Transatlantic question

[we"reofftoneverland]

No. It's not the Jones Act (that deals with cargo). It's the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act). It states that a foreign-flagged ship cannot transport passengers from one US port to a different US port without a stop in a DISTANT foreign port. A distant foreign port is defined as any port NOT in North America, Central America, the Bermuda Islands, or the West Indies (including the Bahama Islands, but not including the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).

Castaway Cay is not a distant foreign port.

What about the upcoming double dip 3 night on the fantasy?

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We've been able to get very good one-way fares on Iceland Air the last couple TA cruises we have done. While there are rules against booking a roundtrip ticket with the intention of flying only one way, it is difficult for the airlines to prove that was your intention when booking it - plans change all the time. And rarely do they come back after the fare difference -- I have known them to go after a Travel Agency that I worked at for it and have seen them attempt to rescind frequent flyer miles for it. But those are far and few between. So if you are going to do it, don't get a Travel Agent involved, try not to use a carrier you have frequent flyer miles with and have a story as to why you will be using the other half. (One year when we booked roundtrip Barcelona flights - from Barcelona in spring and back to Barcelona in fall; we were questioned at the airport when we were checking in why we were coming back in the fall. The true answer was that we just completed the EBTA and were coming back to do the WBTA. So since we did use the back half of the ticket, I don't know what they would have done if we didn't have a quick answer for their question and then didn't use the ticket.)

Why does it matter to airlines if you only use one leg of a roundtrip ticket?

 

[Dug720]

We took the Magic out of Miami and only stopped at Castaway Cay on our 3 night January 2016. The other day was a sea day, as planned and scheduled by Disney. I thought that meant that for our cruise CC counted as the non-US port.

What about the upcoming double dip 3 night on the fantasy?

Unless you returned to a different location then there was no need for a distant foreign port. That requirement only exists if going from one US port to another as terminal points. Such as a cruise that begins in San Juan and ends in Miami.

 

[mrcacou]

I hope this isn't hijacking this thread. I am considering the Dover to NY transatlantic cruise. For those with experience with flying one way, what is the deal with one way being so more expensive that round trip? I Googled it and still don't understand. I fly a lot domestically but almost never to Europe. I'm so tempted to buy a round trip ticket and just not use the return portion of the ticket. I see that airlines frown on that. It's incredibly more expensive to go one way. I would be grateful for advice or comments from those with experience.

We flew from NYC to Paris with Norwegian after last year WBTA. It cost us 250 USD per person.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What about the upcoming double dip 3 night on the fantasy?

It's a closed loop cruise, not a cruise that starts in one US port and ends in a different US port.

A closed loop cruise only has to have any foreign port (near or distant).

 

[CM Dad]

I'm on a Hawaii repo cruise now from Honolulu to Vancouver. That will be followed by an Alaska cruise from Vancouver to Seward. I would love to get off the ship in Seward and do an Alaska land trip, but that would violate the PVSA. Therefore, I am doing back-to-back Alaska cruises, so I will disembark in Vancouver.

So, you are doing B2B2B? I'm not a maritime lawyer and don't play one on TV either, but I thought that Hawaii-->Vancounver-->Seward would not be allowed even if you booked the Seward->Vancouver as well.

I'm not sure how much of an American passenger cruise industry they think they are protecting with this law.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So, you are doing B2B2B? I'm not a maritime lawyer and don't play one on TV either, but I thought that Hawaii-->Vancounver-->Seward would not be allowed even if you booked the Seward->Vancouver as well.

I'm not sure how much of an American passenger cruise industry they think they are protecting with this law.

No, regarding back to back cruises and the PVSA - what they look at is where the passenger embarked the ship and where that same passenger debarked the ship. As long as the two ports are not 2 different US ports, the cruise is legal. A Hawaii/Vancouver; Vancouver/Seward would not be allowed. But, if you also did the following Seward/Vancouver cruise it would be allowed. The passenger embarked in Hawaii and debarked in Vancouver.

 

[DVC Doc]

No. It's not the Jones Act (that deals with cargo). It's the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act). It states that a foreign-flagged ship cannot transport passengers from one US port to a different US port without a stop in a DISTANT foreign port. A distant foreign port is defined as any port NOT in North America, Central America, the Bermuda Islands, or the West Indies (including the Bahama Islands, but not including the Leeward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles, i.e., Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).

Castaway Cay is not a distant foreign port.

So Cartagena is the stop that allows the PC cruises to meet this requirement?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So Cartagena is the stop that allows the PC cruises to meet this requirement?

Yep. It's in South America.

On our Panama Canal cruise we stopped at Aruba (also counts as a "distant" foreign port).

 

[NancyIL]

No, regarding back to back cruises and the PVSA - what they look at is where the passenger embarked the ship and where that same passenger debarked the ship. As long as the two ports are not 2 different US ports, the cruise is legal. A Hawaii/Vancouver; Vancouver/Seward would not be allowed. But, if you also did the following Seward/Vancouver cruise it would be allowed. The passenger embarked in Hawaii and debarked in Vancouver.

So, you are doing B2B2B? I'm not a maritime lawyer and don't play one on TV either, but I thought that Hawaii-->Vancounver-->Seward would not be allowed even if you booked the Seward->Vancouver as well.

I'm not sure how much of an American passenger cruise industry they think they are protecting with this law.

As Princess Schmoo said, what matters is where you embark and where you disembark. Honolulu to Vancouver via Seward is legal, but Honolulu to Seward (with final disembarkation there) is not.

The PVSA was enacted in the late 1800s to protect American shipping interests - long before there was a passenger cruise industry as we know it.