Confused by the PVSA law and back to back cruises

[2travelcats]

Hello - I am confused by the PVSA law and how it affects back to back cruises. 

 

For those of you who understand the law, please tell me if I can take:

 

2 cruises, back2back, with both starting and ending in San Francisco? 

One has a stop in Mexico and the other in Victoria, BC.

 

And, 2 cruises, back2back, with the first one going from Quebec to New York and the second going from New York to Quebec?

 

I’m hoping both of these are okay because they are essentially closed-loop itineraries, which seem to be within the law as long as “any” foreign port is visited.

 

Thanks so much for you help planning cruises for 2022.

[Shmoo here]

13 minutes ago, 2travelcats said:

Hello - I am confused by the PVSA law and how it affects back to back cruises. 

 

For those of you who understand the law, please tell me if I can take:

 

2 cruises, back2back, with both starting and ending in San Francisco? 

One has a stop in Mexico and the other in Victoria, BC.

 

And, 2 cruises, back2back, with the first one going from Quebec to New York and the second going from New York to Quebec?

 

I’m hoping both of these are okay because they are essentially closed-loop itineraries, which seem to be within the law as long as “any” foreign port is visited.

 

Thanks so much for you help planning cruises for 2022.

The PVSA says that a foreign-flagged ship may not carry passengers from one US port to a different US port without a stop in a distant foreign port.  

 

If you book back to back cruises the two cruises together classify as "one" cruise under the PVSA.  

 

Since the first B2B are both closed loop cruises (beginning and ending in the same US port), the PVSA does not apply.

 

The second B2B would be Quebec to Quebec, so, again, the PVSA would not apply.

[TheOldBear]

As a practical matter, the ship for each example will be 'zeroed out' at the NYC or SF stops. (all passengers and crew except for designated watchstanders must be off the ship).

So folks sailing [for example] Quebec back to Quebec will need to go ashore in NYC for the 'zeroing out' and only re embark once everyone is accounted for. Some folks will just wait in the terminal, others will use the turn around day for an excursion. The 'in transit' passengers can board anytime they want to after the zero out is completed, no need to wait for new passengers embarking for the NYC to Quebec sailing.

[sanger727]

Yes, both are not affected by PVSA. The easiest way to look at is is think about where YOU are embarking and where YOU ultimately are disembarking. If it's not the same place and both places are in the US it can fall under the PVSA. So if you are embarking and san fransico and disembarking there, it's fine. Where it becomes a problem is when you take a hawaii to canada cruise and add on canada to alaska. Now you are embarking in one us port (hawaii) and disembarking in a different us port (alaska).

[LHT28]

Are they sold as 1 cruise  Quebec to Quebec  or 2 cruises?

 That is where it gets sticky

[2travelcats]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

LHT28 - 2 cruises, with the first one going from Quebec to New York and the second going from New York to Quebec

[CruiserBruce]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Are they sold as 1 cruise  Quebec to Quebec  or 2 cruises?

 That is where it gets sticky

Doesn't matter. The cruise(s) ARE NOT starting and ending at two different US ports, without a stop at a DISTANT foreign port.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, 2travelcats said:

Hello - I am confused by the PVSA law and how it affects back to back cruises. 

 

For those of you who understand the law, please tell me if I can take:

 

2 cruises, back2back, with both starting and ending in San Francisco? 

One has a stop in Mexico and the other in Victoria, BC.

 

And, 2 cruises, back2back, with the first one going from Quebec to New York and the second going from New York to Quebec?

 

I’m hoping both of these are okay because they are essentially closed-loop itineraries, which seem to be within the law as long as “any” foreign port is visited.

 

Thanks so much for you help planning cruises for 2022.

Can you post the cruise line /Dates  so people can see what the itinerary  is

 We have done R/T  Montreal  which stopped in Bermuda  no US ports involved

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Can you post the cruise line /Dates  so people can see what the itinerary  is

 We have done R/T  Montreal  which stopped in Bermuda  no US ports involved

it doesn't really matter what the itinerary is.  OP said the first possible B2B was 2 round trips out of San Francisco.  Even putting them together, means OP would board the ship in SF and get off the ship in SF and the PVSA wouldn't apply.

