suncityga Posted November 17, 2013 #26 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I just used Easy ETA for the second time. We used them several years ago, too. Took me about 3 minutes to do 2 visas, got my receipt and acknowledgement in about 10 seconds, used PayPal which has a buyer protection service. It's all good. The Aussies really know how to make it easy with their electronic (and inexpensive) travel visa. We also used the EasyETA website for our Australian Visa earlier this year and had no problems... we also used PayPal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katiestan1 Posted November 17, 2013 #27 Share Posted November 17, 2013 GradUT Yes, Easy ETA is a legitimate website (maybe not OFFICIAL since it isn't the government's) That aside, Australian visas may be obtained by U.S citizens for $9.95 each instead of $20 each. I have used them several times but people are welcomed to pay twice that amount if they are nervous but they need not be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late2cruisin Posted November 21, 2013 #28 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Not sure why all you U.S. citizens are paying for your visas...We just called the airline and they did it over the phone for free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradUT Posted November 21, 2013 #29 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Late2cruisin--do give us details! I've heard of travel agents arranging the ETAs for free, but I've never heard of an airline doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late2cruisin Posted November 22, 2013 #30 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Late2cruisin--do give us details! I've heard of travel agents arranging the ETAs for free, but I've never heard of an airline doing it. On our first trip to Australia (years ago) we flew United and it was done automatically. At least that's the way I remembered it! So when we booked United tickets again for our upcoming cruise from Sydney, I assumed it was done. Luckily, I called and asked. They checked and said it had not been done, but they took all our information over the phone (passport numbers and details) and after a few minutes, they said it was attached electronically to our passports and would show up when they were scanned at the airport. I'm not sure if all airlines will do this for you, but I would certainly call and ask. It was easy and free :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAC Posted November 23, 2013 Author #31 Share Posted November 23, 2013 On our first trip to Australia (years ago) we flew United and it was done automatically. At least that's the way I remembered it! So when we booked United tickets again for our upcoming cruise from Sydney, I assumed it was done. Luckily, I called and asked. They checked and said it had not been done, but they took all our information over the phone (passport numbers and details) and after a few minutes, they said it was attached electronically to our passports and would show up when they were scanned at the airport. I'm not sure if all airlines will do this for you, but I would certainly call and ask. It was easy and free :D I just called American Airlines and they do not do the Visas...so, I guess it's Easy ETA! From my research, it sounds like we need to get the visa before we leave and not on the plane like a landing card!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercruiser Posted December 5, 2013 #32 Share Posted December 5, 2013 (edited) Here is my personal experience. We recently cruised from NZ to Australia on Celebrity. I booked direct with Celebrity, didn't use a TA. Celebrity does not do ETAs "for free", as do some TAs. So I had to get my own ETA. I went with the EasyETA web site at USD $9.95. I had my ETA confirmation the next day. It was "easy". When I checked in for my cruise in Auckland, the agent asked to see confirmation of an ETA. I pulled out a copy of the email from EasyETA. The agent didn't even look at it - she just wanted to see that I had it. We cleared Australian customs on-board during the Tasman sea crossing. The on-board Australian immigration agent never asked about our ETA. I assume it showed up on their notebook computer they were using. As to the ongoing debate about using EasyETA versus the www.immi.gov.au site, decide which one lets you sleep better at night. Some people sleep better having used what they consider to be the "official" site. Being a thrifty person, I sleep better if I don't overpay. I would annoy me if I paid $A20 at www.immi.gov.au. knowing that others got their ETA for USD $9.95 at EasyETA. Edited December 5, 2013 by Mercruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrusingJoe Posted January 1, 2014 #33 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Here is my personal experience. We recently cruised from NZ to Australia on Celebrity. I booked direct with Celebrity, didn't use a TA. Celebrity does not do ETAs "for free", as do some TAs. So I had to get my own ETA. I