Half cruising

Nope. Re-read post #8. FlatbushFlyer has explained well that with no entry stamp on their passport, there is going to be plenty of problem with trying to exit the country.

Also, since they wouldn't be able to take their luggage off the ship, flying one-way to USA with no luggage would definitely be a red flag at the airport.

 

Couldn't your sister simply take a land vacation in Belize during the time you will be there?

 

The ship has to be cleared by customs. You can get an entry stamp, just ask the cruise line where to go to get the entry stamp.

Save everyone the trouble, cancel and don't go.

 

What a rude post.

The ship has to be cleared by customs. You can get an entry stamp, just ask the cruise line where to go to get the entry stamp.

 

 

Customs is not immigration. Even if they are a combined agency in a particular country, getting an entry stamp will require that the passenger has complied with all of the governmental AND cruise line regulations. So, connecting with all of them beforehand (in writing for a record) is essential. Of course, you may jump through all the hoops and have the bad luck of running into an immigration agent who also has his own set of rules (not uncommon in third world countries).

 

BTW, some poster on this thread suggested that an entry stamp is not that important because countries will automatically want to get rid of "illegal immigrants." (I seem to remember that the post was removed). If nothing else, someone with no entry authorization will be detained if for no other reason than to find out where a hole in their immigration security exists.

Leaving the ship early is done occasionally. On my most recent cruise' date=' several parties left the ship in France, before it returned to Amsterdam. This was all arranged in advance, however. And it logistically would have been much easier for those people to take the ship back to Amsterdam and then catch the train to Paris. (I know several other parties who did exactly this)

 

So, yes it may be possible to leave the ship early, but make sure to work it out with the cruise line! Also, every country has their own immigration policies, so the cruise may say no simply because this is something Belize doesn't allow.[/quote']

 

Extremely misleading to compare the OP's situation to cruise travel in Europe where disembarking early is a relative non-issue as cruising from one EU member nation to another is essentially considered domestic travel. As has already be noted above, permission to sail only a portion of a round-trip cruise from the USA is very unlikely to be granted as any change in the passenger manifest will result in much higher scrutiny from ICE upon return; when you see reports from turnaround ports of one ship suffering severe delays disembarking while all other in port were routine, it is often due to ICE "working to rule" because of the unscheduled change in the passenger manifest.

 

ETA: I just now noticed some of the other posts on Page 2 of this thread and am incredulous that a Host is making the same apples-and-oranges comparison.

Edited August 24, 2015 by fishywood

Very difficult to leave and not complete a closed loop US based cruise mid way through. As referenced, the ship clears you for customs for all ports but not for immigration to or from a port of call and the US, which would be the issue here. So aside from cruise line regulations there are international rules regarding this that may prevent it.

 

A TA is also not likely the authority with these matters and the last person I would consult. You can only get a firm answer - and possible permission - by contacting both the cruise line and Belize immigration departments in advance. And any permission to do so would have to be in writing, and agreed to and approved by both the port of call and the cruise line prior to boarding.

 

There is one way that at least at one time would allow this - and we know of a couple first hand who many years ago did something similar. With the necessary permissions, they purchased two complete closed loop cruises and disembarked in Barbados, spent a week vacationing there, then reboarded the same ship the following week and completed the closed loop requirement in that manner. But it was very expensive and they did not return to (in this case) Puerto Rico (or the US) by air but by ship.

Edited August 24, 2015 by leaveitallbehind

Have you thought of cancelling, rebooking in the off wedding(and cruise off season), when your relatives can enjoy a stress free family vacation? Beiize City is a third world place, not somewhere to be stranded. Do NOT rely on a travel agent for opinion on this I do not know if is considered a distant port. All this comes down to Maritime law which the ship has to follow or suffer a big fine. And your relative could be stranded too..Lots of cruises down here. Why take a risk?

People do occasionally leave early for a variety of reasons but pay for the full passage.

Get your travel agent to check on it for you ... or call your cruise line directly.

