Why the exit fee?

[ONECRUISER]

25 minutes ago, ano said:

It did not.

 

Grand Princess Voyage

If a Weather, Medical or Mechanical Emergency happen's they can request to wave the Fine. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by ONECRUISER

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, Tatka said:

 

If they were in Orlando after Bahamas (Baltimore - Nassau, Bahamas - Orlando) they wouldn't have to.

 

 Main point is it cannot be just a cruise between 2 US ports. Must include at least 1 foreign port.

 

They would still pay the fine. It is only If they stopped at a distant foreign port could they then debarked passengers at a different US port than the original embarkation port. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[chengkp75]

Okay.  For the OP, this is the PVSA fine that CBP charges the cruise line for carrying a passenger from one US port to another US port.  The ticket contract has language where the person buying the ticket agrees to allow the cruise line to pass that fine to them.

 

If the ship had stopped in the Bahamas in between the US ports, this would still have caused the fine to be levied, as the Bahamas are not a "distant" foreign port, which is required for transport between different US ports.

 

For the Grand Princess' current voyage, as with voyages that have weather, mechanical or medical issues, CBP can waive the fine.

 

Cruises to Nowhere are still allowed under the PVSA.  What makes them not attractive to the cruise lines is CBP's ruling that all foreign crew on a cruise to nowhere must have US H1-B work visas, rather than the C1/D1 crew visas that they currently have.  Work visas are much harder to obtain, cost more, and require the sponsor (cruise line) to be liable for all debts the foreign worker runs up while in the US.

[Tatka]

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

They would still pay the fine. It is only If they stopped at a distant foreign port could they then debarked passengers at a different US port than the original embarkation port. 

 

I think there are one way cruises from North East to Miami (or Puerto Rico) which stop only in Bahamas.

[Tatka]

5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Cruises to Nowhere are still allowed under the PVSA.  What makes them not attractive to the cruise lines is CBP's ruling that all foreign crew on a cruise to nowhere must have US H1-B work visas, rather than the C1/D1 crew visas that they currently have.  Work visas are much harder to obtain, cost more, and require the sponsor (cruise line) to be liable for all debts the foreign worker runs up while in the US.

 

Wow.. I though H1-B was only for professional positions with 4 years in college or 12 years of experience. (Software developers for example)

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

I think there are one way cruises from North East to Miami (or Puerto Rico) which stop only in Bahamas.

Puerto Rico is exempt from the PVSA  

[chengkp75]

5 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

I think there are one way cruises from North East to Miami (or Puerto Rico) which stop only in Bahamas.

If it goes from the Northeast to Puerto Rico, that is okay, as Ourusualbeach noted, since Puerto Rico is exempt from the PVSA.  If it goes to Miami, it either started in Canada, or it goes to the ABC islands to complete the "distant" foreign port requirement.

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

Wow.. I though H1-B was only for professional positions with 4 years in college or 12 years of experience. (Software developers for example)

What happened was that a casino/resort operator in the Bahamas was running a small passenger vessel taking folks from Florida to the resort (ending in Bahamas cancels the PVSA).  They then wanted to run dinner/casino cruises during the week when the boat was not ferrying passengers to the resort.  This would run from a Florida port and back to a Florida port.  This made the foreign crew essentially working within the US, so CBP required work visas.  That company stopped the service over a few dozen visas for the small vessel, what do you think a cruise line would do if they tried to get work visas for a thousand crew?  Professional positions are the most commonly granted work visas, but anyone working in the US who is not a citizen or green card holder requires a work visa.

[SRF]

18 hours ago, Tatka said:

It is exactly because they never left US.

Maritime laws prohibit foreign vessels to transport passengers in US unless they visit foreign port.

If Orlando stop was after Bahamas or any other outside port fee wouldn't be collected.

 

Incorrect, they would need to stop at a DISTANT foreign port.  ABC Islands or South American continent.

[snoope]

Understand the law regarding this, but who gives them the right to confiscate a passport and physically prevent them from leaving?

[time4u2go]

11 minutes ago, snoope said:

Understand the law regarding this, but who gives them the right to confiscate a passport and physically prevent them from leaving?

The federal government does.

Edited March 7, 2020 by time4u2go

[not-enough-cruising]

12 minutes ago, snoope said:

Understand the law regarding this, but who gives them the right to confiscate a passport and physically prevent them from leaving?

When you break a federal law, the federal government authorized the seizure of the passport. 

[Charles4515]

20 minutes ago, snoope said:

Understand the law regarding this, but who gives them the right to confiscate a passport and physically prevent them from leaving?

 

The cruise line can't look the other way and allow the law to be broken. Royal Caribbean must comply with the PVSA. 

[chengkp75]

Whoa, folks.  The passenger getting off early did not break any federal laws.  The law, and the fine, apply to the cruise line and not the passenger, as CBP will tell anyone who questions a fine.  It is only the ticket contract that allows the cruise line to pass the fine on to the passenger, and this is the only way that the passenger is involved with the PVSA.

 

While not having been present for the incident at the guest services, I can't comment on whether the cruise line "confiscated" the passport, but the ship, acting as agent for the passenger to reenter the US was entitled to see the passport, but I have never heard of them holding it ransom for payment.  Unless the onboard account was a cash account, they merely will charge the fine to the card listed for the account.  One thing that folks don't generally know about is that in a case like this, while the ship cannot physically hold the passenger from departing without paying the fine, they can place an "innkeeper's lien" on their luggage or any other belonging brought on the ship, and not allow this to be taken from the ship until the bill is paid.

[NancyIL]

 The distant foreign port requirement is for one-way cruises between two different US ports. That's why Panama Canal cruises make a stop in Cartagena, Colombia or one of the ABC islands. Round trip cruises from the same US port require only a foreign port stop.

 

California to Hawaii cruises are round trip, with Ensenada sufficing as the foreign port stop. One-way cruises between Hawaii and Vancouver are fine because they are between the US and Canada.

Edited March 7, 2020 by NancyIL

[robtulipe]

28 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

 The distant foreign port requirement is for one-way cruises between two different US ports. That's why Panama Canal cruises make a stop in Cartagena, Colombia or one of the ABC islands. Round trip cruises from the same US port require only a foreign port stop.

 

California to Hawaii cruises are round trip, with Ensenada sufficing as the foreign port stop. One-way cruises between Hawaii and Vancouver are fine because they are between the US and Canada.

It's the same for one way between Hawaii and Mexico. We've done two of these and RC bused us from San Diego to board in Ensenada for the first and X did the reverse with disembarkation there for the second one.

[orville99]

19 hours ago, ano said:

And how about cruises like the Grand Princess, San Francisco, Hawaii, than San Francisco.  Don't see any foreign ports there. 

That is a "closed loop" cruise that both starts and ends in the same port - completely within the PVSA rules.

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, orville99 said:

That is a "closed loop" cruise that both starts and ends in the same port - completely within the PVSA rules.

That poster is talking about the current Grand Princess cruise (the quarantined one), which eliminated the Ensenada stop, its only foreign port.  That fine will be waived by CBP.