Can you start a cruise part way thru?

[PMT51]

Hi All. I am dreaming of future cruises. The Eclipse does two Boston, Maine and Canada cruise back to back. They both start and end in Boston. 

I was wondering if I could board the first cruise on day 6 in Quebec City, stay on board, and get off the second cruise in Quebec City?

This would save me a lot of air travel. 

[Bo1953]

I would not think so, YET you will need to call X about this as there may be a few international laws (US and Canadian) which will govern ones ability to do this.

 

bon voyage

[omeinv]

 

You're asking about what's called "downline boarding and disembarkation".  It would be very expensive (more than negating the airfare, as you'd be expected to pay for both cruises since the cruise line would not be able to otherwise fill the room for the first half of the first cruise and the second half of the second cruise. 

 

Sometimes downline boarding or disembarkation runs afoul of the US Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) often mistakenly referred to as the Jones Act (The Jones act deals with cargo ships, rather than passenger ships).  However, what you're wanting to do would be legal, in that you would not be joining or leaving the cruise in a US Port.  The law prohibits a foreign flagged vessel from beginning a trip in a US port, and ending in a different US port without visiting a "distant" foreign port.  The closest  distant foreign ports are South America.  The law also prohibits cruises starting from a US port to return to the same port without visiting a foreign port.  This is why Cruises from the west coast round-trip to Hawaii (e.g. San Diego to the Hawaiian Islands, returning to San Diego) have to make a port call in Mexico (usually Ensenada). 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

 

[sanger727]

I am assume you are aware that you would have to book both cruises. You couldn't book a custom itinerary of two partial cruises. So, I would think that the money you are paying for two cruises as opposed to one would negate any air savings. 

[PMT51]

Duh!!!!  Boy am I ever in dreamland. Of course this does not make sense from a cruise line perspective.

 Thanks everyone for waking me up. Now where is that cocktail?

[omeinv]

6 minutes ago, PMT51 said:

Duh!!!!  Boy am I ever in dreamland. Of course this does not make sense from a cruise line perspective.

 Thanks everyone for waking me up. Now where is that cocktail?

Your question isn't as "dreamy" as you now seem to think; and certainly not a bad question.  In some places, what you're asking about is common.  If you remember the Costa Concordia accident, much was made about muster drills.  The issue was complicated by passengers embarking at different ports on the cruise's circuit.  In Europe it's fairly common for itineraries akin to what you're asking about to be part of the routine.  Of course it doesn't help you I'm afraid. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Fouremco]

What you want to accomplish, or close to, is easily done on Holland America and possibly other lines. HAL offers 7-night cruises from Montreal to Boston and from Boston to Montreal. Consequently, you'd be booking two 7-night cruises rather than booking two 14-night cruises and not using half of each.

 

Even better, they also offer 14-night cruises Montreal-Boston-Montreal. While they don't start/finish in Quebec City, each of the 7-night cruises spends a day there, and the 14-night cruise stops for a full day on both the outbound and return legs. You'll also find it a lot easier and cheaper flying into Montreal instead of Quebec City.

 

Unless there is some other reason why you have to start/finish in Quebec City, the 14-nighter out of Montreal seems like a good choice for you. 

[NantahalaCruiser]

The Eclipse is sailing in the Pacific not the Atlantic.  Perhaps you were thinking of the Summit.