Disembarking before end of cruise

[Luckyroot]

Airfare rates are still awful trying to get back to Newark from San Juan on our repositioning cruise in October. We are considering getting off the ship the night before disembarkation in St. Thomas and staying there overnight. Flight from STT to Newark on Sunday leaves at 2:30 and cost only $149 plus taxes (vs the $399 Continental wants for a ONE WAY flight!)

 

Since we will have already stopped in a foreign port, I'm thinking there should be no problem with the Jones Act. Has anyone here ever left the ship early? How do you go about it?

[paul929207]

You need to check with the cruise line, but in sounds like you are getting on in one US port (SJ) and getting off in another (ST) without going to a distant foriegn port. If so, this is illegal.

[Luckyroot]

St. Thomas will be our 2nd to last port. We will leave NYC, stop in Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua before stopping in St. Thomas, so we will have visited 3 foreign ports.

[suncruising]

You need to check with the cruise line, but in sounds like you are getting on in one US port (SJ) and getting off in another (ST) without going to a distant foriegn port. If so, this is illegal.

 

Interesting...pricing and the law. I can figure out the pricing, airline pricing is sometimes screwy. Just out of curiosity, why is not going to a foreign port illegal? I'd think the issue would be getting off at a foreign port. Anyway, I took it as St. Thomas was their last port before San Juan and there were other foreign ports they'd visit prior.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

Interesting...pricing and the law. I can figure out the pricing, airline pricing is sometimes screwy. Just out of curiosity, why is not going to a foreign port illegal? I'd think the issue would be getting off at a foreign port. Anyway, I took it as St. Thomas was their last port before San Juan and there were other foreign ports they'd visit prior.

 

It's because of the Jone's Act or to be more precise the Cabotage Laws. It was instituted back in the day to protect American shipping (some argue it still is effective). Basically it states that if the ship was not built in the U.S., is not sailing under the stars and stripes, and does not have an American crew it cannot transport passengers from one U.S. port to another without first visiting a distant foreign port.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

You need to check with the cruise line, but in sounds like you are getting on in one US port (SJ) and getting off in another (ST) without going to a distant foriegn port. If so, this is illegal.

 

Technically you are correct but since the ports in question are St. Thomas and San Juan it looks like they will excluded from the Cabotage Law.

 

"If a passenger (as listed on a vessel passenger manifest) embarks in a U.S. port and the vessel calls in a nearby foreign port (such as Ensenada, Grand Cayman and Nassau) and then returns to the U.S., the person must disembark in the same U.S. port. A passenger who embarks and disembarks in two different U.S. ports (such as Los Angeles and San Diego) would result in the carrier (not the violator) being fined. The vessel must call in a distant foreign port before the U.S. embarkation and disembarkation ports can differ. The nearest distant foreign ports are in or off the coast of South America. If either the passenger's embarkation port or disembarkation port is in a foreign country, then the provisions of this cabotage law do not apply. Nor do they apply in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands"

[grams98]

yes, we went through this is january and st thomas is exempt from that law--but you will still have to get it proved by priness--just call them and they wll tell yu who to fax--you have to request by fax grams98

[paul929207]

St. Thomas will be our 2nd to last port. We will leave NYC, stop in Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua before stopping in St. Thomas, so we will have visited 3 foreign ports.

I believe that Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua do not qualify as "distant foriegn ports" under the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Therefore what you want to do is illegal and will likely result in a fine.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

I believe that Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua do not qualify as "distant foriegn ports" under the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Therefore what you want to do is illegal and will likely result in a fine.

 

I don't believe the cabotage laws apply to the U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. If the law does not apply there would be no legality to be concerned with but as another poster stated check with the cruise line.

[smeyer418]

I believe that Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua do not qualify as "distant foriegn ports" under the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Therefore what you want to do is illegal and will likely result in a fine.

No getting off in the the Virgin Islands is not a PSVA/Jones Act violation. The insular US possessions are considered nearby foreign ports. Getting off in any foreign port is not a PSVA violation.

The reason for this is an exemption issued by the secretary of the Treasury(pre homeland security) that is still in effect.

