What happens if you book a cruise and purposely don’t get back on at stop?
January 22nd, 2010 10 Comments
Posted by admin
For instants, you can do a last minute cruise to the Mexican Riveriera from LA or SD and stopping in Cabo, Maz or PV. If you get the last minute price, it is cheaper than flying in Mexico. I’m planning on spending a few months in Maz this winter.
Interesting question.
I know that if you violate the terms of your agreement with the cruise line they can leave you at any port they choose. And if a passenger misses the ship when it sails… well it sails.
So, I doubt there is any prohibition so long as your bill is paid and you notify them and Homeland Security what you are doing so they don’t think you fell to foul play.
FYI, you generally have to reserve two weeks in advance to clear all of the Homeland Security checks.
Interesting concept.
It’s up to the captain whether or not you can disembark before the scheduled port. You’ll need to contact the cruise line and make arrangements.
I think you can do this legally, but there may be a fee of some sort. If you just leave and not come back, well that may be a problem. Remember, the cruise company has all your important data like your passport number, and your credit card. You have to give them this info in order to go on a cruise. BTW last minute cruises which really mean in the last 30 days before a cruise is NOT cheaper but more expensive. Cruise lines also require you to get all your info at least 48 hours in advance. Some like Princess calls anything that is 72 hours in advance as last minute as you can go.
if you don’t get back on the ship, you also cause the cruie line to have to report to the authorities that you are missing from the ship.
UNLESS you tell them in advance that you are departing the cruise early due to medical issues.
I think it would be cheaper to fly to mexico especially if you search all airlines and priceline.
If you tell them in advance I see no problem. I would not just get off and not show up at departure. The only law that must be followed is that you can not go from one American port to another without stopping in a foreign country. This would not apply to you.
As for it being cheaper I do not believe so. Don’t forget that a single passenger pays double the fare. The cheapest I have seen for Mexico is $350. That would be $700 for 1 or 2 people.
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They will stop the ship, and the government authorities will think you have vanished meaning kidnapped, they can’t leave without everyone else on board. You may want to look for a re- positioning cruise, also know as a one way cruise.
All the answers given so far are very relevant and on par with what I’ve read in Terms & Conditions and Contract Acceptance.
Save yourself, ship crew, and law enforcement authorities the trouble and just fly or drive to where you want to go rather than pay for a round-trip cruise that you won’t be completing.
Most cruise lines allow you to depart the ship at any point in the cruise. However, most of the times they do require advance notice so that they can clear the ship with customs and clear you with immigration in order to stay in a different country. (I would give at least 48 hours notice if you decide once onboard, but no guarantees they will allow it, there is actually a lot of paperwork involved.)
I would contact the line directly that you want to do this with, and find out what sort of documentation you would need to do this. Sometimes they need confirmation of a hotel where you will be staying, as well as flight information out of the country for example. The required visas may be different for you as well. Even if you think you have everything arranged, I would check with the desk onboard to make sure they have you listed as leaving the cruise in that port, as sometimes information doesn’t get fully passed along.
Side note – I did a semester in Mazatlan in university – it’s an awesome city, I had a great time!
Most cruise companies now allow you to disembark before the end of the cruise if you give them plenty of notice and allow them to notify relevant authorities.
Just walking of a cruise ship in a port and missing the ship will cause you problems.
Your passport will be landed with local agent and the ship will sail without you
First of all you CANNOT just go down to the cruise port in LA or San Diego and get a ticket on a cruise ship, not any cruise ship. All of the cruise lines REQUIRE you to buy a ticket in advance (not sure how many days) and then you MUST preregister for the cruise with all of your pertinent personal information, including your passport number. The preregistration information is required because of changes made in cruise travel after 9/11. The cruise ships must provide to Homeland Security a full and complete listing of all passengers at least an hour before the ship departs. The cruise lines in turn require passengers to complete this information at least 3 days before the ship departs either online or my mail. This is an example of the rquirement from Royal Caribbean’s web site:
" Completing the Online Check-In process for all the guests in your reservation will save you from having to fill out forms at the pier and needs to be completed 3 days prior to your saildate.
Royal Caribbean International requires guests to be checked in no later than 60 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time*. Guests arriving late will not be permitted to sail. This supports government regulations in some ports that require cruise lines to submit a departure manifest 60 minutes prior to sailing. Guests are requested to complete Online Check-In no later than 3 days prior to the cruise in order to expedite the pier check-in process."
As for departing the ship, you can also arrange with some cruise lines to do that. This is from RC’s web site also: "Yes! Partial cruises allow you to enjoy part of your cruise vacation in the event that you are unable to meet the ship in the scheduled boarding port, or would like to end your cruise earlier than the scheduled departure date."
Check this Royal Caribbean web link for the full text of information: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000CQEdp13BWP1g66lfG-mY_j0:12hdhu6tq?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Before+You+Purchase+&faqId=623&faqSubjectId=322&faqType=faq