Help with B2B cancellation

[2Scots]

Booked and paid for a B2B on Ovation: Sept 29- Oct 6 (last AK cruise) + Oct 6 -15 (first leg of TP to SYD stopping off in Hawaii).

Got an email from RCI yesterday saying we must drop one leg or add another leg to satisfy some obscure maritime law. And they are saying we must decide what to do by 7/14- that's only 1 week !! Even though they let us book and pay months ago..

We recently made Diamonds and this was our first B2B.. Really Disappointed. 

Wondering if anyone else has ever encountered something like this?

They are offering full refund of course but this messed up our whole AK/HI dream trip!

 

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, 2Scots said:

Booked and paid for a B2B on Ovation: Sept 29- Oct 6 (last AK cruise) + Oct 6 -15 (first leg of TP to SYD stopping off in Hawaii).

Got an email from RCI yesterday saying we must drop one leg or add another leg to satisfy some obscure maritime law. And they are saying we must decide what to do by 7/14- that's only 1 week !! Even though they let us book and pay months ago..

We recently made Diamonds and this was our first B2B.. Really Disappointed. 

Wondering if anyone else has ever encountered something like this?

They are offering full refund of course but this messed up our whole AK/HI dream trip!

 

This is standard, happens twice a year.  Unfortunately you must add a leg or cancel one, no other options. 

 

You cannot start a cruise in one US port and end in a different port without visiting a distant foreign port and the nearest distant foreign port is in South America. 

 

Book the Akaska cruise on a different ship snd dpend a day or two in Vancouver / Seattle before boarding your cruise yo HNL 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Ourusualbeach

[mo&fran]

If that cruise added the next cruise to Australia  for a B3B, then that would be legal?

[Ourusualbeach]

1 minute ago, mo&fran said:

If that cruise added the next cruise to Australia  for a B3B, then that would be legal?

Yes, then you start in a US port snd end in a foreign port...no issues. 

[crzndeb]

52 minutes ago, 2Scots said:

Booked and paid for a B2B on Ovation: Sept 29- Oct 6 (last AK cruise) + Oct 6 -15 (first leg of TP to SYD stopping off in Hawaii).

Got an email from RCI yesterday saying we must drop one leg or add another leg to satisfy some obscure maritime law. And they are saying we must decide what to do by 7/14- that's only 1 week !! Even though they let us book and pay months ago..

We recently made Diamonds and this was our first B2B.. Really Disappointed. 

Wondering if anyone else has ever encountered something like this?

They are offering full refund of course but this messed up our whole AK/HI dream trip!

 

This is due to Passenger Vessel Service Act, although reps still refer to it as Jones act, which is cargo. There are literally hundreds of threads on this and always seems to happen on the repos to Australia. People want to do both Alaska and Hawaii. Changing to a ship that starts in Vancouver for Alaska, change ship out of Seattle for Alaska leg, or add the TP to Australia are your choices. And they should have told this when you booked.

Edited July 8, 2023 by crzndeb

[gmerick]

Move your first leg to Quantum 

09/25/2023

Quantum Of The Seas

Seattle  Vancouver

7

 

Keep your second leg on Ovation

10/06/2023

Ovation Of The Seas

Vancouver  Honolulu

9

[swoopy2110]

This seems like a very outdated law.

[smokeybandit]

1 minute ago, swoopy2110 said:

This seems like a very outdated law.

Yes and no. It's basis is still valid in many ways, but, not for many cruising scenarios.

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

This seems like a very outdated law.

American unions want to protect union workers. It wouldnt be repealed. It's about union workers. 

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

American unions want to protect union workers. It wouldnt be repealed. It's about union workers. 

And even if was going to change (aligned it likely won't) wouldn't happen in time to help OP.

[Jasukkie]

If you do a search on the subject you will find posts about this last year regarding Radiance of the Seas. Hawaii to Vancouver and Vancouver to Los Angeles was a no go for back to back. It's frustrating that their system doesn't pick this up when booking. 

[2Scots]

Thanks to everyone for your replies and ideas,  you have confirmed what we read was true: have to drop a leg or add a leg.

Our disappointment is with our TA and RCI for letting us book and fully pay for these cruises, not to mention the flights, hotel, transport,  etc...

And then to have 7 days to decide what to do or be canceled completely, really??

Anyway, we have been to Alaska three times before- was just trying  to do something different. 

So even though we were just on the SYD-HNL TP in April on Ovation,  we are booking the HNL-SYD TP return trip on the 15th and then a B2B on the 7 night South Pacific Cruise. 

"Keep on cruizing" LOL 😄

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SPacificbound]

29 minutes ago, 2Scots said:

Thanks to everyone for your replies and ideas,  you have confirmed what we read was true: have to drop a leg or add a leg.

Our disappointment is with our TA and RCI for letting us book and fully pay for these cruises, not to mention the flights, hotel, transport,  etc...

And then to have 7 days to decide what to do or be canceled completely, really??

Anyway, we have been to Alaska three times before- was just trying  to do something different. 

So even though we were just on the SYD-HNL TP in April on Ovation,  we are booking the HNL-SYD TP return trip on the 15th and then a B2B on the 7 night South Pacific Cruise. 

"Keep on cruizing" LOL 😄

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's making lemonade out of lemons, enjoy!

[JamesEM]

Thanks for the heads up, I was considering booking this same cruise. 

[MortenP]

We got the same email as @2Scots, the only difference is, that we are on Quantum B2B (Seattle > Vancouver | Vancouver > Honolulu). Unfortunately had no clue about this PVST law before now (we are from Europe). RCCL haven't said a word about this issue when booking the cruises..... 

