Passenger Service Act Question?

[Arnold Don]

Can I take the 5/7/09 Star Princess Cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver arriving on 5/9/09; then take Amtrak to Seattle that day and stay over night; on 5/10/09 take the Star Princess, 7 day r/t to Alaska with out violating the Pasenger Service Act? I know I can't take the one day 5/9/09 cruise from Vancouver to Seattle and go on the Alaska Cruise.

Any thoughts on this would be helpful. thanks

Don

[sultan_sfo]

Yes. You are not using the cruise ship to go from one US Port to "another" US Port.

 

Can I take the 5/7/09 Star Princess Cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver arriving on 5/9/09; then take Amtrak to Seattle that day and stay over night; on 5/10/09 take the Star Princess, 7 day r/t to Alaska with out violating the Pasenger Service Act? I know I can't take the one day 5/9/09 cruise from Vancouver to Seattle and go on the Alaska Cruise.

Any thoughts on this would be helpful. thanks

Don

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes.

[Nancyquilts]

Have a great cruise(s) !:D

[Pam in CA]

You're OK.

[LARGIN]

Ditto...However you might want to check with a Princess CSR Supervisor and ask if the following is a legal cruise.. 5/7 SF/Vancouver do not get off ship. 5/9 Vancouver/Seattle do not get off the ship. 5/10 Seattle/Seattle.. I think in the eyes of the PSA this would be a legal 10 day cruise SF to Seattle because the entire cruise included the far foreign port Victoria it meets the requirement of the PSA. :D

[paul929207]

That is fine. Becasue you are getting off the ship and going to another port, you will have no trouble with the US law.

[spongerob]

Ditto...However you might want to check with a Princess CSR Supervisor and ask if the following is a legal cruise.. 5/7 SF/Vancouver do not get off ship. 5/9 Vancouver/Seattle do not get off the ship. 5/10 Seattle/Seattle.. I think in the eyes of the PSA this would be a legal 10 day cruise SF to Seattle because the entire cruise included the far foreign port Victoria it meets the requirement of the PSA. :D

Victoria is NOT a "distant" port as defined by the PSA. The itinerary is illegal since the passenger is using a ship to embark and disembark in US ports.

 

Victoria is included in the roundtrip cruises since there is a requirement for a foreign port call on any cruise that also stops at a US port.

[mii]

I am glad that this question came up because I want to do the same thing. While on Star this past oct. I asked the Captain circle's dept. if i could do that. She said she could not say as yet because the 2010 Alaska schedule has not come up but she was pretty sure that I could not do it. It would be ideal for us people who live near S.F. I would be interested in replies to this question although I truly do not think it is possible. We are leaving from a US port and ending in a US port.

 

Marilyn

[Colo Cruiser]

As long as there is a 24 hour break you are fine. :)

[spongerob]

I am glad that this question came up because I want to do the same thing. While on Star this past oct. I asked the Captain circle's dept. if i could do that. She said she could not say as yet because the 2010 Alaska schedule has not come up but she was pretty sure that I could not do it. It would be ideal for us people who live near S.F. I would be interested in replies to this question although I truly do not think it is possible. We are leaving from a US port and ending in a US port.

 

Marilyn

The PSA is very restrictive when it comes to foreign-flagged vessels transporting passengers between two US ports. The ship has to call at a "distant" foreign port, which basically eliminates all ports in Mexico, Central America, most Caribbean Islands, and Canada. Only the southern Caribbean Islands qualify for distant status. Distant has nothing to do with actual distance, by the way. No one pretends that the PSA is built on sound logic.

 

The only way around it is to change ships in Canada.

[mii]

The PSA is very restrictive when it comes to foreign-flagged vessels transporting passengers between two US ports. The ship has to call at a "distant" foreign port, which basically eliminates all ports in Mexico, Central America, most Caribbean Islands, and Canada. Only the southern Caribbean Islands qualify for distant status. Distant has nothing to do with actual distance, by the way. No one pretends that the PSA is built on sound logic.

 

The only way around it is to change ships in Canada.

 

While I understand what you are saying and I am well aware of the PSA and how it reads I do have a question. We have done r/t out of S.F. to the Mex. Rivera and you stated that there is no "distant" foreign ports in Mex. Then how can the cruiselines get by with those routes. Also the cruise in question would have a stop in Victoria which is also a "distant foreign port.I know it is very confusing, but just curious.

 

marilyn

[ggprincess2004]

There are several ports that qualify as "distant foreign ports" for purposes of the Passenger Services Act. Victoria is one of them...so the OP does not need to take the train back to Seattle from Vancouver, but can stay on board.

