Any ideas how i do this back to back??

[bendigoboy]

I am interested in booking Celebrity Solstice from Honolulu to Vancouver on April 29, 2018. BUT i want to book it as a back to back with the cruise that will follow it! This unfortunately hasn't been released...but historically would be a Vancouver to Vancouver or Vancouver to Seattle (based upon 2016 and 2017 offerings on the Solstice).

 

The reasons for wanting to book as early as possible are obvious in that i really get a good choice of cabin and i can get the price offered now which i am happy about ( the Australian dollar has fluctuated against the US dollar quite wildly and personally i dont trust it!). I can't cruise on earlier Solstice trips like this because i am booked on other cruises.

 

Obviously i cant book the same cabin in both cruises (which i see as an essential situation!) if the cruise that follows hasnt been released! So i am in a quandry ...do i wait till it is released later this year. Or do i book for the first voyage and hope about the second?

 

Has anyone who has travelled with Celebrity faced this situation?

[wendychloecruiser]

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with booking the first cruise and waiting for the release of the second. The first cruise of the Alaska run is not that popular as the weather in Alaska can be VERY rainy early in May. That being said, I have done the cruised to Alaska in the middle of May and the weather was beautiful though that was incredibly unusual. You should not have a problem with being able to book the cruise you want.

 

Don't get your knickers in a knot about getting the same cabin, it's not that big of a deal to change. The cabin stewards are very helpful. You are very likely to get the same cabin anyhow.

Edited March 21, 2016 by wendychloecruiser

[Clarea]

I am interested in booking Celebrity Solstice from Honolulu to Vancouver on April 29, 2018. BUT i want to book it as a back to back with the cruise that will follow it! This unfortunately hasn't been released...but historically would be a Vancouver to Vancouver or Vancouver to Seattle (based upon 2016 and 2017 offerings on the Solstice)....

Just be aware that present US law will prevent you from booking Hawaii to Vancouver immediately followed by Vancouver to Seattle.

[ECCruise]

Just be aware that present US law will prevent you from booking Hawaii to Vancouver immediately followed by Vancouver to Seattle.

 

Correct. If the 2018 itinerary is Vancouver to Seattle as it was is in 2017, you will not be able to TAKE this cruise. The problem is you may be able to BOOK the cruise, as folks did who sailed with us from Honolulu to Vancouver in 2015. Unfortunately, it was only 4 or 5 months before sailing, months after they had booked, when Celebrity informed them that the could not sail on the second leg. As I recall, the had to spend a day or so in Vancouver and then switch to a HAL ship to make it work.

Edited March 21, 2016 by ECCruise

[cruisestitch]

Will you be comfortable doing the first leg of the cruise even if you are prevented from doing the second one? Then book now. When the second one is announced you will very likely be able to get the same cabins for both.

 

If you would not take the first leg without being able to take the second one, then wait until the new deployments are announced.

 

As noted, if the second one ends in Seattle you would not be allowed to take it, so you have to ask yourself if you would be happy with only the one cruise should that be the way the itineraries work out.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

If you're okay with Honolulu-Vancouver followed by Vancouver RT, and you're most interested in keeping the same cabin, how about booking the cabin you prefer for the first leg. Then, when the second leg is available, see if you can get the same cabin. If not, compare cabins available on both legs, book the one of those you prefer for the second leg and change the cabin for the first leg.

 

I've not done a BTB yet, but many cruisers report no issues with having a different cabin for the second leg. You won't need to pack up and go through the boarding process again-- Celebrity will move you. You may need to disembark to go through customs, but then get right back on again.

[Ereggae]

Just be aware that present US law will prevent you from booking Hawaii to Vancouver immediately followed by Vancouver to Seattle.

 

Would you please more on this topic and the reason why it's not possible.

 

Thank you.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

The Passenger Vessel Services Act prohibits transport of passengers on foreign-flagged vessels from one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign port along the way. The back-to-back Honolulu-Vancouver-Seattle routing would still be seen as Honolulu to Seattle unless there was a 24 hour stopover in Vancouver (which is not considered a distant foreign port).

[cruisestitch]

PartyAllDaTyme has it exactly right. The reason the previous passengers had to change ships was that you cannot take the same ship from one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign port, and Vancouver doesn't qualify. So they went to a Holland America ship for the second leg.

 

You can also spend the night in Vancouver and take a different Celebrity ship the following day, that's allowed, and once the new itineraries come out you may find an option like that which would work.

 

Basically, the OP has to hope that the first Alaska cruise ends in Vancouver, not in Seattle.

[Clarea]

The Passenger Vessel Services Act prohibits transport of passengers on foreign-flagged vessels from one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign port along the way. The back-to-back Honolulu-Vancouver-Seattle routing would still be seen as Honolulu to Seattle unless there was a 24 hour stopover in Vancouver (which is not considered a distant foreign port).

You got it.:)

[chessbriar]

The sad part for the OP is the cruise following his won't be released until early 2017. There is a while to wait to book the second leg

[dkjretired]

You got it.:)

 

If you check there will be other threads on this as it usually comes up every year since the Solstice has been doing these trips.

[Clarea]

If you check there will be other threads on this as it usually comes up every year since the Solstice has been doing these trips.

Used to happen on the RC forum too, when Rhapsody did the same trip from Hawaii and then transitioned to the Seattle round trip Alaska cruises. Not so much anymore since the cruise from Sydney is now one 24-day cruise from Sydney to Seattle.

[CRUISEBOY305]

As others have said, The Hawaii and Alaska back to back would violate the PVSA.

