Miss the ships sailing on purpose?

[rolloman]

I have a unique scenerio in mind. We have family and friends in Puerto Rico we would like to visit. Several people in our party do not wish to fly so I am thinking about booking a cruise. The trouble is the average stay in Puerto Rico is about 8 hours. With this in mind, I have found a sailing that gets in early at PR and then leaves to go to St. Thomas arriving next day and stays until 6pm. So I am thinking what if I missed the ships sailing out of Puerto Rico and then took a ferry to St. Thomas the next afternoon. Both places are US territories so therefore no customs issues. Has anyone done anything similiar?

[superjerryw]

What ferry service were you planning to use. I believe there is only one such service that only runs about once every two weeks.

[sas80]

It sounds like a good plan to me but you need to double check that boarding would be that easy in St. Thomas.

 

Also that you would not incurr any charges from RCCL for holding the ship up in San Juan - as they are going to spend time paging/looking for you on the ship when they realize they have missing passengers...

[wolfcathorse]

Also that you would not incurr any charges from RCCL for holding the ship up in San Juan - as they are going to spend time paging/looking for you on the ship when they realize they have missing passengers...

 

They could notify Guest Relations when they board that they will reboard in St Thomas. I think they should let RCI know of their plans.

[thepeacha]

I live in the VI, as far as I know a SJU- STT passenger ferry would be hard to catch- rare- and seas can be VERY rough, but you can certainly fly American Eagle or Seaborne seaplane from PR to STT. The seaplane leaves from near the cruise ships in SJU and lands in the Charlotte Amalie harbor, a long stroll or trafficked taxi ride to the ship; the airport is about 10 minutes farther. Good luck!

[xpcdoojk]

Would this be a violation of the passenger services act, since both ports are US ports?

 

Sounds like a crazy plan... why not go to Puerto Rico early or stay late and visit your friends then?

 

Not getting your plan.....:confused:

 

jc

[Driftwoodgal]

I sure wouldn't want to be a passenger that was on your sailing waiting for your return. You could possibly mess up my plans for the next port because the ship has waited on you. I know this happened to us after we were delayed in Belize because a ship sponsored tour was late getting back.

 

Buy a plane ticket for the people in Puerto Rico to come visit you in the states.

[jckvpa0]

I have to agree, I don't think it's the best of plans. Contact guest relations & see what they say.

[thepeacha]

Yes there may well be a fuss about you missing the ship. On my cruise last week we were all woken at some ungodly morning hour by a message from the Captain across the WHOLE ship, even in my cabin ( I turned off the inroom speaker and stuffed towels into the outside speaker, hate those !@#$ anouncements!) looking for a Keisha Smith. He was very polite and apologetic but it was clear that she was missed by someone... I personally would have strangled her if I found her, waking us all up at 5am!!!

 

So ships do take missing passengers VERY seriously; your Seapass card lets them know if you are on. Flights to PR are cheap (like $300 from NYC, for example), and loads of cruises originate from PR- these may be way better routes to extend your visit with friends/ family than holding up the whole ship, or, worse, waking them all up. Keisha I am gonna get you!

[superjerryw]

I sure wouldn't want to be a passenger that was on your sailing waiting for your return. You could possibly mess up my plans for the next port because the ship has waited on you. I know this happened to us after we were delayed in Belize because a ship sponsored tour was late getting back.

 

I don't really think the ship would wait if the passengers stayed in San Juan. The ship will normally wait for a ship sponsored excursion, but the ship does not normally wait for passengers that are on their own that don't get back in time. There have been countless stories told on these boards of people that arrived at the pier a few minutes too late and ended up watching the ship sail away without them.

[broberts]

Yes there may well be a fuss about you missing the ship. On my cruise last week we were all woken at some ungodly morning hour by a message from the Captain across the WHOLE ship, even in my cabin ( I turned off the inroom speaker and stuffed towels into the outside speaker, hate those !@#$ anouncements!) looking for a Keisha Smith. He was very polite and apologetic but it was clear that she was missed by someone... I personally would have strangled her if I found her, waking us all up at 5am!!!

 

I sympathise, but disabling the speakers is just not a good idea. What if the announcement had been about a serious safety issue?

[superjerryw]

Would this be a violation of the passenger services act, since both ports are US ports?

 

Sounds like a crazy plan... why not go to Puerto Rico early or stay late and visit your friends then?

 

Not getting your plan.....:confused:

 

jc

 

These people are probably on a cruise that leaves from Florida and San Juan and St Thomas are port stops on consecutive days.

[LAKaye]

Are you trying to avoid flying? You don't mention where you are from or what port or ship you would want to try this on.

 

Why not fly from home to San Juan a few days early, do the visiting and then embark on a cruise out of San Juan? (or the reverse).

 

In any case, do contact RCI about this---don't just spring it on people. If RCI says no, call Costa. When they sail the Med, they are very flexible about people boarding at different ports of call; they may be able to accommodate you.

 

Leslie

[It'sRC4ME]

I don't really think the ship would wait if the passengers stayed in San Juan. The ship will normally wait for a ship sponsored excursion, but the ship does not normally wait for passengers that are on their own that don't get back in time. There have been countless stories told on these boards of people that arrived at the pier a few minutes too late and ended up watching the ship sail away without them.

 

You are right. They will never hold the ship for a random missing passenger. If they did, could you imagine the outrage because the ship missed the next port because some bozo was a couple of hours late getting back from Carlos & Charlies!

 

I don't know if the plan to get off in Puerto Rico and back on in St. Thomas would work, but whether or not it does will have no impact on other passengers.

[xpcdoojk]

These people are probably on a cruise that leaves from Florida and San Juan and St Thomas are port stops on consecutive days.

