Can you totally debark one port early?

[farjar]

We are looking at a one way Panama Canal cruise in which the second to the last port is our home town.  Are you allowed to take your luggage and totally leave the ship one port early?

[cdnsteelman]

Depends is the answer... what is the port of embarkation, what is the port of debarkation, what is the port you want to leave the ship at, and is there a distant foreign port on the itinerary? It is likely this wouldn't be a problem because Panama Canal cruises between to different US destinations typically stop in one distant foreign port so as to not contravene the PVSA. If your desired port of debarkation is also in the US (say Miami to SF with a second to last stop in LA) then I think you're safe from a PVSA perspective but asking NCL is the best way forward.

Edited October 17, 2019 by cdnsteelman

[salty dingo]

If it were an Alaska cruise from Seattle with Victoria as the last port, then you could not skip the last port as that would be against the law.

 

In most cases such as yours, it would not be a problem as long as you get permission ahead of time. You may need to clear customs and immigration and the port may not be set up for that. You just need to call NCL and ask, and get any authorization in writing. 

[MoniMommy]

Out of curiosity, what stops people from just leaving. I have read about people who get off and miss the boat. What's the difference between leaving and missing the boat? Perhaps if you do either and break the law they will charge a fee to your credit card. But what if a person way paying cash?

[julig22]

2 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

Out of curiosity, what stops people from just leaving. I have read about people who get off and miss the boat. What's the difference between leaving and missing the boat? Perhaps if you do either and break the law they will charge a fee to your credit card. But what if a person way paying cash?

Well, it would be rather obvious if you took your luggage when you got off!  But NCL isn't the problem - it's immigration and customs that are at issue.  If you break the law, the law will come after you, not NCL.

[MoniMommy]

I wonder if the law comes after people who miss the boat? Makes missing the boat more serious than just running your vacation.

[lenquixote66]

Many times entertainers leave the ship at one of the ports .If they are allowed to do this I think regular passengers should be allowed to do so to.

 

I just think that they should have their luggage thoroughly checked regardless of who they may be.

[njhorseman]

24 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

Out of curiosity, what stops people from just leaving. I have read about people who get off and miss the boat. What's the difference between leaving and missing the boat? Perhaps if you do either and break the law they will charge a fee to your credit card. But what if a person way paying cash?

 

9 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

I wonder if the law comes after people who miss the boat? Makes missing the boat more serious than just running your vacation.

The fine for a PVSA violation is $762 per person, and it applies equally to an intentional illegal early disembarkation or an accidental violation caused by someone not making it back to the ship on time .

 

If you have cash account NCL will bill you. If you don't pay they will likely sue you and obtain a judgement . 

[njhorseman]

11 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Many times entertainers leave the ship at one of the ports .If they are allowed to do this I think regular passengers should be allowed to do so to.

 

I just think that they should have their luggage thoroughly checked regardless of who they may be.

The law dictates what circumstances constitute a PVSA violation. Passengers are subject to it and entertainers are not passengers. Here's a link to CBP's compliance document for the PVSA, https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pvsa_icp_3.pdf . Page 9 defines who is not a passenger, and it lists entertainers as being among the group of individuals who are not passengers .

 

The whole idea of the law is to prohibit transportation of passengers by foreign flagged ships between one US port and another.

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by njhorseman

[MoniMommy]

Depending on the cost if a flight, that price might not be too high. But I think it only applies if you leave from a US port and return to a US port without visiting a foreign port first. Of course I am no maritime law expert.

[AL3XCruise]

5 minutes ago, MoniMommy said:

Depending on the cost if a flight, that price might not be too high. But I think it only applies if you leave from a US port and return to a US port without visiting a foreign port first. Of course I am no maritime law expert.

It has to be a distant foreign port, which is defined in the PVSA.  In general, that means a port of call needs to be outside North/Central America (and they include Bermuda, the Bahamas, and most of the Caribbean except Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao as being North/Central America). 

 

Because of this, the specific itinerary matters.  Many Panama Canal cruises do visit a distant foreign port, at which point disembarking early is at the cruise line's discretion (though it seems it is generally granted).

Edited October 17, 2019 by AL3XCruise

[MoniMommy]

So on a Panama cruise that leaves from the US, all should be well. The OP should take a close look at the law. I think NCL will also say no even if getting off doesn't violate any law. Seems like it would be easier to just tell everyone no rather than make case by case decisions. Also leaving early means you want be spending as much money. So I would ask if course. I just have no faith that the answer would be yes even if it was legal to do so.

