We are on for the NCL Pearl to Alaska on June 1st. The itinerary is round-trip to Seattle. The second last port is Victoria, Canada and I was wondering if it would be ok to disembark in Victoria OR do I have to come back to Seattle ? I would think in some sense it would be like you got late from a shore excursion on one of the ports ? Isn't it ?
Just not coming back to the ship is not a good option. There could be consequences if you are listed as missing. You should be able to make arrangements with NCL to disembark in the normal fashion at Victoria.
I agree that contacting NCL in advance of your cruise is the best bet. Let us know how it goes. I can't think of anything under the Passenger Services Act that would prevent this, but I am not an expert on the subject. (Edit: On second thought, there may be an issue...so consult NCL and ask to speak with a supervisor.)
There might be a problem with both American and Canadian laws. (1) When visiting a country by cruise ship, customs from all the nations visited assumes you'll be leaving by cruise ship. Therefore often not requiring passports or visas. But you wish to disembark in Canada, and I'm pretty sure passports might come into play. (2) Upon re-entering America, by land or by air, you'll have to go through customs and might have to have passports depending upon your length of time you remain in Canada.
Passport rules aare changing, make sure you meet whatever the passports rules will be when you sail.
Inform the responsible officer on the ship your intentions to disembark in Canada. Otherwise, they will search the ship looking for you before departing Canada. That creates lots of work by many crew members, and could delay a timely departure.
If you wish to spend more time in Canada before or after your cruise, why not cruise on the Norwegian Sun, which embarks and disembarks in Vancouver?
You can call and make arrangements to disembark before the final port. I have freinds that did this last year on our Quebec to Fort Lauderdale cruise, they got off at Charleston, SC. Thye will help you do what is the correct way to go about doing this.
Originally posted by fllady: You can call and make arrangements to disembark before the final port. I have freinds that did this last year on our Quebec to Fort Lauderdale cruise, they got off at Charleston, SC. Thye will help you do what is the correct way to go about doing this.
It's maybe different when the last port before turnaround port is a US port as well. Makes it less complicated.
Thanks for all your responses. I contacted NCL and they said that they do not recommend it. They mentioned some "Jones Act" which could result into some fines imposed by the government. They said that they cannot say with certainty if and when and how much will be the fines.
Considering all these, we have decided not to disembark early.
The Jones act makes it illegal to travel from point to point in the USA on a foreign flagged ship (Board in Seattle and leave in Alaska etc). That is why some of the 1 way cruises go from Vancouver-Alaska or vice versa. Canada is not subject to that law - or the Cuban Embargo!
I'm not sure how re-deployment cruises get around that law, there must be a loop hole for that purpose.
May 2004 - MS Fascination Key West & Cozumel May 2005 - Carnival Glory Eastern Oct 2005 - MS Imagination 5 Day Western (Cancelled due to Hurricane Wilma) Oct 2005 - MS Fascination Nassau (Rebooked After Wilma) Apr 2006 - Carnival Victory Exotic Western May 2007 Carnival Triumph Exotic Eastern Oct 2007 Carnival Elation Baja Mexico
There are many exceptions in the Passenger Services Act. For instance, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are listed as "distant" U.S. ports so a cruise can go directly from Florida to either place without a foreign stop, and you could leave the cruise without penalty.
People often wonder how a cruise can go from Miami to Key West without a foreign stop. This is allowed because Key West is not the end of the cruise, and as long as the ship hits Nassau or wherever before the return to Miami, it is okay. Of course, nobody can leave the cruise in Key West without penalty.
I strongly urge the OP to not take the matter into your own hands and just not return to the ship. First off, don't you think the crew will get a clue when you tote all your baggage off the ship in Victoria? Secondly, the Canadian authorities will not be pleased.
