PSVA Query - Celebrity Solstice

Hey guys,

After some clarification and/or verification on the PSVA rules.

My wife and myself are booking on the Celebrity Solstice's Honolulu - Sydney reposition cruise next year (October 2018). We decided we wanted to visit Vancouver and basically do back-to-back on the Solstice from Vancouver to Sydney.

Our travel agent has informed us that this breaches the PSVA rules, but I can't find any examples for our scenario saying it does breach the rules (plenty examples of US to US ports).

We have a hold on a Carnival Legend cabin doing the Vancouver - Honolulu leg a week earlier, but would prefer to spend more time in Vancouver this time.

Basically, I want to know would back-to-back cruises of Vancouver - Honolulu then Honolulu - Sydney on the Solstice breach PSVA policy?

Cheers!

Oz

Hello,

Your TA has misinformed you. The PVSA is not applicable to either of those cruises, either as single cruises or as a B2B. No violation...which is why you couldn't find any examples !! :D Book it (through someone else) and enjoy !

The PVSA applies to cruises that start in one US port and end in a different US port without calling at a distant foreign port.

BBL

Thanks!

In this case, I do not hold the TA too much to account on this one as she was misinformed by her wholesaler and she was just the messenger.

But glad my own understanding of the rules was correct.

Cheers,

Oz

Hello,

 

Your TA has misinformed you. The PVSA is not applicable to either of those cruises, either as single cruises or as a B2B. No violation...which is why you couldn't find any examples !! :D Book it (through someone else) and enjoy !

 

The PVSA applies to cruises that start in one US port and end in a different US port without calling at a distant foreign port.

 

BBL

I will try and find the thread from last year where someone around 40 or so people doing what you are doing had to get off the ship in Victoria and catch up with it in Seattle due to PSVA. It could have been the other way around but I would not right away say it doesn't effect you

Edit: Cruise Critic's search function appears not to be working, put in a lot of variables and came up with nothing. Just to see what's going I I put in dress code and it stated nothing could be found.

Here's one of those threads, don't know from info supplied whether it applies to you but I would definitely look into it. Apparently wasn't 40 people but 200

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2354230&highlight=Victoria%2C+BC++PSVA

I don't know what all the ports are so can't comment but I would certainly not take someone's advice either way from a cruise board. This is a case where you have to call Celebrity direct.

Thanks!

 

In this case, I do not hold the TA too much to account on this one as she was misinformed by her wholesaler and she was just the messenger.

 

But glad my own understanding of the rules was correct.

 

When you have a better understanding than your TA, I'd view that as a yellow flag and likely wouldn't use that TA again. I realize not every TA will be an expert at every single travel issue, but the PVSA isn't that complicated so it surprises me that she was relying on what her wholesaler told her, and I'd question her cruise-booking experience.

I will try and find the thread from last year where someone around 40 or so people doing what you are doing had to get off the ship in Victoria and catch up with it in Seattle due to PSVA. It could have been the other way around but I would not right away say it doesn't effect you

 

Edit: Cruise Critic's search function appears not to be working, put in a lot of variables and came up with nothing. Just to see what's going I I put in dress code and it stated nothing could be found.

 

Here's one of those threads, don't know from info supplied whether it applies to you but I would definitely look into it. Apparently wasn't 40 people but 200

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2354230&highlight=Victoria%2C+BC++PSVA

Ah, looking at that, my understanding is that people were doing B2B cruises of Honolulu to Vancouver then Vancouver to Seattle. This violated the PVSA law because it effectively became a foreign-flagged vessel transporting passengers from Honolulu to Seattle, so the passengers had to disembark in Canada (so it became US-to-foreign port) to not violate the rule.

My bracketing ports on my B2B cruises are Vancouver and Sydney, with the cruise swap occurring in Honolulu only. Neither cruise I want on the Solstice is doing a US-to-US itinerary and the itinerary overall is not US-to-US either, which is why I was questioning what we were being told.

Those other people were definitely doing, or trying to do, Honolulu to Seattle.

You are wanting Vancouver to Sydney. The itinerary is not from one US port to a different US port so as you surmised, the regulations do not apply to you.

Those other people were definitely doing, or trying to do, Honolulu to Seattle.

 

You are wanting Vancouver to Sydney. The itinerary is not from one US port to a different US port so as you surmised, the regulations do not apply to you.

This ** there is absolutely no breach of the PVSA because Vancouver is not a US port.

To the OP...the Legend normally sails out of Seattle, but at the end of the season the last port is Vancouver. This is no accident. To reposition the Legend to Sydney with a stop in Hawaii it must begin in a non-US port. Otherwise (per the PVSA) the ship would have to sail empty from Seattle to Hawaii.