 

Quantum have an overnight stay in Vancouver. Do you guys know, if you can "get around" this rule with one of the following options:

#1 Disembark the ship. Stay overnight at a hotel in Vancouver, Embark the ship the next day?

#2 Disembark the ship. Rent a car, drive to US territories get passport stamped. Drive back to Vancouver and embark the ship again.

#3 We also have the option to get off the ship one day earlier in Victoria, Canada and the re-join the ship in Vancouver the next day.

 

Hope you are able to help us foreigners :)

Thanks in advance

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, MortenP said:

We got the same email as @2Scots, the only difference is, that we are on Quantum B2B (Seattle > Vancouver | Vancouver > Honolulu). Unfortunately had no clue about this PVST law before now (we are from Europe). RCCL haven't said a word about this issue when booking the cruises..... 

 

Quantum have an overnight stay in Vancouver. Do you guys know, if you can "get around" this rule with one of the following options:

#1 Disembark the ship. Stay overnight at a hotel in Vancouver, Embark the ship the next day?

#2 Disembark the ship. Rent a car, drive to US territories get passport stamped. Drive back to Vancouver and embark the ship again.

#3 We also have the option to get off the ship one day earlier in Victoria, Canada and the re-join the ship in Vancouver the next day.

 

Hope you are able to help us foreigners 🙂

Thanks in advance

No you cannot "get around" the pvsa by doing any of those.

 

 

 

 

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

It's frustrating that their system doesn't pick this up when booking. 

At least they are catching it now. On one Ovation Hawaii-Vancouver repo (with onward to Seattle) the customers affected by PVSA were notified on the sailing. RCI disembarked the customers in Victoria (last stop before Vancouver), put them in a hotel and got them to Vancouver the next day for a legal onward sailing.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, MortenP said:

#3 We also have the option to get off the ship one day earlier in Victoria, Canada and the re-join the ship in Vancouver the next day.

Welcome to CC.

 

This would work if RCI would allow for an early downline disembarkation - as of now, the answer to that is usually a no.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Biker19

[crzndeb]

10 hours ago, 2Scots said:

So even though we were just on the SYD-HNL TP in April on Ovation,

I was also on this one, but embarked on Mar 27, and went all the way home to Seattle. Luckily I could do that, since I got on the ship in Sydney.

[MeHeartCruising]

What's sad about this situation is that it would not be a huge issue for Royal Caribbean's database/website designers to design logic to prevent this from happening at the time of (attempted) booking of the second cruise.  But, as we all know, they seem to be challenged in the IT department.

 

I feel bad for you folks needing to jump thru hoops (and potentially experience unexpected costs) due to Royal Caribbean's desire to not spend money to fix the issue.

[pcur]

17 hours ago, gmerick said:

Move your first leg to Quantum 

09/25/2023

Quantum Of The Seas

Seattle  Vancouver

7

 

Keep your second leg on Ovation

10/06/2023

Ovation Of The Seas

Vancouver  Honolulu

9

Excellent suggestion. Also, RCCL will transfer you to the new ship's dock at no charge.  In FL, they will transfer you to/from POM and PE.

[ONECRUISER]

13 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

If you do a search on the subject you will find posts about this last year regarding Radiance of the Seas. Hawaii to Vancouver and Vancouver to Los Angeles was a no go for back to back. It's frustrating that their system doesn't pick this up when booking. 

Agree, years of this happening posted on here where many were not notified until later near Sailing Dates

[taglovestocruise]

20 hours ago, 2Scots said:

Booked and paid for a B2B on Ovation: Sept 29- Oct 6 (last AK cruise) + Oct 6 -15 (first leg of TP to SYD stopping off in Hawaii).

Got an email from RCI yesterday saying we must drop one leg or add another leg to satisfy some obscure maritime law. And they are saying we must decide what to do by 7/14- that's only 1 week !! Even though they let us book and pay months ago..

We recently made Diamonds and this was our first B2B.. Really Disappointed. 

Wondering if anyone else has ever encountered something like this?

They are offering full refund of course but this messed up our whole AK/HI dream trip!

 

Yes it happened to us last year.  We kept the Ovation reservation and switched the second leg over to Quantum which leaves Vancouver three days later. On our roll call for that Ovation sailing there were several people also in the same boat. Seems like it happens every year to several people trying to do a B2B Seattle to Hawaii. Even though it is two sailings the US regulators consider it one sailing Seattle to Honolulu which is forbidden.

[MortenP]

If I understand this PVSA law and the discussion in this thread correct (and please correct me) - then changing ship in Vancouver is the key to combine Alaska with Hawaii?

 

Combination example:

- Cruise #1, Alaska: Seattle > Vancouver with e.g. Princess

- Walk fra cruise #1 to cruise #2 (no overnight stay in Vancouver)

- Cruise #2, Hawaii: Vancouver > Honolulu with e.g. Royal

[Ourusualbeach]

45 minutes ago, MortenP said:

If I understand this PVSA law and the discussion in this thread correct (and please correct me) - then changing ship in Vancouver is the key to combine Alaska with Hawaii?

 

Combination example:

- Cruise #1, Alaska: Seattle > Vancouver with e.g. Princess

- Walk fra cruise #1 to cruise #2 (no overnight stay in Vancouver)

- Cruise #2, Hawaii: Vancouver > Honolulu with e.g. Royal

Correct.

 

For any combination of sailings on then same ship the CBSA only looks st your point of embarkation and point of debarcation to determine the validity of your cruise, not that in reality they are separate cruises.