Need help ASAP, being denied boarding for Chinese visa

[PropsR4boats]

I'm in Hong Kong right now trying to board Ovation. It makes one stop in Xiamen.

 

I called specifically and asked if I needed a Visa for this cruise. The agent said NO and even referred me to their visa website, which also said no. Also every other website says cruise travelers with US citizenship qualify for a 72 hour visa exemption.

 

Yet here I sit in the cruise terminal awaiting to hear if I can even board the ship at all. Let alone get off the ship in Xiamen assuming I get on.

 

Can anyone help?

[Ocean Dancer]

Did you book through Royal or a TA? Get on the phone now!! Are you the only one being denied?

[PropsR4boats]

I still cannot get through to them even after showing where their own website says no visa!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Passport_and_Visa_Requirements.pdf

[PropsR4boats]

No cell service and booked thru Royal directly... Just the port wifi.

[PropsR4boats]

Well they're letting me on with the exception of not being able to get off in Xiamen. Super pissed. I was not told when I booked over the phone, and I specifically called and asked. At least I'm not being denied boarding anymore....

[Ocean Dancer]

It appears that you may be correct......find cell service and call Royal and the Embassy. So sorry......good luck!:o

[JoyMouse]

Well they're letting me on with the exception of not being able to get off in Xiamen. Super pissed. I was not told when I booked over the phone, and I specifically called and asked. At least I'm not being denied boarding anymore....

 

 

 

So glad you're being allowed on the ship!!!

[Ocean Dancer]

Well they're letting me on with the exception of not being able to get off in Xiamen. Super pissed. I was not told when I booked over the phone, and I specifically called and asked. At least I'm not being denied boarding anymore....

 

So happy for you......at least you got on. We did a cruise around the horn visiting Brazil, and 400 people were denied boarding because of no Visa. They could NOT even stay on the ship during those ports.

 

Go with the flow and have a nice cruise!:)

[PropsR4boats]

So happy for you......at least you got on. We did a cruise around the horn visiting Brazil, and 400 people were denied boarding because of no Visa. They could NOT even stay on the ship during those ports.

 

Go with the flow and have a nice cruise!:)

 

Crazy!

 

Def will, rough start but it's all fun and relaxation from here! Thanks!

[Ocean Dancer]

Crazy!

 

Def will, rough start but it's all fun and relaxation from here! Thanks!

 

Have a drink on me!;)

[toinoi]

I'm in Hong Kong right now trying to board Ovation. It makes one stop in Xiamen.

 

I called specifically and asked if I needed a Visa for this cruise. The agent said NO and even referred me to their visa website, which also said no. Also every other website says cruise travelers with US citizenship qualify for a 72 hour visa exemption.

 

Yet here I sit in the cruise terminal awaiting to hear if I can even board the ship at all. Let alone get off the ship in Xiamen assuming I get on.

 

Can anyone help?

 

I still cannot get through to them even after showing where their own website says no visa!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Passport_and_Visa_Requirements.pdf

 

Hi PropsR4boats

 

That must have been terribly stressful for you - I hope you are enjoying yourself now on the ship and can relax a bit.

 

Two things to note about the link you provided that might help clarify:

 

1. It is dated July 2014 - so could be considered a little old to rely on. RCI might argue it does say "should be validated by the guest prior to leaving home through an Embassy, Passport or Visa service."

 

2. Also in the section for China...

"Discuss your travel itinerary with your visa provider to ensure you get the proper type visa, which must be secured before leaving home. Please note that some nationalities including US and Canadian citizens do not require a visa for Sanya, China, Hong Kong or Taiwan."

 

Very poor use of separators in the document. It doesn't mean "no visa required for China" - what they're trying to say is "Sanya, China; Hong Kong or Taiwan"

 

Sanya is a city in China that is on a separate island known as Hainan. Like HK or Taiwan (arguably not part of China - politically sensitive topic though) it may be considered autonomous and more open to foreign travel without a visa due to its isolation.

 

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of mainland China - including Xiamen. Usually visas are required for travel there.

 

Hope this helps, and that you enjoy the trip even though you will probably miss Xiamen.

 

Regards,

Darren...

[woodyren]

Lucky that that let you aboard. On our Quantum repo in 2015 a number of US passengers (17 I think) had to disembark in Hong Kong rather that continue on the Xiamen and Shanghai as planned because they did not have a visa.

 

Strangely they were allowed to fly HK to Shanghai and use the 72 hour visa free entry.

 

I believe this is because the 72hour visa free at the time only applied to certain airports for those arriving and departing by plane.

[irishgal432]

Royal Caribbean will allow you to phone your travel agent/Rccl free of charge from the ship.

Go to Guest Services.

