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Thread: DCL discovers that Vancouver is not a "distant, foreign port." - AGAIN

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    Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
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    DCL discovers that Vancouver is not a "distant, foreign port." - AGAIN

    I just got word that Disney is contacting passengers who have booked a particular back-to-back cruise combination and having them decide which (or both) of the cruises they want to cancel.

    Turns out Disney "just discovered" this cruise combination fails to meet the "distant, foreign port" requirement, and passengers who are booked back-to-back would be in violation of the Passenger Vessel Services Act, which prohibits passengers from cruising from one US city to another without visiting a "distant, foreign port."

    The cruise combination is the 9/17/15 Honolulu to Vancouver paired with the 9/27/15 Vancouver to San Diego. Folks booked back-to-back would essentially sail from Hawaii to San Diego without visiting a "distant, foreign port," which is a big no-no and results in a fines of $300 per passenger. So Disney is calling people, or having their travel agents do so, and ask them if they want to cancel the Hawaii-Vancouver leg and/or the Vancouver-San Diego let.

    I have to say this really ticks me off. As a consumer, I expect Disney to already know that certain cruise combinations are in violation of the PVSA (see, even *I* know what the rule is called!), and NOT SELL THEM. To let people book cruises, potentially make non-refundable hotel and airfare reservations, and THEN make then change their plans sucks.

    What is even more frustrating is that this is not the first, or even second, time this has happened. Disney seems to have a strange learning curve when it comes to operations out of Canada / Alaska, and something like this happens almost every year.

    Attention Disney Cruise Line:

    Vancouver is not a "distant, foreign port."

    Please remember that when you release the 2016 itineraries, ok?

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  3. #2
    Former Evil Genius and Evil Minion Corwin17's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AVP View Post
    What is even more frustrating is that this is not the first, or even second, time this has happened.
    Wow...... just ... wow. #facepalm
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    Headless Chicken
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    Yep. DCL's shore-side service continues to disappoint. This just adds more justification to my giving money to other cruise lines for now. Until they get their act together and their level of guest service to top-notch, I just can't bring myself to book with them. And, I used to be very loyal and often sang their praises to bring them a lot of referral business. But, that has changed, because I'm tired of how they've been handling things over the last couple years. (This is just shore-side service - I have always loved my on-board experiences.)

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    Quote Originally Posted by AVP View Post
    The cruise combination is the 9/17/15 Honolulu to Vancouver paired with the 9/27/15 Vancouver to San Diego. Folks booked back-to-back would essentially sail from Hawaii to San Diego without visiting a "distant, foreign port," which is a big no-no and results in a fines of $300 per passenger. So Disney is calling people, or having their travel agents do so, and ask them if they want to cancel the Hawaii-Vancouver leg and/or the Vancouver-San Diego let.
    So. Instead of just paying the $300 pp fine and stopping the sales of future itineraries, they're (trying to?) force passengers to cancel their arrangements? And then the passengers pay the penalty in their cancelled vacation plans?

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    Read Everything-Assume Nothing GusMan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adriennek View Post
    ...And then the passengers pay the penalty in their cancelled vacation plans?
    Wonder if the change penalties would be covered by trip insurance? After all, it is something outside of your control...
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    Um, educate me. Why is Vancouver not a "distant foreign port"?

    Karin


  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Karin View Post
    Um, educate me. Why is Vancouver not a "distant foreign port"?
    Because it is still in North America (parts of Central America also are not considered distant foreign ports). You can pick people up for a cruise and drop them back off at the same port under a non-US chartered ship as long as you stop at a foreign port (Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbeans all qualify) but you can't pick people up from one port (here Hawaii) and drop them off at a different US port (here San Diego) without going to a distant foreign port unless they pay a fine. The fine is only $300. Personally, I don't know why they don't just pay the fine for the passengers unless there are more serious fines for willful violations.

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