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Short Back to Back Problem


ssolomon56

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I just got off the phone with Princess, and I'm so frustrated I could scream!

 

We noticed a couple of short re-positioning cruises being offered in May '09 that we wanted to link as a back to back. The first is a 2-day from SF to Vancouver, and the second is a 1-day from Vancouver to Seattle. We live just outside of SF.

 

First, I called and explained what I wanted to the VERY ditzy woman, and it took a long time for her to even find the cruise listing. Finally, she did - and kept trying to talk me into the Alaska cruise that goes out of Seattle. I kept explaining that this would just be a quick weekend getaway.... She finally told me that I couldn't book both cruises, as it would be a violation of the Jones Act. Huh? :confused:

 

Does this sound valid to anyone? Should I contact a different travel agency - or just forget it?

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I just got off the phone with Princess, and I'm so frustrated I could scream!

 

We noticed a couple of short re-positioning cruises being offered in May '09 that we wanted to link as a back to back. The first is a 2-day from SF to Vancouver, and the second is a 1-day from Vancouver to Seattle. We live just outside of SF.

 

First, I called and explained what I wanted to the VERY ditzy woman, and it took a long time for her to even find the cruise listing. Finally, she did - and kept trying to talk me into the Alaska cruise that goes out of Seattle. I kept explaining that this would just be a quick weekend getaway.... She finally told me that I couldn't book both cruises, as it would be a violation of the Jones Act. Huh? :confused:

 

Does this sound valid to anyone? Should I contact a different travel agency - or just forget it?

 

The short answer is yes it is a valid response from Princess. Booking it as a B2B would be a violation of the Jones Act or Passenger Services Act.

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.... She finally told me that I couldn't book both cruises, as it would be a violation of the Jones Act. Huh? :confused:

 

Does this sound valid to anyone? Should I contact a different travel agency - or just forget it?

 

Yep, the agent gave you the correct info. This can't be done because it does violate the Jones Act.

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Check the cruise line schedules -- find a different Princess ship / different cruise line for Vancouver to Seattle. We stayed overnight in Vancouver and then took another ship. You will have only a carry-on and Vancouver is a nice city to spend a day there.

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The problem is you are starting in one US port and ending in a different US port. That's what the Jones Act is about-- you can't use boat transportation to and from different ports in the USA. Its a stupid outdated rule, but that why you can't combine those specific cruises.

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Guest carlogesualdo

Not the Jones Act, but the PVSA (1898, I think). You can use the advanced search function in Google to search just the boards on Cruise Critic. Works faster than the search function here, too, when it works.

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I just got off the phone with Princess, and I'm so frustrated I could scream!

 

We noticed a couple of short re-positioning cruises being offered in May '09 that we wanted to link as a back to back. The first is a 2-day from SF to Vancouver, and the second is a 1-day from Vancouver to Seattle. We live just outside of SF.

 

First, I called and explained what I wanted to the VERY ditzy woman, and it took a long time for her to even find the cruise listing. Finally, she did - and kept trying to talk me into the Alaska cruise that goes out of Seattle. I kept explaining that this would just be a quick weekend getaway.... She finally told me that I couldn't book both cruises, as it would be a violation of the Jones Act. Huh? :confused:

 

Does this sound valid to anyone? Should I contact a different travel agency - or just forget it?

 

The Princess Rep is correct, it is against US law for a cruise ship to carry passengers from one US port to another without making a stop at a distant foreign country unless they meet several conditions. Princess ships do not meet these.

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I am booked on the May 7th SF-Van coastal cruise as well. But fear not, you can still follow it up with a 1-night Van-Sea cruise on the Westerdam. I am booked on that as well. Not every travel agent seems to have access to book this 1-nighter, but I was able to book it at a very popular online travel site.

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