Vietnam Visa for Cruise Ship Passengers

Do not know what to tell you again I paid $30 in July, ($30 + $3 port fee=$33). And that is the price they have quoted and confirmed for October. So that is what I will be paying again. The fee is $30 dollars for US Passports.

Well I don't know what to tell you either, but you'll be paying $56.00 and so will all US passport holders -- see below

I spoke with Princess late last week. The service rep told me $56. I inquired how can they say it's a VISA charge of $56 if Vietnam Visa by ship is only $5. He said that was the latest/current info he had. Transferred me to customer relations who, again, confirmed they charge $56. I told her I was reading on line from Vietnam Embassy article that they charge $5 for cruise ship passengers and offered to forward the article. She wasn't interested. She said she'd need to contact their "policies" department, so I said I'd hold. She came back and said they didn't know. I politely asked if she would push the issue up hill. And if Princess continues to charge $56, I suggested they change what they are calling the fee, since it is NOT a VISA fee. We were disconnected. Interesting.

 

We are considering 20 cruise on Sapphire Princess in Nov; however, this is so concerning to me, that we will most likely find another cruise line with similar ports. Just straight out dishonest in my my small mind.

In April we visited Da Nang for one day. The ship was the MSC Splendida. Prior to this cruise we didn't purchased the visa's. The cruise company arranged a one day permit to stay in Vietnam. The price was 11.63 euro for EU passports, that's about $13. I don't know about the US citizens but I think the price was the same for all passengers. There were some Vietnamese border officers on board and they handle out the official permits.

In April we visited Da Nang for one day. The ship was the MSC Splendida. Prior to this cruise we didn't purchased the visa's. The cruise company arranged a one day permit to stay in Vietnam. The price was 11.63 euro for EU passports, that's about $13. I don't know about the US citizens but I think the price was the same for all passengers. There were some Vietnamese border officers on board and they handle out the official permits.

I am sure the Vietnamese do not discriminate about the fee for any nationality, the price is $5 US. It is the cruise line that adds the additional cost to the processing of the visa and some, like Princess have decided to impose a much higher fee than many as just another way of gouging their passengers.

Cannot put it more simply than that!

Funny we did the same thing except we did a 2 night cruise on Bhaya and 3 nights in Hanoi flying back to the ship in Saigon. It was an identical B2B.

As far as the visa if you are going north and HaLong is your last stop then you might be ok. If you are sailing south and it’s your first stop you best get your own visa. You will need your passport for the cruise and it’s best to have a real visa at the first point if you want to get off. But you will have time because they will pick you up around 11am.

Great line. We had a rear suite with a wrap around balcony. Fantastic. One night a bit rushed but nothing like a day trip.

 

 

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We are heading south. Bhaya advised us to go through the cruise line, but this advice was not based on knowing our itinerary. I'll have to look into it more. Azamara is actually doing their own overnight in Halong Bay on a junk and asking for $600 per person, which seems outrageous considering Bhaya Premium on a small 12 cabin boat is $390 per couple. Why pay $1,200 when I can get a better experience for $390?

I wish we could do two nights, but we are in port 8 am one day and departing 1 pm the next day. It's great to hear your recommendation of Bhaya. Thanks. They are the only line whose times work best with our arrival and departure times.

Just to add my very recent Princess experience.

We have just returned from the Majestic's Shanghai to Sydney cruise.

Visited two Viet Nam ports, Nha Trang and Phu My, Princess charged our account $56AUD plus a $2 port fee each.

We are Australian passport holders.

AUD $56 is about USD $40.00 in line with what they charge for US passport holders booking from the United States $33.

Just wanted to add, I received an email from Princess on September 10, 2018 regarding our booking for December 7, 2018, Tokyo to Singapore, with two stops in Vietnam. The title was "Visa Requirements". This was in the email:

Thank you for your attention to this notification.

We are from the US and carry US passports if that helps anyone. I also called Princess a month ago and was given the same information. Hope this helps clarify for some of you.

E

For Australians, it is still cheaper option to get your visa issued by the ship than to organise it prior to going (it was $99 AUD for a 30 day single entry at the Perth consulate when I last visited about a year ago, probably more now).

