“Why can’t the cruise lines just go out with no port calls. Enhance onboard entertainment.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because of the Passenger Vessel Serices Act.
You can read about it, and the Jones Act, in the link below. -Tom
Alternately, not stop in the US, but have passengers fly to some accommodating country, do the cruise, and fly back.
Cruise lines create PVSA-compliant itineraries, but sometimes the chaos of travel intervenes. If a passenger disembarks early (perhaps due to a medical emergency) without calling on the foreign port, the line risks getting fined. Cruise travelers who miss the ship are also not allowed to embark in just any port of call. They must board in a place in the itinerary that includes a foreign port as part of the remaining portion of the cruise.
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It takes the federal government to concoct such confusing laws!