Souttheast Asia and Hong Kong Questions

[johneb2]

My wife and I are booked for this cruise in 2024.  My question is what visas or documentation other than passports are needed?  For anyone who has taken this cruise we would appreciate info on this as well as any excursions recommended.  Thanks, JohnEB

[Heidi13]

20 minutes ago, johneb2 said:

My wife and I are booked for this cruise in 2024.  My question is what visas or documentation other than passports are needed?  For anyone who has taken this cruise we would appreciate info on this as well as any excursions recommended.  Thanks, JohnEB

 

Visa requirements may change over time and can be different based on your nationality, so what we required on our most recent visit may already not be accurate.

 

Since I carry both UK & Canadian passports, I check the requirements on the UK FCO website and the equivalent Travel Canada website. I have found a few times where the requirement differ, depending on which passport I use. Therefore, always best to check the latest requirements personally, rather than following others experiences.

[FlyerTalker]

Simple rule to follow.

 

NEVER rely on the advice from a message board regarding any kind of visa, immigration or customs question.

 

It's easy enough to get the information directly from the applicable country.  Or from a reputable visa service, who are directly tied into the systems giving the latest requirements.

 

OTOH, if you want to risk being denied entry to the country and to ships and aircraft....go right ahead and accept the folk wisdom.

 

 

[johneb2]

Thank you for the comments  I always check with the local countries as far as needed requirements but was just trying to get a heads up..   JohnEB

[Hockeyump]

It will also depend on your home country. As an example US residents need a visa for Vietnam while those in the UK don't.

[SoDakPirate]

We did this tour in April 2019 and loved it! For visas we used Genvisa which was recommended by Viking.  Their service was excellent as was their constant communication. They may be more expensive but for us it was worth it.

If you can, I would strongly recommend the pre extension in Bangkok.  Our flights did not arrive until just before midnight and it was nice just to see a friendly face and a bus.  The Shangri-La Hotel is fantastic. Located right on the river with great views. The breakfast buffet was extensive with Asian and Western choices with dining on a terrace on the river.  The included tour was also very good.

 

We did mostly the included tours on this trip and they were quite good. Sihanoukville is a reality check. Leaving the luxury of your ship you are immediately shocked by congestion and squalor. However the included tour showed some different sides of this city and it's residents.

In Ho Chi Minh City we did the included and the optional HCM by night and puppet show. A great experience of this congested city which included a vist to a Pho sidewalk restaurant. Whether you take tis or not, try and see the city at night. We did a private group tour of the Mekong Delta. More about this at the end.

In Hue we only did the included city tour which went out to the beach also. Enjoyed it.

Ha Long Bay is striking and the included Junk cruise was also quite good.

In Hong Kong we did the included and the Lantau option.  Both excellent. We had the great fortune to be staying in Hong Kong a few extra days and we were staying on the ship and spending the next two weeks in Busan, Taiwan and Japan so we did some city exploring, etc.

I would urge you to join a roll call for this cruise.  We were able to add ourselves to their Mekong Delta trip for a ridiculous cost of $92 each! This group also did a tour of rural sihanoukville, the HCM puppet show & Dinner cruise and Ha Long Bay cruise and seaplane. I don't know the cost of these. The tour company used was Shore Excursions by Asia. Once you join or start a group tour, Shore  Excursions deals independently with each guest so their is no worrying about collecting/paying a fellow guest for their portion of the trip.

We have been on 5 Viking cruises and this was my favorite!

 

[KBs mum]

For medications see replies from Heidi13 and FlyerTalker, same procedure (minus the visa service) to find out what is required. 

Check, don't assume that over the counter in one country is over the counter in another. 

Also it's the active ingredients that should be checked, not the trade name. Quantities may also be a factor. 

When in doubt, original packaging, copy of prescription, letter from doctor and most importantly, declare them at customs. They might be confiscated but you won't be arrested. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by KBs mum

[KBs mum]

It's worth having a look at the redulations for any country you might be in transit it, in case your next flight is delayed/cancelled and you end up  in a hotel landside. You don't normally need to do anything extra, but if you know what might be required you won't be blindsided. 

Particularly applies to prescription narcotics if travelling via the one of the Gulf states and Singapore. 

