Alaska Tourism Recovery Act Passes U.S. Senate

[Cruise Raider]

Alaska Tourism Recovery Act May Save the Cruise Season | Porthole Cruise and Travel News

 

Fingers crossed!!  

[Cruise Raider]

22 hours ago, sherryf said:

But how soon would they sail?  They've cancelled everything else until August 21.  If they only start AK cruises after August 21, that only leaves a few weeks in the AK cruise season.  

 

They haven't yet canceled all Alaska sailings ... just those up through the end of June.  Some July Alaska sailings have yet to be canceled.  

[Kamloops50]

On 5/13/2021 at 5:58 PM, sherryf said:

But how soon would they sail?  They've cancelled everything else until August 21.  If they only start AK cruises after August 21, that only leaves a few weeks in the AK cruise season.  

The cruise lines say they need about 90 days to fully staff and prep the ships.  If the CDC and the billed is passed and signed by June 1st. Sometime in August would the ships sail. That only leaves 30 to maybe 60 days left. The BIG question is whether the tour operators will gear up and hirer staff for 30 to 60 days . Most of the staff live in the lower 48 states .

[caribill]

5 hours ago, Kamloops50 said:

The cruise lines say they need about 90 days to fully staff and prep the ships.  If the CDC and the billed is passed and signed by June 1st. Sometime in August would the ships sail. That only leaves 30 to maybe 60 days left. The BIG question is whether the tour operators will gear up and hirer staff for 30 to 60 days . Most of the staff live in the lower 48 states .

 

Celebrity says they could be ready to sail in 30 days after being given permissiono sail. They are already lining up vaccinated crew members to be ready when the call comes.

[Kamloops50]

5 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Celebrity says they could be ready to sail in 30 days after being given permissiono sail. They are already lining up vaccinated crew members to be ready when the call comes.

They currently don’t have any ships on the west coast. The Millie is in the Caribbean for summer cruises. The Solstice and Eclipse are both in the Far East. It takes more than crew to start cruising. There was an interview with Captain Kate. She said in practice it takes 60 to 90 days s to get a ship in shape for passengers. 

[Ken the cruiser]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Celebrity says they could be ready to sail in 30 days after being given permissiono sail. They are already lining up vaccinated crew members to be ready when the call comes.

Would it be possible for you to provide the link to the article you saw this in? We're currently booked on the Celebrity Edge in July and haven't heard anything regarding this 30 day capability.

[caribill]

57 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Would it be possible for you to provide the link to the article you saw this in? We're currently booked on the Celebrity Edge in July and haven't heard anything regarding this 30 day capability.

 

It was during a webinar which was on April 29.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N48Ps9BJITs

 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

It was during a webinar which was on April 29.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N48Ps9BJITs

 

Thanks for sharing this link. We just got finished listening to it. It was very informative. But it was also fascinating listening to it knowing what changes CDC has made to the CSO since April 29th.  

[stairMaster]

On 5/14/2021 at 12:37 PM, skynight said:

I think it will pass the House. It was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent. It is temporary. Maritime unions lose nothing. They don't have these jobs now, in the past nor will they in the future. The longshoreman on the other hand will get work both in Seattle and Alaska.  

The bill may result in unintended consequences.  For instance, if Hawaiian cruises are granted the same exemptions as Alaskan cruises in being permitted to skip foreign ports then what will stop them from offering Hawaii only ports cruises ? The cruise fare of these foreign ships will of course be cheaper than ships employing Americans thus resulting in loss of American jobs. 

[Redwing55]

15 minutes ago, stairMaster said:

The bill may result in unintended consequences.  For instance, if Hawaiian cruises are granted the same exemptions as Alaskan cruises in being permitted to skip foreign ports then what will stop them from offering Hawaii only ports cruises ? The cruise fare of these foreign ships will of course be cheaper than ships employing Americans thus resulting in loss of American jobs. 

Uh, don't they already?  I suspect there is what, one or two American flagged ships?  Are you saying those 2 ships will result in American job losses?  Just maybe there would be more US cruises to US ports. With that, wouldn't that help all the those citizens at those ports?