The concern for most cruisers on this forum is the disparity between the charges imposed by the various cruise line, after all, the fee imposed by the Vietnamese on all ship bourne visitors is $5 USD (although some country citizens are exempt).

This topic is not going to go away while some cruise lines charged are way of of line with the others and I can only suggest intending cruisers to keep up the pressure on those cruise lines who charge more more, with the hope some common sense may prevail to reduce to cost.

Someone on our upcoming Princess cruise did finally hear back from Princess. Apparently, the US$56 Vietnam visa fee includes a US$25 processing fee charged by Princess. I still don't understand why Princess is charging US$56 for a visa that is identical to other visas obtained onboard from other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (for which they only charge US$5 or US$6). I'd rather they bill me an extra US$50 for the cruise, than for a visa that should be no different from cruise line to cruise line. It certainly does not give a good impression of the company ...

Someone on our upcoming Princess cruise did finally hear back from Princess. Apparently, the US$56 Vietnam visa fee includes a US$25 processing fee charged by Princess. I still don't understand why Princess is charging US$56 for a visa that is identical to other visas obtained onboard from other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity (for which they only charge US$5 or US$6). I'd rather they bill me an extra US$50 for the cruise, than for a visa that should be no different from cruise line to cruise line. It certainly does not give a good impression of the company ...

See post 21 above - therein lies the answer

The Visa fee charged for US Passport Holders is US$30.00 plus the $3.00 port fee which is already included in the port fees charged to the original booking. This is what it was 35 days ago on my account. I reached out to Princess and they confirmed no changes have been made for these fees. The information about a higher fee is wrong.

Below is what is listed for my December 2019 booking on the Princess website. I am doing research to see if I want to acquire visa's on my own.

C A M B O D I A V I S A / PA S S P O R T R E Q U I R E M E N T

All guests require a visa for Cambodia. You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise,

or a visa will be issued upon arrival in Cambodia. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a

passport-size photo is required and a visa fee of USD $55.00 per person will be charged to your

stateroom account.

Cambodian customs has strict regulations in regard to passport validity and require that all passports

be valid for at least six months after you depart Cambodia.

V I E T N A M V I S A / PA S S P O R T R E Q U I R E M E N T

A Vietnam visa is required for most guests on this voyage, including Australian, Canadian, New

Zealand and U.S. passport holders. You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise, or

a visa will be issued upon arrival in Vietnam. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a visa fee

of USD $56.00 per person (USD $76.00 per person for those participating on an overland package)

will be charged to your stateroom account.

Some guests, including UK passport holders, do not require a visa; however, they will be charged $1

per person for a landing card and a $1 per person processing fee.

All guests' passports must be valid for at least six months after departing Vietnam and must contain

at least one unused page for entry/exit endorsements.

Below is what is listed for my December 2019 booking on the Princess website. I am doing research to see if I want to acquire visa's on my own.

 

C A M B O D I A V I S A / PA S S P O R T R E Q U I R E M E N T

All guests require a visa for Cambodia. You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise,

or a visa will be issued upon arrival in Cambodia. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a

passport-size photo is required and a visa fee of USD $55.00 per person will be charged to your

stateroom account.

Cambodian customs has strict regulations in regard to passport validity and require that all passports

be valid for at least six months after you depart Cambodia.

 

V I E T N A M V I S A / PA S S P O R T R E Q U I R E M E N T

A Vietnam visa is required for most guests on this voyage, including Australian, Canadian, New

Zealand and U.S. passport holders. You may either obtain the visa on your own before your cruise, or

a visa will be issued upon arrival in Vietnam. If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a visa fee

of USD $56.00 per person (USD $76.00 per person for those participating on an overland package)

will be charged to your stateroom account.

Some guests, including UK passport holders, do not require a visa; however, they will be charged $1

per person for a landing card and a $1 per person processing fee.

All guests' passports must be valid for at least six months after departing Vietnam and must contain

at least one unused page for entry/exit endorsements.

While I have not done a Dec 2019 cruise I did do July 2018 and was charged $30.00 My October 2018 cruise the fee is the same $30.00. But anyone not happy with allowing Princess to handle is free to do own their own.

