Can’t do back to back cruises on the Magic?

[Grandmatoone]

Hello fellow cruisers, I booked a Disney cruise with Disney on the Magic from Galveston to San Juan leaving on 3-24-25 as soon as bookings were available for Platinum members. The cruise travels to Castaway Cay, the Bahamas and Lookout Cay. Over the weekend I booked the next cruise on the Magic with Costco travel going from San Juan to the Bahamas, Castaway Cay and then ending in Fort Lauderdale. I noticed that the Castaway Club member numbers were incorrect on my Costco booking so I called to get this resolved. Come to find out I must cancel one of these cruises as the full itinerary violates the Jones Act!!!! I looked into this a little bit and don’t have a good understanding as to why I cannot travel on these 2 cruises??? I’m also reading that Puerto Rico is exempt from all of this???

Any insight would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[ljhayes]

It's the PVSA, not the Jones Act. There is an exception for PR but only in that ships can sail between PR and another US port without stopping at a distant foreign port. That's what makes each of the two sailings you mention legal on their own. But combined you are traveling from Galveston to Fort Lauderdale without stopping at a distant foreign port, and that's not allowed.

 

[lanejudy]

It's actually the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) which views the B2B as 1 voyage from Galveston to Ft. Lauderdale. PVSA requires one-way cruises to stop at a distant foreign port to transport passengers between 2 US cities, and neither itinerary of your B2B includes a distant foreign port. Thus it's not allowed.

PR as an exception means the one-way from Galveston to San Juan, or San Juan to Ft Lauderdale does not require a distant foreign port.

Ooops - @ljhayes said the same thing but typed faster

 

[auntlynne]

Make that 3 in agreement!

If you could find a different ship for one of the legs, it would be permitted.

Be glad it was caught early. I was able to book one of these non-permitted B2B trips and was later notified I had to cancel one.

 

[Grandmatoone]

Thanks for the quick replies! I’m disappointed but grateful I wasn’t denied boarding on the second cruise and fined!

 

[Carohs]

Didn't the OP state that both one ways stop at Castaway Cay? Is that not considered a distant foreign port?

 

[hrhdhd]

Didn't the OP state that both one ways stop at Castaway Cay? Is that not considered a distant foreign port?

No. Distant foreign ports are the ABC islands and South America.

 

[lanejudy]

Didn't the OP state that both one ways stop at Castaway Cay? Is that not considered a distant foreign port?

Foreign, yes; distant, no. Distant foreign ports must be outside of the Bahamas, Bermuda, Central America, North America and West Indies.

 

[Carohs]

Oh that's interesting that there's that distinction between a closed loop and a one-way cruise between two US ports.

 

[holula]

I am surprised Disney has not done a cruise in between them, or made an attempt for one to them to go to the ABCs. (I know they are a fair distance.) I’m sure you weren’t the only one to book this.

 

[Mommb]

Oh that's interesting that there's that distinction between a closed loop and a one-way cruise between two US ports.

Yep. Closed loop cruises to/from a US destination just need to stop at a foreign port, so the Bahamas counts. One-way cruises from one US port to another US port (with the exception of Puerto Rico, as noted above) need to stop at a distant foreign port.

I am surprised Disney has not done a cruise in between them, or made an attempt for one to them to go to the ABCs. (I know they are a fair distance.) I’m sure you weren’t the only one to book this.

There is not time on these cruises to go to a distant port. Sure, some people would like to go from Galveston to San Juan to Fort Lauderdale with stops at Disney islands on each sailing, but that's just not feasible. People who want to do Disney islands on consecutive cruises need to book back-to-back closed-loop cruises, of which there are many available.

 

[Grandmatoone]

It was just out of coincidence that I found out I could not do both cruises because I had one booked with Costco and the other one directly with Disney. Just out of curiosity I tried booking the San Juan to Fort Lauderdale Disney cruise on the Disney site. The site does recognize that I booked the Galveston to San Juan with Disney and therefore would not allow me to book. It would have been nice and we were looking forward to back to back cruises for the first time!

