LoganTheCruiser Posted December 15, 2023 #1 Share Posted December 15, 2023 I'm trying to find a cruise that departs from the USA and returns to the USA and doesn't stop in any other countries. Was hoping for a Seattle to Alaska cruise, but they all stop in Victoria BC. Was hoping for a Seattle to Hawaii cruise, but they all seem to leave or return to Vancouver. I have a friend from Ukraine who is here on parole status and cannot leave the USA for a couple of years per the conditions of the parole so they can attain permanent residence here. So I'm trying to find a cruise that would work for them for us to go on together that doesn't involve any international stops and thus no customs upon returning. I did an Alaska cruise back during COVID and they removed the Victoria BC stop because Canada was closed. That was perfect because there was no customs when we got back to Seattle as a result. Is anyone aware of any options? Even just a short 3-day to Coco Cay wouldn't work because Coco Cay is technically considered the Bahamas and you have customs upon arrival back in Florida (as stupid as that is). I even spoke with a Port Canaveral CBP officer about this and they said while it's a "very low risk" that my friend would have a problem re-entering with the status they have, there's no guarantees and it's always up to the individual discretion of whatever CBP officer you happen to be standing in front of. That's just not a risk they can take, however low. So I'm trying my best to find something domestic with no customs upon return. Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasukkie Posted December 16, 2023 #2 Share Posted December 16, 2023 I wouldn't risk it, and no, they don't exist in scheduled form due to the passenger vessel laws that have been around for a long time. The Seattle to Seattle cruises were a special exception permitted by Congress due to the economic impact of the pandemic on Alaska. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted December 16, 2023 #3 Share Posted December 16, 2023 (edited) Generaly there are not because of the PVSA which requires a stop at a foreign port but there are Hawaii cruises on NCL that have an exception so they depart from Hawaii and return to Hawaii without a foreign port. Edited December 16, 2023 by Charles4515 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GimmeOcean Posted December 16, 2023 #4 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Yeah, wouldn’t risk it. Go somewhere else until they get their permanent residence status and then take a celebratory cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerick Posted December 16, 2023 #5 Share Posted December 16, 2023 One does not NEED a passport for a lot of cruising. US News just posted this. Go to Bermuda, Bahamas, and much of the Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoganTheCruiser Posted December 16, 2023 Author #6 Share Posted December 16, 2023 4 minutes ago, gmerick said: One does not NEED a passport for a lot of cruising. US News just posted this. Go to Bermuda, Bahamas, and much of the Caribbean. Thanks, but it also says this: "Non-U.S. citizens, with the exception of Canadians and Mexicans, are not subject to passport exceptions, so a valid passport will need to be provided." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoganTheCruiser Posted December 16, 2023 Author #7 Share Posted December 16, 2023 22 minutes ago, Charles4515 said: Generaly there are not because of the PVSA which requires a stop at a foreign port but there are Hawaii cruises on NCL that have an exception so they depart from Hawaii and return to Hawaii without a foreign port. Ah! That's right. I completely forgot about the Passenger Vessel Services Act. And because all cruise lines are registered abroad for tax reasons, that makes sense. Thank you! I will look into trying to find an NCL cruise with that exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted December 16, 2023 #8 Share Posted December 16, 2023 5 minutes ago, gmerick said: One does not NEED a passport for a lot of cruising. US News just posted this. Go to Bermuda, Bahamas, and much of the Caribbean. Do you think this applies to the OP's Ukranian friend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GimmeOcean Posted December 16, 2023 #9 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Just now, LoganTheCruiser said: Thanks, but it also says this: "Non-U.S. citizens, with the exception of Canadians and Mexicans, are not subject to passport exceptions, so a valid passport will need to be provided." And they facial scan you at customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted December 16, 2023 #10 Share Posted December 16, 2023 2 minutes ago, LoganTheCruiser said: Ah! That's right. I completely forgot about the Passenger Vessel Services Act. And because all cruise lines are registered abroad for tax reasons, that makes sense. Thank you! I will look into trying to find an NCL cruise with that exception. You can do a river cruise. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoganTheCruiser Posted December 16, 2023 Author #11 Share Posted December 16, 2023 6 minutes ago, GimmeOcean said: And they facial scan you at customs. That's okay. I shop at the same face mask store that Ethan Hunt uses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babblespeak Posted December 16, 2023 #12 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Only option I know of is the NCL Pride of America doing Hawaii cruises because it was built in the US. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted December 16, 2023 #13 Share Posted December 16, 2023 58 minutes ago, LoganTheCruiser said: Is anyone aware of any options? American Cruise Lines does both river and coastal cruises on very small ships (compared to RCI fleet). They are within the US so no passport needed. Not sure you would like the pricing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taglovestocruise Posted December 16, 2023 #14 Share Posted December 16, 2023 21 minutes ago, Babblespeak said: Only option I know of is the NCL Pride of America doing Hawaii cruises because it was built in the US. POA began its construction in America but was purchased by NCL and finished construction in Germany. POA is the ONLY American flagged cruise ship in the world, outside of river cruises. Because it is American flagged there is no PVSA requirement that it needs to stop at a foreign port doing a closed loop cruise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted December 16, 2023 #15 Share Posted December 16, 2023 American Cruise Lines, Uncruise Adventures, Alaska Dream Cruise lines all are US flagged, so they don't need to visit a foreign port, and all do Alaska cruises. NCL's Pride of America does Hawaii only cruises, as it is also US flag. There are some Lindblad/NatGeo ships that are US flag and do US domestic cruises as well. 1 hour ago, LoganTheCruiser said: Coco Cay is technically considered the Bahamas and you have customs upon arrival back in Florida (as stupid as that is). Coco Cay is not "technically" part of the Bahamas, it is part of the Bahamas. Just because a cruise line either owns or leases an island does not make it a sovereign nation. Does owning your house make it not part of the US? Here in Maine, there are quite a lot of privately owned islands, but I can assure you they are all part of the US. What is stupid about this? If you take the Bimini Resorts World ferry to Bimini and back (and that is only 50 miles from Miami, not the 140 to Coco Cay), you have to clear customs and immigration upon return. 