Vancouver to Seward...Missed ship...

Flight delays caused my friends to miss the ship's departure in Vancouver yesterday. Celebrity says they cannot board because there are no more foreign ports and the PSVA. They are willing to pay the fine. Has this happened to anyone and were you able to board or know of someone. Did you pay the fine? Were you able to board in Ketchikan or Juneau.

This isn't a fine issue, I believe. The PVSA does not permit a foreign flag vessel to carry passengers wholly between ports in the U.S. The ship and the line would be in violation and could be in serious trouble with the U.S. authorities. This is really unfortunate for your friends. I hope that they had travel insurance.

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They had Celebrity Air which promises to get them to the next port. The FINE per the website is $300 per person.

If Celebrity is not willing to let them board then I'm afraid that's it.

Yes, the fine per each violation is $300 per passenger but if Celebrity doesn't want to put itself in a position to incur the penalty, I don't think there's much your friends can do to convince them otherwise.

They had Celebrity Air which promises to get them to the next port. The FINE per the website is $300 per person.

Hello,

Correct...that is the the fine...However, what I think a previous poster was pointing out is the fact that the fine (which is against the cruise line, not the passenger) is not the main issue. It would be the fact that Celebrity would knowingly be violating a US Federal Statute by allowing a passenger to board in another US port...something they certainly do not want to do.

BBL

This is so very, very sad. Although there may not be a resolution for your friends, you are helping others by posting this. For all of the people that fly in the day of the cruise, this is a vacationers worst nightmare. I am sure more people make it and are okay, but I would not want to be the one taking that chance. Just like I am one of those people that will never book an early flight home from the cruise.

They had Celebrity Air? please let us know how this is resolved!

We would never take a chance on making same day flight arrival reservations. Too many things could go wrong. Paying for a hotel room the night before the cruise leaves is a lot better than missing the cruise. Hopefully they can get a refund.

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It seems to me that the 1886 legislation needs to be revisited and exceptions made for cruise passengers in circumstances such as this, where there is clearly no attempt being made to circumvent the original intent of the Act.

Since they had Celebrity Air, they need to get with Celebrity for a refund for their failure to live up to the advertised benefits

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Since they had Celebrity Air, they need to get with Celebrity for a refund for their failure to live up to the advertised benefits

 

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I agree.

Please let us know how this turns out for your friends. I feel so badly for them and as other posters have said, this is the reason I fly in the day before for US and Canadian cruises and at least 2 days before a European cruise.

Well it really doesn't matter if they should have flown in a day in advance. This is what they did. I am trying to find out if anyone has been able to or know of anyone who has been able to board in these situations. Surely they are not the only ones who have had this happen to on this routing...fine or no fine.

Maybe celebrity can get them on the Infinity that departs on June 25.

A very long story but Royal Caribbean was able to do for me years ago when American Airlines went on strike. (Pre 9/11)

Alternatively I hope that they can make the most of being in Vancouver, despite the significant extra expense.

Well it really doesn't matter if they should have flown in a day in advance. This is what they did. I am trying to find out if anyone has been able to or know of anyone who has been able to board in these situations. Surely they are not the only ones who have had this happen to on this routing...fine or no fine.

I don't quite know what you are asking. You already said Celebrity told them they cannot board. No one else is going to tell you anything different. The Passenger Vessel Services Act applies to this situation.

I don't quite know what you are asking. You already said Celebrity told them they cannot board. No one else is going to tell you anything different. The Passenger Vessel Services Act applies to this situation.

We all know what the phone reps tell people CAN be different from what happens on the ship. I was looking for stories from people who either did it or know someone who did it.

Well it really doesn't matter if they should have flown in a day in advance. This is what they did. I am trying to find out if anyone has been able to or know of anyone who has been able to board in these situations. Surely they are not the only ones who have had this happen to on this routing...fine or no fine.

I'm not sure how relevant what may have happened in the past is to your friends' circumstances today. If Celebrity is currently saying "no", I very much doubt that they'll be persuaded to change their minds even if someone was able to board in the past. That said, I wish them luck.

We all know what the phone reps tell people CAN be different from what happens on the ship. I was looking for stories from people who either did it or know someone who did it.

