Canadian government CANCELS 2021 Alaska cruise Season

[nocl]

By the way Canada has its own version of the Jones Act and PVSA.

 

Similar to the Jones Act in the United States, in Canada any domestic maritime operations involving the movement of cargo or passengers between two points in Canada is reserved for Canadian-flagged and Canadian-crewed vessels. These regulations are enshrined in a long-standing piece of legislation known as the Coasting Trade Act.

[gold1953]

28 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Hmmm, we are living in a situation that has not happened in 100 years, IMO 10 months has not been forever, and we, US, have never been in a "lockdown".  Many of us have rightly and respectfully curtailed much of our previous routine daily lives and I think for the good.  As for the folks on here who say "those afraid to travel"  well I cannot type my response here, otherwise I'd be banned for life.  

The flu is not spreading with mask wearing and distancing. A factory that makes losenges has laid off 30 staff locally and people are not getting sore throats and coughs

[mimbecky]

13 hours ago, davekathy said:

Come join us in September 2022 on the Summit. We did this cruise in September 2019 on the Summit (14 night cruise that year). Fantastic itinerary. 

I was previously looking for a full Panama late 2022 or early 2023 (it doesn't exist) and came across this post.  It has been on our bucket list.  I see 2 in September...which do you feel has the better itinerary and why? If we can't do a lift and shift on the Alaska, this would be an option.

 

Thanks.

M 

[NMTraveller]

So I wonder why Canada did not allow cruise ships a technical stop?  Everyone stays on the ship and they gas up and or bring on provisions for a short stop which would satisfy PVSA.

 

My August Alaska cruise only had a 3 hour stopover anyways.

 

 

[Blackduck59]

Just now, NMTraveller said:

So I wonder why Canada did not allow cruise ships a technical stop?  Everyone stays on the ship and they gas up and or bring on provisions for a short stop which would satisfy PVSA.

 

My August Alaska cruise only had a 3 hour stopover anyways.

 

 

I'm not sure that would cover the PVSA, passengers must have the opportunity to disembark. I think a 3 hour stop over is an insult to a port and a disservice to the passengers. Victoria is a beautiful city with many things to see, you couldn't hope to see much in 3 hours. Maybe get the obligatory fridge magnet and 'Victoria Canada" tee shirt, you were there (but not really).

[ipeeinthepool]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

So I wonder why Canada did not allow cruise ships a technical stop?  Everyone stays on the ship and they gas up and or bring on provisions for a short stop which would satisfy PVSA.

 

It appears that the Canadian government is saying that they don't think cruising will be safe in the next year and they are not going to do anything to assist any cruise lines in this unsafe activity.

[gold1953]

20 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Halifax is often bypassed because of weather.  Its really doesn't offer much except for the lobster shack and the Titanic cemetery.

Well I live in Halifax and it is rare that a ship misses our port due to weather. In 2019  179 ships visited . One missed for weather.  There are many things to do here. It is a very historic city with a citadel, museums, Victorian gardens, Peggys cove, Valley wine tours, highest tides in the world, a beautiful boardwalk, historic seaside towns, amazing places to eat..  and where is the 'lobster shack'??  

[Turtles06]

7 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

So I wonder why Canada did not allow cruise ships a technical stop?  Everyone stays on the ship and they gas up and or bring on provisions for a short stop which would satisfy PVSA.

 

The PVSA no longer allows a "technical stop."  It must be a true port call, with passengers allowed to disembark.  

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, mimbecky said:

I was previously looking for a full Panama late 2022 or early 2023 (it doesn't exist) and came across this post.  It has been on our bucket list.  I see 2 in September...which do you feel has the better itinerary and why? If we can't do a lift and shift on the Alaska, this would be an option.

 

Thanks.

M 

 

Hi, I'm not @davekathy, but I was also on the same wonderful Summit NE/Canada cruise in 2019 that Dave mentioned.  I just took a quick look at those two Sept. 2022 itineraries, both out of Boston.  One is 12 nights, the other is 10.  Right there, I would already be leaning to the longer cruise (longer is better for cruising in my book!) and, looking at the actual itineraries, I personally would pick the 12-nighter, for the very simple reason that it's the only one that visits Quebec City, which imho is the crown jewel of these two sailings.  (You'll have an overnight there, but unfortunately leave at 10am the next morning.  Still, your scheduled 9am arrival the first day will allow you to see a great deal.)