 

Ahh, that makes a bit more sense. However when Carol (merion mom) missed her cruise a couple of years ago, she wanted to catch it in Key West, and they would not let her because of the passengers service act (Jones act). :confused: I really don't know the answer to this, but this is my memory. Maybe Carol can chime in and let us know her read on this topic.

 

To me the simplist solution would be to get over the fear of flying. :D

 

jc

[luv2cruz64]

Wasn't there a previous post where the poster accidentally missed the ship and was not allowed to board at the next port? Maybe this is a different scenario. that was the one I was thinking of.

[Bri0815]

Honestly, you need to let RCCL know what you are planning. Each port has different customs requirements and by "not showing up," that makes it very difficult for the ship to be cleared for each port. If they are aware, they can arrange for your absence and clear with customs/security beforehand. Also, check that ferry schedule- you are responsible for getting yourself to the next port. Chasing a ship is no fun on your vacation...Enjoy and good luck!

[Heidict]

I don't believe you would be able to do that. It would be a violation of the Jones act. You would board in Miami (I assume), then get off in San Juan and on again in St. Thomas. Call the cruiseline though to check.

 

They have some wonderful cruises going out of San Juan. My husband and I went on AOS. The ship and ports were amazing. Plus this allowed us ample time to go down ahead of the cruise and stay with my DH's family for 10 days before the cruise.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Why not have your friends from P.R. join YOU on the cruise? You would spend a week with them onboard!! :D

 

 

***

[frogfuzz]

This seems like a really rude idea. Missing passengers cause a lot of work for a lot of people. I am sure it wouldn't be that easy to just pop back on the ship & show your sea pass card . I am sure there is something somewhere in the cruise line paperwork stating this is not allowed.

 

If 8 hours isn't enough time, think you should consider a separate vacation

[Giorgi-one]

With all the problems RCL has had with missing passengers (never to be found), I'm guessing this would be a very sensitive issue. My guess is if you did it without telling them, your baggage would be on the pier in St. Thomas (and rightly so). And if you told them, your baggage would be on the pier in San Juan.

[rolloman]

Valuable lesson learned. You must SPELL out every detail. Yes of course I would let the ship know in advance I was planning this. What I really wanted to know is if someone has done this previously. The Jones act doesnt apply as I am embarking in Miami. I was told on a recent visit to St Thomas that a ferry runs every weekend. Good point from a fellow poster about the choppy seas prohibiting sailing.

All I want to do is have my puerto rican in laws who refuse to fly enjoy a couple days in their native land. I guess my only recourse is to book a cruise out of Miami and then book a seperate cruise sailing out of San Juan to get back to the States. Thanks to all replies who were not rude.

[wrp96]

Rolloman, you may or may not be able to do what you are wanting to do. The cruiseline may not allow it. Plus, it may not be possible to get from San Juan to St. Thomas on the days you are looking at.

 

Have you considered doing a couple of repo cruises. Say search for one that goes from Florida to San Juan and then finding another repo cruise a few days later from San Juan to the northeast - where you could get a train back to Florida.

[thepeacha]

So sorry if you misunderstood, I think my sense of humor did not carry across, especially for pugsammy, superjerry, and maybe the OP... I meant no unkindness and hope you read this and see what I meant. If you were onboard with us after the wakeup call (and I have heard some unpleasant things as to why Ms. Smith was unaccounted for- she was not a minor, nuff said), everyone was laughing about it, all the comedians had a field day, it became a running joke. I will tell you that I firmly believe she was rude to scare her loved ones and everyone else like that- by all means have a good time aboard but do retain some common sense dear! I have enormous sympathy for those who have lost a loved one at sea, whether for a scary hour or for good, that would be horrible... and this has been a scary year in terms of this. So please, no bad feeling meant, ok?

 

As for the speakers- FOS has a knob where you can shut off the volume inside so that is quite alright. I did indeed stuff a towel in the blaring outdoor speaker, it muffled the sound a bit but I still knew exactly where every dance class, bingo game, and Hairy Legs contest were! I have horrid migraines and when they strike, any light or sound is horrible, so I do these things to stay sane. FYI- in an emergency, the Captain can overrride every turned-off speaker in the whole ship, there is no missing an emergency announcement so safety was not an issue.

 

Best of luck to the OP- and since I have taken a ferry from STX- STT as well as a ferry from SJU- STX I can tell you definitely gets rough, the trench between is quite deep and winds can pick up at a moments notice.

 

happy cruising to all...

[Retired not Expired]

Valuable lesson learned. You must SPELL out every detail. Yes of course I would let the ship know in advance I was planning this. What I really wanted to know is if someone has done this previously. The Jones act doesnt apply as I am embarking in Miami. I was told on a recent visit to St Thomas that a ferry runs every weekend. Good point from a fellow poster about the choppy seas prohibiting sailing.

All I want to do is have my puerto rican in laws who refuse to fly enjoy a couple days in their native land. I guess my only recourse is to book a cruise out of Miami and then book a seperate cruise sailing out of San Juan to get back to the States. Thanks to all replies who were not rude.

 

Rolloman, I believe you are wrong about the Jones Act on this. It states a foreign ship can NOT transport you between two U.S. ports without going to a distant foreign port. Miami and San Juan are both U.S. ports as is St Thomas. You could get off on one of the other islands like St Maarten without being in violation.

 

The only way you could do this is by taking a repositioning cruise that would leave the mainland, go to a distant foreign port and end in San Juan. You could find one in late fall doing that but the problem is one won't reposition back until Spring. Wish you luck and I understand about the inlaws but the legalese on this is something that would be hard to overcome.

 

BTW, I'm far from an expert on this so check it out with someone who is. I believe I'm right though.