[Turtles06]

OP:  If you are on a full transit Panama Canal cruise, leaving from one U.S. port and ending in another, then the ship will have to visit a "distant foreign port" along the way in order to comply with the PVSA.  Since you would like to disembark in the penultimate U.S. port, the PVSA should not be an issue as your ship will already have stopped at that "distant foreign port."

 

But you would still need NCL's permission to disembark "early."  So rather than get a bunch of speculative answers here, why not contact NCL and see what they say.   And yes, as advised above, if you get an okay, get it in writing.   

 

Good luck!

[smplybcause]

It likely won't violate PVSA, but there's still the issue of customs. Depending on how CBP is dealing with the cruise they may not have the personnel available to correctly check you back into the US. If allowed NCL will likely pass on any fee they have.

 

It'll likely depend on if it's the first US stop. If it is there's a chance they'll already have CBP at the port, but I'm honestly not fully clear on whether they always do the full check at the first US stop or if it's more of a cursory check unless the cruise line arranges otherwise. 

[Lancer1568]

3 hours ago, farjar said:

We are looking at a one way Panama Canal cruise in which the second to the last port is our home town.  Are you allowed to take your luggage and totally leave the ship one port early?

Ask the cruise line.  They have to approve early departure.  They will approve if they can.

[Calif. Cruisers]

Some Panama Canal Cruises that are not full transit, leave from and return to the same US port.  In this case you could not get off at an earlier port.  If it is full transit and you visit Columbia, for example, it would be possible to disembark in an earlier port but you should contact the cruise line to arrange this so they can have customs ready for your departure.  We have done this before on an NCL Panama Canal cruise that was full transit.

[mugtech]

When we did the full canal on Sun the at the first USA port, LA, everyone was forced to leave the ship and then get back on or go on excursions.  Would have been easy enough to get off for good, even though the cruise ended in  Vancouver.....

[ollienbertsmum]

This question is asked at times on European cruises.  I would love to be able to embark or debark on a cruise that passed through Gibraltar.  It is never offered, an exception was made for people needing to get to london during the iceland volcano crisis, but not since.  If it were regularly possible, our travel agents would be on it because Gibraltarians love to cruise it would make money for them.  

 

Ask your cruise line - if you don't you would surely be seen walking off with your suitcases, immigration would want to know what is going on.  Leaving the ship is not something that would happen by accident - unless you clearly missed the ship - but then your luggage would still be on board.

 

Cuise ships are not the same as ferries to take you from one place to another.  The same as booking flights when pricing makes a difference as to whether you book a single or a return.  YOu need to find out whaat is allowed in the small print.   

[JVilleGal]

You can only get this answer direct from NCL. Do not believe any one on the Forum or even a CS phone agent. You need permission in writing from NCL. The answer to your question is MAYBE or MAYBE NOT.

[Jerseygich]

Just wondering why OP has not given info on port leaving from and port wants to disembark

[Turtles06]

1 minute ago, Jerseygich said:

Just wondering why OP has not given info on port leaving from and port wants to disembark

 

Not everyone checks CC daily, so I'm hoping it's just that.  Otherwise, from the CC Guidelines:

 

One other other item that adds to the enjoyment of this community -- if you ask a question, when reading the answers acknowledge that members have taken the time to reply to you. It is a breach of "netiquette" to start a topic or question in which you presumably have an interest, then ignore the subsequent discussion.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/

 

 

 

 

[Mr Maverick]

11 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Not everyone checks CC daily, so I'm hoping it's just that.  Otherwise, from the CC Guidelines:

 

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/

 

 

 

 

Really - maybe they got the answer and then moved on. I have it work I ask a colleague and f I get the answer first somewhere else then I move on 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, Mr Maverick said:

Really - maybe they got the answer and then moved on. I have it work I ask a colleague and f I get the answer first somewhere else then I move on 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. 

 

This is a moderated message board with rules to which we all agree when we join. I think it’s good that they’ve asked people to abide by the rules of “netiquette.”

[Mr Maverick]

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. 

 

This is a moderated message board with rules to which we all agree when we join. I think it’s good that they’ve asked people to abide by the rules of “netiquette.”

Ok thank you