 

 Example, we had a very tight connection to make in and out of LAX, we got USA ETAs (the same type of things now needed for Europe) in case we missed it and had to fly out a day or two later. Would have been possible to sort it out and get the Visas on arrival without, but it seemed worth a few £ and minutes to avoid the potential ques and hassle 

Edited August 16, 2023 by KBs mum

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, KBs mum said:

Example, we had a very tight connection to make in and out of LAX, we got USA ETAs (the same type of things now needed for Europe) in case we missed it and had to fly out a day or two later. Would have been possible to sort it out and get the Visas on arrival without, but it seemed worth a few £ and minutes to avoid the potential ques and hassle 

 

You were fortunate in that ALL international to international connections through the USA require passing through USA immigration and customs.  Your ETA was what got you through.

 

Time to read up, as your assumption was in error.

 

This is not like many countries in the world where you can make such a connection without immigration formalities, because of dedicated sterile transfer areas.  One such is Heathrow, where you can connect from outside the UK to a flight going outside the UK without passing through UK immigration.

[KBs mum]

46 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

You were fortunate in that ALL international to international connections through the USA require passing through USA immigration and customs.  Your ETA was what got you through.

 

Time to read up, as your assumption was in error.

Not true, a transit document was issued to those transferring, before the plane landed, this was exchanged for a temporary entry transit permit (or something called similar) at passport control. We've been through without an ETA. We made no assumptions. At the time US state department/government website, and airport and airline made no mention of an ETA being needed, just a valid passport and boarding card for the next flight. 

As the flight that made it worth the hassle of LAX as a refuel stop was discontinued, it's academic now. 

 

I mentioned what we did as an example, not guidance. Your reply shows that checking regulations for any transits is a good idea, we check before every international trip. 

 

As allready said, everyone should check official sources for the latest for their circumstances. 

Edited August 16, 2023 by KBs mum

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Example, we had a very tight connection to make in and out of LAX

 

27 minutes ago, KBs mum said:

As the flight that made it worth the hassle of LAX as a refuel stop was discontinued, it's academic now.

 

Difference between a connection (as posted first) and a technical stop (as posted second)

 

 

[KBs mum]

38 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

 

Difference between a connection (as posted first) and a technical stop (as posted second)

 

 

Either way, same general principles apply, regarding checking official sources for guidance relating to the specific circumstances. 

 

We also check for possible reroute situations if they are a known possibility. Quantas Heathrow-Perth direct is occasionally replaced by a service via Dubai, so I check the situation regarding medications there, and in Singapore, (in case of cancellation change of airlines) so as to have the right bits of paper. 

[johneb2]

On 8/16/2023 at 10:22 AM, SoDakPirate said:

We did this tour in April 2019 and loved it! For visas we used Genvisa which was recommended by Viking.  Their service was excellent as was their constant communication. They may be more expensive but for us it was worth it.

If you can, I would strongly recommend the pre extension in Bangkok.  Our flights did not arrive until just before midnight and it was nice just to see a friendly face and a bus.  The Shangri-La Hotel is fantastic. Located right on the river with great views. The breakfast buffet was extensive with Asian and Western choices with dining on a terrace on the river.  The included tour was also very good.

 

We did mostly the included tours on this trip and they were quite good. Sihanoukville is a reality check. Leaving the luxury of your ship you are immediately shocked by congestion and squalor. However the included tour showed some different sides of this city and it's residents.

In Ho Chi Minh City we did the included and the optional HCM by night and puppet show. A great experience of this congested city which included a vist to a Pho sidewalk restaurant. Whether you take tis or not, try and see the city at night. We did a private group tour of the Mekong Delta. More about this at the end.

In Hue we only did the included city tour which went out to the beach also. Enjoyed it.

Ha Long Bay is striking and the included Junk cruise was also quite good.

In Hong Kong we did the included and the Lantau option.  Both excellent. We had the great fortune to be staying in Hong Kong a few extra days and we were staying on the ship and spending the next two weeks in Busan, Taiwan and Japan so we did some city exploring, etc.

I would urge you to join a roll call for this cruise.  We were able to add ourselves to their Mekong Delta trip for a ridiculous cost of $92 each! This group also did a tour of rural sihanoukville, the HCM puppet show & Dinner cruise and Ha Long Bay cruise and seaplane. I don't know the cost of these. The tour company used was Shore Excursions by Asia. Once you join or start a group tour, Shore  Excursions deals independently with each guest so their is no worrying about collecting/paying a fellow guest for their portion of the trip.

We have been on 5 Viking cruises and this was my favorite!

 

Thank you for the info.  This is the type of info I was looking for.   JohnEB