 

The 10-night cruise has an overnight in Charlottetown, PEI, which I don't think is a good tradeoff for Quebec City.  On the 12-night cruise, you'd have a chunk of the day there, as did we in 2019.  (It was probably our least favorite port of the cruise.)

 

I posted a detailed review (with photos) of our 2019 cruise, at the link below.  You'll find not only a great deal of info about the Summit, but also about what we did in each port.  I hope this will be helpful to you in making your decision.

 

Edited to add:  I did not "cheat" by checking on which of the two cruises@davekathy is booked before giving my suggestion.  But after I posted, I took a look at the Roll Call for the 12-nighter, and was not surprised to see that's what they are booked on!  

 

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by Turtles06

[mimbecky]

49 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

I posted a detailed review (with photos) of our 2019 cruise, at the link below.  You'll find not only a great deal of info about the Summit, but also about what we did in each port.  I hope this will be helpful to you in making your decision.

 

Thank you for all of your information!  For now, I will wait on Celebrity, but this sounds like a very possible plan.

M

[davekathy]

9 hours ago, mimbecky said:

I was previously looking for a full Panama late 2022 or early 2023 (it doesn't exist) and came across this post.  It has been on our bucket list.  I see 2 in September...which do you feel has the better itinerary and why? If we can't do a lift and shift on the Alaska, this would be an option.

 

Thanks.

M 

We are doing the 21 September 2022 cruise because it's for 12 nights (we prefer longer cruises) and stops in Quebec City. The 11 September 2022 cruise is only 10 nights and doesn't stop in Quebec City. 

 

Just noticed Turtles06 response to you. He is spot on. If you have time, read his review of our 2019 Canada/New England cruise. Excellent review and a lot of great info. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by davekathy

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Just noticed Turtles06 response to you. He is spot on. If you have time, read his review of our 2019 Canada/New England cruise. Excellent review and a lot of great info. 

 

Dave, thanks for your kind words.  (But remember, I'm a she. Judith. 😊)

 

I was absolutely not surprised to see you'd chosen the 12-nighter in 2022, for the same reasons I would have.

[davekathy]

Just now, Turtles06 said:

 

Dave, thanks for your kind words.  (But remember, I'm a she. Judith. 😊)

 

I was absolutely not surprised to see you'd chosen the 12-nighter in 2022, for the same reasons I would have.

Sorry, and I know that. Sometimes I think one thing and type another. 😳 I know, for us it was a no brainer picking the longer cruise and in our opinion the better of the two intinaries. Wish it was another 14 nighter and did two full days in Quebec City like our 2019 cruise. Oh well, we were pleased Celebrity offered the Cruise again. We've never been to St. John, New Brunswick before so something new for us.   

[NMTraveller]

9 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I'm not sure that would cover the PVSA, passengers must have the opportunity to disembark. I think a 3 hour stop over is an insult to a port and a disservice to the passengers. Victoria is a beautiful city with many things to see, you couldn't hope to see much in 3 hours. Maybe get the obligatory fridge magnet and 'Victoria Canada" tee shirt, you were there (but not really).

I would disagree on the disservice to passengers part.  They choose the intinerary.  In my case it was a better Alaska itinerary and a short Canada one.  Not a big deal for me as I would sail on a Pacific coast cruise and end up in Victoria for several days.   Cruising is one big puzzle.   

 

I think you are correct on the disembark portion.  But there is a reason they call it a technical stop.  It technically fulfills the laws.  Cruisers could be allowed to disembark in the port area only and get right back on board.  Previous technical stops occured at 11:30 PM.  

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by NMTraveller

[WestLakeGirl]

And those “technical stops” are no longer allowed

[NMTraveller]

2 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

And those “technical stops” are no longer allowed

What is the difference between a 3 hour port stop and a technical stop?  The differences seem minimal and easy to work out.

 

Three hour port stops are allowed.

Edited February 6, 2021 by NMTraveller

[Oregonhiker]

I have Alaska booked for July this year and am planning to change it to July of next year.   Is it better to wait for Celebrity to cancel before rebooking. Not sure what happens with the deposit. 

[Ride-The-Waves]

4 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Well I live in Halifax and it is rare that a ship misses our port due to weather. In 2019  179 ships visited . One missed for weather.  There are many things to do here. It is a very historic city with a citadel, museums, Victorian gardens, Peggys cove, Valley wine tours, highest tides in the world, a beautiful boardwalk, historic seaside towns, amazing places to eat..  and where is the 'lobster shack'??  

