Vietnam Visa Required for Independent Excursions

[Miaminice]

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

I believe there was push-back and the visa fee for cruise ship passengers (RCI & Celebrity) is now back again to $6.00pp.

 

There was a push-back. That is correct. However, to my knowledge the orginal price with Celebrity etc. was 6 $, after a change much much higher (up to 60 $) and then pushed back to 25$ but not to 6$.

Anyway, I can tell you the exact price in February when we will be in Vietnam again on Millennium.

Edited September 20, 2019 by Miaminice

[Pat317]

Thank you all for your response to my inquiry. I just arrived home to CA from visiting Turkey. I finally got thru to Princess after waiting on hold for half an hour. Princess confirmed that the cruise line will issue the Vietnam Visa for $56 for every cruiser unless informed not needed. It doesn’t matter if the cruiser books independent excursions or Princess excursions, Princess will help issue a temporary Visa. My TA was wrong and caused unnecessary worries—I need to tell him so. Once again, thank you.

[Expat Cruise]

57 minutes ago, Pat317 said:

Thank you all for your response to my inquiry. I just arrived home to CA from visiting Turkey. I finally got thru to Princess after waiting on hold for half an hour. Princess confirmed that the cruise line will issue the Vietnam Visa for $56 for every cruiser unless informed not needed. It doesn’t matter if the cruiser books independent excursions or Princess excursions, Princess will help issue a temporary Visa. My TA was wrong and caused unnecessary worries—I need to tell him so. Once again, thank you. 

I'm sorry but Princess is giving you false information, or mis leading information.  You have every legal right to get your own visa, I have done this 3 times in the last two years with Princess. If you already have a visa you will not be charged. The Princess Representative you were talking to was reading from a script.  "cruise line will issue the Vietnam Visa for $56 for every cruiser unless informed not needed." It sounds like you need to go through Princess but you do not, it is not needed if you already have the visa.

 

Do you want to believe a worker who has never been on a cruise, or get information from Princess Cruises done this year?  Anyone can get a e-visa and use it and save money.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, Expat Cruise said:

Princess Representative you were talking to was reading from a script.  "cruise line will issue the Vietnam Visa for $56 for every cruiser unless informed not needed."

 

I kinda read that as "you need to inform them that you've arranged your own visa or that your nationality makes you exempt".

But I might b wrong - it's not clear whether it's the cruiser who has to inform them, and iif so whether they need to do so ahead of the cruise.

 

But the bones of the OP's question has been resolved - incorrect answer from the OP's T/A  that to get a visa from the ship you need to take ship's excursions.

 

JB 

Edited September 24, 2019 by John Bull

[Miaminice]

10 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

I'm sorry but Princess is giving you false information, or mis leading information.  You have every legal right to get your own visa

 

No, in this case you simply misunderstood...
Pat371 reported that Princess said: the cruise line will issue the Vietnam Visa for $56 for every cruiser unless informed not needed.

 

They did not say you can´t get your own. If you did, you simply have to tell them and you will not be charged.
Same with us on Celebrity. Due to our citizenship we do not require a visa at all. We simply told them and they refunded the charge.

 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Miaminice

[Expat Cruise]

9 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I kinda read that as "you need to inform them that you've arranged your own visa or that your nationality makes you exempt".

But I might b wrong - it's not clear whether it's the cruiser who has to inform them, and iif so whether they need to do so ahead of the cruise.

 

But the bones of the OP's question has been resolved - incorrect answer from the OP's T/A  that to get a visa from the ship you need to take ship's excursions.

 

JB 

Yes you do need to inform Princess but not before the cruise you need to give Guest Services a photo copy of your visa. You should also keep one for yourself.  That said you also need to check your room account and make sure you are not charged. My wife is visa exempt, because in Asia she travels on Philippines Passport.... so not visa required for Vietnam. But princess did add the visa fee to my room account once. It was taken off when I pointed it out.

[Hobbyhorse]

Hi Everyone:  We are doing a back to back cruise from Singapore on Dec. 28 2019 on the Sapphire Princess.  We went to Ottawa, Canada last week to visit our daughter and decided to get a visa for Vietnam.  We went right to the consulate.  Had to leave my passport with them and a picture and a form filled out.  If I wanted same day service it would have been $20. each more.  We left the passports and they charged us $75. American each even though we are Canadian.  I don't think these prices you are looking at are too bad at all.

[kiramoli]

Hi,

we will be on a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong that includes Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. We will do our own independent tour in Cambodia and then will fly into HCMC (Saigon), Vietnam. This will be our first port in Vietnam. We will stay overnight in HCMC in a hotel and then will catch up with the cruise the next day. There are more ports in Vietnam after that. 

I read this thread to figure our the visa for us, we are US citizens.

 

If I understand it correctly, since we will be entering Vietnam in HCMC airport (flying from Cambodia) and then will be in various ports in Vietnam we can apply for e-visa. Our other ports in Vietnam are DaNang and Hanoi(Ha Long).

 

Is my understanding regarding e-visa correct?

[Expat Cruise]

6 minutes ago, kiramoli said:

Hi,

we will be on a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong that includes Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. We will do our own independent tour in Cambodia and then will fly into HCMC (Saigon), Vietnam. This will be our first port in Vietnam. We will stay overnight in HCMC in a hotel and then will catch up with the cruise the next day. There are more ports in Vietnam after that. 

I read this thread to figure our the visa for us, we are US citizens.

 

If I understand it correctly, since we will be entering Vietnam in HCMC airport (flying from Cambodia) and then will be in various ports in Vietnam we can apply for e-visa. Our other ports in Vietnam are DaNang and Hanoi(Ha Long).

 

Is my understanding regarding e-visa correct?

Yes you can do a e-visa and list  HCMC  Airport as the point of entry and the exit is your last port in Vietnam with the ship. I would have a extra copy for the ship when you return to it. You only need a single entry visa.  And this can be done online with the e-visa.

 

The e-visa is the lowest cost option offered in Vietnam.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Expat Cruise

[kiramoli]

Thank you Expat Cruise!

[iancal]

IF you opt to get a 30 day visa from a consulate pay extra attention to the dates.  Ensure that you use your actual anticipated day of entry and not the date you are requesting the visa.  Prior to getting ours we read of several people who had not paid particular attention to this and had issues as a result.