[stairMaster]

8 minutes ago, Redwing55 said:

Uh, don't they already?  I suspect there is what, one or two American flagged ships?  Are you saying those 2 ships will result in American job losses?  Just maybe there would be more US cruises to US ports. With that, wouldn't that help all the those citizens at those ports?

The reason why there are only 2 American flagged ships compared to dozens of foreign ones visiting Hawaii is due to cheaper labor on the foreign ships which means less American paying jobs on the ships. You bring up a good point, how to balance jobs generated by the cruise industry visits vs American maritime jobs. Would you be agreeable to foreign airlines flying US domestic routes since this will result in lower fares but also huge job losses for Americans in the aviation industry  ?

[DaveB42]

San Francisco to Hawaii round trip without detouring to Encinada could cut a day or more off the cruise, either allowing another day in Hawaii, or making it a 14 night cruise. Even more intriguing might be one way trips or round trips with a break in the middle.

The Passenger Vessel Services Act, does NOTHING to preserve US jobs where big ships are concerned, it does however create employment in Canada and Mexico.

[Outerdog]

The bill makes clear that the legislation applies to specific cruises. Hawaii (and everywhere else) is excluded by the following:

 

(b) Criteria.—A roundtrip voyage of a covered cruise ship transporting passengers between a port or place in the State of Alaska and a port or place in the State of Washington shall be deemed to have made a stop in a port or place of Canada, and deemed a foreign voyage, for purposes of the law of the United States

 

Read the bill before posting off-topic tangents about Hawaii. 

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/593/text?r=11

 

[DaveB42]

On 5/14/2021 at 8:31 AM, NavArch64 said:

IMO, S.593 is a "weird" bill. Read it and decide for yourself.

It is in a couple of ways, first it only applies to Alaska and Washington, and what it does is create a virtual visit to Canada. The ship has to email to Canadian border protection, with the names of the "foreign " crew, the ship is then deemed to have made the stop.  It also requires defibrillators to be installed.

 

So, San Francisco to Alaska one way or round trip is still out. On the upside, you'll have a slightly better chance of surviving a heart attack on your Alaska cruise.

[DaveB42]

On 5/14/2021 at 8:31 AM, NavArch64 said:

IMO, S.593 is a "weird" bill. Read it and decide for yourself.

It is in a couple of ways, first it only applies to Alaska and Washington, and what it does is create a virtual visit to Canada. The ship has to email to Canadian border protection, with the names of the "foreign " crew, the ship is then deemed to have made the stop.  It also requires defibrillators to be installed.

 

So, San Francisco to Alaska one way or round trip is still out. On the upside, you'll have a slightly better chance of surviving a heart attack on your Alaska cruise.

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/593/text?q={"search"%3A["S.593"]}&r=1&s=1

[DaveB42]

9 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

...

 

Read the bill before posting off-topic tangents about Hawaii. 

 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/593/text?r=11

 

The topic is the bill, discussing the limitations of the bill is on topic.

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, DaveB42 said:

 

So, San Francisco to Alaska one way or round trip is still out. On the upside, you'll have a slightly better chance of surviving a heart attack on your Alaska cruise.

NY state requires defibrillators in schools. It's a good idea, even if it is another unfunded mandate for schools. And why is it a bad thing that you would now have a better chance of surviving a heart attack on an Alaskan cruise?

[skynight]

8 hours ago, stairMaster said:

The bill may result in unintended consequences.  For instance, if Hawaiian cruises are granted the same exemptions as Alaskan cruises in being permitted to skip foreign ports then what will stop them from offering Hawaii only ports cruises ? The cruise fare of these foreign ships will of course be cheaper than ships employing Americans thus resulting in loss of American jobs. 

The bill does not speak about Hawaii, therefore, no unintended consequences, no loss of American jobs. The bill is about Alaska voyages. The bill's exemptions will expire on March 31, 2022 or earlier if Canada opens one of its ports. This means it is only valid for a short part of this summer Alaska season. The Hawaii winter season is not at risk since Mexico allows porting in Ensenada. Hawaii will remain as it has been, and the job situation will remain as it has been for many years. I read that Ensenada is improving its port attractions to make this port stop more attractive and appealing to passengers.