 

Aruba is a distant foreign port as well.

[FredS]

While I understand what you are saying and I am well aware of the PSA and how it reads I do have a question. We have done r/t out of S.F. to the Mex. Rivera and you stated that there is no "distant" foreign ports in Mex. Then how can the cruiselines get by with those routes. Also the cruise in question would have a stop in Victoria which is also a "distant foreign port.I know it is very confusing, but just curious.

 

marilyn

 

Because you are not going from one US port to a different US port. You get on and off at the same port. It is when you use a foreign flag ship to travel from one US port to a different US port where you get off that the problem occurs.

 

to read complete article go here: http://www.sealetter.com/Oct-99/alancol.html

 

When Can Foreign Ships Cruise from US Ports?

 

You almost need to be an attorney to understand the precise regulations under the PSA. (Heck, I am an attorney and I still don't understand!) To make sense of the regulations, you need to know that non-US ports are classified as either "nearby foreign ports" or "distant foreign ports." Despite the name, a "nearby foreign port" means:

 

* any port in Canada

* any port in Mexico

* Bermuda

* any port in the Caribbean (except those in the Netherlands Antilles, such as Aruba and Curaçao)

 

A "distant foreign port" means any other port, except a U.S. port.

 

With those definitions in mind, here's what's allowed:

 

* A cruise which starts and ends in the same US port, visits a nearby or distant foreign port, and where no permanent disembarkation is permitted during the cruise at any US port (because there has been no transportation BETWEEN US ports (Huh?)

* A cruise between different US ports where no permanent disembarkation is permitted along the way, but at least one port is a nearby foreign port

* A cruise between US ports where permanent disembarkation IS allowed at a US port along the way, but only if the ship visits a distant foreign port and any permanent disembarkation takes place at a subsequent US port

* A "cruise to nowhere" from a US port where the ship travels beyond US territorial waters and keeps moving

* Any cruise which visits US ports but where no permanent disembarkation is allowed along the way and the cruise begins or ends at a distant or nearby foreign port

 

A reader paying careful attention at this point might say, "Hey, I can think of some cruises that don't fit into those exemptions." Well, that's because we haven't got to two more rules:

 

* The US Virgin Islands are presently exempt from the regulations, and may be treated as though its ports were "nearby foreign ports."

* Travel between the US mainland and Puerto Rico is allowed, provided that no eligible US vessel offers such service

 

The penalty for breaching the rules is a fine of $200 per passenger, even if the ship breaks the rules because of some emergency

[wrp96]

There are several ports that qualify as "distant foreign ports" for purposes of the Passenger Services Act. Victoria is one of them...so the OP does not need to take the train back to Seattle from Vancouver, but can stay on board.

 

Aruba is a distant foreign port as well.

 

 

Victoria is NOT a distant foreign port under the PSA. It is a nearby foreign port under the PSA. Therefore it satisfies the foreign port stop requirements for roundtrip cruises but NOT for cruises between two different US ports.

 

For a roundtrip cruise from a US port, all the ship has to do is visit a foreign port, whether nearby or distant.

 

But for a trip between two different US ports (such as San Francisco to Seattle), the ship must stop at a distant foreign port. No ports in Canada qualify so what the OP wants to do isn't possible. It's also why you only see one-way Alaska cruises from Vancouver BC not Seattle Washington.

[mii]

FredS and WRP96 thanks. I also wanted to do the trip that the OP asked about but obviously cannot do. Thanks for info anyway.;) It is so confusing.:confused::confused::confused:

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. So LARGIN(Larry) I guess we cannot do it like we thought we could. Oh well.

[Arnold Don]

It is a little confusing, let me be clear. As long as I do SF to Vancouver on the Star; and Amtrak to Seattle; reboard the Star the next day, it is legal! Right!:confused:

Don

[mii]

It is a little confusing, let me be clear. As long as I do SF to Vancouver on the Star; and Amtrak to Seattle; reboard the Star the next day, it is legal! Right!:confused:

Don

 

That way you are right and yes you can do it. What I and others are talking about is also taking the one day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle and then stay on the Star and go for the 7 day. that you cannot do.

 

Marilyn

[West Coast]

It is a little confusing, let me be clear. As long as I do SF to Vancouver on the Star; and Amtrak to Seattle; reboard the Star the next day, it is legal! Right!:confused:

Don

 

For about $100 per oerson you could get on the Westerdam in Vancouver for a one-nighter to Seattle!