Strange communication from Princess

[Infi]

I'm sailing on a Greek Isles cruise on Princess in June that calls in Turkey. From previous experience in the Med and CC, I know that the Turkish ports are part of the Schengen agreement and all passengers' passports will be collected prior to arrival there.

However, yesterday I received a very strange email from Princess re: this topic.

 

From: importantnotice <importantnotice@princesscruises.com>

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Subject: This is an important visa reminder for upcoming Princess cruise sailing.

Date: Wed, May 2, 2012 8:22 pm

 

During your cruise, you will be visiting countries which are members of the Schengen Agreement. Schengen Agreement countries require passport holders from various countries to obtain a visa in advance of arrival. This requirement does not apply to U.S. or Canadian passport holders.

 

For additional information, please visit the Cruise Personalizer at princess.com.

 

Thank you for your attention to this important reminder. We look forward to welcoming you onboard Princess Cruises.

 

This is an automated message. Please do not respond to this email.

 

 

I just thought both the style of communication was incredibly strange. The author was "importantnotice", not Princess Cruises, so I almost hesitated to even open it, thinking it was spam or worse. There was none of the typical Princess logo or styling that you usually see on emails from them, just plain text. The phrasing at the beginning could be confusing and I even had a small panic moment where I thought I might need a visa also. Furthermore, I'm wondering why they even sent it to US and Canadian citizens if it doesn't apply to them. Why not just send it to those who it does apply to? It would save a lot of time and potential confusion.

 

Just wondering if anyone else has ever received this type of communication from Princess. I know we haven't on our previous European cruises, including one where we actually did need visas.

[curlerguy]

I recieved a similar email for our upcoming cruise from LA to Vancouver. I bet Princess is sending these out just to cover their butt so you caqn't say "I didn't know"

[dog]

Go to your cruise personaliser & a similar message should be there under notices. I am in Canada & have had this message for all my european cruises. So, if you are a US or CAN. passport holder you don't need to get a visa.

I have not received it in an email.

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

I have gotten the same message on all 3 of my European and/or Mediterranean cruises. I believe it is an automated message that goes out to all passengers at a specific point before their journey begins. If you are a US citizen, then it doesn't apply to you according to the wording. They send it in case someone is traveling with a foreign passport and would need to make arrangements ahead of time.

[skynight]

We received a similar notice for our S.A. cruise. However, I think the title was "Important Notice from Princess Cruises." I don't think it's a "cover" notice. I think they are really trying to be helpful. They are already covered as the Passenger Contract states that if you don't have they proper visas you be denied boarding. Also, I don't think Princess really can sort out the nationality of all passengers in advance. Because you live in Canada/US doesn't mean you are those nationalities.

[Bowie MeMe]

When we took a cruise that started in Istanbul we needed a visa as US citizens to enter the country at the airport. We purchased ours early and had the visa in our passport (probably did that online). I was absolutely thrilled when we got off the plane from Spain (we spent one night in Madrid before making a connecting flight to Istanbul) and saw maybe 600 or 700 people in very slow moving lines to buy the visa. We went to the line for those who already held visa and it was much shorter -- maybe 100 people. If the ship is taking care of the visa under some kind of blanket plan it is for the port day only -- if you were spending additional time in Turkey (or starting/ending in Turkey) then you probably need to get the $20 visa yourself. I absolutely LOVE Turkey and can't wait to explore more.

 

IMHO not Princess covering but Princess trying to get all passengers in a lawful way to have the documents they need and still some will not have proper identification and stamps and fees paid. I'm sure every trip somebody does not pay attention to the details and the country's officials do not really make exceptions for your mistakes. :D

[Princess Patches]

I have always received that message from Princess for my European cruises. They have been sending it out for years. They send it to everyone, including US and Canadian citizens, because some people have dual citizenship and they don't know which passport they might be using for the cruise. They are just covering all of the bases.

[AKman2495]

I received one for my Panama Canal cruise. Since I am an American, I didn't worry about it.

[Shogun]

Hi all

 

Saw a complete tour group turned away while in Barcelona as they did not have the right paper work to board the ship, I would have gussed that they were from Russia or that part of the world, they were not happy,

but nothing Princess could do,

 

yours Shogun

[gdisney]

I got a similar notice yesterday regarding visa requirements in Canada if you're not a U.S. or Canadian citizen. What struck me as odd is that the message says it takes up to 45 days to get a visa - and we're 31 days from sailing. Hopefully the folks that this applies to already knew about it...

