Is this b2b possible?

[sashas_mom]

I'm always confused by the Jones Act as hard as I try to figure it out. We're trying to reach Platinum and are almost there, but need one little cruise to pull it off. Can we do a b2b from San Francisco to Vancouver then from Vancouver to Seattle on the same ship? It would be perfect but I have this nagging feeling it violates the Jones Act. Help!

[Toto2Kansas]

Nope sorry, not possible unless you spend the night in VC and sail home on a different ship. It's not actually the Jones Act that prevents this, it is the PVSA.

[Coral]

This is an easy rule to follow:

 

On the West Coast - you can not board a ship in a US port and get off the same ship in a different US port.

 

So SFO to Vancouver is fine. (ok because one is a Canadian port)

 

Seattle to SFO is not fine. (2 different us cities on the West Coast.)

[sultan_sfo]

Agree with Toto and Coral.

[Essiesmom]

If you book separate cabins, you will get double cruise credits. EM

[Cruise Junky]

It's easy to figure out....just remove all the middle ports when you're talking about the west coast and look at your starting and ending ports. If they're both in the US and are different ports, 99% it's a no go.

[paul929207]

As everyone has said, your proposed b2b would not be legal and Princess would not allow you to book it.

[Stevesan]

You certainly will not be in violation of the Jones act, unless you are classified as "goods".:p

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

 

However, the Passenger Services Act is a whole nuther matter:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Services_Act

[runnerodb83]

This was possible this May as you the Golden Princess went from LA to Vancouver and the same day the Sapphire Princess went from Vancouver to Seattle. THAT is permitted, but you have to be on a different ship and the planets rarely align that nicely. You might be able to mix and match a HAL and Princess Itinerary as both do the "one nighters." Here's a interesting thing to think about, if you boarded the Golden Princess in San Francisco and sailed around the world but never stopping anywhere till disembarking in say Oakland 60-70 days later, you would be in violation. If you stopped in a foreign country in North America that would still be a violation. If you stopped in a non-us terrority on a different continent it would be OK. Basically the law is there to prevent non-us built, flagged, and operated ships from providing transportation between US ports. There is only 1 exception currently which is the NCL Pride of America which was built in the US* and is staffed by a majority of American crew and registered in the US. That is the only modern, mainline cruise vessel allowed to "violate" the Jones act. Next time you are near a US port and there are passenger ferries about, notice they are all staffed by presumably US citizens, were built in the US, and are registered in the US. This includes the Alaska Marine Highway and Washington State Ferries.

 

*It was built in the US with quite a bit of help of politcal grease, but it had substantial modifications and fixes in germany after a fire broke out while under construction.

[sashas_mom]

Thank you all. So glad someone understands this. I had feeling we couldn't do it, but wasn't sure why. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait till 2013 to be Elite. My husband can't wait to get that black card and we will be short just one day this year.

[Roses2]

Book a suite and get two cruise credits!!!

[paul929207]

Book a suite and get two cruise credits!!!

OP says they will be short 1 day to make Elite. I presume the extra cruise credit will not help and getting a suite does not affect number of days