Possible PSVA Concern

diztodd

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 30, 2020
Messages
16
I've seen a few posts about the PVSA and don't think my cruises will be affected legally but I wanted to run it by here to ensure it doesn't violate any laws in case anyone has had experience with it. I have the Feb/March 2025 Sydney>Honolulu>Vancouver>San Diego booked. I should be ok according to the PVSA correct as I'm not starting in a US port? Thanks in advance.
 
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It is possible that going from Honolulu to San Diego will be a problem. The fact that you start in Sydney doesn’t matter, because the PSVA is concerned only with transportation between US ports. I would call Disney Cruise Line to make sure the last 2 cruises can be booked back-to-back.
 
I've seen a few posts about the PSVA and don't think my cruises will be affected legally but I wanted to run it by here to ensure it doesn't violate any laws in case anyone has had experience with it. I have the Feb/March 2025 Sydney>Honolulu>Vancouver>San Diego booked. I should be ok according to the PSVA correct as I'm not starting in a US port? Thanks in advance.
PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) says that a foreign flagged ship cannot transport a person between two DIFFERENT US ports without a stop in a DISTANT foreign port.

Are you doing a B2B (Sydney to Vancouver and a Vancouver to San Diego)? Or a one way Sydney to San Diego, with stops in Honolulu & Vancouver?

Well, either way, it should be PVSA compliant, Since your cruise starts in a foreign port and ends in a US port.

EDIT: You're taking 3 cruises? Sydney to Honolulu, Honolulu to Vancouver, and Vancouver to San Diego. But, in the eyes of the PVSA your trip is Sydney to San Diego and legal under the PVSA.

IF DCL contacts you about needing to cancel any of the legs of this B2B2B, ask to be connected with the Compliance Department. That's where the lawyers are who you can ask why.
 
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It is possible that going from Honolulu to San Diego will be a problem. The fact that you start in Sydney doesn’t matter, because the PSVA is concerned only with transportation between US ports. I would call Disney Cruise Line to make sure the last 2 cruises can be booked back-to-back.
There is no Honolulu to San Diego Cruise. It's not legal under the PVSA.
 

PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) says that a foreign flagged ship cannot transport a person between two DIFFERENT US ports without a stop in a DISTANT foreign port.

Are you doing a B2B (Sydney to Vancouver and a Vancouver to San Diego)? Or a one way Sydney to San Diego, with stops in Honolulu & Vancouver?

Well, either way, it should be PVSA compliant, Since your cruise starts in a foreign port and ends in a US port.

EDIT: You're taking 3 cruises? Sydney to Honolulu, Honolulu to Vancouver, and Vancouver to San Diego. But, in the eyes of the PVSA your trip is Sydney to San Diego and legal under the PVSA.

IF DCL contacts you about needing to cancel any of the legs of this B2B2B, ask to be connected with the Compliance Department. That's where the lawyers are who you can ask why.

Yes. I am taking three cruises in total. South Pacific (Sydney to Honolulu), Hawaii (Honolulu to Vancouver), and California Coast (Vancouver to San Diego).

I was thinking it was legal as like you said in the eyes of the PVSA my cruise is Sydney to San Diego. I'll ask for Compliance if any issues arise.
 
Well DCL reached out to me saying that the Honolulu to Vancouver, Vancouver to San Diego is against the PVSA. I understood that part would be against PVSA if it was all I booked. They didn't seem to be able to explain how I'm going from US to US when I start cruising from Sydney as I'm doing 3 cruises in a row.
 
Well DCL reached out to me saying that the Honolulu to Vancouver, Vancouver to San Diego is against the PVSA. I understood that part would be against PVSA if it was all I booked. They didn't seem to be able to explain how I'm going from US to US when I start cruising from Sydney as I'm doing 3 cruises in a row.
Sadly, there are cruise lines that don't "get" it. And, they do have the right to reject any B2B combos that they wish.

Yes, the Honolulu/Vancouver, Vancouver/San Diego combo is against the PVSA. Too many the powers that be can't figure out you're actually starting your cruise in Sydney (a foreign port). Since the cruise begins in a foreign port it's not even covered by the PVSA.
 
In the eyes of the PVSA, you would be boarding the ship in Honolulu and disembarking the ship in San Diego. Yes, you would already have been on the ship, but you would disembark and reboard (showing your passport and checking into your room) in the US. That means you are going from a US port to another US port without visiting a distant foreign port.

If you went from Sydney to Vancouver with a port stop in Honolulu, then from Vancouver to San Diego, you might be OK because Honolulu wasn't an origination port. I'm not sure whether intermediate stops matter if you've already boarded the ship in a non-US port.

If you went from Honolulu to Sydney, Sydney to Vancouver (without a stop in the US), and Vancouver to San Diego, you would definitely be OK, because you would stop at a distant foreign port in Sydney between the US ports.
 
