Cruise lines have canceled so-called cruises to nowhere in
2016, citing changes in how ships are cleared by the Department of Homeland
Security.
Carnival Cruise Line has scrubbed a three-day cruise to
nowhere from New York on Carnival Vista after that new ship arrives next year,
according to a Facebook post by Carnival cruise director and blogger John
Heald. Carnival also had a two-day cruises to nowhere out of Norfolk, Virginia,
scheduled in 2016.
In a statement, Carnival said, "Due to recent changes
in how ships are cleared into and out of the United States by U.S. officials,
certain short-duration cruises without a foreign port of call are subject to
itinerary changes beginning in 2016.
Unfortunately, this means that we will not be permitted to operate
cruises-to-nowhere.”
Likewise, Norwegian Cruise Line, which previously operated
cruises to nowhere from New York, said three two-night cruises on Norwegian
Breakaway in 2016 have been canceled.
Few cruise lines regularly schedule cruises to nowhere,
other than during ship inaugurals. It is unclear whether those special-purpose
cruises are affected by the new enforcement protocol. CLIA said in a statement
that the ban applies to “cruises for sale.”
"While itinerary decisions are made by individual
cruise lines, beginning in 2016, in compliance with U.S laws and regulations,
foreign-flagged cruise lines operating out of U.S. ports are not to offer
cruises for sale that do not include a call in a foreign port,” the CLIA
statement said.
"Ships are cleared into and out of the United States by
officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” the statement added.
Cruise lines are subject to the Passenger Vessel Services
Act of 1886, which bars foreign-flagged ships from traveling round trip from a
U.S. port without also traveling to a foreign port during the voyage.