Jones Act for Dummies...like me =O

[going to see the world]

Does it exist? I just don't get it, lol.

 

Looking to book a back to back at some point and I don't want it to not work.

[Bunkie103]

Yes, it definitely exists. Someone who was supposed to be on our Alaska cruise had to cancel because of it. Not sure EXACTLY how it works, so I don't want to give you false information. When this person initially booked all was fine and then suddenly Carnival came along and told him he couldn't do it because of the Jones Act.

[vols159]

A cruise line cant take a american citzen from one usa port to another usa port without stopping at a distant foreign port.. its a old law prolly outdated but hey I dont make the laws i just vote for the idiots who do..

[cruisercrazy69]

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

[going to see the world]

Yes, it definitely exists. Someone who was supposed to be on our Alaska cruise had to cancel because of it. Not sure EXACTLY how it works, so I don't want to give you false information. When this person initially booked all was fine and then suddenly Carnival came along and told him he couldn't do it because of the Jones Act.

 

Ahhh...it won't let me edit it, lol.

 

I should have written that better. I meant does an explanation for dummies exist, lol~not if the act existed.

[going to see the world]

Ok...so I'm probably going to make myself look more dumb.

 

How can you go from Baltimore...to Port Canaveral?

I'm so confused.:o

[Paul Bogle]

It's really only a problem when you want to sail one way, ie end your cruise at a different american port than where you began the cruise. In this situation it is viewed as providing transportation. Foreign flagged vessels are prohibited from providing transportation between US ports.

[Paul Bogle]

Ok...so I'm probably going to make myself look more dumb.

 

How can you go from Baltimore...to Port Canaveral?

I'm so confused.:o

 

As long as you continue your voyage and either return to Baltimore or leave the ship in a foreign port it isn't a problem. If you were to accidentally miss the ship in Port Canaveral it would trigger a $300 fine to Carnival who would bill your ship account.

[nybumpkin]

Ok...so I'm probably going to make myself look more dumb.

 

How can you go from Baltimore...to Port Canaveral?

I'm so confused.:o

The way it works is that you cannot start in one US port and finish in another US port without stopping at some "distant" foreign port. The Panama canal cruises when the ships reposition from East to West Coast are okay because they include a stop at such a port. On closed-loop cruises (same port to start and end), the distant foreign port isn't required, and you can stop at a US port on the itinerary - as long as there is a foreign port (doesn't have to be distant) as one of the stops.

[AtSeaWithChris]

A cruise line cant take a american citzen from one usa port to another usa port without stopping at a distant foreign port.. its a old law prolly outdated but hey I dont make the laws i just vote for the idiots who do..

Then how can they cruise from New Orleans to Key West on the Bahamas itinerary? I've often wondered about that.

[Paul Bogle]

The way it works is that you cannot start in one US port and finish in another US port without stopping at some "distant" foreign port. The Panama canal cruises when the ships reposition from East to West Coast are okay because they include a stop at such a port. On closed-loop cruises (same port to start and end), the distant foreign port isn't required, and you can stop at a US port on the itinerary - as long as there is a foreign port (doesn't have to be distant) as one of the stops.

 

Closed loop cruises don't require any foreign ports. Carnival offered such itineraries for years from Florida to San Juan, St. Croix and St. Thomas.

 

Cruises to nowhere are likewise ok.

[mitsguy2001]

Then how can they cruise from New Orleans to Key West on the Bahamas itinerary? I've often wondered about that.

 

Because the Bahamas is a foreign port.

[Paul Bogle]

Then how can they cruise from New Orleans to Key West on the Bahamas itinerary? I've often wondered about that.

 

Passengers cannot end their cruise in Key West without triggering a fine. As long as they continue their voyage and return to where they started or get off in the Bahamas it's ok.

[mitsguy2001]

Minor nitpick: I think the law we are discussing is the Passenger Service Act, not the Jones Act. I think the Jones Act is something different.

[cruisercrazy69]

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/legal/informed_compliance_pubs/pvsa_icp.ctt/pvsa_icp.pdf

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Ok...so I'm probably going to make myself look more dumb.

 

How can you go from Baltimore...to Port Canaveral?