I'm not sure whether intermediate stops matter if you've already boarded the ship in a non-US port.
In most cases they look at where a person gets enbarks the ship and then disembarks from THE SAME SHIP.

My feeling is that Disney is very new in the PVSA world, and they haven't figured it all out yet.
 
Sadly, there are cruise lines that don't "get" it. And, they do have the right to reject any B2B combos that they wish.

Yes, the Honolulu/Vancouver, Vancouver/San Diego combo is against the PVSA. Too many the powers that be can't figure out you're actually starting your cruise in Sydney (a foreign port). Since the cruise begins in a foreign port it's not even covered by the PVSA.
They're not starting the cruise to San Diego in Sydney, they're starting the cruise to Hawaii in Sydney. They will have to clear customs in Hawaii and maybe even have to take luggage off.
 
In the eyes of the PVSA, you would be boarding the ship in Honolulu and disembarking the ship in San Diego. Yes, you would already have been on the ship, but you would disembark and reboard (showing your passport and checking into your room) in the US. That means you are going from a US port to another US port without visiting a distant foreign port.
I get what you're saying about getting off and checking in again but I could say the same argument could be made as I am getting off and back on in Vancouver which is outside of the US. The PVSA doesn't look at individual cruises from my understanding, its your original embarkation port to your final disembarkation port which in my case would be Australia to US.
 
They're not starting the cruise to San Diego in Sydney, they're starting the cruise to Hawaii in Sydney. They will have to clear customs in Hawaii and maybe even have to take luggage off.
yes you are correct in your thought but then if you look at all my cruises they are as follows

Sydney cruising to Hawaii
Hawaii cruising to Canada
Canada cruising to San Diego

none of those are US to US. To my understanding the PVSA looks at where you originally embarked and where your final disembarkation port was.
 
yes you are correct in your thought but then if you look at all my cruises they are as follows

Sydney cruising to Hawaii
Hawaii cruising to Canada
Canada cruising to San Diego

none of those are US to US. To my understanding the PVSA looks at where you originally embarked and where your final disembarkation port was.
As I understand it the foreign port has to be a stop between US cities, that is why Cartagena is a stop for all coast to coast Panama Canal cruises. You are entering the US from a foreign port after you leave Sydney not starting in and ending in a US port.
 
As I understand it the foreign port has to be a stop between US cities, that is why Cartagena is a stop for all coast to coast Panama Canal cruises. You are entering the US from a foreign port after you leave Sydney not starting in and ending in a US port.
Right and the PVSA only governs US to US
 
As I understand it the foreign port has to be a stop between US cities, that is why Cartagena is a stop for all coast to coast Panama Canal cruises. You are entering the US from a foreign port after you leave Sydney not starting in and ending in a US port.
Yes, departing from Sydney the cruise is beginning in a foreign port, and therefore, the PVSA does not apply.
 
Which is Hawaii to San DIego. It's not a Sydney to San DIego with stops in Hawaii and Vancouver.

And it ends in Hawaii.
But it's not a Hawaii to San Diego with stops in Vancouver cruise either. You keep separating the Sydney to Honolulu cruise as individual but you don't separate the Honolulu to Vancouver and Vancouver to San Diego as two cruises when trying to make your point which is confusing. It seems like you're trying to say that the PVSA looks at the start and end of your cruise but only the US to US part but that's not my entire cruise.
 
But it's not a Hawaii to San Diego with stops in Vancouver cruise either. You keep separating the Sydney to Honolulu cruise as individual but you don't separate the Honolulu to Vancouver and Vancouver to San Diego as two cruises when trying to make your point which is confusing. It seems like you're trying to say that the PVSA looks at the start and end of your cruise but only the US to US part but that's not my entire cruise.
Vancouver is not a foreign port it's still N. America. When they do the Panama Canal they have to stop in South America (Columbia) which is the foreign port. You're leaving a foreign port going to the US with no other foreign ports involved.
 
Vancouver is not a foreign port it's still N. America.
Vancouver is a foreign port. It's not a DISTANT foreign port under the PVSA, but it's a near foreign port.

Sydney would be a distant foreign port, if it mattered, which it doesn't because the PVSA looks at the TOTAL B2B2B cruise - where OP is embarking and disembarking - Sydney & San Diego. A cruise beginning in a distant foreign port would not fall under the requirements of the PVSA. Just like a Vancouver to San Diego cruise would be legal.
 
Vancouver is not a foreign port it's still N. America. When they do the Panama Canal they have to stop in South America (Columbia) which is the foreign port. You're leaving a foreign port going to the US with no other foreign ports involved.
The Panama Canal is also ONE long cruise. You're comparing one cruise to two individual cruises which is 2/3 of my total plan
 

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