One way cruise

CC has helped me so much through the years with Caribbean cruises this was the only place I could think of for ideas.

This is my issue. I can't sit on a plane very long. I have always said if I went to Hawaii I'd have to take a cruise from California to see it. Well, I now don't have a choice. I have to go to Hawaii for a meeting for work. The flights to there seem tolerable. Is there a one way from Honolulu to the mainland? Which cruise line should I be looking at? Thank you.

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I have seen one-way cruises to Hawaii on RCI, but they are usually repositioning cruises when they move their ships to/from Alaska - say, Mexico to Hawaii, then Hawaii to Vancouver, or the reverse.

You will not find one-way cruises to/from California due to the PVSA.

Sorry but what is PVSA?

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CC has helped me so much through the years with Caribbean cruises this was the only place I could think of for ideas.

This is my issue. I can't sit on a plane very long. I have always said if I went to Hawaii I'd have to take a cruise from California to see it. Well, I now don't have a choice. I have to go to Hawaii for a meeting for work. The flights to there seem tolerable. Is there a one way from Honolulu to the mainland? Which cruise line should I be looking at? Thank you.

 

 

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There are several one-way from Honolulu to the west coast but they appear to be 10 day transitioning cruises so the dates are very specific. Look at Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess and Disney. They all have a cruise around the islands plus the 5 days to the west coast. Good luck!

Thank you, I didn't think of Celebrity or Disney. I don't have dates yet, it's this time of year.

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Sorry but what is PVSA?

 

 

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Vessel_Services_Act_of_1886

Basically, foreign-flagged cruise ships can't sail between two different US ports without stopping at a distant foreign port. Thus, any repo cruises are normally Mexico-Hawaii or Vancouver-Hawaii.

Either of those would be ok. I guess I did hear that. Vancouver would be ok.

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The flight back FROM Hawaii take no longer than the trip TO Hawaii...actually, it make be a shorter flight time. Ignore the time changes when figuring flight time!

Also, since it's business, see if they'll book you in Business Class....a much nicer flight than in Coach!

The flight back FROM Hawaii take no longer than the trip TO Hawaii...actually, it make be a shorter flight time. Ignore the time changes when figuring flight time!

 

Also, since it's business, see if they'll book you in Business Class....a much nicer flight than in Coach!

I know but the flights were broken up better and the returns don't leave until 10pm and go all day, I can't sleep on the plane.

I AM the (small) business so I am responsible for expenses. They don't upgrade with frequent flyer miles to Hawaii either.

The other reason I wanted to do a cruise if I ever went to Hawaii was to see other islands, not just the one you are on.

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So, when is your meeting? Does it match with the dates of the one-way cruises that have been listed?

If not, how about doing a multi-city plane with a night somewhere along the California coast line. Then taking the POA cruise around the islands and return the same way. Have you looked at Hawaiian Airlines? They have some great times returning from the islands, including late morning and early afternoon.

IE: You can fly to San Francisco, spend the night, then fly Hawaiian Airlines, attend your meeting, spend a week on the POA, fly back to some other California city, spend the night, then fly back home.

Just a suggestion.

I just returned, it is the same time of year but has been as late as April when we went out of the country. I'm going to try to find out the dates on Monday. I'm looking at all of those options. Thanks.

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There are lots of one way cruises from Hawaii to California ports (San Diego, LA, & San Fran). They just have a one day stop in Ensenada, MX on the return to fulfill the out-of-country requirements.

Whatever online cruise broker you are using, don't specify the cruise company, just the date range & "Hawaii" and you will get results for all the lines doing the itinerary during that time.

Good luck!

There are lots of one way cruises from Hawaii to California ports (San Diego, LA, & San Fran). They just have a one day stop in Ensenada, MX on the return to fulfill the out-of-country requirements.

Whatever online cruise broker you are using, don't specify the cruise company, just the date range & "Hawaii" and you will get results for all the lines doing the itinerary during that time.

Good luck!

Uh, no. There are a lot of round trip cruises from West Coast ports to Hawaii and back to the West Coast, that call at Mexico for their foreign port, but the PVSA requires an "open loop" cruise (beginning in one US port, and ending in another US port) on a foreign flag ship to call at a "distant" foreign port. Distant foreign ports do not include Canada, Mexico, Central America, or most of the Caribbean Islands. The closest "distant" foreign port is Columbia, Venezuela, or the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). Since the only US flag cruise ship is NCL's POA, and it does not go to the West Coast, there are no ships that can transport a passenger from the West Coast to Hawaii, without returning them to the same West Coast port.

