CRUISES TO NOWHERE AND PRIVATE ISLANDS

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Customs-says-cruises-to-nowhere-were-never-legal

Great subject, or time waster depending on your day. Interesting read of the 4-5 I found and actually read on the subject...no, its NOT the JONES ACT, which pertains to cargo only., it IS the PASSENGER VESSELS SERVICES ACT and the REAL "reasoning" behind the prohibition, which includes cruise ship private islands, which is a relatively new phenomenon, is astounding...I call it "isolationist paranoia" but what do I know. Its the CREW that causes the problem. At least I can say I did SOMETHING useful today.

My thanks to CARNICRUISER for bringing it up....or place the blame heheheheh

14 Answers

Thanks to all for their opinions. It has certainly given me food for thought. I have recently wondered what happened to the "cruise to nowhere." No I know.

Thanks again to all for the answers.

Oh I'm with you...I think it would be grand to stick in a whole plethora of shorter cruises to nowhere with a private island stop in the middle...they could be offered from a number of US ports. The thought occurs, IF it were legal, bet there'd be a number of private islands suddenly "under development"...

Like it!

Not suggesting sympathy but a ruling on whether the law and/or all aspects of that legislation applies to the privately owned/or leased island model. This legislation is antiquated, and new law should be developed to cover todays world business environment.

Trust AUNTIE to clarify what we worked soooo hard to complicate !!! no matter who owns it, it ain't the US of A!!! But on the other hand, if its NOT the USA, it HAS to qualify as a foreign port no??? and so "cruises to nowhere" stopping at them should be legal.. ok ok, I'll find something else to do...hehehehe

The private islands are not owned by the USA. Therefore, it is a foreign port. That's blonde logic.Wink

OUTSTANDING! Have a "MUDDY WATERS OAR AWARD"!!! There are such things as truly "private islands" all over the world, but are they really like little independent countries? owned by the mega rich? or some shell corporation?? who could probably provide their own security and do as they please? (think BOND..JAMES BOND) or merely like the purchase of a mega-estate anywhere else. Money talks...VERY LOUD....on the other hand, who would want to give up a piece of their sovereign territory, probably within their own territorial waters, over which they would have no jurisdiction? Methinks actual ownership of those so-called "private islands" is retained by the nation. Which may explain the lack of lawsuits over it. They would have been filed pre-plague, when cruise ships owned the world...certainly not now..

Private Islands. Is it just that the cruise lines own them but they are still within the foreign country such as Bahamas or is it a case where the cruise lines owns the island and it is outside of any country.

In the case of the latter, who provides jurisdiction and protection for the private island? What is to stop a group of rogue modern day pirates from landing and taking the islands. Who would respond to such an act?

Are you trying to horn in on my swamp making biz??? heheh...durn good question, so I started GOOGLING it..two diff websites have opposite answers for COCO CAY...one says its owned by the line, the other says its leased long term...HALF MOON CAY appears to be owned by the line, purchased outright from the "previous owner" for 6m. Now you would think that if there was an advantage to a lawsuit to resolve that "cruise to nowhere" issue, somebody would've tried it already. But being cynical, mebbe the cruise lines came to the conclusion they wouldn't get too much sympathy in US FEDERAL COURTS....hmmm...wonder why heheheh

Interesting - the act of ship lines owning islands when that law was passed didn't exist at that time. Wonder if it could be challenged in court for that specific case? But do they actually own the islands? or are they leasing? Is Coco Cay technically under Bahamian law?

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