 

[jwalk03]

Passenger Vessel Services Act​

The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) prohibits the transportation of passengers between two different U.S. ports on any vessel other than a U.S.-flag vessel that meets all requirements for U.S. coastwise transportation. U.S. ports include U.S. states and U.S. island territories and possessions, with the exception of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is also exempt from the PVSA until such time as U.S.-flag vessels service that route.

Foreign-flag vessels may only transport passengers between two different U.S. ports without violating the PVSA if the vessel stops at a distant foreign port and the passenger traveled with the vessel to that distant foreign port.

Guests who miss the ship in the homeport are not allowed to embark the ship in any port of call if it is in violation of the PVSA. Any guest who unexpectedly disembarks the ship at a U.S. port of call, i.e., Alaska, Key West, Hawaii and Catalina, due to an emergency, which results in a violation of the PVSA, will be responsible for the resulting fine ($941.00 USD per person - subject to change).


To qualify as a distant foreign port it has to be outside of North America.

This is why Panama Canal Cruises almost always stop in Cartagena, Columbia- since its in South America it makes the sailing compliant with the PVSA. (The ABC Islands are also considered part of South America and qualify as distant foreign ports as well.)

 

[SnowWhite2]

There are many of us on the Galveston to San Juan cruise that would love to take the San Juan to Ft Lauderdale leg afterwards, especially since the airfare from PR to US mainland is very high.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There are many of us on the Galveston to San Juan cruise that would love to take the San Juan to Ft Lauderdale leg afterwards, especially since the airfare from PR to US mainland is very high.

Yeah, well that isn't going to happen. Like many Alaska cruisers (on various cruise lines) who would like to take a (for example) San Diego to Vancouver repo cruise B2B with a Vancouver to Hawaii cruise. Also not allowed, since there's no "distant" foreign port along that route.

 

[jwalk03]

There are many of us on the Galveston to San Juan cruise that would love to take the San Juan to Ft Lauderdale leg afterwards, especially since the airfare from PR to US mainland is very high.

Agreed! My family and I are on the Galveston to San Juan leg. The airfare to get home from SJ was nauseating- but I bit the bullet and just booked it. At least my SW Companion Pass gives me one ticket free so I only had to pay for 3 of them!

 

[auntlynne]

It was just out of coincidence that I found out I could not do both cruises because I had one booked with Costco and the other one directly with Disney. Just out of curiosity I tried booking the San Juan to Fort Lauderdale Disney cruise on the Disney site. The site does recognize that I booked the Galveston to San Juan with Disney and therefore would not allow me to book. It would have been nice and we were looking forward to back to back cruises for the first time!

I am actually impressed that DCL IT coded the booking programs to catch this!

As much as they are disparaged, I want to give them an attaboy.

 

[Carohs]

Hypothetically speaking, could one book a b2b on two different cruise lines (or s2s to be more correct) and still be compliant? I assume since either sailing is okay but not together it's per person and not per cruise line.
2nd hypothetical, not sure if it's even an actual possibility, could one book a one way to PR, a closed loop from there to the ABCs, and then a one way back to the FL?

 

[Kwami]

Hypothetically speaking, could one book a b2b on two different cruise lines (or s2s to be more correct) and still be compliant? I assume since either sailing is okay but not together it's per person and not per cruise line.
2nd hypothetical, not sure if it's even an actual possibility, could one book a one way to PR, a closed loop from there to the ABCs, and then a one way back to the FL?

I'm not sure about the first hypothetical. You aren't taking a single vessel from one US port to another, so you might get away with it.

The second hypothetical is definitely OK if you can find a cruise line that does it. The total journey would be Galveston to FL and the stop at an ABC island would count as a distant foreign port, so it all passes the test.

 

[auntlynne]

Hypothetically speaking, could one book a b2b on two different cruise lines (or s2s to be more correct) and still be compliant? I assume since either sailing is okay but not together it's per person and not per cruise line.
2nd hypothetical, not sure if it's even an actual possibility, could one book a one way to PR, a closed loop from there to the ABCs, and then a one way back to the FL?

Yes. I’m not sure if a S2S on the same carrier would be okay, though.

The challenge comes with getting all the dates to line up.

If you have a good turn-over port, like San Juan, a day there would be fabulous.

I looked at the options for the original post; nothing jumped out as a way to work it. Not a lot of ships porting in SJ then.