Cruises from Hawaii to the West Coast are similarly banned, unless the passenger has embarked in a foreign port, most commonly Sydney on the Australia repo cruises.

Cruises that commence in a foreign port (Ensenada or Victoria/Vancouver) may call at several US ports and end in a US port like Hawaii.

Would be interested to have you list some ships/itineraries that are doing a one way Hawaii to West Coast run, any time, any line.

 

Would be interested to have you list some ships/itineraries that are doing a one way Hawaii to West Coast run, any time, any line.

If they ever where to become legal -- They would be very popular

We would love to cruise over -- spend some time and cruise back. There seems to be no desire to change the law.

There was an effort to kill the R/T cruises a few years ago - lobbied for by NCL. It had the support of Hawaiian legislators. They wanted to change the rules to required extended stays in a foreign port.

When we first started doing Hawaii R.T cruises - Ensenada was called a "technical stop" -- it happened at night. The ship would pull in, do some paperwork and pull out. No one was allowed off. May aboard were unaware that it happened.

When the effort to kill the cruises started, the lines made more of an effort to pretend Ensenada was a real port stop. They extended the stay to 4 to 6 hours and even offered a some excursions. :)

If they ever where to become legal -- They would be very popular

 

We would love to cruise over -- spend some time and cruise back. There seems to be no desire to change the law.

 

There was an effort to kill the R/T cruises a few years ago - lobbied for by NCL. It had the support of Hawaiian legislators. They wanted to change the rules to required extended stays in a foreign port.

 

When we first started doing Hawaii R.T cruises - Ensenada was called a "technical stop" -- it happened at night. The ship would pull in, do some paperwork and pull out. No one was allowed off. May aboard were unaware that it happened.

 

When the effort to kill the cruises started, the lines made more of an effort to pretend Ensenada was a real port stop. They extended the stay to 4 to 6 hours and even offered a some excursions. :)

Many use this as arguments about why the PVSA should be repealed, but it was more of a "law of unintended consequences" than anything.

NCL petitioned CBP that the "technical" stop in Ensenada violated the intent, if not the letter of the PVSA, and that the cruises should be modified to meet the intent of the law. CBP was the entity that came up with the notion of requiring the cruises to spend the majority of their time in foreign ports. This was not what NCL wanted, as their Alaska cruises would be just as impacted as everyone else's.

Unfortunately, the economics is such that foreign flag ships can offer a 14 day round trip, with a normal stop in Ensenada, for less than NCL can offer their 7 day cruises with a US flag ship. Many, many reasons for this, crew salary is just one. However, if you open coastwise shipping (which a West Coast to Hawaii domestic voyage would be under international law) to foreign ships, you open all coastwise shipping, so all ferries, and barge traffic would be eligible to be foreign flag, and none would have USCG oversight.

There is probably a way it could be modified, and not repealed. Vancouver would have been happy with the longer foreign port stays -- it would have killed Seattle's Alaska cruises and moved them all to Vancouver. At least it would have meant much longer port calls to Canadian ports.

I wonder why NCL America didn't attempt one-way west coast/Hawaii cruises when they had three U.S. flagged vessels. Maybe they figured there was't a demand for it.

There is probably a way it could be modified, and not repealed. Vancouver would have been happy with the longer foreign port stays -- it would have killed Seattle's Alaska cruises and moved them all to Vancouver. At least it would have meant much longer port calls to Canadian ports.

 

I wonder why NCL America didn't attempt one-way west coast/Hawaii cruises when they had three U.S. flagged vessels. Maybe they figured there was't a demand for it.

As soon as you open the door for one exception (allowing foreign cruise ships to make coastwise voyages), every one will petition the courts to be allowed to do the same. In our concept of equality, you cannot discriminate for one business and against another without a good constitutional reason.

A one way from the West Coast would burn more fuel than the 7 day all island itinerary. The cruises have so much overhead already with US wages and equipment/inspection costs that additional fuel cost would have driven the price to be completely uneconomical. Look at it now, the 14 day round trips from the West Coast on foreign flag ships is less than or about the same as the 7 day all island cruise. So, even with the additional fuel cost, the foreign ships are so much cheaper to operate that you get twice the cruise length for the same bucks.