[DesrtDrmr]

I received that message this morning, and we're not going anywhere near that region of the world. A few minutes later, I received another message which said to ignore the first and apologized for the mistake.

[Hulagirl]

Infi: I got a message for Alaska and for a cruise to Egypt and Israel. Now, we aren't booked for any of these cruises, so this is not a normal Princess e-mail. I had to laugh because Lindsay got these e-mails also and she had to ask if she was booked on these and didn't know about it!!!!:D I had to tell her NO, she wasn't.

 

I did get another e-mail that said to ignore the e-mails. So this said to me, there was a glitch in their system. I've never received one of these e-mails for Alaska before either. At least no to this extent. I know it is on the Personalizer, but never an e-mail.

 

Too funny you got these also.

[Happy ks]

I received that message this morning, and we're not going anywhere near that region of the world. A few minutes later, I received another message which said to ignore the first and apologized for the mistake.

 

 

 

Me, too. Plus another for a totally different cruise and we're not on that one, either. I only wish we had 2 nice cruises lined up:p

[caribill]

If the ship is taking care of the visa under some kind of blanket plan it is for the port day only -- if you were spending additional time in Turkey (or starting/ending in Turkey) then you probably need to get the $20 visa yourself. I absolutely LOVE Turkey and can't wait to explore more.

 

 

US citizens do not need a Turkish visa for cruise ship visits as long as they are using the ship and not a hotel overnight.

[Treven]

I got the same type of email from Princess regarding my upcoming Alaska cruise & a stop in Canada. The email went on to say that US & Canadian passport holders didn't need be concerned with a Canadian visa.:rolleyes:

[Infi]

Yes, I am aware that I don't need a visa because I am a US citizen. I thought I had made that clear in my post, but I guess not. Also, I have done two European cruises with Princess and never received these emails about visas, so I especially found this strange.

 

Judging from the responses here about people getting emails for cruises they're not even booked on :eek:, this mass email sounds like a glitch in the system.

 

But, for those whom the notice does apply to, this email still makes me scratch my head, for a couple reasons. Why send this to US/Canadian citizens if it doesn't apply to them? I know others have suggested that those citizens might have a foreign passport, but wouldn't Princess know about those individuals because of their entries in the personalizer?

Second, why send this out so late before the cruise? Visas usually take awhile to get, so I imagine those that have cruises coming up even sooner will be pressed for time.

Third, if this is a note from Princess, they certainly could have made it look a little more legitimate or official. I know I hesitated to open an email from the suspicious author "importantnotice", thinking it was spam or a virus. I wouldn't be surprised if others did the same and just ignored or deleted. A warning doesn't do much good if it goes unopened. :rolleyes:

[Infi]

Infi: I got a message for Alaska and for a cruise to Egypt and Israel. Now, we aren't booked for any of these cruises, so this is not a normal Princess e-mail. I had to laugh because Lindsay got these e-mails also and she had to ask if she was booked on these and didn't know about it!!!!:D I had to tell her NO, she wasn't.

 

I did get another e-mail that said to ignore the e-mails. So this said to me, there was a glitch in their system. I've never received one of these e-mails for Alaska before either. At least no to this extent. I know it is on the Personalizer, but never an e-mail.

 

Too funny you got these also.

 

Hulagirl, that is too funny about Lindsay having to ask if she was booked on those cruises and didn't know it! I can only imagine her reaction to the emails. Now that was my good laugh of the morning.

 

I also think it's strange they're sending these emails out for Alaska. It sounds like someone at Princess screwed up with this one, that's for sure.

[gdisney]

...Why send this to US/Canadian citizens if it doesn't apply to them? I know others have suggested that those citizens might have a foreign passport, but wouldn't Princess know about those individuals because of their entries in the personalizer?.

 

I believe it's because not everyone will necessarily have filled out their passport info on their personalizer by the time these emails go out. I hadn't filled mine out actually... You would THINK they could omit those that have listed their citizenship if the message doesn't apply to them, but I'm guessing that's probably a lot more trouble/time for them to do. Probably much easier to just send blanket emails so you don't risk missing anyone.

