Sorry, you can’t book that cruise – it’s against the law.
This week, I’ve come across what I believe to be a stupid American law.
A customer of mine is trying to get from Australia to the UK. His journey is made up of lots of cruises to get him from A to B.
One of these cruises is this little 3 nighter:
San Diego, California, US 29APR14
At Sea 30APR14 WED AT SEA
At Sea 01MAY14 THU AT SEA
Victoria, British Columbia, CA 02MAY14
Followed by this one nighter:
Victoria, British Columbia, CA 02MAY14
Seattle, Washington, US 03MAY14
Nice little ‘back to back’ cruise there, right? WRONG! But why? This is why….
Passenger Vessel Services Act Violation W437B
Thank you for booking an upcoming cruise with Holland America Line. Please be
advised that due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act, this sailing cannot be
combined with ms Westerdam – 04/29/2014
04/29/2014 to 05/02/2014 from San Diego, California, US to Victoria, BC, CA
Excusemewhat??? Why?? As far as I can understand it’s something to do with not being allowed to board and disembark in a US port if you haven’t visited a foreign port first on a foreign ship (or something like that).
Which brought me to this:
Stupidest Laws (in order of stupid-ness)
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down
3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day
5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter
6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour
10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow
And that’s just the UK! Let’s move further afield…..
1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk
2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation
3. In Bahrain, a male doctor can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror
4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm
5. In Alabama, it is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle
6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed
7. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth
8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except funerals or hospital visits
9. In Japan, there is no age of consent
10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon
I’m going for a lie down in a dark room.
😉
5 Comments on “Sorry, you can’t book that cruise – it’s against the law.”
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I've worked in the Travel Industry since 1998. I started straight from college after obtaining an Advanced GNVQ Qualification in Travel and Tourism. I specialise in Cruise and Cruise and Stay Holidays so if that's what you're after, you've come to the right place. I have 3 children - Aimee…
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The problem that the person has with the back to back cruise is the “JONES ACT”, I know exactly how the person must feel as we tried to do LA to Vancouver for 5 nights and then stay on the same ship for the 10 night inside passage but “NO” it was in breach of the “JONES ACT”. We are also from Australia.
We are also from Australia and tried to book a cruise from LA to Vancouver and stay on the same ship for the 10 night inside passage but there is a law called the “JONES ACT” that cover all American ships and as we know most of the ones that do relocation cruise fly a foreign flag and not registered in the USA hence the Jones Act is applied.
We suffered from the Passenger Act, which is designed to bring work to Americans. We had embarked Celebrity Century in Honolulu for the Repositioning sector, from Sydney to San Diego. However, we were all sent letters in our cabins, 2 days into the cruise, informing us that we would disembark in Ensenada ( Mexico) and be bussed through the border into USA by a fleet of 54 buses. We actually fared reasonably well and did not miss our flight connection to L.A, but others had their bus impounded due to a cracked windscreen. They had to get off the bus at the border. Their luggage was off loaded, then they had to walk up a hill with it to a bus waiting on the US side. Their bus driver then got lost and they missed flight connections. Not the ideal way to say ‘Welcome to USA!’
Apparently Celebrity would have been fined $300 per passenger, if this ritual hadn’t taken place.
In the same way, no foreign airline is allowed to do domestic flights within US, but what I cannot understand is, that the majority of the buses used for out transfer into US, were Mexican
Hi
It is a pain but he can at least get the ferry from Victoria to Seattle, not like a cruise I know but it will get him there. or make it more exciting , if the dates work, Gte bus and ferry to Vancouver and then the Rocky Mountaineer down to Seattle
In our house it is illegal to have a row unless you want boiled potatoes for your tea