Toofarfromthesea Posted August 29, 2023 #1 Share Posted August 29, 2023 I'm booked for a Hawiian cruise in a few months. It is 5 sea days, 5 days sailing around Hawaii with port stops, and 5 sea days heading back. And then one day in Ensenada. As I (perhaps imperfectly) understood it, since this cruise starts and ends in the same US port a foreign port is not required. Is that right? And if so, why would they have that stop in Ensenada? Anyone know, or care to speculate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzndeb Posted August 29, 2023 #2 Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said: I'm booked for a Hawiian cruise in a few months. It is 5 sea days, 5 days sailing around Hawaii with port stops, and 5 sea days heading back. And then one day in Ensenada. As I (perhaps imperfectly) understood it, since this cruise starts and ends in the same US port a foreign port is not required. Is that right? And if so, why would they have that stop in Ensenada? Anyone know, or care to speculate? Since it’s a RT, only a foreign port stop is needed, hence Ensenada. It is going from one US city to a different US city, even though it’s a RT. That’s why a foreign stop is needed. Edited August 29, 2023 by crzndeb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toofarfromthesea Posted August 29, 2023 Author #3 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Just now, crzndeb said: Since it’s a RT, only a foreign port stop is needed, hence Ensenada. Got it. So my understanding of the rule was imperfect. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzndeb Posted August 29, 2023 #4 Share Posted August 29, 2023 1 minute ago, Toofarfromthesea said: Got it. So my understanding of the rule was imperfect. Thanks. I added a little to my reply…it was a little confusing…LOL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted August 29, 2023 #5 Share Posted August 29, 2023 6 minutes ago, crzndeb said: Since it’s a RT, only a foreign port stop is needed, hence Ensenada. It is going from one US city to a different US city, even though it’s a RT. That’s why a foreign stop is needed. No, it's returning to the same US city per the OP. Hence the need for a call at any foreign port. If the cruise were returning to a different US port the stop in Ensenada would not make it a legal cruise. It would require a port call at what is called a distant foreign port. No port in Mexico, Canada nor most Caribbean ports qualify as a distant foreign port. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted August 29, 2023 #6 Share Posted August 29, 2023 @njhorseman got the key point...the word distant. If you are sailing roundtrip out of a US port, a foreign port stop is required, so Ensenada for your Hawaii cruise, Victoria (commonly) for roundtrips out of Seattle. If you are sailing from one US port to another US port, a stop at a distant foreign port is required. The closest distant foreign ports are Cartagena, Aruba, Bonaire or Curacao, for the standard one way Panama Canal cruises. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted August 29, 2023 #7 Share Posted August 29, 2023 2 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said: @njhorseman got the key point...the word distant. If you are sailing roundtrip out of a US port, a foreign port stop is required, so Ensenada for your Hawaii cruise, Victoria (commonly) for roundtrips out of Seattle. If you are sailing from one US port to another US port, a stop at a distant foreign port is required. The closest distant foreign ports are Cartagena, Aruba, Bonaire or Curacao, for the standard one way Panama Canal cruises. And for example if a cruise started in San Francisco, went to Hawaii, and ended in Seattle, the closest distant foreign port is Fanning Island. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted August 29, 2023 #8 Share Posted August 29, 2023 2 minutes ago, njhorseman said: And for example if a cruise started in San Francisco, went to Hawaii, and ended in Seattle, the closest distant foreign port is Fanning Island. As I recall, Fanning Island is a day plus sailing each way from the Islands, and extremely little to do there. Probably why the route you mention is extremely rare, if at all, used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzndeb Posted August 29, 2023 #9 Share Posted August 29, 2023 2 hours ago, njhorseman said: No, it's returning to the same US city per the OP. Hence the need for a call at any foreign port. If the cruise were returning to a different US port the stop in Ensenada would not make it a legal cruise. It would require a port call at what is called a distant foreign port. No port in Mexico, Canada nor most Caribbean ports qualify as a distant foreign port. Yeah, I know the rules, I just didn’t explain it very well. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted August 30, 2023 #10 Share Posted August 30, 2023 5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said: As I recall, Fanning Island is a day plus sailing each way from the Islands, and extremely little to do there. Probably why the route you mention is extremely rare, if at all, used. When it comes to having “…extremely little to do…”, Ensenada is also in the running. If it were not for the PVSA, you would not hear about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted August 30, 2023 #11 Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said: When it comes to having “…extremely little to do…”, Ensenada is also in the running. If it were not for the PVSA, you would not hear about it. Not true...there are at least 10 or a dozen shore excursions there. I doubt Fanning Island can support any shore excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted August 30, 2023 #12 Share Posted August 30, 2023 (edited) 5 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said: Not true...there are at least 10 or a dozen shore excursions there. I doubt Fanning Island can support any shore excursions. Cruise lines will provide shore excursions to anywhere - as I recall, most port calls there were just long enough to say hello and good bye. It’s primary function is to provide the required “foreign port” for three day cruises out of California — sort of the Pacific Ocean’s version of Nassau for comparable deals out of Miami. Edited August 30, 2023 by navybankerteacher 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted August 30, 2023 #13 Share Posted August 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said: Cruise lines will provide shore excursions to anywhere - as I recall, most port calls there were just long enough to say hello and good bye. I think NCL did some sort of beach BBQ. That was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted August 30, 2023 #14 Share Posted August 30, 2023 54 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said: I think NCL did some sort of beach BBQ. That was it. That's also my understanding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach1213 Posted August 30, 2023 #15 Share Posted August 30, 2023 17 hours ago, navybankerteacher said: When it comes to having “…extremely little to do…”, Ensenada is also in the running. If it were not for the PVSA, you would not hear about it. I'm guessing Ensenada also offers fairly cheap port fees and the cruise lines can make a decent margin off of the excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted August 31, 2023 #16 Share Posted August 31, 2023 21 hours ago, Zach1213 said: I'm guessing Ensenada also offers fairly cheap port fees and the cruise lines can make a decent margin off of the excursions. Interesting points, but I'll suggest that Ensenada has no incentive to offer cheaper than normal port fees. If the cruise lines wish to operate R/T cruises to Hawaii, they have really no other viable option other than Ensenada, so the port could easily increase normal rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Haljo1935 Posted September 1, 2023 #17 Share Posted September 1, 2023 (edited) I believe I may be on the same cruise as OP. What was to be a full day in Ensenada has been revised to 7p - midnight. While they may be added as sailing gets closer, there are no excursions currently being offered; no margins to be made. The stop is clearly to satisfy the foreign stop of a closed loop cruise and passenger experience does not appear to be a consideration. Edited September 1, 2023 by Haljo1935 Typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi13 Posted September 1, 2023 #18 Share Posted September 1, 2023 11 hours ago, Haljo1935 said: I believe I may be on the same cruise as OP. What was to be a full day in Ensenada has been revised to 7p - midnight. While they may be added as sailing gets closer, there are no excursions currently being offered; no margins to be made. The stop is clearly to satisfy the foreign stop of a closed loop cruise and passenger experience does not appear to be a consideration. Best guess as to the reason would be allowing an additional 12 hrs of steaming time, which will provide reasonable bunker savings, with the reduction in speed. As you mentioned, I expect shore-ex will be added later and they probably don't anticipate much shore-ex revenue loss. They also get additional bars and casino revenue at sea. Definitely agree that the pax experience is secondary to the bottom line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted September 1, 2023 #19 Share Posted September 1, 2023 5 hours ago, Heidi13 said: Definitely agree that the pax experience is secondary to the bottom line. The bottom line is the ONLY reason they sail in the first place, or think of the pax experience at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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