Snowbirds disembarking early & rejoining later

[aoverby]

I just read that you can make arrangements to leave a cruise early and then later in the season arrange to come back north? Apparently some snowbirds get off the ship near their winter residence. This way they can take lots of luggage. Has anyone done this and how do you make the arrangements? Can you really join another ship coming back at a later time?

[Aus Traveller]

A person wanting to do this would have to choose cruises that went to a foreign port. Under the Jones Act (PVSA (?) Act) passengers cannot board in one domestic port of USA and disembark in another unless they go to a foreign port on the way. :)

[donaldsc]

Where did you read this? If I read your post correctly, it sounds as if you want to do half your cruise now and half of it later. Not likely to happen.

 

DON

[aoverby]

A person wanting to do this would have to choose cruises that went to a foreign port. Under the Jones Act (PVSA (?) Act) passengers cannot board in one domestic port of USA and disembark in another unless they go to a foreign port on the way. :)

Thanks. Am aware of the Jones Act.

[Coral]

I have heard of this on LA to Mexico trips.

 

I met a couple of who got off in PV and does this every year (what they told me). I believe they paid for the whole voyage which on some Mexican trips, can be quite cheap.

 

This was several years ago.

[aoverby]

Where did you read this? If I read your post correctly, it sounds as if you want to do half your cruise now and half of it later. Not likely to happen.

 

DON

Read it here on the forums. Someone said people do this in Mexico for example. That poster said they leave early through special arrangement and return later northbound. I'll look for that original posting and ask them.

[iceleven]

I've contemplated (once my husband retires) to take a late Spring repositioning cruise from Ft Lauderdale/Miami to Europe, spend the summer there and then return in the fall on a repositioning. Those are two totally separate cruises, however.

[Keith1010]

You need to get with the cruise line directly if you want to know whether or not you can get off a cruise early.

 

Keith

[chengkp75]

Read it here on the forums. Someone said people do this in Mexico for example. That poster said they leave early through special arrangement and return later northbound. I'll look for that original posting and ask them.

 

First off, yes, as a PP noted, you would have to pay for two full cruises, not two half cruises, since the cabins would be empty for the parts you didn't use them.

 

Secondly, while this may have been common in the past, it has become harder to get permission to do this in the last year or two, due to CBP regulations. On a closed loop cruise, CBP uses the passenger manifest produced at embarkation to screen passengers during the cruise. This allows the disembarkation CBP interview to be simply a verification of face to name by showing ID. When someone boards "downstream" or disembarks "upstream", a new passenger manifest must be submitted, which costs the cruise line to prepare and submit, and it can trigger a different approach from CBP to clearing the passengers at disembarkation. For purposes of re-entry to the country, but not for ID requirements or PVSA requirements, the cruise is no longer considered a closed loop cruise, and CBP can require a more detailed interview at disembarkation (more like an international flight). Since this can cause delays at disembarkation, with resultant missed flights and complaints, the cruise lines have become more reluctant to grant permission for upstream/downstream dis/embarkations.

 

It will be up to the each cruise line and each itinerary as to whether or not they allow it.

[Colo Cruiser]

Read it here on the forums. Someone said people do this in Mexico for example. That poster said they leave early through special arrangement and return later northbound. I'll look for that original posting and ask them.

 

I just read that you can make arrangements to leave a cruise early and then later in the season arrange to come back north? Apparently some snowbirds get off the ship near their winter residence. This way they can take lots of luggage. Has anyone done this and how do you make the arrangements? Can you really join another ship coming back at a later time?

 

 

What exactly is that you want to do?

[aoverby]

First off, yes, as a PP noted, you would have to pay for two full cruises, not two half cruises, since the cabins would be empty for the parts you didn't use them.

 

Secondly, while this may have been common in the past, it has become harder to get permission to do this in the last year or two, due to CBP regulations. On a closed loop cruise, CBP uses the passenger manifest produced at embarkation to screen passengers during the cruise. This allows the disembarkation CBP interview to be simply a verification of face to name by showing ID. When someone boards "downstream" or disembarks "upstream", a new passenger manifest must be submitted, which costs the cruise line to prepare and submit, and it can trigger a different approach from CBP to clearing the passengers at disembarkation. For purposes of re-entry to the country, but not for ID requirements or PVSA requirements, the cruise is no longer considered a closed loop cruise, and CBP can require a more detailed interview at disembarkation (more like an international flight). Since this can cause delays at disembarkation, with resultant missed flights and complaints, the cruise lines have become more reluctant to grant permission for upstream/downstream dis/embarkations.

 

It will be up to the each cruise line and each itinerary as to whether or not they allow it.

Very interesting, thank you!

[Pam in CA]

I just read that you can make arrangements to leave a cruise early and then later in the season arrange to come back north? Apparently some snowbirds get off the ship near their winter residence. This way they can take lots of luggage. Has anyone done this and how do you make the arrangements? Can you really join another ship coming back at a later time?

Easy to do to FL and has nothing to do with the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) as you'd book and pay for two completely separate repositioning cruises.

[bcnvcanada]

There is a discussion on the Mexican board about people doing this. Be careful, as Mexican customs can be difficult. This way cruising down, is so much easier and safer than overland Mexico route. If going to P.V. Southwest now fly 's to Cabo and P.V.

[MommaBear55]

We met many people doing this on the Boston to Tampa repositioning a few years ago.

[Colo Cruiser]

We met many people doing this on the Boston to Tampa repositioning a few years ago.

 

 

On Princess?

[Pierlesscruisers]

A person wanting to do this would have to choose cruises that went to a foreign port. Under the Jones Act (PVSA (?) Act) passengers cannot board in one domestic port of USA and disembark in another unless they go to a foreign port on the way.

 

It's the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) that has to do with passengers and their travel between domestic ports. The Jones Act has to do with cargo. It's a minor point, but thought I'd mention it. Here's a very brief reference to this: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/24/~/the-jones-act,-passengers)

 

Hope that 2015 was better for you than 2014 but not as good as 2016! :)

 

Tom

[chengkp75]

A person wanting to do this would have to choose cruises that went to a foreign port. Under the Jones Act (PVSA (?) Act) passengers cannot board in one domestic port of USA and disembark in another unless they go to a foreign port on the way. :)

 

Actually, in order to embark in one US port and disembark in another US port, you must call at a "distant" foreign port, defined as any port outside of North and Central America and the Caribbean (except the ABC islands). Given CBP's ban on cruises to nowhere, all cruises by foreign flag ships embarking in the US must call at a "foreign port" to be able to return to the same US port.

[MommaBear55]

On Princess?

 

Oops, no, sorry it was a Royal Caribbean ship.

[chengkp75]

We met many people doing this on the Boston to Tampa repositioning a few years ago.

 

Did this repo call at Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao? If it did, which I believe so, it meets the PVSA for a call at a "distant" foreign port, as the ABC islands are the closest "distant" ports.