Leave ship in one port, rejoin in another port allowed?

We are on HAL Volendam to China in October 2016. The ship has an overnight in Tianjin, then two sea days, followed my an overnight in Shanghai. We would rather take a land tour, leaving the ship in Tianjin, and reboarding in Shanghai, making our own way to Shanghai.

Does anyone know if this is allowed? We expect there would be a ships tour that would do a similar land tour, but think we may do it at less expense on our own. I wanted to get the experience of others before calling HAL. Thank you!

I'm sure I've read of people doing that on Grand Voyages, and even shorter cruises. You would need to let HAL know anyway so you might as well call them.

Good luck with your plans!

Yes, we are planning to do something similar on our 2017 WC.

We are on HAL Volendam to China in October 2016. The ship has an overnight in Tianjin, then two sea days, followed my an overnight in Shanghai. We would rather take a land tour, leaving the ship in Tianjin, and reboarding in Shanghai, making our own way to Shanghai.

 

Does anyone know if this is allowed? We expect there would be a ships tour that would do a similar land tour, but think we may do it at less expense on our own. I wanted to get the experience of others before calling HAL. Thank you!

You would have to ask HAL directly, and even then, you might need to contact the Chinese embassy. I see two areas of concern: what kind of visa you have for the cruise, and does it allow this kind of land travel, and two, China does have cabotage laws similar to the US PVSA, so depending on their law, and the port rotation your ship is on, this may run afoul of that.

If you do get mission from HAL and the Chinese -- get everything in writing!!

You or your TA, if you use one, have to get written permission from HAL. That process can take over 30 days. In our case HAL lost the first request and our TA had to do it over. Also visas for China have to be procured.

Bob

I have friends who did that exact thing from those two exact ports---in the same direction. They were using the same tour company throughout, so that may have made a difference. But, it can be done in this instance.

Others did it in the opposite direction on this year's cruise.

In general, that answer does not necessarily hold for any other two ports. For example, you could not do that between two US ports. I also understand that it can't be done in Japan.

I have friends who did that exact thing from those two exact ports...In general, that answer does not necessarily hold for any other two ports. For example, you could not do that between two US ports...

I'm under the impression that you can do this (leave the ship in one US port and rejoin in another US port), as long as you embarked and plan to finally disembark the ship at ports outside the US.

Scott & Karen

I'm under the impression that you can do this (leave the ship in one US port and rejoin in another US port), as long as you embarked and plan to finally disembark the ship at ports outside the US.

 

Scott & Karen

Even though you would be booked on a closed loop cruise, the fact is that the ship would be transporting you from one US port to another, twice, so this would be a violation of the PVSA.

We are on HAL Volendam to China in October 2016. The ship has an overnight in Tianjin, then two sea days, followed my an overnight in Shanghai. We would rather take a land tour, leaving the ship in Tianjin, and reboarding in Shanghai, making our own way to Shanghai.

 

Does anyone know if this is allowed? We expect there would be a ships tour that would do a similar land tour, but think we may do it at less expense on our own. I wanted to get the experience of others before calling HAL. Thank you!

We did this without any problems a few years ago. There wasn't any problem getting our then 1-year multi entry visa for China. We sent in a copy of the ship's itinerary that showed our entry and exit from China. Our tour company asked for contact information for the port agents, should they need to contact the ship.

Our TA had let HAL know we would be doing an overland between the two ports. On the ship we had to notify the Front Desk and give them contact information for our tour company. We did have to sign forms that we wouldn't hold HAL responsible for our onshore expenses and that we realized that we wouldn't be eligible for any refund - due to the days we were off the ship.

Since SO many spend the night ashore in Beijing, the ship was completely set up to either collect the passports of those who were returning to the ship that night or let the vast majority of us who weren't returning to the ship keep our passports after going through Chinese Immigration - as passports are required for foreigners to check into hotels. Front Desk staff were just past Security once we reboarded in Shanghai to once again collect our passports.

Being able to see Beijing and Shanghai at our pace was great. We took the high speed train in business class (in China that is above first class) between Beijing and Shanghai and LOVED it. The journey did show us that the pollution problems in China have not been overstated. Our overland trip was 5 nights and just the two of us. Our hotels were nicer than those used by HAL. Even so, our price for both was less than the HAL shore ex between the two cities for one (based on the double pricing).

I say - go for it.

