Leaving a ship for an overland trip and joining in the other port

[shelly_11]

Hi! Is it possible to leave the ship (with a notice, of course) and join it in the next port of call within the same country? We want to explore the country deeper on land and cut off one sea day. Celebrity Millennium. 

[chengkp75]

Depends on the country you are visiting, their cabotage laws, and their visa requirements for citizens of your country.

[shelly_11]

Thank you!  This is planned for Japan, I'll have a visa. Should be multi-entry visa due to to South Korea included in the itinerary. 

[chengkp75]

It then depends on the itinerary, specifically whether or not there is a Japanese port before the port you wish to get off in, or after the port you wish to get back onboard in.  In other words, Japan has cabotage laws similar to the US's PVSA that restricts transportation of passengers between Japanese ports to Japanese flag ships.  So, if your ship went to Osaka and then to Nagoya where you got off, that might be considered legally to be coastwise transport between Osaka and Nagoya, since you left the ship, even temporarily, and might be prohibited.  If, however, the ship came from China to Nagoya, and you left there, it would most likely be okay.  The same applies for when you get back on.  Permission from the cruise line to do this would involve their study of the applicable Japanese laws and then determining if they wish to go through the necessary paperwork to accommodate your wishes.

[uktog]

Even if it’s allowed all lines in the RC group now charge you a fee for authorising this unless you are on a ships excursion regardless of whether you change country or not.  This applies even if there is no visa implications    We would never expect a refund for the two days we won’t be eating or drinking on board but.......  it’s all about increasing revenue these days. 

[shelly_11]

Sounds cool, chengkp75, thank you.  I am planning to leave in Osaka and join in Fukuoka. There's a sea day in between those ports and instead of staying on board we'd like to use it our time more actively and get to know the country better. 

[chengkp75]

Looked at itineraries, it appears you are on the Japan and Korea cruise, the first one I see is Oct '19.  Since the cruise starts in Yokohama, then goes to Shimizu, and then to Osaka, there may be a problem leaving the ship there, as this may be considered to be coastwise transportation between Yokohama and Osaka, as there is no non-Japanese port in between, which would be restricted to Japanese flag ships.  I'm not sure exactly how their law is written, but I know they have these cabotage laws.

[citruscruiser]

We did that on an India cruise to go to the Taj Mahal.  We got off the ship in Mumbai and returned in Cochin (missing sea day and stop in Goa).  There is a "downline request" from Celebrity.  I would suggest calling them to ascertain if it is possible for your trip

[shelly_11]

Thank you all! It appears to me that I'd better ask the ship directly, closer to the date of departure. Yes, we are on October 19 cruise and I do not expect any refunds for the unused nights or meals in case if we'll be allowed to make a land trip to catch the ship. All of your comments are much appreciated and precious to me. Thank you! 

[Xport]

3 hours ago, uktog said:

 

Even if it’s allowed all lines in the RC group now charge you a fee for authorising this unless you are on a ships excursion regardless of whether you change country or not.  This applies even if there is no visa implications    We would never expect a refund for the two days we won’t be eating or drinking on board but.......  it’s all about increasing revenue these days. 

 

Is this new?  I'm aware that the Royal Caribbean brands have been assessing a per person fee for early, full disembarkation [ie; some guests on Edge's first Transatlantic are disembarking in Le Havre rather than staying on to Southampton until cruise termination the next morning for some time now].  But I am not aware that a fee is assessed when one leaves the ship at one intermittent port and rejoins at another intermittent port [assuming that doing so is permissible within immigration/customs regulations].

Edited October 24, 2018 by Xport

[citruscruiser]

The fee we were assessed was for the processing of the down line request. It was $65 paid to Celebrity.

[uktog]

Yes it is new. The minute the downline team are involved 

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, shelly_11 said:

Thank you all! It appears to me that I'd better ask the ship directly, closer to the date of departure. Yes, we are on October 19 cruise and I do not expect any refunds for the unused nights or meals in case if we'll be allowed to make a land trip to catch the ship. All of your comments are much appreciated and precious to me. Thank you! 

I would not ask the ship directly, I would contact the cruise line headquarters, and I would not wait, I would get this going as soon as possible, as there could be serious delays until you find a supervisor who knows what you are asking for, and who can either set it up, or steer you to the correct department.

[shelly_11]

21 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I would not ask the ship directly, I would contact the cruise line headquarters, and I would not wait, I would get this going as soon as possible, as there could be serious delays until you find a supervisor who knows what you are asking for, and who can either set it up, or steer you to the correct department.

Shall do that, thanks!