spongerob

Mexico. You'll be going there. Shop around. I got a great deal on a pair of crocodile boots.

I don't consider Victoria, BC to be a distant foreign port. But, In June, Princess allowed us to disembark in Victoria a day early, rather than go back to Seattle. We hadn't planned this in advance, just did it on the ship on our way to Victoria! I also used my cell phone to get a reservation at a hotel! We weren't charged anything!

That didn't violate the law since you got off in Canada. The problems arise when you are traveling between two US ports. It is even true if you combine cruises. The only thing the law cares about is where you embark, and where you disembark. If those points are located in the US, there must be a call at a distant foreign port. That is why you cannot combine repo cruises, such as Seattle-Vancouver then Vancouver-Los Angeles.

Welcome to the wonderful world of protectionist law!

The Passenger Service Act (incorrectly called the Jones Act) prevents any foreign-flagged vessel from transporting passengers between any two United States ports without first stopping at a so-called "distant foreign port". Distant ports, to keep it simple, would be in South America or further away.

To further complicate things, even on a round trip cruise, at least one foreign port (distant or otherwise) must be visited. That's why Hawaiin cruises stop at Ensenada.

I'm sure you'll get much more information than you bargained for, just because you asked. :)

As Coral mentioned, there would be a problem with PSA if you decided to disembark in San Diego. You would each be assessed a fine of $300 for the violation. Something similar happened recently on an X cruise, where a couple disembarked in SD for a family emergency, and had to pay the fine.

We were on a back to back cruise that had a rather large CC group joining the second leg. The first week we were on board, I arranged to have Skywalkers opened up for us one afternoon, with snacks and bartenders, so we could have a mid-cruise get-together.

On the appointed day, I went up to check on the preparations a few minutes before the rest of the group was slated to arrive. The waiters and bartender were setting things up, and to my surprise, quite a large group had gathered on one side of the lounge. I promptly sauntered up to the group and asked if they were here for the cocktail party.

I was met with stunned silence and a few stares.

They were the Friends of Bill W group.

As I slunk away, apologizing profusely, the waiter was putting up a sign directing us to the other side of Skywalkers.

15 Princess cruises and I cannot name one CD...

If you'd ever seem Graham trying to impress upon people with children that it's time to leave because an "adult" show is about to start, you'd remember. Most CD's I agree, you kind of wish they'd just shut up on the tannoy, but I actually tuned in to Graham's morning show for a good laugh.

Nice to see this thread still rolling.

Chalk up another keyboard to this thread...good one, Jim.

Perhaps this could become another SOE feature.

Here's how it's done on those other lines:

Carnival - Hey, you should be happy you're getting TP at all! The brand we use is called "John Wayne". It's rough, it's tough, and doesn't take any crap.

RCI - Pages from the latest catalogs are pre-torn for you, and smoothed to avoid those nasty crinkles, in the port-o-lets found within convenient walking distance of passenger cabins.

Princess - takes the idea of pampering their passengers to extremes, and provides Depends to all passengers, since you can't find the friggin' restrooms on a Grand-class ship anyway.

Celebrity - X thoughfully provides an en suite restroom butler who will take care of unrolling the required amount of product, applying the product in the manner prescribed, and disposing of it properly. Royal treatment, indeed!

Cunard - We are British and wouldn't dare discuss such things.