This is great information, just what we were looking for, thanks for all the insight. It's a dream of ours to travel to both Japan and China and this itinerary will check that off our bucket list!

I have friends who did that exact thing...In general, that answer does not necessarily hold for any other two ports. For example, you could not do that between two US ports....

I'm under the impression that you can do this (leave the ship in one US port and rejoin in another US port), as long as you embarked and plan to finally disembark the ship at ports outside the US...

Even though you would be booked on a closed loop cruise, the fact is that the ship would be transporting you from one US port to another, twice, so this would be a violation of the PVSA.

Hello chengkp75,

I do not understand your assertion that <<the ship would be transporting you from one US port to another, twice, so this would be a violation of the PVSA>>. I also believe the example has nothing to do with being on a closed loop cruise (which in the case I suggested, you would not be), it has only to do with your sailing embarkation and disembarkation locations. A possible example of the situation I am describing might be a passenger embarking in Montreal, leaving the ship in Boston for a day or two, rejoining the ship in New York City and disembarking in Aruba.

In the case I gave, the sailing would be considered as two separate voyages, both of which would not be affected by the PVSA. The first would be from a foreign port to a US port and the second would be from a different US port to a foreign port. This does not seem like a violation of the PVSA

I am under the impression that the PVSA does not care about how a ticket is written. This is why it is not possible to go from, say, New York City to Montreal and then write a separate ticket on the same ship sailing on the same day from Montreal to, say, Miami and disembark in Miami. The PVSA would treat this as one single trip as it considers only the passenger’s ultimate embarkation and disembarkation locations of travel from a single ship’s voyage, so this would be considered a single trip from New York City to Miami, independent of how the tickets were written.

In the example I cited, however, I see no example of a ship permitting a cruiser to embark in one US port and later disembark in another, so I see no violation of the PVSA. I only mention this as it is kind of similar (though of course in different countries) to the OP’s concern about travelling overland between two Chinese cities while the cruise’s embarkation and disembarkation locations are both not in China.

Am I misunderstanding something here?

Scott & Karen

Hello chengkp75,

 

I do not understand your assertion that <<the ship would be transporting you from one US port to another, twice, so this would be a violation of the PVSA>>. I also believe the example has nothing to do with being on a closed loop cruise (which in the case I suggested, you would not be), it has only to do with your sailing embarkation and disembarkation locations. A possible example of the situation I am describing might be a passenger embarking in Montreal, leaving the ship in Boston for a day or two, rejoining the ship in New York City and disembarking in Aruba.

 

In the case I gave, the sailing would be considered as two separate voyages, both of which would not be affected by the PVSA. The first would be from a foreign port to a US port and the second would be from a different US port to a foreign port. This does not seem like a violation of the PVSA

 

I am under the impression that the PVSA does not care about how a ticket is written. This is why it is not possible to go from, say, New York City to Montreal and then write a separate ticket on the same ship sailing on the same day from Montreal to, say, Miami and disembark in Miami. The PVSA would treat this as one single trip as it considers only the passenger’s ultimate embarkation and disembarkation locations of travel from a single ship’s voyage, so this would be considered a single trip from New York City to Miami, independent of how the tickets were written.

 

In the example I cited, however, I see no example of a ship permitting a cruiser to embark in one US port and later disembark in another, so I see no violation of the PVSA. I only mention this as it is kind of similar (though of course in different countries) to the OP’s concern about travelling overland between two Chinese cities while the cruise’s embarkation and disembarkation locations are both not in China.

 

Am I misunderstanding something here?

 

Scott & Karen

I apologize, it must be the meat coma, because I read the tail end of your scenario as embarking and disembarking at a US port, not a non-US port. You are correct that any voyage that begins and ends in a foreign port has no limitation by the PVSA.

And this is why I brought up the port rotation of the OP's original cruise as a possible concern for China's cabotage laws. Depending on where the cruise originated, whether there was a foreign port before the port they wanted to leave the ship, whether there was a foreign port after the port they wanted to rejoin at, and where the final disembarkation port was, and the way the Chinese law is written, it could or could not affect the decision. Apparently, another poster has done this, on the same itinerary, so it is allowed.

I apologize, it must be the meat coma, because I read the tail end of your scenario as embarking and disembarking at a US port, not a non-US port. You are correct that any voyage that begins and ends in a foreign port has no limitation by the PVSA...

