I was declined boarding and now I found I was right and the cruise company was wrong

[caribill]

I thank the OP for starting this informative thread. I learned so much from all the responses. Like the OP, I did not know that I had to get a visa for every country in the cruise itinerary, even if I choose to stay onboard. Please clarify for me one more time. Do I still need to get a Russian visa for a Baltic cruise that stops in Russia, even though I do not plan to go onboard (have already visited the country previously)? I hold a US passport.

If the answer is yes, then I would take a Princess' excursion, just to avoid getting a Russian visa again.

 

The answer is "no."

 

 

And if you want to take an independent tour in St. Pete by a recognized tour company you also do not need a visa as they will supply the same needed documentation as Princess does for their tours.

 

You would need a Russian visa only if you wanted to get off the ship and tour on your own.

[caribill]

Okay...I m a U.S. Citizen who has done a lot of international cruises lately and have paid for more visas than I care too.

On a recent cruise on Majestic(which dropped the ship off in China)...On the Roll call there was much discussion about needing a Chinese visa as the Chinese govt..has made some changes in the last year or so. Several citizens from other countries said they had done some investigation and truly felt they did not need one but still followed Princess "rules" because they did not want to take any chances.

 

Princess makes the rules...Period.Lesson learned move on......

 

Correct. If the cruise ends in Shanghai you do not need a visa in advance to go to the airport from the ship. This is a case where the passenger is right but Princess is wrong, but you must do what Princess says or they will not let you embark on the cruise.

 

And it is not a case of the check-in people just saying this. Princess HQ also does not know the current laws in China.

 

So although Princess says it is the passenger's responsibility to find out what visas are required and to obtain them, all the detective work in the world does not help the passenger since Princess does not know the actual rules.

[broberts]

Country visa requirements are complicated by the fact that some countries have exceptions for day (cruise) visitors.

[CruiserBruce]

Country visa requirements are complicated by the fact that some countries have exceptions for day (cruise) visitors.

 

 

Most countries have exceptions for single day, cruise type visits.

[CruiserBruce]

My travel agent has the following visa language on the receipt: "It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure that they have the necessary documentation for their cruise. Failure to produce the necessary documentation at the pier will result in denied boarding and no further compensation will be offered by the cruise line or [travel agency]."

 

My travel agency has the same statement.

[CI66774]

OP - sorry this happened to you but it, ultimately, is your responsibility to check WITH THE CRUISE LINE re: any and all required VISAS. Hope your next cruise is better.

[LondonTowner]

It was up to the OP to ensure he had the relevant documents. If he hadn't had a visa for the U.K. then he wouldn't even have got to Southampton as the airline wouldn't have let him board.

 

Passport checks are very stringent these days, in fact, many European airports are currently experiencing long delays due to it being high holiday season.

 

I really don't think Princess Cruices can be held account, they were doing their job efficiently.

 

 

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[ETinCA]

Just wondering. You have to have a Russian Visa to visit Saint Petersburg. Now with a tour etc you get the short tourist visa with that. Otherwise, without an organized tour or a Russian visa you cannot enter the country from the ship. So those without cannot visit Russia but can stay on board. They aren't turned away from the entire cruise. Just curious on the difference of this. Not sure of the laws per say but just from the outside looking in this seemed a bit unreasonable by Princess. But again, I wasn't there either.

 

 

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[indygirl99]

Just wondering. You have to have a Russian Visa to visit Saint Petersburg. Now with a tour etc you get the short tourist visa with that. Otherwise, without an organized tour or a Russian visa you cannot enter the country from the ship. So those without cannot visit Russia but can stay on board. They aren't turned away from the entire cruise. Just curious on the difference of this. Not sure of the laws per say but just from the outside looking in this seemed a bit unreasonable by Princess. But again, I wasn't there either.

 

 

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The difference is where you go through customs/immigration. In Russia you don't go through until you leave the ship.

 

It sounds like in Dublin CBP comes on the ship and everyone clears customs ON THE SHIP therefore everyone has to have a VISA whether they leave the ship or stay on the ship.

[keithm]

Here's a thought.. There are certain "names" that cause an automatic red flag. We have this in the US with certain nationalities(no fly lists, etc.)I wonder if this could have been a possibility in this case.

[Shmoo here]

Here's a thought.. There are certain "names" that cause an automatic red flag. We have this in the US with certain nationalities(no fly lists, etc.)I wonder if this could have been a possibility in this case.

I would think, if that were the issue, the OP would have been told that. Not that he didn't have the proper visa requirement.

[chengkp75]

The difference is where you go through customs/immigration. In Russia you don't go through until you leave the ship.

 

It sounds like in Dublin CBP comes on the ship and everyone clears customs ON THE SHIP therefore everyone has to have a VISA whether they leave the ship or stay on the ship.

 

No, in Russia, they come onboard and clear the ship completely as well, this happens on every ship in every country. Its just that leaving the dock area requires another clearance by the border guards, where they will check for the appropriate visa.

[caribill]

No, in Russia, they come onboard and clear the ship completely as well, this happens on every ship in every country. Its just that leaving the dock area requires another clearance by the border guards, where they will check for the appropriate visa.

 

True in St. Pete.

 

But in Vladivostok which is far from the influence of Moscow, there was no immigration process when you were leaving the ship.

[Liz Masterson]

You had a USA passport. The OP did not.

 

 

 

Do not want to get political here... but I feel it is important to point out to accentuate the need to check and recheck those VISA requirements. Our new president has some very... inconsistent and strict... new immigration policies he wants to implement. Many counties are considering changing their entrance policies as a punitive response to new US policies. So you may not have needed the VISA when you booked the cruise, but you might 6 months later.