I'm so confused.:o

Don't worry about "looking dumb". Going from Baltimore to Port Canaveral is fine when those two cities are not endpoints. If Port Canveral, for example, is just a port of call for shore excursions to Disney World, then it's fine, as long as there's a non-US port at some other point on the cruise. Basically, any cruise, regardless of length, on a non-US flagged ship (which is almost all of them except Pride of America) must include at least one foreign port. Debarkation is not required.

 

Alaska cruises stop in Victoria for that very reason; they follow the letter of the law, but the stop is usually pretty short, in mid to late evening, which leaves no time for an extended shore excursion. As an alternative, they simply cruise from Seattle to Vancouver or vice versa.

 

For cruises with two different endpoints at US cities, it gets more complex. The ship must stop at a distant foreign port, and there are none in North America except three small islands in the Southern Caribbean. Panama Canal cruises do this to comply with the law.

[hello]

I believe it is not the Jones Act, but the Passenger Vessel Services Act that applies to cruise ships. We also had a B2B cancelled after final payment by NCL. We were to do Los Angeles - Vancouver / Vancouver - Seattle. (NCL did take care of everything for us as we had booked through them, and they acknowledged their error.)

 

I hope I am explaining it correctly ... as everyone has said if you leave and arrive at the same port -- no problem. If you leave from an American port and arrive at a different American port you must stop at a distant foreign port ... which from the East Coast would be the "ABC'S" ... Aruba, Bahama, Caribbean. The West Coast seems to be the problem, as the PVSA does not consider Mexico or Canada to be distant foreign" ports ... they are "friendly/neighbor" ports.

 

Two years later ... I'm still confused!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Does it exist? I just don't get it, lol.

 

Looking to book a back to back at some point and I don't want it to not work.

 

What is the b2b you are considering?

 

Bill

[cruisercrazy69]

I believe it is not the Jones Act, but the Passenger Vessel Services Act that applies to cruise ships. We also had a B2B cancelled after final payment by NCL. We were to do Los Angeles - Vancouver / Vancouver - Seattle. (NCL did take care of everything for us as we had booked through them, and they acknowledged their error.)

 

I hope I am explaining it correctly ... as everyone has said if you leave and arrive at the same port -- no problem. If you leave from an American port and arrive at a different American port you must stop at a distant foreign port ... which from the East Coast would be the "ABC'S" ... Aruba, Bahama, Caribbean. The West Coast seems to be the problem, as the PVSA does not consider Mexico or Canada to be distant foreign" ports ... they are "friendly/neighbor" ports.

 

Two years later ... I'm still confused!

Aruba Bonaire Curacao

[jsjjkelly]

How does the Hawaii cruise work? It starts and ends in a US port, but doesn't go to a foreign land....

 

My vote for being confused....

 

Shawn

[going to see the world]

What is the b2b you are considering?

 

Bill

 

I haven't decided yet...I'm probably being overly paranoid because I read on here a couple of times that people weren't able to do theirs. :p

[cruisercrazy69]

How does the Hawaii cruise work? It starts and ends in a US port, but doesn't go to a foreign land....

 

My vote for being confused....

 

Shawn

ensenada MX

[LHP]

To get absolutely technical....

 

it is the Passenger Vessel Services Act that is an addendum to the Jones Act that causes the problems.

 

 

Technically the Jones Act deals with CARGO, which is why it is a sacred cow.

 

However this addendum could easily be revoked IF it was a priority...which it is not.

 

 

And it is a shame because it would help multiple states like California, Alabama (Mobile would become a short cruise HUB to Key West and Tampa) and even states up the East Coast.

[southerndude39]

How does the Hawaii cruise work? It starts and ends in a US port, but doesn't go to a foreign land....

 

My vote for being confused....

 

Shawn

 

And the Pride of America, which cruises just the Hawaiian islands, is a ship registered and partially built in the US. I think the Pride of America is the only cruise ship that is US registered. All other cruise ships are foreign registered which is why the Jones Act applies.

[going to see the world]

And the Pride of America, which cruises just the Hawaiian islands, is a ship registered and partially built in the US. I think the Pride of America is the only cruise ship that is US registered. All other cruise ships are foreign registered which is why the Jones Act applies.

 

oh that makes sense