The Celebrity Mercury stops at Namaino, Canada for 3 hours around midnite. Hardly likely anyone gets off here. Anyone know why they stop there? My travel agent had no idea.
They also stop at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. Are there internet cafes at these port areas?
Thanks - our first cruise to Alaska.

BudgetQueen may be able to answer your question when she sees this thread, but for more responses in a hurry, try posting on the cruise forum.

If you do not have any other Canadian ports it stops there to comply with an old Maritime Law called the Jones Act. I know it is outdated and I don't know really what it is all about but I just know that all cruises originating in the United States have to have a Canadian (or other country) port of call. That is why the Hawaii cruise from California ends up in a Mexican port close to the border. I guess I should read up on the reasoning just to know why. Another one of those crazy laws.

I think the rule is that if it is an American ship, you don't need the foregin stop.

If the ship is non-American, then the cruise has to include at least one foreign stop.

There is an internet cafe right across the street from where cruise ships dock in Ketchikan...$8 an hour. But you get a card that you can use at a branch in Juneau. The Skagway branch no longer exists.

If this is a round trip Seattle cruise, it must make a "foreign" port stop.
For clairfication it is NOT the Jone's Act, but the Passenger's Services Act. Rarely are these stops visitor friendly, it's the same with a 6 or 7pm Victoria stop, very little you can do in that timeframe.

All the major cruiselines are NON American ships. Look at Cruise West , Lindblad etc if you want a US registered ship.