[paul929207]

Interesting...pricing and the law. I can figure out the pricing, airline pricing is sometimes screwy. Just out of curiosity, why is not going to a foreign port illegal? I'd think the issue would be getting off at a foreign port. Anyway, I took it as St. Thomas was their last port before San Juan and there were other foreign ports they'd visit prior.

The purpose of the PVSA is to encourage the US maritime industry. It prohibits ships from carrying passengers from one US port to another unless they meet on of two sets of conditions.

 

The first is that the ship must call on a "distant" foriegn port. For instance, to carry passengers from NYC to Miami, the closest qualifying port is Aruba.

 

The other way to qualify is the ship must be built in the US, it must be registered in the US and somewhere around 75% of the crew must be Americans. NCL learned that the crewing restriction is difficult to overcome.

[chamima]

I believe that Bermuda, St. Lucia and Antigua do not qualify as "distant foriegn ports" under the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Therefore what you want to do is illegal and will likely result in a fine.

 

Then why could the ship disembark in San Juan?

There are round trip cruises from Florida to these ports so it can't violate the Jones Act!

[rpach10115]

This is the same reason foreign flagged vessels stop in Ensenada mexico on trips to the hawaiian islands that leave from west coast ports. Since a foreign flagged ship that does the hawaii loop technically does not stop in a foreign port, they make a "service call" in ensenada mexico. This qualify's as a foreign port on the loop.

[VibeGuy]

Unless you consider yourself cargo, eliminate the use of the Jones Act in reference to passenger services. The Act in question is the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

 

Puerto Rico and the USVI are currently exempt from the PVSA restrictions. Thus this is a legal voyage.

 

As to the side discussions: voyages that depart from and return to a single US port must stop at at least one foreign port, with no restrictions on distance. See also Ensenada or Victoria.

 

Voyages from one US port to another must stop in a port outside North America, or, alternately, Aruba/Bonaire/Curaçao.

[paul929207]

Then why could the ship disembark in San Juan?

There are round trip cruises from Florida to these ports so it can't violate the Jones Act!

For a round trip to be legal, it just has to stop in any foriegn port.

[terri1020]

So Ruth, can we do it or not?

[Luckyroot]

So Ruth, can we do it or not?

 

 

LOL Not a clue. :p

[CruisinEars]

You (or your TA if you are using one) need to contact Princess and ask for a "Route Sector change". You will need to fax in your request as previously stated and Princess will get back to you with the decision. They need to take into consideration local laws and the port authorities in addition to PVSA restrictions when making these decisions.

[paul929207]

Bottom line is to contact your cruise line

[geoherb]

Even if I checked with Princess and found out it was OK, I would worry about the ship not making it to St. Thomas. Before committing to anything definite, I'd try to know what my alternatives would be if that happened.

[Pam in CA]

You (or your TA if you are using one) need to contact Princess and ask for a "Route Sector change". You will need to fax in your request as previously stated and Princess will get back to you with the decision. They need to take into consideration local laws and the port authorities in addition to PVSA restrictions when making these decisions.

This is correct. In order to disembark, they need to make sure that the local authorities can, and will, handle customs and immigration with you. When you disembark, you must go through these and the ports don't always have officials available for individuals wishing to disembark at a port that is not the final destination.

[stipmom]

Check the flights into Phl or JFK. They are much less!

[cwn]

On the Regal Princess on one or her last sailings, we were to disembark in SJ but for the same reasons of cheaper airfare home, we got off in St Thomas. We cleared the early departure with Princess before the sailing...no problem there. The ship had it in our records when we boarded. We spent 4 days in St Thomas before flying home.

 

We got off the ship after a late breakfast, picked up our rental car, returned to the dock/ship had lunch in the dinning room and got the luggage off the ship. It was all very easy and relaxed...said we should always get off a day early if we are in port....so much easier! There were no clearence formalities as we were cleared as passengers when to ship was. We did, of course, go through customs and immigration when we got back to the US mainland as always.

 

Go for it...make the arrangements with Princess before you leave on the cruise..,there is no problem.

[cwn]

Also, we have left a ship mid cruise and rejoined later. That time we left in the BVI and we did have to go through customs etc once off the ship, but it was a foriegn country. The rules are different with USVI for US citizens...no checks to get off there...just arrange for it with Princess before leaving the US.

[michigan tim]

I'm wondering what happens if you just walk off the ship with your luggage?