Hello chengkp75,

Thanks for clearing this up. I was concerned that I might have misunderstood the requirements of the PVSA.

By the way, did you get to see my last post discussing the rational I found to back up your stance for not permitting the use on ships of electrical power distribution strips that contain MOV surge suppressors? It took a little bit of digging but I now completely agree with you.

Scott & Karen

Hello chengkp75,

 

Thanks for clearing this up. I was concerned that I might have misunderstood the requirements of the PVSA.

 

By the way, did you get to see my last post discussing the rational I found to back up your stance for not permitting the use on ships of electrical power distribution strips that contain MOV surge suppressors? It took a little bit of digging but I now completely agree with you.

 

Scott & Karen

Yes, I did, and thank you, I understood why, but couldn't describe it, you do it very well.

Before we leave home we ask Holland for a deviation letter which I give to the front desk when we board.

We have done it multiple times on various cruise ships. On Veendam we left the ship in Lima Peru and rejoined 4 days later in Mantra Ecuador. We went to Machu Picchu where we climbed the mountain.

We were on Azamara Quest where we left the ship in Cambodia, and rejoined in Bangkok, and on Azamara Journey we left the ship in Mumbai went to Aurangabad and rejoined the next day in Goa. We have also left a ship early and flown home.

We have done it multiple times on various cruise ships. On Veendam we left the ship in Lima Peru and rejoined 4 days later in Mantra Ecuador.

And while it is completely up to the cruise line to allow this, it is a completely different situation to leave the ship in one country and rejoin in another, rather than what the OP wants to do, which involves two ports in the same country. As I've said, China does have cabotage laws similar to the US's PVSA, which is why Carnival Corp is looking to build ships in China, and flag them in China, so that they can comply with cabotage laws.

And while it is completely up to the cruise line to allow this, it is a completely different situation to leave the ship in one country and rejoin in another, rather than what the OP wants to do, which involves two ports in the same country. As I've said, China does have cabotage laws similar to the US's PVSA, which is why Carnival Corp is looking to build ships in China, and flag them in China, so that they can comply with cabotage laws.

Which is why the OP needs to get a deviation approved by HAL. In all cases we had our plans approved before we left home.

Which is why the OP needs to get a deviation approved by HAL.

What chengkp75 is trying to tell you is that HAL can't approve the deviation if the cabotage laws won't allow the deviation within the same country.

It is not up to HAL.

With the exception of India---not China, which the OP is asking about---you did not do that.

What chengkp75 is trying to tell you is that HAL can't approve the deviation if the cabotage laws won't allow the deviation within the same country.

 

It is not up to HAL.

 

 

 

With the exception of India---not China, which the OP is asking about---you did not do that.

I am just answering the question that the OP asked in their title on whether anyone has left the ship in one port and rejoined in another - nothing more.

I never confirmed they could do so in China.

We just returned from a cruise from Japan to China. If a US citizen the OP will need a Visa. They now offer 10 years multi - entry.

We want to do that in South America...thanks for this info.

I am just answering the question that the OP asked in their title on whether anyone has left the ship in one port and rejoined in another - nothing more.

No, you weren't.

OP asked about leaving the ship in China, and reboarding in China. Your experience did not address that at all.

Before we leave home we ask Holland for a deviation letter which I give to the front desk when we board.

Which is why the OP needs to get a deviation approved by HAL. In all cases we had our plans approved before we left home.

What chengkp75 is trying to tell you is that HAL can't approve the deviation if the cabotage laws won't allow the deviation within the same country.

It is not up to HAL.

 

With the exception of India---not China' date=' which the OP is asking about---you did not do that.[/color']

Hi Ruth,

I think that what both “we’re sailing away” and “Jade13” are saying is that HAL needs to know the cabotage laws of all the countries to which they sail. So if HAL is willing to grant an exception to the cruise itinerary, then they must believe that the requested trip is acceptable.

Remember that it is also HAL, not necessarily just the traveler, that is taking the risk of paying a penalty if the trip is not permitted. So HAL will be certain about the acceptability of the requested trip before granting an approval.

Scott & Karen

Hi Ruth,

 

I think that what both “we’re sailing away” and “Jade13” are saying is that HAL needs to know the cabotage laws of all the countries to which they sail.

What "we're sailing away" posted made sense in terms of what the OP was asking.

What "Jade13" posted didn't as she posted about her deviations from one country to another, none of which were the country the OP asked about.