Another Passanger Vessel Act ?

I have booked the Zaandam October 2nd from Vancouver to Hawaii to San Diego for 15 nights and ending in San Diego.

 

I have also booked a one night on the Zaandam from Seattle to Vancouver On October 1.

 

These are booked under two separate booking numbers.

 

I start in Seattle and end in Vacancouver on One booking

 

I start in Vancouver and end in San Diego on the 2nd booking

 

Am I going to get hung up on the Passenger Vessel Act?

Am I going to get hung up on the Passenger Vessel Act?

 

Yes.

 

The separate booking numbers don't matter. The fact is, the same ship would be transporting you from one US city to another US city without visiting a distant foreign port. This is prohibited by the PVSA, and you will be required to cancel one of the cruises.

 

I suggest you look for a one-day Seattle to Vancouver on another ship.

My online TA has this trip as one trip with a stop in Vancouver, thus meeting the "foreign port" requirements. They list the price of the minimum outside as being $1299 with "Early booking bonus! Book now and receive a FREE $150 per cabin onboard credit, two FREE fountain soda cards, three FREE bottles of wine and a FREE bottle of champagne on select categories- a combined value of $315" Sounds like a good deal to me! See if your TA can put the bookings into 1 with Vancouver a port. Good luck!

As I understand it, in this instance Vancouver does not qualify as a "distant" foreign port. I tried to do the same thing for my upcoming Oct. 2nd Vancouver-Hawaii-San Diego cruise on the Zaandam (I'm on the same cruise as liketraveling, and I advised her to check up on this situation). I also wanted to add on the overnight trip from Seattle to Vancouver on the Zaandam on Oct 1, which is sold as a different cruise. My travel agent said it could not be done. We tried to find a different cruise line to take us from Seattle to Vancouver, but unfortunately, by the beginning of October the Alaska season is over, and the Zaandam is one of the very last ships to pull out, so there were no other options.

 

The Passenger Vessel Services Act is an arcane and stupid law, in my opinion, and maybe it will be changed one day.

You might consider taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver.

David

My online TA has this trip as one trip with a stop in Vancouver, thus meeting the "foreign port" requirements.

That's dead wrong! To go from one US city (Seattle) to another (San Diego) you must go to a distant foreign port ... like one in South America. If a TA sells it that way they're going to be getting people in trouble, or telling them later that they won't be able to sail from Seattle to Vancouver after all! :eek:

 

A near foreign port such as Vancouver or Victoria is sufficient only for round-trip cruises from a single city. If it was a round-trp all the way back to Seattle that would be legal, but the ship isn't doing that.

My online TA has this trip as one trip with a stop in Vancouver, thus meeting the "foreign port" requirements.

This would make me very suspicious of the competence of that TA.

I agree that the TA has given you some incorrect information. I would ask the TA to speak with HAL and get educated. You cannot sail from Seattle to Vancouver to Hawaii to San Diego as a single uninterrupted trip on the same ship, no matter what booking numbers you have.

 

Scott & Karen

Does the Vancouver-Hawaii--San Diego ship make a stop in Encenada. If it does you are okey, in my humble opinion.

Does the Vancouver-Hawaii--San Diego ship make a stop in Encenada. If it does you are okey, in my humble opinion.

Yes, the ship stops in Ensenada ... but that also does not qualify as a distant foreign port. That satisfies the near foreign port PVSA requirement for passengers doing the round-trip out of San Diego, but in no way changes the illegality of Seattle to San Diego by way of two near foreign ports.

 

It does not matter if the Seattle to Vancouver is on a different booking number or not. It would still be illegal even if the OP changed cruise lines in Vancouver, although that does make it a little harder to get caught.

 

Of course for anyone originating in Vancouver the PVSA does not apply, and the Ensenada stop is irrelevant.

Does the Vancouver-Hawaii--San Diego ship make a stop in Encenada. If it does you are okey, in my humble opinion.

Ensenada doesn't help at all. Like Vancouver, it is not a "distant" foreign port!

The October 2nd sailing of the Zaandam goes from Vancouver to Hawaii to San Diego, no stop in Ensenada. That is the sailing that liketraveling, the OP of this thread, is on.