[papaflamingo]

I certainly understand your disappointment. But I have to say, it appears that the link you provided DOES say Visas are required. I agree the "Sanya, China" is poorly worded as it can easily be confused. But I'd certainly check, because here's the wording from the "Visa Required" column:

 

"Guests from most countries, including US and Canadian citizens require a

visa to enter China, unless noted otherwise at right."

[Paulxyz2004]

Good for you they let you board. Your Story should be a reminder for everybody on These boards to not rely on a TA or on the cruiseline to get their information about visa requirements.

 

You Need to realize that visa requirements depend on a lot of different circumstances and questions have to be answered very individually. Rules are not always very clear cut and can vary just By changing Little Details as in Holding a passport from Country x and being a citizen of Country x not needing a visa, but another Person with the same passport and citizenship needing one because of being Born in Country Z.

All These Little Details are easy to be overlooked By TA´s, cruiseline reps, who are not really specialized in this Business.

 

Another example for Little Details. I travelled to India earlier this year By ship. I did my Research and found out I can apply for an electronic visa online for the City I was travelling to. Within trying to apply for it online I nowhere found the port as an entry Point, but only the Airport. I contacted the embassy about this, just to be told when arriving By ship I have to apply for a "real" visa at the embassy and the online Thing is only for arriving By plane.

[4774Papa]

We were on the Celebrity Millennium last October/Nov for the Japan and China cruise that was primarily for Japan. Only Shanghai required a visa and there were hundreds of passengers on board without the visa. They just could not get off the ship in Shanghai.

[cruisnpat]

Sorry you had such a bumpy start for your cruise. Glad you were able to get on the ship. enjoy

[Paulxyz2004]

We were on the Celebrity Millennium last October/Nov for the Japan and China cruise that was primarily for Japan. Only Shanghai required a visa and there were hundreds of passengers on board without the visa. They just could not get off the ship in Shanghai.

 

Unfortunately it´s totally up to the authorities if this is an Option or not. Some countries port authorities might be prepared to simply not let those ashore without a visa. An example that Comes to my mind would be Russia. As Long as you don´t go ashore outside of licensed excursions that don´t Need a visa either, they don´t care. Other countries won´t clear the entire ship unless everybody onboard meets the requirements for going ashore.

[4774Papa]

Unfortunately it´s totally up to the authorities if this is an Option or not. Some countries port authorities might be prepared to simply not let those ashore without a visa. An example that Comes to my mind would be Russia. As Long as you don´t go ashore outside of licensed excursions that don´t Need a visa either, they don´t care. Other countries won´t clear the entire ship unless everybody onboard meets the requirements for going ashore.

 

Agree, that uncertainty is why we acquired the Chinese Visas prior to our Japan and China cruise, even though we would have preferred to stay on board, since we had been to Shanghai before.

 

I think the better choice for Celebrity would have been to skip the one Chinese port that required a visa, since that added five hundred dollars to our cost of the cruise (Hong Kong did not require a visa).

[LisaAtlCruiser]

Well they're letting me on with the exception of not being able to get off in Xiamen. Super pissed. I was not told when I booked over the phone, and I specifically called and asked. At least I'm not being denied boarding anymore....

 

VERY happy but surprised they let you on. I did a cruise last year that stopped in Xiamen and Hong Kong and had to have the VISA. But I knew ahead of time so no worries. It is a pain that the one stop requires a VISA.

 

Good luck to you and you are not going to miss much in Xiamen, so don't let them bug you.

[Desert Cruizers]

We needed a Visa to go to Sydney, Australia. So happy your on board and at least can enjoy your cruise even though your unable to get off at the one port. I check individual ports we will visit to check if a Visa is needed and don't rely on the RCCL site. I also am informed by our TA who has traveled a lot. Have a wonderful cruise.

[sweetlove13]

It's unfortunate you will have to miss that port, especially since they assured you that you wouldn't need a visa, but I'm glad they let you on the ship! I'm glad that I saw this because it lets me know that once I start cruising from non-US ports I'd better triple check whether I need a visa & not necessarily believe what the cruise line says since obviously their word can't be trusted!

 

 

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[mirp]

Thanks for sharing. I will be checking visa requirements when I cruise different itineraries.

 

 

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[mollyeilis]

I still cannot get through to them even after showing where their own website says no visa!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Passport_and_Visa_Requirements.pdf

 

 

 

It doesn't say that. It says HK, Taiwan, and Sanya, China don't require visas. That means that all other parts of China need visas.

 

The way they wrote it is perfectly fine. It could be better, but it's correct.

 

 

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[Ocean Boy]

If RCI is going to provide such information on their website then why don't they at least up date it regularly? 2014 is hardly my idea of regularly updated. Of course, for years they didn't know that the Voyager class ships didn't have glass roofs over the solariums so I'm not sure how much faith I have in them on the visa issue.