship and all her passengers would continue back to the West Coast.