Does the PVSA apply in this case? Eastern Canada 2024 Cruises

[wurm914]

Hello all, I need some advice from the knowledgeable folks of CruiseCritic.  I'm wanting to cruise out of NY next fall to Quebec City and then return to NY on the same ship on it's very next cruise.  Essentially a back to back situation.   Is this a Passenger Vessel Services Act no-go or am I good to go? 

 

Fingers crossed waiting with bated breath. 

 

Thanks all,

 

deb 🙂

[bluesea777]

You’re fine. You’re leaving from and returning to the same US port (New York) and visiting a foreign country (Canada). 
 

Earlier this summer we went on 2 Back to Back cruises, starting and ending in Seward Alaska with Vancouver Canada as the turnaround/transition port. Same thing. 
 

 

[shof515]

Cruise 1 goes from NY to Canada

Cruise 2 goes from Canada to NY

 

not an issue 

[Mike A]

In fact you can even keep the same stateroom if available. All you have to do is disembark and re-embark. If the same stateroom is not available the steward will move your belongings during the turnaround. 

[wurm914]

9 minutes ago, Mike A said:

In fact you can even keep the same stateroom if available. All you have to do is disembark and re-embark. If the same stateroom is not available the steward will move your belongings during the turnaround. 

As it turns out the same cabin IS available! 

[bluesea777]

Just now, wurm914 said:

As it turns out the same cabin IS available! 

Great! We had the same cabin on both legs of our B2B Alaskan cruise and it was great!

 

 

[SplashOfWater]

We did a similar B2B in 2017 (Boston - Quebec City - Boston). No issues. Same cabin both legs so no need to pack at the end of the first cruise! It was one of our favorite cruises...enjoy!

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, wurm914 said:

Hello all, I need some advice from the knowledgeable folks of CruiseCritic.  I'm wanting to cruise out of NY next fall to Quebec City and then return to NY on the same ship on it's very next cruise.  Essentially a back to back situation.   Is this a Passenger Vessel Services Act no-go or am I good to go? 

 

Fingers crossed waiting with bated breath. 

 

Thanks all,

 

deb 🙂

We’ve done that identical cruise, there is no issue. 

[dbrown84]

as others have said, you're totally fine.  Actually, I can't even think of a way that it would even be possible to accidentally have a PVSA violation since NCL wouldn't offer any single cruise that didn't meet the requirements of PVSA.   

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

as others have said, you're totally fine.  Actually, I can't even think of a way that it would even be possible to accidentally have a PVSA violation since NCL wouldn't offer any single cruise that didn't meet the requirements of PVSA.   

I think if you were to sail from NYC to Quebec, switch ships, and return to Boston there may be an issue. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

as others have said, you're totally fine.  Actually, I can't even think of a way that it would even be possible to accidentally have a PVSA violation since NCL wouldn't offer any single cruise that didn't meet the requirements of PVSA.   

Sometimes two individual PVSA compliant cruises become a non compliant cruise. It typically happens at the beginning or end of cruise seasons when ships are repositioned. For example there could be a cruise from NY to Quebec City followed by the same ship cruising from Quebec City to Miami without calling on a distant foreign port for the start of the fall/winter season. Each cruise is PVSA compliant, but the B2B from NY to Miami is not.

I've seen the comparable situation happen quite frequently at the beginning and end of the Alaska cruise seasons.

My recollection is that NCL rarely schedules B2B cruises this way but some other cruise lines do and then fail to initially prevent passengers from booking the illegal B2B, but then inform them later that they can't actually take their B2B. I recall...I believe it was last year and it may have been on Royal Caribbean that the cruise line didn't realize the B2B was illegal and told passengers that they would have to disembark the cruise at the next to last port, which I believe was either in Vancouver or Victoria BC, then spend the night there and travel to Seattle the next day, where the second leg would commence.

[njhorseman]

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I think if you were to sail from NYC to Quebec, switch ships, and return to Boston there may be an issue. 

Correct. 

[dbrown84]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I think if you were to sail from NYC to Quebec, switch ships, and return to Boston there may be an issue. 

hmm, ok.  I would have thought that since you went from NYC to Quebec, that includes the foreign port.  and to come back to Boston from Quebec would automatically be good since it's not from/to a US port.  But I'm in no way an expert on this :) (or barely know anything about it really.  only what I've read here).  Anyway, sounds like OP is good

[dbrown84]

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Sometimes two individual PVSA compliant cruises become a non compliant cruise. It typically happens at the beginning or end of cruise seasons when ships are repositioned. For example there could be a cruise from NY to Quebec City followed by the same ship cruising from Quebec City to Miami without calling on a distant foreign port for the start of the fall/winter season. Each cruise is PVSA compliant, but the B2B from NY to Miami is not.

I've seen the comparable situation happen quite frequently at the beginning and end of the Alaska cruise seasons.

