Stupid Cruise Newbie Question: why no travel between US ports?
Jun 13, 2022, 4:59 pm
#1
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Stupid Cruise Newbie Question: why no travel between US ports?
Really naive question. We have friends doing a transatlantic cruise at the end of this year, Rotterdam to New York and then Fort Lauderdale. We just don't have time to join them. Now I see the cruise is marketed as 15 days to Fort Lauderdale or 12 days to just New York. So, why does the cruise line not offer a few cabins New York to Fort Lauderdale? Is this maritime law or another practical reason? Curious.
Jun 13, 2022, 5:49 pm
#2
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Really naive question. We have friends doing a transatlantic cruise at the end of this year, Rotterdam to New York and then Fort Lauderdale. We just don't have time to join them. Now I see the cruise is marketed as 15 days to Fort Lauderdale or 12 days to just New York. So, why does the cruise line not offer a few cabins New York to Fort Lauderdale? Is this maritime law or another practical reason? Curious.
For similar reasons, Air Canada may not transport you from SLC to LGA, even with a connection at YYZ. (If you had a stopover of a few days in Canada, that would be a different story.)
Jun 13, 2022, 6:02 pm
#3
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The PVSA (frequently mislabeled the Jones Act but that only applies to cargo ships). A foreign flagged ship cannot carry passengers between two us ports without stopping at a distant foreign port (Canada and most of the Caribbean don’t count). So Europe to Ft Lauderdake is fine. But NY to Ft Lauderdale would require a stop in Aruba to satisfy the law.
Round trip cruises on foreign flagged vessels only have to make a stop at a foreign port.
Round trip cruises on foreign flagged vessels only have to make a stop at a foreign port.
Jun 13, 2022, 7:25 pm
#4
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The PVSA (frequently mislabeled the Jones Act but that only applies to cargo ships). A foreign flagged ship cannot carry passengers between two us ports without stopping at a distant foreign port (Canada and most of the Caribbean don’t count). So Europe to Ft Lauderdake is fine. But NY to Ft Lauderdale would require a stop in Aruba to satisfy the law.
Round trip cruises on foreign flagged vessels only have to make a stop at a foreign port.
Round trip cruises on foreign flagged vessels only have to make a stop at a foreign port.
Jun 13, 2022, 7:28 pm
#5
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Nassau doesn’t qualify as a distant foreign port which is what would be necessary for a New York to FL cruise (what the OP asked about). If it were round trip NY or round trip FL stopping in Nassau would be fine.
Jun 13, 2022, 7:53 pm
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Jun 14, 2022, 5:32 am
#7
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Nassau definitely qualifies. There are a number, mostly on Carnival, three and four day cruises out of Florida that only go to Nassau. Now that may have been given some special exemption to the law but it happens all the time. Now maybe since it is same port to same port round trip it slips through but Nassau is listed as a qualifying port on some sites.
Last edited by Randyk47; Jun 14, 2022 at 5:49 am
Jun 14, 2022, 7:30 am
#8
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I wonder if they are clearing customs in NY or FL, don't know how that is handled. I've experienced longer clearance times for non-closed loop cruises as the entire ship's complement has to clear customs on arrival with even C&BP interviews of some of the crew.
Jun 14, 2022, 7:57 am
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Nassau definitely qualifies. There are a number, mostly on Carnival, three and four day cruises out of Florida that only go to Nassau. Now that may have been given some special exemption to the law but it happens all the time. Now maybe since it is same port to same port round trip it slips through but Nassau is listed as a qualifying port on some sites.
Jun 14, 2022, 7:58 am
#10
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Those are closed-loop cruises starting and ending in the same US port. OP's cruise starts in another country, arrives in NY as a port of call, and then terminates in Florida. The cruise line cannot transport Americans from NY to Florida even if they stopped in Nassau between the two US cities.
I wonder if they are clearing customs in NY or FL, don't know how that is handled. I've experienced longer clearance times for non-closed loop cruises as the entire ship's complement has to clear customs on arrival with even C&BP interviews of some of the crew.
I wonder if they are clearing customs in NY or FL, don't know how that is handled. I've experienced longer clearance times for non-closed loop cruises as the entire ship's complement has to clear customs on arrival with even C&BP interviews of some of the crew.
Jun 14, 2022, 10:02 am
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Jun 15, 2022, 9:53 pm
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..why no travel between US ports?
There is one major cruise line that has a dedicated ship that cruises solely between US ports. That is NCL's Pride of America that does 7 day Honolulu-Honolulu every week of the year.
Jun 15, 2022, 10:10 pm
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It's currently the only U.S.-flagged ocean cruise ship, but I believe they also had to get an exemption to the PVSA because it's not majority U.S-.built. There are also several American river cruise lines, and even Great Lakes cruises (though I don't think those go from one U.S. port to another).
Last edited by mahasamatman; Jun 15, 2022 at 10:17 pm
Jun 16, 2022, 10:05 am
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Many of the river cruises are one-way, not RT. The small boats that cruise the coasts might have some one way routes as well. Assume they're all US flagged vessels though.
EG American Cruise lines (rivers and coasts)
EG American Cruise lines (rivers and coasts)
Jun 16, 2022, 11:12 am
#15
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Actually
It's currently the only U.S.-flagged ocean cruise ship, but I believe they also had to get an exemption to the PVSA because it's not majority U.S-.built. There are also several American river cruise lines, and even Great Lakes cruises (though I don't think those go from one U.S. port to another).
Also as mahasamatman notes--MANY American river cruises.