 

I have a suggestion, I'm currently on the Hawaii to Vancouver sailing on Radiance of the Seas in May 2017. We're going to be docked in Vancouver with Celebrity Solstice. A few people on my roll call have the first Alaska Celebirty Solstice sailing booked as it is the only legal way to do Hawaii and Alaska back to back unless you start in Sydney. You can also wait until Royal Caribbean releases it's 2017/18 deployment and maybe Royal and Celebrity will coordinate the Vancouver arrival the way they're doing in 2017.

[lovecruzin]

We are on the May 6, 2016 cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. Someone posted on our rollcall that they were b2b with the prior Honolulu to Vancouver cruise. After several of us mentioned that we were surprised they were allowed to book this due to the PVSA, they checked with Celebrity and or their TA. I think the work around for them is to disembark in Victoria, then reboard in Vancouver. Maybe an exception was made for them since they had been allowed to book it in the first place.

 

I don't recall the exact details, there is a conversation on our rollcall that you could check out. I'd post a link but if I leave this page on my iPad I lose what I've typed :o

[CRUISEBOY305]

We are on the May 6, 2016 cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. Someone posted on our rollcall that they were b2b with the prior Honolulu to Vancouver cruise. After several of us mentioned that we were surprised they were allowed to book this due to the PVSA, they checked with Celebrity and or their TA. I think the work around for them is to disembark in Victoria, then reboard in Vancouver. Maybe an exception was made for them since they had been allowed to book it in the first place.

 

I don't recall the exact details, there is a conversation on our rollcall that you could check out. I'd post a link but if I leave this page on my iPad I lose what I've typed :o

 

lots of people will have success booking the 2 sailings. Royal Caribbean / Celebrity will catch it eventually and ask you to cancel one of the sailings.

 

And seeing that Victoria is the very last port before arriving in Seattle, they would have to completely disembark in Victoria.

[lovecruzin]

lots of people will have success booking the 2 sailings. Royal Caribbean / Celebrity will catch it eventually and ask you to cancel one of the sailings.

 

And seeing that Victoria is the very last port before arriving in Seattle, they would have to completely disembark in Victoria.

 

You are absolutely right! Like I said I didn't recall the exact details, but knew there was a work around. Thanks for correcting me! :)

[CRUISEBOY305]

You are absolutely right! Like I said I didn't recall the exact details, but knew there was a work around. Thanks for correcting me! :)

 

 

Pleasure ;)

 

I personally have never heard of this scenario but it makes sense.

[bendigoboy]

Thanks to all the people who posted replies. What a can of worms!! What a funny (strange) law! Well it certainly is food for thought and i think i will wait till the next series of voyages are listed. My goal was to cruise Hawaii on a better ship than Pride of America and then Alaska on a really good ship (like Solstice) and avoid the re boarding ( and subsequent immigration/reboarding hassles). But this law really forces me to cruise Hawaii with Pride of America as i dont really want to sail from another port to Hawaii! As for Alaska i might look to a Japan to Vancouver (Seattle) type trip. Anyway thats given me some homework. Thank you all again!

[zoncom]

Think its from 1886 or so. Designed to prevent passengers from using the ships as short run ferries. SanD-SanF, Seattle-Vancouver etc. I wanted to do Solstice Alaska run then Solstice to HNL. No go. Ended up on mediocre NCL Alaska, then Solstice to HNL. You are legal if you start in Sydney which is considered a distant foreign port.

[awhfy]

The PVSA is why we're not doing a b2b with our Hawaii-Vancouver cruise next month. Good thing we've already been to Alaska (land not cruise). I'd have been quite upset. I did think that PVSA only applied to US & Canadian folks,Netherlands OP is from Australia (or did I read that wrong?).

[CRUISEBOY305]

The PVSA is why we're not doing a b2b with our Hawaii-Vancouver cruise next month. Good thing we've already been to Alaska (land not cruise). I'd have been quite upset. I did think that PVSA only applied to US & Canadian folks,Netherlands OP is from Australia (or did I read that wrong?).

 

The PVSA applies to everyone. You can not start in a US Port and end in another US Port without stopping in a Foreign DISTANT Port, regardless of Nationality.

Edited March 21, 2016 by CRUISEBOY305

[bigbenboys]

The Passenger Vessel Services Act prohibits transport of passengers on foreign-flagged vessels from one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign port along the way. The back-to-back Honolulu-Vancouver-Seattle routing would still be seen as Honolulu to Seattle unless there was a 24 hour stopover in Vancouver (which is not considered a distant foreign port).

 

It looks like they will have to take Millennium from Japan then Vancouver round trip. As Solstice get in a day after Millennium leaves. Not sure what Infinity is cruise to as it seems to do Alaska also.

Edited March 22, 2016 by bigbenboys
added more

[cruisestitch]

"I did think that PVSA only applied to US & Canadian folks,Netherlands OP is from Australia (or did I read that wrong?)."

 

The nationality of the passengers does not matter. The PVSA regulates the cruise line, not the passengers. The ship cannot transport passengers from one US port to a different US port without visiting a distant foreign port. The law puts the fine on the cruise line if the PVSA is violated (although if a passenger should leave the ship early, causing a violation of the PVSA, the fine can be passed on to the passenger).

[CRUISEBOY305]

It looks like they will have to take Millennium from Japan then Vancouver round trip. As Solstice get in a day after Millennium leaves. Not sure what Infinity is cruise to as it seems to do Alaska also.

 

the Millennium does not sail through Hawaii. Neither does the Infinity