My recollection is that NCL rarely schedules B2B cruises this way but some other cruise lines do and then fail to initially prevent passengers from booking the illegal B2B, but then inform them later that they can't actually take their B2B. I recall...I believe it was last year and it may have been on Royal Caribbean that the cruise line didn't realize the B2B was illegal and told passengers that they would have to disembark the cruise at the next to last port, which I believe was either in Vancouver or Victoria BC, then spend the night there and travel to Seattle the next day, where the second leg would commence.

interesting.  Thanks

[shof515]

14 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

hmm, ok.  I would have thought that since you went from NYC to Quebec, that includes the foreign port.  and to come back to Boston from Quebec would automatically be good since it's not from/to a US port.  But I'm in no way an expert on this 🙂 (or barely know anything about it really.  only what I've read here).  Anyway, sounds like OP is good

the main issue is you are basically going from NYC to Boston. Foreign class ships like cruise ships require a distant foreign port of call to meet the PVSA requirements. Quebec is a foreign port of call but is not a distant port of call.

 

this is why on almost all of the reposition cruises they always go to the ABC islands to meet that requirement like the NYC to New Orleans cruises

Edited September 29, 2023 by shof515

[njhorseman]

16 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

hmm, ok.  I would have thought that since you went from NYC to Quebec, that includes the foreign port.  and to come back to Boston from Quebec would automatically be good since it's not from/to a US port.  But I'm in no way an expert on this 🙂 (or barely know anything about it really.  only what I've read here).  Anyway, sounds like OP is good

What matters is where you, the passenger embark and ultimately disembark. As a result if you board in NY and disembark in Boston a mere nearby foreign port call in Quebec City is insufficient. That type of cruise...embarking in one US port and disembarking in a different US port requires a call at a distant foreign port, and no port in Canada is a distant foreign port. The nearest distant foreign ports to the east coast of the USA are the ABC islands.

Note: I hit the "submit reply" button just after @shof515 posted the same information.

Edited September 29, 2023 by njhorseman

[dbrown84]

Just now, njhorseman said:

 and no port in Canada is a distant foreign port. The nearest distant foreign ports to the east coast of the USA are the ABC islands.

Note: I hit the "submit reply" button just after @shof515 posted the same information.

I see now says the blind man. LOL  I was just think foreign port.  Distant was the part I was missing

[dbrown84]

4 minutes ago, shof515 said:

the main issue is you are basically going from NYC to Boston. Foreign class ships like cruise ships require a distant foreign port of call to meet the PVSA requirements. Quebec is a foreign port of call but is not a distant port of call.

 

this is why on almost all of the reposition cruises they always go to the ABC islands to meet that requirement like the NYC to New Orleans cruises

you are absolutely right.  I was just thinking foreign.  I also never knew it was a requirement of the person.  I thought it was just the ship.  Is it just because the voyages are B2B, even though you've booked them separate?  would you have to put a certain amount of days between the two voyages to make sure you don't run into any problems?

[yakcruiser]

Even if you do a B2B it is treated by the PVSA as one continuous cruise. Example: Los Angeles to Vancouver then Vancouver to Seward would be considered Los Angeles to Seward which is a no go. I think I got it right.

[dbrown84]

wow, it's interesting that this topic came up.  Something I never thought about/knew about.  I see now that you can do a back to back ending in a different US port if you switch ships.  crazy laws.....

[njhorseman]

25 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

you are absolutely right.  I was just thinking foreign.  I also never knew it was a requirement of the person.  I thought it was just the ship.  Is it just because the voyages are B2B, even though you've booked them separate?  would you have to put a certain amount of days between the two voyages to make sure you don't run into any problems?

The only thing that matters is where you, the passenger, embark and disembark.

24 hours between voyages on the same ship would be required to make it legal.

[dbrown84]

Just now, yakcruiser said:

Even if you do a B2B it is treated by the PVSA as one continuous cruise. Example: Los Angeles to Vancouver then Vancouver to Seward would be considered Los Angeles to Seward which is a no go. I think I got it right.

yeah, I got that.  I was wonder if a B2B was literally two cruises right after each other.  I was wondering if you took the LA to Vancouver, hung out in Vancouver for a week or two, then took the Vancouver to Seward, would that also be a no go.  At this point, it's just for my curiosity.  not like I plan on doing this or anything.  I was just intrigued by the post

[dbrown84]

Just now, njhorseman said:

The only thing that matters is where you, the passenger, embark and disembark.

24 hours between voyages on the same ship would be required to make it legal.

maybe one day when I hit the lottery I'll have to worry about such things :)

[njhorseman]

3 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

wow, it's interesting that this topic came up.  Something I never thought about/knew about.  I see now that you can do a back to back ending in a different US port if you switch ships.  crazy laws.....

You have to understand the PVSA's history. The law was enacted in 1886. Passenger vessels were a form of transportation just a like a railroad and the law was enacted to protect US ship building companies and ship owners from foreign competition.

[dbrown84]

4 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

You have to understand the PVSA's history. The law was enacted in 1886. Passenger vessels were a form of transportation just a like a railroad and the law was enacted to protect US ship building companies and ship owners from foreign competition.

oh, no.  I didn't mean crazy as in a stupid law.  I meant so many things to consider that you need a PHD to figure out all the combos.  No hate intended