 

C A M B O D I A V I S A / PA S S P O R T R E Q U I R E M E N T

If you choose to have the visa issued on board, a

passport-size photo is required and a visa fee of USD $55.00 per person will be charged to your

stateroom account

 

Seems like Princess are coining it in on Cambodian visas too :(

I don't recall the cost of the ship-issued visa when we visited (different cruise line) but it was pennies.

OTOH, different cruise lines charge OTT on different services.

For instance a couple or three years back Princess were charging about $60 for bus transfers from Southampton to London airports, RCI were charging $101 !!

JB :)

Seems like Princess are coining it in on Cambodian visas too :(

I don't recall the cost of the ship-issued visa when we visited (different cruise line) but it was pennies.

 

OTOH, different cruise lines charge OTT on different services.

For instance a couple or three years back Princess were charging about $60 for bus transfers from Southampton to London airports, RCI were charging $101 !!

 

JB :)

Can't see how Princess is gouging their passengers, otherwise everybody would be paying a lot more for the service, including UK passport holders.

Anne

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Can't see how Princess is gouging their passengers, otherwise everybody would be paying a lot more for the service, including UK passport holders.

Anne

 

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Problem is, Anne, that Vietnamese & Cambodian immigration authorities charge cruise lines peanuts for the limited arrive-and-depart-on-the-ship visas, and other cruise lines (including other US cruise lines) charge their passengers (including US & Aus citizens) a fraction of the whack that Princess charge. Like around $5 to $6 (see other posts) rather than $60.

Princess set their charge as high as they can but still competitive with a standard tourist visa which Americans & others would otherwise have to buy in advance.

So yes, be in no doubt that for Vietnamese & Cambodian ship-issued visas Princess are gouging their passengers.:(

JB :)

I have flown, walked, and drove into Cambodia, the visa fee I was charged by the government was $25.00 US, so while Princess is adding a service charge over the $25 dollars do not think it is price gouging, it is the fee they charge. Is it price gouging for NCL to charge a higher daily service fee than Princess?

You are always free to apply for your own visa for Cambodia and or Vietnam. Getting your passport stamped is not free and cost Princess much more than the $6.00 stamp fee. Have you ever wondered how you can just walk of the ship to enjoy the port with going through immigration? It is because Princess brings Vietnam Immigration officials on the ship at the port before, paying to get them to the port giving them a cabin and food etc, so you can just walk off the ship.

Or Princess could do it the way Star Cruises does in Vietnam, standard $6.00 fee but no pre clearance, you stand in line and loose 1 to 2 hours off the port call each way. I'm happy to pay Princess $33 dollars and have them handle it. and give me much more time in port. So next week I will pay a total of $33 dollars for my wife and myself for our two port stops in Vietnam. My US Passport will be handed back to me at the end of the trip with the correct stamps in it. Seems like a great deal.

I have flown, walked, and drove into Cambodia, the visa fee I was charged by the government was $25.00 US, so while Princess is adding a service charge over the $25 dollars do not think it is price gouging, it is the fee they charge. Is it price gouging for NCL to charge a higher daily service fee than Princess?

 

You are always free to apply for your own visa for Cambodia and or Vietnam. Getting your passport stamped is not free and cost Princess much more than the $6.00 stamp fee. Have you ever wondered how you can just walk of the ship to enjoy the port with going through immigration? It is because Princess brings Vietnam Immigration officials on the ship at the port before, paying to get them to the port giving them a cabin and food etc, so you can just walk off the ship.

 

Or Princess could do it the way Star Cruises does in Vietnam, standard $6.00 fee but no pre clearance, you stand in line and loose 1 to 2 hours off the port call each way. I'm happy to pay Princess $33 dollars and have them handle it. and give me much more time in port. So next week I will pay a total of $33 dollars for my wife and myself for our two port stops in Vietnam. My US Passport will be handed back to me at the end of the trip with the correct stamps in it. Seems like a great deal.

Sorry, but the $25 that you paid was clearly for a regular tourist visa, which is a different animal..

And no need to quote any grief with Star Cruises - other US & Brit cruise lines provide exactly the same visa and service as Princess but charge only $5 - $6.

I'm a little confused about quite what Princess does charge. For Cambodia you're saying $33 for two, Anne is saying $60 per person, Dbredos' link says $55 per person. And for Vietnam there's a string of posts quoting different figures.

But in all cases it's waaaay higher than other cruise lines.