The October 2nd sailing of the Zaandam goes from Vancouver to Hawaii to San Diego, no stop in Ensenada. That is the sailing that liketraveling, the OP of this thread, is on.

But if it DID stop in Ensenada it wouldn't matter anyway! :):)

But if it DID stop in Ensenada it wouldn't matter anyway! :):)

 

Which is of course why it doesn't! :D

My head is aching!:p

Just because the itinerary doesn't show a stop in Ensenada, Mexico...the ship will still make a stop there in the early morning hours. At that time they will clear customs, apparently pay a fee, and then proceed to San Diego.

David

Just because the itinerary doesn't show a stop in Ensenada, Mexico...the ship will still make a stop there in the early morning hours. At that time they will clear customs, apparently pay a fee, and then proceed to San Diego.

David

Now, why would they do that? they don't need a near foreign port, aren't visiting Mexico...I think you should rethink that...EM

Just because the itinerary doesn't show a stop in Ensenada, Mexico...the ship will still make a stop there in the early morning hours. At that time they will clear customs, apparently pay a fee, and then proceed to San Diego.

David

 

No, on the scheduled HAL Zaandam October 2-17 itinerary Vancouver-Hawaii-San Diego (which I am on myself), the ship departs from Vancouver, Canada, which is a non-U.S. port, so it doesn't need to stop in Ensenada, Mexico before disembarking passengers in San Diego. The (vularity omitted) PVSA law has already been satisfied.

 

Regarding this thread, the problem ensues in this particular instance because the OP would like to board the Zaandam on October 1st, to do the scheduled over-night cruise from Seattle to Vancouver, and then continue on to Hawaii and San Diego. They are two different cruises, that cannot be combined, because of the aforementioned (vulgarity omitted) PVSA.

 

Capisce?

 

Now my head is really aching.....

Leaving aside the insanity of the PVSA, I really wouldn't recommend the one-day cruise from Seattle to Vancouver. It isn't run like a regular cruise. There will be no assistance with your luggage like on a regular cruise--you'll have to haul it all off yourself. I did the Vancouver to Seattle in May after returning from a two-week Alaska cruise. The ship was FULL of screaming, unattended children running amok. People were singing in very loud voices in the MDR. The service was horrid. It's not something I'd ever do again.

Hey Thanks everyone for the information.

 

I really thought I had it covered.

 

I appreciate Middle-Age-Mom Alerting me to find more out.

 

I really appreciate everyone's help on this.

 

Now I need to get a hold of my travel agent.

 

Gail

I can tell you that unfortunately your TA is definitely WRONG. And when you would have made final payment HAL would have contacted the TA to tell them they cannot do this maybe even before if something in their system triggers it. Unfortunately there are many on-line travel agencies that employ people that at best have taken maybe one cruise some have never even taken a cruise. If you are lucky you find one that is very experienced and will already know that you cannot do this. :)

Luckily you are before the 75 days and not in penalty period.

My apologies. I should have done my "homework". I just presumed that it was a separate cruise Vancouver to Hawaii and then another to San Diego. Of course Vancouver to San Diego is an entirely different issue than Seattle to San Diego.

David

My apologies. I should have done my "homework". I just presumed that it was a separate cruise Vancouver to Hawaii and then another to San Diego. Of course Vancouver to San Diego is an entirely different issue than Seattle to San Diego.

David

 

No worries, mate. The whole PVSA business drives me batty.

 

Karin

I'm new to this and I really don't understand this law. Who enforces it? Who's to know where you've been or haven't been? Do you get arrested or just detained at some point? Sorry to be ignorant, but I don't want to make a mistake some day and lose my (potential) cruise and money.

I'm new to this and I really don't understand this law. Who enforces it? Who's to know where you've been or haven't been? Do you get arrested or just detained at some point? Sorry to be ignorant, but I don't want to make a mistake some day and lose my (potential) cruise and money.

 

US Coast Guard and US Customs together enforce this law.

When the cruise line sends their passenger manifests to US Customs/Immigration before and after arrival in every US Port, a computer program automatically searches for passengers violating the PVSA.

The cruise line is forced to pay the fines (US$300 per person) for anyone violating the law. They then pass the fines on the the guilty passengers.

If a cruise line knowingly alllows you to violate this law, there can also be very large fines for them, and their ships can be banned from calling at any more US Ports in future.