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted December 16, 2023 #16 Share Posted December 16, 2023 3 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said: POA began its construction in America but was purchased by NCL and finished construction in Germany. POA is the ONLY American flagged cruise ship in the world, outside of river cruises. Because it is American flagged there is no PVSA requirement that it needs to stop at a foreign port doing a closed loop cruise. No, the POA is the only large US flag cruise ship. As noted above, there are 3 cruise lines that go to Alaska, or do US coastal cruises, and one cruise line that has 2 or 3 US flag expedition ships. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted December 16, 2023 #17 Share Posted December 16, 2023 1 hour ago, gmerick said: One does not NEED a passport for a lot of cruising. US News just posted this. Go to Bermuda, Bahamas, and much of the Caribbean. That only applies to US citizens. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BND Posted December 16, 2023 #18 Share Posted December 16, 2023 (edited) Um, the answer to the OP, is NO. Your friend needs to wait until their status allows them to leave the US and return. Parole status? Maybe on a probationary or pending status? Waiting for permanent status? No Royal cruise leaves and returns to the US without a distant foreign port. It's a violation of the PVSA. Otherwise as others have said, US based cruises, such as Mississippi river, Hawaii only. Edited December 16, 2023 by BND Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted December 16, 2023 #19 Share Posted December 16, 2023 1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said: POA began its construction in America but was purchased by NCL and finished construction in Germany. POA is the ONLY American flagged cruise ship in the world, outside of river cruises. Because it is American flagged there is no PVSA requirement that it needs to stop at a foreign port doing a closed loop cruise. And POA actually sank while under construction in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted December 16, 2023 #20 Share Posted December 16, 2023 11 hours ago, BND said: No Royal cruise leaves and returns to the US without a distant foreign port. I'm sure you meant near foreign port for a closed-loop cruise? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted December 16, 2023 #21 Share Posted December 16, 2023 8 hours ago, d9704011 said: I'm sure you meant near foreign port for a closed-loop cruise? The law reads FAR, but somehow Ensenada and Victoria Island are far enough. Maybe @chengkp75 can explain how these quite-near ports qualify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mscinmia Posted December 16, 2023 #22 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Being your friend is from Ukraine, she may be able to get advance parole. Most folks from Ukraine can get refugee status because of the situation there. Worth it to check with USCIS. https://www.uscis.gov/i-131 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted December 16, 2023 #23 Share Posted December 16, 2023 17 minutes ago, crystalspin said: The law reads FAR, but somehow Ensenada and Victoria Island are far enough. Maybe @chengkp75 can explain how these quite-near ports qualify... You are confusing a closed loop cruise with an open-jaw cruise. A closed loop cruise (that begins and ends at the same US port) only needs to visit any foreign port. An open jaw cruise (that begins at one US port, and ends at a different US port) is required to stop at a far distant port. A "far distant" port is defined as any port not in North or Central America, the Caribbean, Bahamas, or Bermuda. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted December 17, 2023 #24 Share Posted December 17, 2023 To be accurate the terminology used in the regulations is "distant foreign port", not "far distant port". https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2019-Sep/PVSA-ICP.pdf 19 C.F.R. § 4.80a- Coastwise transportation of passengers The CBP regulations in 19 C.F.R. § 4.80a set forth the definitions used in the enforcement of the PVSA including “coastwise port”, “nearby foreign port” and “distant foreign port”, as well as the meaning of “embark and disembark”. In addition, this section sets forth scenarios that would apply the PVSA to the transportation of passengers on noncoastwise-qualified vessels. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted December 17, 2023 #25 Share Posted December 17, 2023 On 12/15/2023 at 6:56 PM, LoganTheCruiser said: I'm trying to find a cruise that departs from the USA and returns to the USA and doesn't stop in any other countries. Was hoping for a Seattle to Alaska cruise, but they all stop in Victoria BC. Was hoping for a Seattle to Hawaii cruise, but they all seem to leave or return to Vancouver. I have a friend from Ukraine who is here on parole status and cannot leave the USA for a couple of years per the conditions of the parole so they can attain permanent residence here. So I'm trying to find a cruise that would work for them for us to go on together that doesn't involve any international stops and thus no customs upon returning. I did an Alaska cruise back during COVID and they removed the Victoria BC stop because Canada was closed. That was perfect because there was no customs when we got back to Seattle as a result. Is anyone aware of any options? Even just a short 3-day to Coco Cay wouldn't work because Coco Cay is technically considered the Bahamas and you have customs upon arrival back in Florida (as stupid as that is). I even spoke with a Port Canaveral CBP officer about this and they said while it's a "very low risk" that my friend would have a problem re-entering with the status they have, there's no guarantees and it's always up to the individual discretion of whatever CBP officer you happen to be standing in front of. That's just not a risk they can take, however low. So I'm trying my best to find something domestic with no customs upon return. Thanks for your help! “Customs” does not seem to be the issue, questions regarding re-entry involve Immigration. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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