Great that many Canadians defend their towns.  We have sailed past Halifax three times on trans-Atlantics and stopped three times.  Took the tour to Peggy's Cove and grabbed a quick bite in the restaurant.  We have traveled the world, visited all 7 continents, been north of the Arctic Circles and south of the Antarctic, visited all 50 US states, safari'd in Tanzania and Kenya, traveled in eastern Europe and Russia, listed Japan, toured two weeks in China and Tibet, raised in the Netherlands as a child post WWII, schooled in international schools in Belgium and Switzerland, lived in the former Yugoslavia and Romania, and adopted a girl from a children's home in Romania just for starters.  Halifax compared to Petra, Luxor, Galapagos, Amsterdam's museums, Dachau, Urquhart Castle, just about any place in Ireland, Oldupai Gorge, The Great Migration, Jungfraujoch, etc., etc.  Nope.  Even found Ushuaia and nearby Patagonia much more enlightening.  That said, PEI is lovely and a place I could live.  

Edited February 6, 2021 by Ride-The-Waves

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Great that many Canadians defend their towns.  We have sailed past Halifax three times on trans-Atlantics and stopped three times.  Took the tour to Peggy's Cove and grabbed a quick bite in the restaurant.  We have traveled the world, visited all 7 continents, been north of the Arctic Circles and south of the Antarctic, visited all 50 US states, safari'd in Tanzania and Kenya, traveled in eastern Europe and Russia, listed Japan, toured two weeks in China and Tibet, raised in the Netherlands as a child post WWII, schooled in international schools in Belgium and Switzerland, lived in the former Yugoslavia and Romania, and adopted a girl from a children's home in Romania just for starters.  Halifax compared to Petra, Luxor, Galapagos, Amsterdam's museums, Dachau, Urquhart Castle, just about any place in Ireland, Oldupai Gorge, The Great Migration, Jungfraujoch, etc., etc.  Nope.  Even found Ushuaia and nearby Patagonia much more enlightening.  Sorry

No one was comparing Halifax to any of the locations that you mention in your post.  We get it, you have travelled the world, many on here have as well.  We were simply saying that it is a beautiful place to visit.  INSERT EYE ROLL HERE!!!  🙄

[davekathy]

21 minutes ago, Oregonhiker said:

I have Alaska booked for July this year and am planning to change it to July of next year.   Is it better to wait for Celebrity to cancel before rebooking. Not sure what happens with the deposit. 

Did you book with a Refundable or Non Refundable Deposit? If a NRD and you want your deposit back wait until Celebrity cancels. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by davekathy

[Ride-The-Waves]

8 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

No one was comparing Halifax to any of the locations that you mention in your post.  We get it, you have travelled the world, many on here have as well.  We were simply saying that it is a beautiful place to visit.  INSERT EYE ROLL HERE!!!  🙄

It was a nice stop - once.  Nothing I would schedule to visit again.

[Fouremco]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

What is the difference between a 3 hour port stop and a technical stop?  The differences seem minimal and easy to work out.

 

Three hour port stops are allowed.

The difference is that passengers are allowed to disembark for the duration of a normal port stop, whatever its length, whereas for a technical stop they must remain aboard. Big difference, particularly when taking infectious diseases into account.

 

BTW, the current Canadian ban makes provision for technical stops, but not for ships carrying passengers, so trying to amend the PVSA to allow for technical stops won't help Alaskan cruises.

[Oregonhiker]

Davekathy, thanks for the reply. It appears to be refundable.  I'm just concerned that once the letter come out in a week or so, there's going to be a lot of lifting and shifting going on. Oh well.

[davekathy]

4 minutes ago, Oregonhiker said:

Davekathy, thanks for the reply. It appears to be refundable.  I'm just concerned that once the letter come out in a week or so, there's going to be a lot of lifting and shifting going on. Oh well.

Hopefully Celebrity will bring back the L&S option.  If not we'll take the cash refund. Not interested in FCCs. 

[Ride-The-Waves]

Maybe the most disconcerting aspect of all this is the potential impact on the industry, especially Princess, Celebrity and Royal.  Cruise lines will need to repurpose their ships to itineraries other than Alaska.  Not easy when these are usually planned two years in advance and during the pandemic it will be unlikely that adding more capacity to other established itineraries will be possible.  Will be interesting to see how the cruise lines accomplish this.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Ride-The-Waves