When your 5 day cruise to Bermuda was diverted due to weather

[stipmom]

where did they take you? They are switching the ports for the 9 day cruise and stopping at Bermuda first instead of last but when you are only going to Bermuda what do they do?

[DonnaK]

Canada - they must go to a foreign port, and there aren't that many choices on the East Coast, esp for a 5 day cruise.

[Cruise-Nut]

Canada - they must go to a foreign port, and there aren't that many choices on the East Coast, esp for a 5 day cruise.

 

Why do they have to go to a foreign port? Cant they just go down south to coco cay or something? I am curious why they must go to a foreign port?

[PrincesScuba]

Why do they have to go to a foreign port? Cant they just go down south to coco cay or something? I am curious why they must go to a foreign port?

 

They *could* go to CocoCay to obey the law, because that IS a foreign country, but it's too far.

 

But they have to go to a foreign country, and Canada is closer to New Jersey than the Bahamas is/are.

 

Passenger Services Act, popularly (and incorrectly) known as the Jones Act.

[rummenroman]

Why do they have to go to a foreign port? Cant they just go down south to coco cay or something? I am curious why they must go to a foreign port?

 

Well Coco Cay is in the Bahamas so that would count, but its federal maritime law that if you board in the states you must visit at least one foreign country. Sounds strange to me, but the law is the law.

[MrPete]

It happened to the Voyager, and she went to Halifax.

[stipmom]

I remember it happening a few years ago and the state of NJ filed a lawsuit against RCCL for not offering refunds when they diverted to Canada. Anyone know what happened with that lawsuit.?

[antmilant]

They also may go to Canada because going South they just may hit the storm or remnents of it.

[TRadle]

OP, if you are referring to the Explorer sailing that leaves on the 20th Bermuda was our first stop and is now the last stop.

 

Hurricane Bill is heading north so Canada is not an option this time.

 

I really think where you go depends on why your being rerouted and there will be no one answer. And, you must hit a foreign port.

 

Are you sailing on the 29th?

[joeyancho]

They must visit a foreign port in order to be able to open the casino. I recently did the 3 day out of LA during the swine flu thing. Although the only stop was Catalina, we did cruise to Ensenada. We did not dock. The Mexican authorities came out to us and did the necessary paper work and we were out to sea again.

[numberguy]

Do they allow for exceptions to the "Jones Act" because of horrible weather? I'm not cruising; I'm just curious.

 

--Michael

[ktharris120]

They must visit a foreign port in order to be able to open the casino. I recently did the 3 day out of LA during the swine flu thing. Although the only stop was Catalina, we did cruise to Ensenada. We did not dock. The Mexican authorities came out to us and did the necessary paper work and we were out to sea again.

 

What about a "cruise to nowhere"? I have been on one of those and you don't go anywhere...just out to sea and they open the casino?

 

Don't really understand the law.

[TRadle]

They must visit a foreign port in order to be able to open the casino. I recently did the 3 day out of LA during the swine flu thing. Although the only stop was Catalina, we did cruise to Ensenada. We did not dock. The Mexican authorities came out to us and did the necessary paper work and we were out to sea again.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with the casino. This law has been on the books since 1920 is all about shipping.

[Rudi610]

The Passenger Services Act is all about protecting the US flag passenger fleet and protecting American jobs. So how many US flag ocean going cruise ships do we have? Only one that I know of (NCL America's Pride of Hawaii). The only other US flag ships are the coastal cruises or the riverboats that cruise the inland rivers (such as the Delta Queen and her sisters -- yes, I know the Delta Queen is no longer sailing).

[amybeth4]

lol. The law has nothing to do with the casino. A foreign-flagged ship (like all RCCL ships) can't just go around taking all of the shipping jobs from American-flagged ships so the law tortures them a bit and makes 'em go to a foreign port. Somehow they decided this old law should apply to cruise ships too.

 

It's kinda like why you'll never see a Lufthansa or Air France flight (for example) start in NY and end in LA. They can start in France, drop people off in NY (and not pick any up) and continue onto LA. Otherwise dozens of foreign carriers will come in and wreck the US airline systems. If they could be wrecked any more, that is...

[Cruiserccl]

What about a cruise to nowhere?

[amybeth4]

A cruise to nowhere doesn't stop at any American ports, so it doesn't have to stop at a foreign port...

[Cruiserccl]

A cruise to nowhere doesn't stop at any American ports, so it doesn't have to stop at a foreign port...

But it leaves from one.

[Gonzo70]

I am not 100% sure on this, but I think that if a ship does not call on any ports, a foreign flagged ship is permitted to sail from a U.S. port, sail out of U.S. Territorial waters for a period of time, and then return to the same port it left from without violating the PVSA.

[English_in_Spain]

This is not just a law that applies to the US. It applies to all international shipping as the 'Cabotage' laws.

 

For example, a non Spanish registered ship cannot cruise from Barcelona to Malaga without stopping at a foreign port. Similarly, you cannot do a Greek Island cruise on a non-Greek ship without calling at a foreign port.

 

When I say not allowed to, they can but if they do there is a very large fine. Maybe that is what they do if they are forced to do it because of bad weather. Perhaps they pay the fine and then claim it on insurance.

[DGNY]

I am not 100% sure on this, but I think that if a ship does not call on any ports, a foreign flagged ship is permitted to sail from a U.S. port, sail out of U.S. Territorial waters for a period of time, and then return to the same port it left from without violating the PVSA.

 

Wouldn't this apply to the 5 day Bermuda cruise that the OP originally asked about? Couldn't it just become a 5 day cruise to nowhere instead of a forced stop in Canada to abide by the law?

[stipmom]

I will not be on the cruise until the end of Oct. Just wanted to know the options. We are taking the cruise because we want to go to Bermuda.I have cruised to Halifax twice and would not want to do it again. If it was diverted I'd probably want to cancel. Anyone know what happened to the state of NJ lawsuit against RCCL for not allowing people to cancel in 2006?

[robtulipe]

What about a "cruise to nowhere"? I have been on one of those and you don't go anywhere...just out to sea and they open the casino?

 

Don't really understand the law.

I believe that gambling cruises that just go out to int'l waters in order to operate their casino are American flagged ships thus don't have the foreign port requirement.

[Gonzo70]

I will not be on the cruise until the end of Oct. Just wanted to know the options. We are taking the cruise because we want to go to Bermuda.I have cruised to Halifax twice and would not want to do it again. If it was diverted I'd probably want to cancel. Anyone know what happened to the state of NJ lawsuit against RCCL for not allowing people to cancel in 2006?

 

I would think that is just a risk you take with cruising; that bad weather may significantly alter your scheduled itinerary. Since the cruise lines clearly have it spelled out in the cruise contract that they can alter the itineary I would be surprised if the law suit had any success. I don't know for sure though. Well missing ports is usually upsetting, one needs to consider that a possibility when booking a cruise as a vacation.

[Smoke Fan]

On my first cruise onboard Celebrity's Zenith, due to bad weather, we had to leave Bermuda a day early. On our way back to NY we went to Martha's Vineyard. We were tendered in to the local marina.

Patty