We recently missed our boat in Vancouver and were hit with a $300 per person Jones Act fee,plus two nights hotel rooms and meals. The airline was kind enough to pick up our flights,but the cruise line let us hold the rest. Can anyone tell us something about the Jones Act (which was 60 percent of our additional expense)?

Actually the Jones Act covers cargo; the Passenger Services Act applies to people. Basically it states that foreign-flagged (and foreign-built) ships can't carry passengers between two US ports (e.g., Juneau and Skagway) unless (a) the voyage has originated in a foreign country (Canada), (b) the voyage ultimately terminates in a foreign country (Canada on southbound one-ways from Alaska).

If a route is a round-trip from a US port (Seattle, say) then the trip must include a stop in a foreign port (Victoria.) If the trip starts in one US city and ends in another (Miami and Los Angeles, say) then the non-US stop must be in a "distant foreign" port. Neither Canada nor Mexico counts as "distant foreign," thus trips between the east and west coasts must include a stop in some third country, say Columbia. And trips between Hawaii and the mainland start or end in Ensenada, (i.e., Vancouver) unless they're round-trips (from LA or San Diego, for example) in which case the Ensenada stop (like Victoria) is just for a few hours.

For years, for example, Norwegian Cruise Lines had Hawaiian inter-island cruises that involved a two-day (each way) detour mid-cruise to Fanning Island, in the Republic of Kiribati, because that was the nearest foreign port to Hawaii.

The "Jones Act" surcharge is a fine paid by the cruiseline to the US government if they transport passengers, like those who miss the boat, between US ports without the foreign port stop in the itinerary.

The solution for the cruiselines is to have their vessels US-flagged and crewed. Of course US workers will demand lots more money than their Croatian or Thai counterparts, they will be likely to want to form a union, they will want fair labor laws enforced, and in general will cause the cruiselines lots of headaches not forthcoming from other employees. This is a huge bottom line issue to the cruiselines.

Norwegian recently got the US Congress to allow them to run two (or is it 3?) US-flagged and crewed ships in Hawaii, meaning they can skip Fanning Island (and thereby plunge the poorest country in the Pacific deeper into the kimchee) on their inter-island routes. We shall see if others follow suit.

Sorry for long-winded response. You're probably sorry you asked.

Gardyloo
Thank you. I'm printing this. I knew that there had to be a shady reason for ships to be registered in 3rd world countries, but no one has ever explained it so well. Most people have not wanted to even consider the question.

That explains it well. I still think that it would have been nice for Holland America to oick up some of the extra $1000 expense for us in Jones Act, rooms and meals,and they did not. Has anyone else run into such ? With the Airlines so helpful,we were really surprised that Holland America was no help at all.

Nothing surprises me about HAL anymore. Ever since the change in May, '04, the company has been indicating that they are scrimping. They are obviously in trouble. I posted in June that I would never travel with them again.

Nothing surprises me about HAL anymore. Ever since the change in May, '04, the company has been indicating that they are scrimping. They are obviously in trouble. I posted in June that I would never travel with them again. Lots of posts on <www.cruisecritic.com>

What changed in May 2004 for Holland American Cruise Lines?

In May, '04 HAL implemented a new gratuities policy. In a leaflet Titled 'you need to know" tucked with all other documents and info and distributed after I had made my final payment was the following information. I quote but add my own emphases:
"Good Service starts with crew members you may never have the opportunity to meet such as our highly trained KITCHEN STAFF. They also benefit from the gratuities included with your bill. To ensure the efforts of these crew members are also recognized and to discourage solicitation of guests, DINING and CABIN STEWARDS are REQUIRED TO TURN IN any tips they receive directly from those guests who have removed or reduced the gratuities on their onboard accounts."