[BassettMom]

I got the same type of email for my SE Asia and China cruise regarding visas. Those emails also came from "importantnotice" and the first time, I was hesitant to open it. After the first one, I knew it was from Princess, but I agree that getting an email from "importantnotice" isn't the best way to identify who it came from and folks may not open it, or spam filters might send the email to a spam folder. The email should come from Princess and the subject could be "Important Notice for Your Upcoming Cruise," then folks would open it and read it.

[JEMS]

Infi-

We have been on Med cruises before which included 2 Turkish ports. We do not remember having our passports collected. Could you elaborate a little further? BTW, we are on the same June Greek Isles cruise with you.

Thanks,

Ed & Jean

[Infi]

I got the same type of email for my SE Asia and China cruise regarding visas. Those emails also came from "importantnotice" and the first time, I was hesitant to open it. After the first one, I knew it was from Princess, but I agree that getting an email from "importantnotice" isn't the best way to identify who it came from and folks may not open it, or spam filters might send the email to a spam folder. The email should come from Princess and the subject could be "Important Notice for Your Upcoming Cruise," then folks would open it and read it.

 

Thank you. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

 

Infi-

We have been on Med cruises before which included 2 Turkish ports. We do not remember having our passports collected. Could you elaborate a little further? BTW, we are on the same June Greek Isles cruise with you.

 

Thanks,

Ed & Jean

 

JEMS, on our last Med cruise (2010) that called in Turkey, we embarked in Venice and our cabin steward collected our passports on that first day. He checked us off on a list, gave us a receipt, and it was all very official. We were told it was due to the Schengen argeement and we received our passports back after the calls in Turkey. We also received landing cards that we had to drop off in a box when we disembarked in ports there.

 

We are US citizens, but all passengers' passports were collected regardless of nationality. I'd recommend bringing along a paper copy of your passport if you're the type who likes to bring a passport ashore as ID. It's not the same, but better than nothing. I hope that helps.

[BruceMuzz]

Yes, I am aware that I don't need a visa because I am a US citizen. I thought I had made that clear in my post, but I guess not. Also, I have done two European cruises with Princess and never received these emails about visas, so I especially found this strange.

 

Judging from the responses here about people getting emails for cruises they're not even booked on :eek:, this mass email sounds like a glitch in the system.

 

But, for those whom the notice does apply to, this email still makes me scratch my head, for a couple reasons. Why send this to US/Canadian citizens if it doesn't apply to them? I know others have suggested that those citizens might have a foreign passport, but wouldn't Princess know about those individuals because of their entries in the personalizer?

Second, why send this out so late before the cruise? Visas usually take awhile to get, so I imagine those that have cruises coming up even sooner will be pressed for time.

Third, if this is a note from Princess, they certainly could have made it look a little more legitimate or official. I know I hesitated to open an email from the suspicious author "importantnotice", thinking it was spam or a virus. I wouldn't be surprised if others did the same and just ignored or deleted. A warning doesn't do much good if it goes unopened. :rolleyes:

 

This is not surprising at all. You would be shocked at the number of cruisers who do not inform the cruise line about their passports and nationality until it is too late.

You would also be surprised at the number of people who give one passport and number to the cruise line and then travel on another passport entirely.

Princess is just trying to stay ahead of all those people whose favorite phrase (normally said in a very nasal whiny voice) is "Nobody told me".

[rhsjr]

Have read a lot about Turkey and the Med. with Visa's and the cruise card, but what about St. Petersburg, Russia; Do you need a Visa if you are from the ship and doing an independent tour instead of the high priced Princess tours?

[StLouisCruisers]

If you're doing a tour with an independent company (Alla, Denrus, Red October, etc.) in St. Petersburg, then they will arrange your visa. At some point they will need your passport information. Don't worry, you're covered.

[GeeDunk]

Have read a lot about Turkey and the Med. with Visa's and the cruise card, but what about St. Petersburg, Russia; Do you need a Visa if you are from the ship and doing an independent tour instead of the high priced Princess tours?

 

You will need a Visa.

 

Ensure that the Independent Tour Operator provides it as part of their

Tour.