Are Cruises to Nowhere the Way to Resume Sailing?

We’ve heard the suggestion more than once here at TravelPulse – let cruise ships operate without visiting any ports of call as a compromise to resume cruising, prevent coronavirus exposure in ports of call, and help save the industry.

Just a few days ago, we asked on Facebook, “Should cruise lines be allowed to sail from U.S. ports again this year?” One response: “Yes with no stops! Enjoy the sea views and the food!”

I asked Robert J. Kwortnik, Ph.D., a cruise expert and associate tourism professor at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, what he thinks.

“Cruises to nowhere would hasten the return to cruising,” he wrote me in an email. “Veteran cruisers who simply enjoy being at sea and the many amenities onboard today’s cruise ships would be most attracted to this option.”

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Cruises to nowhere were not uncommon a few years ago, and loyal cruisers today are aching to cruise even if they don’t get off the ship.

But cruises to nowhere were halted in 2016 due to rules from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

According to the article I wrote in 2015, cruises to nowhere would end in 2016 because of a wrinkle with D-1 visas commonly issued to cruise ship crews. You can read detailed explanations here and here.

Perhaps cruise companies could seek an exemption to the ban on cruises to nowhere. But the matter is complicated by the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act, enacted in 1886 to protect U.S. shipping interests.

“The problem, of course, is the antiquated Passenger Vessel Services Act that doesn’t permit foreign-flagged ships from transporting passengers directly between U.S. ports,” Kwortnik said. “So, a cruise on a foreign-flagged ship — which is the vast majority of cruise ships — that left Miami for a cruise to nowhere and returned to Miami (or anywhere else in the U.S.) would be illegal and fined heavily. Cruise lines could lobby to get rid of the PVSA, but this opens up a whole other can of worms about the tax and other benefits of foreign ‘flags of convenience’ used by cruise lines that rely on the North American market. I don’t see cruise lines wanting to fight that battle given the current business environment.”

We’re more likely to see itineraries that exclusively visit cruise line-owned private islands and destinations, of which there are many that qualify as foreign ports.

It’s especially the case for the true private islands with few residents – like Royal Caribbean Group’s CocoCay and Holland America Line’s Half Moon Cay, both in The Bahamas. Wikipedia says CocoCay has a population of 38, citing the 2010 Bahamas census. That certainly makes it easy to keep track of who is on the island.

(Other private destinations – such as Carnival Corp.’s Grand Turk Cruise Center and Royal Caribbean’s Labadee, are carved out of populated islands – Grand Turk in the Turks Caicos and Haiti, respectively.)

“Cruises that only go to private island destinations such as those in the Bahamas would surely help, as the cruise lines can control the guest environment and, most importantly, who is on the island — only health-screened cruise line employees and guests,” Kwortnik said. “This is one way to deal not only with those destinations that are tentative about receiving cruises again, but also a way to reduce passenger exposure to illnesses at the destination. This is a main reason why the cruises that recently restarted in Europe are requiring guests to go ashore only on cruise line shore excursions where contact with locals can be better monitored if not significantly reduced.”

I’m not sure what will happen as we inch closer to resuming cruising from the U.S. But like many of you, I can’t wait to board a ship again.