[Redwing55]

11 hours ago, stairMaster said:

The reason why there are only 2 American flagged ships compared to dozens of foreign ones visiting Hawaii is due to cheaper labor on the foreign ships which means less American paying jobs on the ships. You bring up a good point, how to balance jobs generated by the cruise industry visits vs American maritime jobs. Would you be agreeable to foreign airlines flying US domestic routes since this will result in lower fares but also huge job losses for Americans in the aviation industry  ?

That is a false narrative.  One, this bill applies only to a few routes.  Secondly, even if this got expanded, the current status is that the ships employ non-US citizens.  So, the cruise line has determined a work around.  So instead of maybe having MORE US stops, some put in token non-US stops to meet the requirements.  So THAT actually hurts the US.  I keep seeing this on other threads as to how this protects US jobs. We disagree.  IMO, it does not since the work around is just stopping at a non-US port.  Time to move off of this since I have my mind made up and so do you.

[skynight]

12 hours ago, stairMaster said:

The bill may result in unintended consequences.  For instance, if Hawaiian cruises are granted the same exemptions as Alaskan cruises in being permitted to skip foreign ports then what will stop them from offering Hawaii only ports cruises ? The cruise fare of these foreign ships will of course be cheaper than ships employing Americans thus resulting in loss of American jobs. 

I see you are from B.C. There have been a few Princess RT Vancouver voyages to Hawaii without stopping in Mexico. I think I saw some other cruise lines offer one way trips direct Vancouver to Hawaii and return. 

[DaveB42]

12 hours ago, skynight said:

I see you are from B.C. There have been a few Princess RT Vancouver voyages to Hawaii without stopping in Mexico. I think I saw some other cruise lines offer one way trips direct Vancouver to Hawaii and return. 

The PVSA has no bearing on cruises starting or ending in canada, which is why Princess can offer a 15 day cruise to Hawaii and back from Vancouver, without having to stop in Ensenada, the same cruise would be 14 days from San Francisco and a few hours longer from LA.

 

The PSVA does absolutely nothing to protect US jobs, without it there would be more longshoreman and stevedores being employed. The biggest beneficiary of the PVSA is the port of Vancouver BC.

[cr8tiv1]

Hawaii voyages are a mute point since Hawaii is not open to cruise ships at this time.  Not even NCL Pride of America is making around the island voyages.

 

Hawaii just recently (started last week) allows flights between the islands for anyone WHO WAS VACCINATED IN HAWAII.  

 

Maui is requiring a COVID post arrival test for passengers flying from the mainland who have taken the PRE arrival COVID test/negative but are not vaccinated.  

 

Without a COVID negative pre-travel test, visitors are required to quarantine for 10 days.

 

Masks are still mandated.

 

Hawaii is not ready to receive cruise passengers at this time.  I have not seen much in the news lately that says Hawaii is gearing up for Fall Cruise Ship arrivals.  This bill does not address lifting the PSVA for the Hawaii route.  I don't see this happening until the Governor allows open and clears passage between the islands for Hawaii residents.  Not to even mention the cost of car rentals...but that's another story.

Edited May 17, 2021 by cr8tiv1

[caribill]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

 This bill does not address lifting the PSVA for the Hawaii route.  I don't see this happening until the Governor allows open and clears passage between the islands for Hawaii residents.

 

The reason to lift the PVSA for cruises from Seattle to Alaska is because Canada is not allowing cruise ships into its waters and ports at the current time, so the mandatory stop in a nearby foreign port cannot be made.

 

However, Mexico is welcoming cruise ships, so if Hawaii is willing to have cruise ships go there, the PVSA is not stopping this from happening once the CDC allows cruises longer than 7 days.

[skynight]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 This bill does not address lifting the PSVA for the Hawaii route.  I don't see this happening until the Governor allows open and clears passage between the islands for Hawaii residents.  Not to even mention the cost of car rentals...but that's another story.

Hawaii does not have a near term PVSA problem like Alaska. Temporary legislation is not needed. The issues you mention are all public health related, not PSVA. Once cruises to Hawaii begin the normal route with a port stop in Mexico can resume.

[NavArch64]

From House.gov .... re H.R. 1318 ... as of now ...

Date	All Actions
02/25/2021	Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Action By: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
02/24/2021	Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Action By: House of Representatives
02/24/2021	Introduced in House Action By: House of Representatives