 

I don't think this has started yet, but it sounds like it is in the works. I have several friends who travel internationally for work and this is a grave concern for them.

 

Check and recheck those VISA requirements folks. You could be just a tweet away from needing one after all.

 

 

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[rhblake]

We have US passports and did a transatlantic cruise from Rome in 2009. That particular cruise made a 9 hour stop in Fortaleza, Brazil. We had no plans to leave the ship. However, we were told that we still needed Brazilian visas. The visas were required and examined at the pier in order for us to board the ship. Without those visas, which cost us over $400, we would have been left on the pier.

[CMHCruiseCouple]

We have US passports and did a transatlantic cruise from Rome in 2009. That particular cruise made a 9 hour stop in Fortaleza, Brazil. We had no plans to leave the ship. However, we were told that we still needed Brazilian visas. The visas were required and examined at the pier in order for us to board the ship. Without those visas, which cost us over $400, we would have been left on the pier.

Rhblake - Interesting post, and again confirms what much of CC reports.

 

I am interested in your Brazilian visa experience and how long the process took in 2009? Did your TA help obtain, or did you DIY, or use a service such as CIBT? Thanks!

 

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[CMHCruiseCouple]

Follow-up: Visas I have obtained have mostly been for business travel, but not yet Brazil. The visa expediting service my company uses is excellent, quick, but very expensive!

 

 

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[Keith1010]

I agree with what CruiserBruce said. I am very sorry but I don't see any recourse on this one.

 

You could try to have your TA escalate this to higher levels at Princess but I doubt they will do anything.

 

Keith

[RRFan]

Here's the problem, while visas are granted by the Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service, the actual clearance of the ship at the port, when it first arrives in Ireland is the responsibility of the Garda (Irish National Police). The actual branch of the Garda is the GNIB (Garda National Immigration Bureau) (http://www.garda.ie). You would need to get word from them, not the Immigration Service, as to whether or not the Garda can clear a ship with a passenger who does not have a required visa. Much like US CBP, the agents on scene also have a lot of discretion as to interpretation of the rules, and the visa service may not be fully aware of the Garda's requirements for ships. While both agencies fall under the Ministry of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform, they are two totally separate organizations.

 

 

I think this post may hit the nail on the head. They have to clear the ship based on PCL's records and one pax not having the correct documentation could delay or deny the port stop. That's why PCL has to be consistent.

 

And for those asking about the OP's passport country, the OP did state that they were the only one in the family who was not an American citizen. I know some countries do not require Visa's for US citizens.

 

 

 

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[memoak]

Regarding Brazil - I did have to get a Brazilian visa several years ago and it took several weeks - including going to a consulate, giving up my passport and coming back 2-3 weeks later to pick it up with the visa attached

[Essiesmom]

Brazil: You have to get it from the consulate nearest to you. The first one in 1993 I had to use a visa service to take it to Miami. By the time I needed one again in 1996, because of the Olympics in Atlanta, they had a consulate in Atlanta. So, I drove the 4+ hours to ATL, handed in the passport, stayed overnight, picked it up the next day and drove the 4+ hours home. then I figured out that taking it myself, using the gas, cost of hotel and meals...probably cost me more than the visa service would have. But this one was good for five years, so when I needed one again in 1999, it was still good. EM

[capriccio]

Brazil: You have to get it from the consulate nearest to you. The first one in 1993 I had to use a visa service to take it to Miami. By the time I needed one again in 1996, because of the Olympics in Atlanta, they had a consulate in Atlanta. So, I drove the 4+ hours to ATL, handed in the passport, stayed overnight, picked it up the next day and drove the 4+ hours home. then I figured out that taking it myself, using the gas, cost of hotel and meals...probably cost me more than the visa service would have. But this one was good for five years, so when I needed one again in 1999, it was still good. EM

 

Brazilian visas are now good for 10 years (changed right after we received our 5 year visa in 2009 :(. If your assigned consulate is nearby doing it yourself saves a great deal of money. The important thing to remember is that you must adhere to the rules (required documentation, processing times, appointments, etc.) of your assigned consulate; believe it or not they vary from consulate to consulate!

[CMHCruiseCouple]

All - Great info on Brazil visas. Cheers!

 

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[Cindy]

I am booked on the same itinerary for next year. I just changed my date, so I had to go through all the pop-ups on the Princess website again. I thought the statement about visas was very clear. Here it is:

 

During the 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. This requirement does not apply to Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, UK, or U.S. passport holders. A multiple entry visa will be required if a non-Schengen country is visited in between visits to Schengen countries (Example: depart from Italy, visit Turkey, arrive in Spain). Schengen Agreement countries include: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

 

If your cruise visits Ireland and you are not an Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, UK, or U.S. passport holder you may require an Irish visa, as Ireland is not a Schengen country nor a part of the United Kingdom.

 

 

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[CMHCruiseCouple]

Cindy - Great information for the group. One thing interesting is Turkey. (We have US passports, btw.)

 

We were on the Ruby in 2010 for a 12 day Med cruise originating from Venice, ending in Barcelona with two single day stops in Turkey early in the cruise. The Princess example appears to be exactly our situation.

 

Spouse and I did not obtain a Turkish visa, nor did Princess suggest we obtain one. However, I think I remember a fee of about $50(?) pp for Turkish immigration/visitors tax (or stamp), or something to that end. It was bundled into the overall cruise tax fee.

 

Question - Does the aforementioned Turkish "tax" constitute a form of visa? Is that still the practice? To meet the requirements Cindy quoted from Princess, that seems to make sense.

 

As always, looking forward to CC experiences.

 

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