If they board in Ketchikan or Juneau they will be going from one US port to another without a "distant" foreign port which makes it illegal. Even if there were another foreign port it wouldn't work because this is not a closed loop cruise that leaves and returns to the same port in the US. Vancouver or Victoria would not even apply because it's not a distant foreign port. It's not something for which they make exceptions. We are all telling you the truth and no matter how many times you ask the answer will be the same. Hopefully they will get their money back for the cruise and airfare.

We all know what the phone reps tell people CAN be different from what happens on the ship. I was looking for stories from people who either did it or know someone who did it.

Can't see any stories of a cruise line intentionally breaking the law to allow boarding in violation of the Act.

A Google search provides lots of links to stories of people denied boarding under the PVSA.

I am looking forward to learning of what Celebrity Air does to make it right, refund, compensation or whatever.

If they board in Ketchikan or Juneau they will be going from one US port to another without a "distant" foreign port which makes it illegal. Even if there were another foreign port it wouldn't work because this is not a closed loop cruise that leaves and returns to the same port in the US. Vancouver or Victoria would not even apply because it's not a distant foreign port. It's not something for which they make exceptions. We are all telling you the truth and no matter how many times you ask the answer will be the same. Hopefully they will get their money back for the cruise and airfare.

Here's another example. We wanted to do 2 back to back cruises. The first cruise leaves from Honolulu and ends in Vancouver. The second cruise leaves from Vancouver and ends in Seattle. Even though the second cruise begins in Vancouver we can't do the second cruise because there is no "distant" foreign port. Vancouver doesn't qualify and even though they are separate cruises if you have been on the ship since Honolulu, you have to get off and cannot reboard the same day.

If they booked a back-to-back, would Celebrity let them board in Ketchikan and stay on board on the return cruise and debark in Vancouver?

Here's another example. We wanted to do 2 back to back cruises. The first cruise leaves from Honolulu and ends in Vancouver. The second cruise leaves from Vancouver and ends in Seattle. Even though the second cruise begins in Vancouver we can't do the second cruise because there is no "distant" foreign port. Vancouver doesn't qualify and even though they are separate cruises if you have been on the ship since Honolulu, you have to get off and cannot reboard the same day.

We were just on a cruise earlier this year where some of the passengers boarded in Honolulu on the 1st leg of a B2B. Since Victoria was our last port of call, those that also sailed on that previous cruise were made to disembark there. They were not allowed to continue on to Seattle.

To address the situation for the OP, if no foreign port which to disembark, the cruise line won't allow it....just as they stated.

If the passenger bought Celebrity insurance prior to adding the Choice Air booking, the cruise cancellation would be covered.

I feel for your friends but in this case the call center reps are correct. The itinerary and the law as they currently stand will not allow boarding.

Does the ship alternate northbound southbound Alaska cruises? If so and if time and money permit, add a southbound leg and that way, their itinerary effectively becomes Ketchikan to Vancouver, a US port to a foreign port, and see if Celebrity will accept that.

If time or money does not allow a southbound leg, don't waste time trying to get on board. Their energy would be better spent on figuring out other ways to salvage their vacation and on working with Celebrity for refund and maybe some compensation.

Wish them best luck. Please keep us updated how it turns out.

We were just on a cruise earlier this year where some of the passengers boarded in Honolulu on the 1st leg of a B2B. Since Victoria was our last port of call, those that also sailed on that previous cruise were made to disembark there. They were not allowed to continue on to Seattle.

To address the situation for the OP, if no foreign port which to disembark, the cruise line won't allow it....just as they stated.

If the passenger bought Celebrity insurance prior to adding the Choice Air booking, the cruise cancellation would be covered.

Did they get back on in Seattle the next day?

It's really an obsolete law since AFAIK there are no US flagged US ships that carry passengers from a US port to a US port (other than perhaps a river boat) to protect....which is why the law was put in place in the first place.

Unfortunately, no one in government seems to care enough about this archaic law to get it repealed...

It's really an obsolete law since AFAIK there are no US flagged US ships that carry passengers from a US port to a US port (other than perhaps a river boat) to protect....which is why the law was put in place in the first place.

 

Unfortunately, no one in government seems to care enough about this archaic law to get it repealed...

Celebrity and most cruise ships are not US flagged, right?

We're about to leave from Cape Liberty, NJ and our first port is Bar Harbor, ME, so even though it is not a US flagged vessel it is going between 2 US ports (and if we happened to miss the departure, I'm sure we could catch up to the ship in Maine). But if we were REALLY late we could not join at the next port in Canada, correct?