 

LuLu

 

LuLu,

 

You were right! My sister called Norwegian and it was no problem. We are all set! Thanks to everyone, I spent a few hours stressing out, but in the end, the advice to call direct was the best way to go! Gracias, mi amigos!:)

Have you thought of cancelling, rebooking in the off wedding(and cruise off season), when your relatives can enjoy a stress free family vacation? Beiize City is a third world place, not somewhere to be stranded. Do NOT rely on a travel agent for opinion on this I do not know if is considered a distant port. All this comes down to Maritime law which the ship has to follow or suffer a big fine. And your relative could be stranded too..Lots of cruises down here. Why take a risk?

 

I feel like if I cancel, then I will still not have gone on a cruise this time next year. Not sure if November in Chicago is considered wedding season! When is off-season for cruising, I thought it was fall? Iit seems like every Saturday, SOMEONE is getting married!! No worries, Norwegian has worked it out for us. Thanks for your help though!

LuLu,

 

You were right! My sister called Norwegian and it was no problem. We are all set! Thanks to everyone, I spent a few hours stressing out, but in the end, the advice to call direct was the best way to go! Gracias, mi amigos!:)

 

I hope you got that permission in writing and that it is from a supervisor of some sort. Verbal answers from some cruise line rep answering the phone is not dependable.

I hope you got that permission in writing and that it is from a supervisor of some sort. Verbal answers from some cruise line rep answering the phone is not dependable.

 

Quite true.

Boy I hate to come back just to rain on your parade again (especially as my earlier post may be proven wrong :o). But I went through a very similar situation with NCL. The call center operator can only tell you it is possible in the sense that the answer is either yes or no. Deviations such as this must be approved by someone well up the chain and you must have proof in writing to show when you board. Unless the person you spoke to clearly said that they were sending your request for deviation to the proper department (or you somehow managed to speak to a supervisor on first request in the evening) nothing has been accomplished other than being told what you want to hear.

Edited August 25, 2015 by fishywood

Have you thought of cancelling, rebooking in the off wedding(and cruise off season), when your relatives can enjoy a stress free family vacation? Beiize City is a third world place, not somewhere to be stranded. Do NOT rely on a travel agent for opinion on this I do not know if is considered a distant port. All this comes down to Maritime law which the ship has to follow or suffer a big fine. And your relative could be stranded too..Lots of cruises down here. Why take a risk?

 

The OP's plan will NOT violate the PVSA.

LuLu,

 

You were right! My sister called Norwegian and it was no problem. We are all set! Thanks to everyone, I spent a few hours stressing out, but in the end, the advice to call direct was the best way to go! Gracias, mi amigos!:)

 

Like I said ...

 

Before you throw the trip in the trash, understand that most of these people are telling you what they think, not what they know. We went through this with the PVSA. People posted what they thought, not what they knew.

 

1) Contact the cruise line, see what they say.

Customs is not immigration.

 

I never said that they were.

 

Even if they are a combined agency in a particular country, getting an entry stamp will require that the passenger has complied with all of the governmental AND cruise line regulations.

 

So even you admit that it is possible to get an entry stamp when arriving by ship, which was my point exactly.

I hope you got that permission in writing and that it is from a supervisor of some sort. Verbal answers from some cruise line rep answering the phone is not dependable.

 

This is one of the few posts on this thread that I agree with.

I know it is a different cruise line, but Azamaraa says that if you need leave your voyage early it is important to submit your request well in advance of your departure date. "Various domestic and international laws govern the ability to join or depart from a voyage in progress based on ship's itinerary and guest's citizenship. Your advance request will enable us to tell you whether your proposed schedule change is permitted."

" Some governments impose fines or other charges when a guest permanently debarks from a voyage before its final port of call, and the departing guest will be responsible for these charges."

They also have cut off dates for making the request.

So, definitely contact the cruise line ASAP to see if it is permissible and if there are any fines to be paid.

And, I agree, get it in writing! Edited August 25, 2015 by DebJ14