Entry Requirements for Caribbean Ports of Call

[Floridastorm]

Our small group is considering a cruise in the Caribbean. We all have American Passports with the exception of one person. Her Passport is from Thailand. However, she has a 10 year multiple entry/exit visa for the US. I have looked into, as best that I could, if she can be on the cruise with the rest of us without all of the hassle of getting multiple visas. I know that Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas probably would not be a problem. But some of the other ports like the the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica, etc., do seem to require visas from Thai citizens. Would appreciate some feedback from any passengers that know of this and may have had to go through the same process. If she has to go to each individual country for a visa I don't think that it would be worth the struggle involved. Going on the Bahamian Consulate Website alone it seems that a Thai citizen would have to have an attorney just to figure out what is required for a visitor visa. 

 

Thank You all for any and all info that can be provided. We would really like that she can cruise with us if possible.  🤔

[jsn55]

Have you asked your travel agent to look into this?  If you booked direct, call the cruise line with your specific itinerary and see if they can give you some guidance.  Cruise lines must face this question often with Caribbean cruises.  Whatever you find out, your friend needs to contact each country to confirm her status, she should not take anyone's word but must get the official requirements. 

[Floridastorm]

On 7/12/2022 at 8:22 PM, jsn55 said:

Have you asked your travel agent to look into this?  If you booked direct, call the cruise line with your specific itinerary and see if they can give you some guidance.  Cruise lines must face this question often with Caribbean cruises.  Whatever you find out, your friend needs to contact each country to confirm her status, she should not take anyone's word but must get the official requirements. 

Neither the cruise line nor my travel agent had a clue. I can go on each country's website to get the information. But, I was thinking, with so many passengers from different countries cruising in the Caribbean, there would be at least one person who knew if they needed visas or not. Guess I was mistaken. 

[donaldsc]

None of us are lawyers.  It would be awful if we gave you a good faith wrong answer and she is not allowed to leave the ship at a port or even worse not allowed to board.  There are instances where people have being denied boarding because of issues such as this.  I would suggest that you do your country-by-country research.

 

DON

[d9704011]

Here is an excerpt from a major US University for the information of foreign students with entry visas.  I suspect it is a good start for the member of yor group with a Thai passport:

 

Travel Abroad

For specific guidelines for checking whether all of your documents are in order for travel, please review our Visa Documents Guidelines table.

 

Before entering your home country, you will need a valid passport, or some other acceptable proof that you are a citizen or legal resident of that country and have the right to return to and enter it.

 

Before entering another country, you should contact the country's consulate or embassy and obtain a visa, if one is required for citizens from your country of citizenship or lawful residence. One of the basic rights of any country under international law is the right to determine who may enter its borders, under what conditions and rules they may enter, and how long they may stay...

 

Contact the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit before you leave the U.S. in order to save yourself much time, trouble, expense, and disappointment at the border or airport. To obtain contact information for the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit, check the Washington D.C. Embassies list(link is external) or call directory information in Washington, DC at 202-555-1212 and ask for the telephone number of the embassy of the country.

[mom says]

4 hours ago, Floridastorm said:

Neither the cruise line nor my travel agent had a clue. I can go on each country's website to get the information. But, I was thinking, with so many passengers from different countries cruising in the Caribbean, there would be at least one person who knew if they needed visas or not. Guess I was mistaken. 

Yes, you were mistaken. And it is because entry requirements can vary considerably for any country, depending upon the nationality of the Passport holder that Cruise Lines put the onus on the cruiser to source the information specific to their particular situation. They have neither the time or manpower, or the potential litigation tolerance, to deal with the differing needs of guests from dozens of different countries going to an even greater number of destinations. You or your friend will need to contact the individual countries  embassies or consulates. If you have difficulty, then an email or phone call may be necessary.

 

We once took a cruise that required 5 different visas. All were accomplished with a minimum of difficulty. Only you know if it is worth the effort.

[jsn55]

8 hours ago, Floridastorm said:

Neither the cruise line nor my travel agent had a clue. I can go on each country's website to get the information. But, I was thinking, with so many passengers from different countries cruising in the Caribbean, there would be at least one person who knew if they needed visas or not. Guess I was mistaken. 

You're not mistaken about whether someone on CC might know the answers.  But that is not the point.  Smart travellers research their official issues directly with the officials.  This is the internet after all, where most anyone can post most anything. 

 

Think about the consequences of getting the wrong information ... denied boarding of an airplane or a cruise ship is extremely serious for the traveller.  Even if my TA gave me the answers, I'd verify them.  I'm the one who will suffer if the answers are wrong or incomplete.  Your friend should be doing this research directly.