This pooling of tips was very unpopular with most (I only met one-man, a Texan, who liked it) of the passengers. That leaflet became popular reading material at tables, in lounges, on buses, and I saw many people gesturing with it at the purser's desk. An "information session" was scheduled to try to defuse opposition. It was well attended but the 3 unfortunate crew (entertainment director, navigation officer, and an entertainment staff fellow) were reluctant (forced?) to politely decline to answer the most direct answers. Passengers did glean these snippets:
-cabin and wait staff signed on for 11 month tours. These 3 men had 4 month tours.
- Medical and dental care was part of the benefits of all the crew on board but only on board. Private health insurance had to be purchased while off. No HAL did not get group rates for them.
-the gratuities were the major source of income for cabin and wait staff. Wages for these three men were not dependent on gratuituies.

Over the 14 days, other sources were able to fill in the gaps. Salary is between $50-100 a month plus room and board for cabin and wait staff. Hours are long 14+ seven days a week. Besides the duties we see, they have weekly fire drills for staff. I saw my cabin steward during one of those. Looking at the equipment he was carrying, he was obviously training for a vital effort. They also were the entertainment one night. I thoroughly enjoyed the "cultural music/dance/drama" but I winced as I heard that they practiced after we went to bed! And I winced further when I saw them patiently posing with the passengers for photos which were on sale next day. I wonder if they received any portion of THAT revenue.
Fares home are no longer paid even if they stay full tour (a major incentive before). Now 1/12 of fare is deducted from the revenues received from the pooled wages EER gratuities.

It is in my opinion a sneaky way of increasing wages of some crew by reducing revenue of others.
On principle, I did ensure my cabin and wait staFF RECEIVED GRATUITIES BY NOT CHANGING THE AMOUNT CHARGED TO MY ONBOARD ACCOUNT.
I resent the implications that I am one of those who would stiff a hard working crew. I have never experienced solicitation. That insults the professionalism of these people. Many of them hold higher education degrees, but can't get work in their own countries. I resent HAL forcing me to choose between exploiting a vulnerable third world worker (because HAL owners fear a cut in revenue if they charge appropriate fares up front) or swallowing my frustration until I got off the ship in order to protect the cabin and wait staff who made my cruise so comfortable and safe.
I waited tables and relied on tips during my high school and university days. I was NEVER required by my employers to ensure the efforts of highly trained kitchen staff. The employers did that by raising wages after performance reviews. But those "highly trained staff" could walk away to another restaurant.
Shades of Lenin! How well did THAT work? Anyone travelled to Russia lately?
I have informed HAL and my TA that I won't ever cruise with any cruise line (NCL is doing it too as of this month) that uses these methods.

Radisson and Silver Seas have a no tipping policy and their staff are of the very best and always pleasant. They also have complimentary soft drinks and expresso coffee 24 hrs. per day and complimentary wines with dinner and 2 bottles of hard liquor in each cabin.
Naturally, rates are higher, but sometimes may be equal to other lines !!

Why did you miss the ship in Vancouver? If it was not the HAL's fault, why should they pay.

A bit of history as a follow-on to Gardyloo's comments:
For thirty or so years, there were two US flagged cruise ships which did alternating clockwise, counterclockwise, similar, but not same itineraries stopping on various islands.
The "line" eventually went into extreme disrepair and eventually bankruptcy.
(US Sen) Trent Lott (R, MISS) was able to secure lots of "pork" for a joint public/private venture

Sorry, ...to build state of the art replacement vessels in, of all places, Pascagula, MS.
That venture went belly-up at considerable cost to US taxpayers, and Norwegian was able to "steal" the unfinished vessels, and get a major league "agreement" with the US government to allow the ships to be "US-Flagged" for the Hawaii cruises.
NCL's Pride of Aloha is in active service and is scheduled to be joined by "Pride of America" in June '05.
NCL claims an all American, mostly Hawaiian crew.
M

We had a ticketing problem and missed our flight. When we called the HAL office and told them when the next flight would get us to Vancouver, they told us to come ahead,so we did. When we arrived in Vancouver, we were met by HAL rep who told us it was too late(we had an hour to get to boat).We were assured that our luggage would not go onto boat without us and would be waiting for us at customs,but it did.We just felt since HAL advised us to come, they should have been a little more helpful.The airlines picked up $1,600 in tickets,HAL did nothing.

Now it makes sense and I agree HAL should have done something for you.