(I wouldn't argue with the piffling dollar or two handling charge for those whose entry is visa-free.)

I'm no fan of NCL, but their daily service charge isn't ten times as much as the others.

I did make the point in an earlier post that in some matters Princess' charges are lower than others - I quoted their $60 UK airport transfer compared to RCI's $101.

In that case, RCI were gouging.

On visas for Vietnam & Cambodia it's Princess who are gouging.

JB :)

Not $33 for our Princess cruise...

For our up coming Diamond cruise in January, Princess is taking $56, and it clearly published on our Princess cruise personalizer as a Vietnam visa charge

 

 

Srpilo

True, We were on Princess last year and they "dinged" us with this , I think its was $48 USD

Hi Again,

I have been doing research on getting the visas myself as I normally do. It looks like this time I will be better off using the service on Princess. I live approximately 40 miles outside of Houston and there are a large number of Embassies there. There is no Embassy for Cambodia and all of the companies that acquire a visa for you are charging more than Princess.

The Embassy for Vietnam is open between 9:00am and 12:00pm which is problematic. When I was younger the traffic was difficult but the older I have gotten the less I actually do the drive. I would have to be in rush hour traffic. So I will be going to Walmart to get my pictures and letting Princess do the work.

Princess charges US$56 for Vietnam visas for passengers with US and Canadian passports. They explained that the US$56 includes a US$25 processing fee, so added to the US$33 "visa fee" gives us the US$56 fee per person. Strictly comparing "apples to apples", this is gouging as other popular cruise lines like RCL and Celebrity only charge US$5 to US$6 pp. Granted, us getting a Vietnam visa ourselves before embarkation will cost more (US$75 in Canada), but I think that is besides the point. Cruise lines get a lower visa fee. I can understand why there would be variations in prices for other services because one can always say there are differences in the service you get etc etc etc, but with the visa fee, I don't see how there could be any difference in the service provided that would support Princess gouging its passengers by charging 10 times more! Ignoring the US$25 processing fee, and assuming Princess is merely passing on the US$33 visa fee charged by Vietnam to their passengers, for the sake of their passengers, Princess should figure out how to be more competitive by inquiring into how other cruise lines are only having to charge their passengers US$5 or US$6 for their Vietnam visa. Most passengers don't mind paying more and certainly, the extra US$50 per person won't break the bank, but as a matter of principle, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The least Princess can do is explain why they are charging their passengers 10 times what their competitors are charging for such a "standard" service as this.

Just signed up for the December 7th Diamond Princess cruise. I believe there are two stops in Vietnam.

Question. Is it possible to purchase visas online. Seem to be only $20 for a 1 month multiple entry visa. https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa/how-to-apply/ the only other problem I see is that it is a visa on arrival. So they should stamp my passport with the visa after I show them the approval letter? Many thanks!

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Just signed up for the December 7th Diamond Princess cruise. I believe there are two stops in Vietnam.

 

Question. Is it possible to purchase visas online. Seem to be only $20 for a 1 month multiple entry visa. https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa/how-to-apply/ the only other problem I see is that it is a visa on arrival. So they should stamp my passport with the visa after I show them the approval letter? Many thanks!

 

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Have you read through this thread?

Your cruise ship will obtain the visa for you.

Have you read through this thread?

Your cruise ship will obtain the visa for you.

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I'm sailing on Princess though. Trying to avoid the $56 they are trying to charge haha

 

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In doing some research, I noticed that the e-visa (https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn)

is not accepted at Phu My, the port Princess uses, and the Visa on Arrival services like in the link https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa/faqs/ are only accepted as airports. Princess seems to realize its customer's options are limited and that all roads lead back to the $56 fee.

Just signed up for the December 7th Diamond Princess cruise. I believe there are two stops in Vietnam.

 

Question. Is it possible to purchase visas online. Seem to be only $20 for a 1 month multiple entry visa. https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa/how-to-apply/ the only other problem I see is that it is a visa on arrival. So they should stamp my passport with the visa after I show them the approval letter? Many thanks!

 

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Cannot use his service as it must be through one of three International Airports to be valid and complete. As I said before in this thread, Princess charged me a total of $33 dollars to my account in July. In three days I will be back on another Princess port stop here and will see exactly what the fee is again.