 

The second B2B was Quebec to NYC and NYC to Quebec.  OP would board the ship in Quebec and get off the ship in Quebec, again, the PVSA would not apply.

[crzndeb]

The Quebec cruises shouldn’t even come into question. PVSA only pertains to US ports embarkation and debarkation.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Shmoo here said:

The second B2B was Quebec to NYC and NYC to Quebec.  OP would board the ship in Quebec and get off the ship in Quebec, again, the PVSA would not apply.

 I would be sure it does not violate  the PVSA  before putting $$ down

 Just my opinion

 

I did not see any r/t Quebec city cruises that stop in NYC  could be a reason for that  😎

[crzndeb]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

 I would be sure it does not violate  the PVSA  before putting $$ down

 Just my opinion

 

I did not see any r/t Quebec city cruises that stop in NYC  could be a reason for that  😎

It doesn’t have to be a RT...if it starts in Quebec, that is a foreign port, so PVSA does not apply. If a cruise ends in Quebec, same thing. It’s not a US port. If a cruise starts or ends in a foreign port, PVSA does not apply.

[Shmoo here]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 I would be sure it does not violate  the PVSA  before putting $$ down

 Just my opinion

 

I did not see any r/t Quebec city cruises that stop in NYC  could be a reason for that  😎

The Quebec cruises that OP was asking about were 2 separate cruises.  One Quebec to NYC.  And the second NYC to Quebec.  Not a Quebec round trip cruise.

 

Although, if booked B2B, the two cruises would be deemed (by the PVSA) as a Quebec to Quebec cruise.

[sparks1093]

15 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

The Quebec cruises that OP was asking about were 2 separate cruises.  One Quebec to NYC.  And the second NYC to Quebec.  Not a Quebec round trip cruise.

 

Although, if booked B2B, the two cruises would be deemed (by the PVSA) as a Quebec to Quebec cruise.

This is how I understand it. 

[crzndeb]

19 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

The Quebec cruises that OP was asking about were 2 separate cruises.  One Quebec to NYC.  And the second NYC to Quebec.  Not a Quebec round trip cruise.

 

Although, if booked B2B, the two cruises would be deemed (by the PVSA) as a Quebec to Quebec cruise.

But it doesn’t matter! Quebec is a foreign port. PVSA has nothing to do with it. Zilch, nada.

Now, if it was a NYC to Boston and stopped in Quebec, you have a PVSA problem. Even a B2B NYC to NYC, stopping in Quebec is OK.

I could be totally off base being on Westcoast, and there’s a US city called Quebec on the Eastcoast. 😳

Edited July 21, 2020 by crzndeb

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

But it doesn’t matter! Quebec is a foreign port. PVSA has nothing to do with it. Zilch, nada.

Now, if it was a NYC to Boston and stopped in Quebec, you have a PVSA problem. Even a B2B NYC to NYC, stopping in Quebec is OK.

I could be totally off base being on Westcoast, and there’s a US city called Quebec on the Eastcoast. 😳

I was addressing the poster who was asking about the itinerary for the Quebec cruise.  It seemed they were under the impression that the cruise in question was a Quebec round trip.

 

I answered the OPs question regarding the Quebec/NYC; NYC/Quebec and if the PVSA affected it in my first post.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

The Quebec cruises that OP was asking about were 2 separate cruises.  One Quebec to NYC.  And the second NYC to Quebec.  Not a Quebec round trip cruise.

 

Although, if booked B2B, the two cruises would be deemed (by the PVSA) as a Quebec to Quebec cruise.

 

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

This is how I understand it. 

 

Me too.  And the question seems to have been answered.  Many times!  haha

[2travelcats]

Yes!  The question has been answered!  Thanks for the help and clarification of the PVSA rule - I'm good to go on both Back2Backs - OP