Could The U.S. Government Waive The Jones Act / PVSA For Alaska Cruises, Avoiding Canadian Ports?

There has been some chatter about the U.S. administration and Congress looking to either waive or entirely eliminate the Jones Act and/or the Passenger Vessel Services Act to allow cruise ships to avoid Canadian ports en route to Alaska. The same measure that was already […]

Mar 28, 2025 - 11:18

There has been some chatter about the U.S. administration and Congress looking to either waive or entirely eliminate the Jones Act and/or the Passenger Vessel Services Act to allow cruise ships to avoid Canadian ports en route to Alaska.

The same measure that was already put in place during Covid in 2021 when Canada didn’t allow cruise ships, and it received new attention in light of the recent spat between the administration and the Canadian government surrounding tariffs.

This isn’t a political discussion but rather an examination of how realistic it would be for the Trump administration and its allies in Congress to introduce such a waiver and abandon these old regulations altogether.

Foreign-flagged cruise ships (pretty much all of them) operating Alaska cruises are not allowed to operate on solely domestic routes. This means they can’t sail from Seattle up to Alaska and back without stopping at a foreign port, which only leaves Canada. Either ships stop in Vancouver or Victoria.

When Canada stopped the docking of cruise ships during the pandemic for health reasons, it didn’t take the government under then-President Biden long to sign legislation to simply waive the rule and circumvent Canada:

President Biden Has Signed Bill H.R. 1318 Allowing Alaska Cruises To Sail From Seattle – Now What?

I was on the first Alaska cruise that sailed directly from Seattle in July of 2021, and it was awesome. No customs and immigration nonsense, Just getting on and off, I loved it.

Now, back in the day, Alaska and the cruise companies were with their backs to the wall. Canada wouldn’t allow the cruise ships to dock, so the two Alaskan Senators introduced legislation to get around the Jones Act and PVSA:

Alaska Senators Introduce Legislation To Allow Cruise Lines Circumvent “Foreign Port Rule” On Alaska Sailings

In short, the legislation said Canada doesn’t want cruises and it damages the Alaskan economy as well as cruise companies, most of which are HQ’d in Florida. Let’s waive these foreign stop requirements and then get the ships back in the water.

Congress passed the legislation with a bipartisan vote, and Biden signed it, paving the way for cruises to restart. So it can absolutely be done and rather quickly at that.

Why is this suddenly important?

President Trump and his administration are arguing with Canada about certain border issues, law enforcement, and the tariffs that were subsequently imposed. It’s unfortunate to say the least and I want to leave it at that.

But now there have been renewed calls to have another look at these shipping regulations, especially the Jones Act and Passenger Vessel Services Act.

While a lot of focus is on the Jones Act, it’s actually the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) that demands that any foreign cruise ship has to make a stop as a foreign port in order to operate rather than running solely domestic itineraries.

In the past, this was never a problem, and the Alaska cruise season satisfied the PVSA requirement by either operating from or stopping in Vancouver, BC, or Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC. Then Canada became difficult during/after Covid, and the U.S. didn’t have it (even under the Biden administration), so Canada was frozen out.

Even back then, I said it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to eliminate this regulation entirely. The experience for cruise passengers is much better, and the mandatory stop in Victoria on the way back to Seattle is really bad. The timing of these port calls is horrible too, usually arriving late afternoon for just a few hours. Just enough to satisfy the law but not enough to do anything meaningful in Victoria.

Now with this dispute between the two countries, could the government do the same again to put pressure on Canada in order to achieve its policy goals?

These cruise ships are a huge economic factor for British Columbia. Especially Vancouver, where the Alaska Cruises allow the city’s hotels to command rather insane rates during the season.

DestinationBC describes this as follows:

… Tourism is a cornerstone of British Columbia’s economy, generating over $18.5 billion in annual revenue and supporting communities across the province. The cruise industry is a major economic driver for British Columbia, with each ship visit generating millions in economic activity. Vancouver saw a record 1.32 million cruise passengers in 2024, and this number is expected to grow with Disney’s expanded presence. …

I could very well imagine the Trump administration targeting this if the feud escalates even further.

However, and this is pure speculation from my side, I think that the political vacuum in Canada will be resolved once a new Prime Minister is elected on April 28th and a new legitimate leader can start to negotiate with the U.S. administration face-to-face. Trudeau’s sticking around as a lame duck for the last three months was more of a roadblock than anything else, and the two countries will soon rekindle their traditionally strong ties (hopefully).

Vancouver is a beautiful city (or at least it was, having lived there myself for almost ten years), but getting rid of the PVSA would still be great. Cruises that start from Vancouver can still do so on a voluntary basis, but at least those departing Seattle could avoid Victoria.

I’d be interested in how other cruisers see this!? Please comment below.

Conclusion

There are some rumors that the Trump administration is going to target the Jones Act and Passenger Vessel Services Act soon to inflict economic damages on Canada, allowing cruise companies to circumvent the country en route to Alaska.

The PVSA has had an impact on non-US-flagged vessels, which are practically all major cruise lines. These ships have to steer to a foreign port before returning to the U.S. on the same itinerary. Doing away with the PVSA would be a good tool to make at least Alaska cruises more comfortable.

While I believe this nonsense argument with the Canadian government will be resolved soon, it would give cruise lines more freedom in designing itineraries. Alaska cruises ex-Seattle would definitely avoid Victoria in the future. But I wonder if many cruises would remain in Vancouver as port of origin during the annual cruising season?

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