Celebrity Solstice - Hawaii to Australia documentation question

[ZAinAUS]

Hi everyone

 

I am traveling on the Celebrity Solstice from Honolulu to Sydney in October 2023.

 

I have organized all the required visas I need as a South African (US, Australian, New Zealand) except for a French Polynesia visa. The reason being that according to the French Polynesia border police website, and the French embassy in Sydney as long as I have a "Stopover Certificate" and stay in each port for less than 24 hours I won't need a visa.

 

I've called my travel agent and Celebrity directly to confirm if I will get this Certificate and it seems like no one is sure what they mean by "stopover certificate". The Celebrity support desk said "only the crew on the Solstice can give you that information", and suggested I email customer care who will try get the information. Problem is the expected response time is 30 days...

 

Exact wording for legislature:

"holders of a valid [South African] passport, passengers on a cruise ship, for a stopover not exceeding 24 hours and subject to being in possession of a stopover certificate issued by the cruise company before getting off the boat. The list of passengers likely to benefit from this exemption is transmitted by the cruise company managers to the police department responsible for border control at least 24 hours before the date of entry into the port concerned. The list includes the following information: surname, first name, date of birth, nationality, number and expiry date of each passenger's passport. In eligible ports, this information is transmitted via the port single window."

 

Link to legislature (will need to translate to English)

Link to French Embassy info (see point 2)

 

My concern is that I am denied entry aboard the Solstice because I do not have a visa for French Polynesia, should I print the French legislature confirming I don't need a visa? Or will the staff checking documentation be more concerned about a visa for the destination country (Australia)?

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by ZAinAUS
Corrections