went with the EasyETA web site at USD $9.95. I had my ETA confirmation the next day. It was "easy". When I checked in for my cruise in Auckland, the agent asked to see confirmation of an ETA. I pulled out a copy of the email from EasyETA. The agent didn't even look at it - she just wanted to see that I had it. We cleared Australian customs on-board during the Tasman sea crossing. The on-board Australian immigration agent never asked about our ETA. I assume it showed up on their notebook computer they were using. As to the ongoing debate about using EasyETA versus the www.immi.gov.au site, decide which one lets you sleep better at night. Some people sleep better having used what they consider to be the "official" site. Being a thrifty person, I sleep better if I don't overpay. I would annoy me if I paid $A20 at www.immi.gov.au. knowing that others got their ETA for USD $9.95 at EasyETA. Thank you for your update on using EasyETA. I purchased the same as you did, I'm thrifty to and can sleep.. On our last 2 cruises I ask US customs to confirm my easy ETA and had no clue what I was talking about.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottagemama Posted January 4, 2014 #34 Share Posted January 4, 2014 EasyETA is just a vendor that provides processing for visa applications and sends them on to the Aussie government web site. Perfectly legal, etc. I got my approval email this morning. This is minus my id information: TYPE OF TRAVEL T TOURIST ENTRY STATUS UD/601 ETA AUTHORITY TO ENTER AUSTRALIA UNTIL 16NOV2014 PERIOD OF STAY 03 MTHS MULTIPLE ENTRY NO WORK - BUSINESS VISITOR ACTIVITY ONLY ETA APPROVED I too used ETA and I have written proof as above and will put with my passport. We too paid with paypal Muriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YAC Posted January 11, 2014 Author #35 Share Posted January 11, 2014 EasyETA is the way to go! Visa coordinated with your passport number confirmed in 14 hours:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyiad Posted January 23, 2014 #36 Share Posted January 23, 2014 We can confirm that EasyETA is legitimate and the process works perfectly. Our Visas were confirmed in 2 hours for 6 people via email and there were absolutely no problems with immigration. I printed and carried the confirmation email just in case. 3 of us had to report to the Customer Service desk 2 days into the cruise to show the copies - but this was a Celebrity mix up that happened during check in (reportedly to 600 passengers). When we actually went through immigration just before the Tasmanian port everything was fine. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cottagemama Posted January 24, 2014 #37 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I also called the airline and they could see it on there so no worries Muriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROCruiser Posted January 27, 2014 #38 Share Posted January 27, 2014 As a member of Flyertalk, we got ours free of charge through a member volunteer. They asked that we "pay it forward" and do something good to the community with the money saved. Must be a member of Flyertalk and with certain number of posts published. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLP Posted July 30, 2014 #39 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Good Morning Everyone :-) I am gradually making my way through our "to do" list for this cruise and am about to secure our travel Visas for Australia. Hubby called Delta and they said to call our embassy, but this seemed a bit silly. I am seeing good feedback on EasyETA, but before I go any further thought it would be a good idea to check here for advice? Really looking forward to this trip :-) Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
We Go Cruise Brah Posted July 30, 2014 #40 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Good Morning Everyone :-) I am gradually making my way through our "to do" list for this cruise and am about to secure our travel Visas for Australia. Hubby called Delta and they said to call our embassy, but this seemed a bit silly. I am seeing good feedback on EasyETA, but before I go any further thought it would be a good idea to check here for advice? Really looking forward to this trip :-) Robin No need to call the embassy, sounds like a bit much. I think Delta is clueless on the matter. Just go to this site and pay the $20AUD and you're all done. I've never used EasyETA and I see its slightly cheaper, but the link I provided is the actual government site. The ETA will be linked to your passport number, so you don't even need to bring any paperwork. https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETA/etas.jsp Edited July 30, 2014 by We Go Cruise Brah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globaliser Posted July 30, 2014 #41 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Some recent discussion in this thread: Australian Visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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