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Help - Important question

patsfantb12goat

By patsfantb12goat,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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joteacher

joteacher

Posted
Posted
We are leaving this Saturday and my husband has a work emergency which means he can't get on the ship Saturday. Our option is for him to fly into Saint Thomas. Will NCL let him board the ship in Saint Thomas so he can join us?

 

Yes, but let them know. We missed the plane a few years ago because of a snowstorm and caught up with the ship in Belize. Fortunately, we had insurance to cover the delay. If you have insurance, it should cover this, also.

~Joanne

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted (edited)

Although a few years ago NCL might have let him join the cruise in St. Thomas, cruise lines are now reluctant to permit this on closed loop cruises. NCL will be required to submit a revised manifest to USCBP prior to arrival back at the ship's home port, and USCBP now requires the ship to undergo more thorough clearance procedures when this happens. The result will be significant delays in passenger disembarkation, which creates a problem for both the passengers (the possibility of missed airline flights) and the cruise line (delays in allowing the next cruise passengers to embark).

 

Call NCL...but my guess is they're not going to permit it.

 

PS: Before anyone says this wouldn't be permitted regardless because it would create a PVSA violation, it does not. The US Virgin Islands are exempt from PVSA restrictions on foreign flagged ships transporting passengers on open jaw cruises from one US port to another without calling on a distant foreign port. It is legal for a passenger to board in St. Thomas and disembark in Miami, Port Canaveral, New York City or elsewhere. However it wouldn't surprise me if the person you speak to at NCL claims it would be a "Jones Act" violation, simply because they're not very well educated about these issues...and it's not the "Jones Act" anyway, it's the PVSA that applies to passenger transportation. The Jones Act applies to cargo.

Edited by njhorseman
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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted
Thanks!

 

Called NCL and they were very helpful and this is no problem they said. Great customer service!!

 

Get this approval in writing. If you don't you risk your husband being denied boarding in St. Thomas. Never trust what a telephone customer service rep tells you.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
I'm thinking because the citizens of St Thomas are US residents, there is no problem with the husband joining the ship there.

 

njhorseman is spot on in all counts, including getting written permission.

 

The fact that the USVI citizens are US residents has nothing to do with whether or not "downstream" boarding would be allowed. As stated, it all has to do with the need to submit a revised passenger manifest to CBP, regardless of whether the change in the manifest (adding a passenger) happens at a US port or a foreign port, and the different ways CBP handles closed loop or open jaw cruises at the disembarkation process.

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted

By the way, your husband will need a valid passport, passport card, enhanced drivers license or other WHTI-compliant document in order to take the cruise. As he will not be taking a closed loop cruise he can't use a birth certificate and drivers license as his citizenship and ID documentation. I should have included this information in my first post, but it slipped my mind.

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joteacher

joteacher

Posted
Posted
Although a few years ago NCL might have let him join the cruise in St. Thomas, cruise lines are now reluctant to permit this on closed loop cruises. NCL will be required to submit a revised manifest to USCBP prior to arrival back at the ship's home port, and USCBP now requires the ship to undergo more thorough clearance procedures when this happens. The result will be significant delays in passenger disembarkation, which creates a problem for both the passengers (the possibility of missed airline flights) and the cruise line (delays in allowing the next cruise passengers to embark).

 

Call NCL...but my guess is they're not going to permit it.

 

PS: Before anyone says this wouldn't be permitted regardless because it would create a PVSA violation, it does not. The US Virgin Islands are exempt from PVSA restrictions on foreign flagged ships transporting passengers on open jaw cruises from one US port to another without calling on a distant foreign port. It is legal for a passenger to board in St. Thomas and disembark in Miami, Port Canaveral, New York City or elsewhere. However it wouldn't surprise me if the person you speak to at NCL claims it would be a "Jones Act" violation, simply because they're not very well educated about these issues...and it's not the "Jones Act" anyway, it's the PVSA that applies to passenger transportation. The Jones Act applies to cargo.

 

Wouldn't this situation be similar to someone missing a plane connection and having to meet up with the ship at one of the ports (like we had to)? Are you saying that this is no longer allowed? Just curious....:confused:

~Joanne

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
Wouldn't this situation be similar to someone missing a plane connection and having to meet up with the ship at one of the ports (like we had to)? Are you saying that this is no longer allowed? Just curious....:confused:

~Joanne

 

Sometimes they allow this, particularly if they arranged the air travel, or if a significant number of passengers missed the ship due to major weather disruptions, but over the last couple of years, they have tightened up on not allowing this.

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted (edited)
Wouldn't this situation be similar to someone missing a plane connection and having to meet up with the ship at one of the ports (like we had to)? Are you saying that this is no longer allowed? Just curious....:confused:

~Joanne

 

As chengkp75 said, they will allow it under certain circumstances. To give you an example of a relatively recent situation where NCL did allow passengers to board at a port of call, a year or two ago a busload of passengers coming from New England on an NCL-sponsored transfer got caught in a traffic jam in NY caused by unexpected street demonstrations, and missed the Breakaway's departure to Bermuda. NCL assisted the passengers in making air arrangements to meet the ship in Bermuda. Of course only those passengers holding passports could fly to Bermuda and meet the ship there.

Edited by njhorseman
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peg013

peg013

Posted
Posted (edited)
FYI some folks this past January boarded the Escape in St. Thomas. A couple of years ago was in Columbia where some folks boarded the Sun.

 

Don't forget the crew and/or entertainment sometimes board during the course of the cruise too. I've seen many board in San Juan, Puerto Rico on cruises out of NYC.

Edited by peg013
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SPB in da RVA

SPB in da RVA

Posted
Posted
Thanks!

 

Called NCL and they were very helpful and this is no problem they said. Great customer service!!

 

Not trying to bust your chops here at all but why didn't you just do that in the first place. Nothing anyone says here counts anyway in this type of issue. All that matters is what NCL tells you.

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NMLady

NMLady

Posted
Posted
We are leaving this Saturday and my husband has a work emergency which means he can't get on the ship Saturday. Our option is for him to fly into Saint Thomas. Will NCL let him board the ship in Saint Thomas so he can join us?

 

Was he able to do it?? Or was the NCL phone rep wrong?

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esm54687

esm54687

Posted
Posted
We are leaving this Saturday and my husband has a work emergency which means he can't get on the ship Saturday. Our option is for him to fly into Saint Thomas. Will NCL let him board the ship in Saint Thomas so he can join us?

 

Not to be a jerk here but you came out here and everyone jumped to help and give thoughts.... common courtesy would be for you to let everyone know in case they have a similar incident.... just saying

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Sissaaaaaa

Sissaaaaaa

Posted
Posted
Not trying to bust your chops here at all but why didn't you just do that in the first place. Nothing anyone says here counts anyway in this type of issue. All that matters is what NCL tells you.

 

The phone reps are not always right. It's a huge problem.

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