We intend to sail on the Legend, Vancouver to Honolulu, in a couple of years. We like that several islands are visited before the "final" port of Honolulu. We can then disembark and visit our friends who live on Oahu.

Hey guys,

 

After some clarification and/or verification on the PSVA rules.

 

My wife and myself are booking on the Celebrity Solstice's Honolulu - Sydney reposition cruise next year (October 2018). We decided we wanted to visit Vancouver and basically do back-to-back on the Solstice from Vancouver to Sydney.

 

Our travel agent has informed us that this breaches the PSVA rules, but I can't find any examples for our scenario saying it does breach the rules (plenty examples of US to US ports).

 

We have a hold on a Carnival Legend cabin doing the Vancouver - Honolulu leg a week earlier, but would prefer to spend more time in Vancouver this time.

 

Basically, I want to know would back-to-back cruises of Vancouver - Honolulu then Honolulu - Sydney on the Solstice breach PSVA policy?

 

Cheers!

 

Oz

We have those exact cruises booked next year. People do a B2B with those cruises on a regular basis, so you can be confident that it is OK.

To the OP...the Legend normally sails out of Seattle, but at the end of the season the last port is Vancouver. This is no accident. To reposition the Legend to Sydney with a stop in Hawaii it must begin in a non-US port. Otherwise (per the PVSA) the ship would have to sail empty from Seattle to Hawaii.

 

We intend to sail on the Legend, Vancouver to Honolulu, in a couple of years. We like that several islands are visited before the "final" port of Honolulu. We can then disembark and visit our friends who live on Oahu.

You are suggesting that a cruise cannot stop at another US on the way to Sydney? That does not seem right as long as it is not an ending point for the cruise.

I believe what you are stating is a strategy that allows the cruise line to over two different cruises on this route. Customers can book Vancouver to Honolulu as one cruise and Honolulu to Sydney as a second cruise. Doing a B2B to make it Vancouver to Sydney.

If the cruise started in Seattle everyone would have to book it has a single cruise from Seattle to Sydney. The cruise can stop in all the Hawaiian islands, but you cannot end the cruise in Hawaii if you started in a US port. With this approach NCL would be restricting itself.

The bottom line is the PSVA policy does affect the offerings, but it is not because the cruise stops in Hawaii. It is because the ship allows people to disembark the cruise in Honolulu.

Aloha

You are suggesting that a cruise cannot stop at another US on the way to Sydney? /quote]

 

I really didn't mean that...the itinerary I cited actually stops at several US ports before Honolulu. And, as stated, the VAN>SYD booking has no involvement with the PVSA.

You are suggesting that a cruise cannot stop at another US on the way to Sydney? /quote]

 

I really didn't mean that...the itinerary I cited actually stops at several US ports before Honolulu. And, as stated, the VAN>SYD booking has no involvement with the PVSA.

True, but neither would a Seattle to Sydney booking if it was a single cruise without people disembarking at a different US port. At least based on my understanding.

Just off Solstice and there were a lot of B2b guests going from Vancouver to Hawaii then on to Sydney. We met one couple that did the prior leg from Seattle to Vancouver however, they had to disembark (completely check out of their cabin) in Victoria and begin again in Vancouver.

Just off Solstice and there were a lot of B2b guests going from Vancouver to Hawaii then on to Sydney. We met one couple that did the prior leg from Seattle to Vancouver however, they had to disembark (completely check out of their cabin) in Victoria and begin again in Vancouver.

Were they going to Honolulu or Sydney? must have been Honolulu as that wouldn't be necessary if they were staying on until Sydney

Thank you all for your assistance and answers.

Have now successfully booked on the Solstice for the Vancouver to Honolulu leg in the exact same cabin as our Honolulu to Sydney leg: C2 on the hump angle giving us a deeper balcony.

More time around Vancouver and the ship we wanted all the way...the Wife Acceptance Factor has gone up by a scale of about 1,000 :D

Were they going to Honolulu or Sydney? must have been Honolulu as that wouldn't be necessary if they were staying on until Sydney

Right. one particular couple was disembarking in HNL and boarded in SEA.

I have to give you credit for not calling it the 'Jones Act' .

We met a few couples also doing B2B cruises and some had started in Seattle with the Alaskan cruise and were continuing on straight to Australia. They had to get off the ship in Honolulu and start the boarding procedure again however the luggage could stay on.

That's a different issue having to do with Customs/Immigration and exiting the US.