In case anyone wonders what happens if passengers are allowed onboard without the proper visas

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Why didn't they take her somewhere and have her print the document? Or did it need to come from China with some sort of seal on it?

 

I believe what happened is that the passenger who was removed from the ship was a Chinese national, but was also a US Permanent Resident (Green Card holder).  I am guessing that she was traveling with her US citizen husband.  When the couple looked into the visa requirements for Argentina, they saw that US citizens just need an electronic visa, and they may have assumed (or were told by a TA) that the same applied for a US Permanent Resident (Green Card holder).  However, despite being a US Permanent Resident, Argentina required Chinese passport holders to have an actual visitor visa in their passport (the type that you need to apply for and send in your passport to have the full page visa affixed to a your passport). 

 

So sadly for that passenger, there was no easy fix for this document snafu.

[BruceMuzz]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Actually as we are in the so called information age, it is easier than ever to know the rules.

 

And since San Diego and San Francisco are both in the US, the same federal laws are going to apply. I don't know where you can get they can be different.

The fact that you don’t know why 2 different US Ports enforce US Fede

[BruceMuzz]

On 4/4/2024 at 6:43 PM, ontheweb said:

I just don't understand why anyone who had the necessary documentation to board would give you a hassle. All it does is delay his boarding and everyone in the line behind him.

It also strokes his sense of entitlement. This is a very strong issue in North America today.

[BruceMuzz]

9 hours ago, Mary229 said:

If there is a wholesale change in Visas the cruise ship will generally skip the port.  We had this happen during 2022 right after the startup after the lockdowns.  Both Gibraltar and Monaco changed the rules so those ports were skipped. Luckily we were able to replace both with other destinations 

Where did you get the idea about what “cruise ships generally do”?

For the 34 ships on 13 different cruise lines, I have had to clear on over 1,500 voyages, during the past 47 years, we have not “generally done that”. 
Which cruise lines have you been working for?

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Well, hindsight is always pretty accurate.   In this case, we should keep in mind the passengers paid a TA to among other things, provide a visa.  Most would feel reasonably satisfied they had been diligent in doing that.  How would they know the visa was a fake.  

I agree that that is definitely unfortunate that they used a TA who would resort to providing fake documents. You would hope they could use the legal system of their home country to be compensated and damages for the TA's blatantly illegal actions.

[Mary229]

5 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

Where did you get the idea about what “cruise ships generally do”?

For the 34 ships on 13 different cruise lines, I have had to clear on over 1,500 voyages, during the past 47 years, we have not “generally done that”. 
Which cruise lines have you been working for?

Perhaps I was not clear. If during the voyage a country changes their entire entry procedure such as for war, embargo, coup or disease ships generally avoid that port.  What other reasons could you think of that would cause a denial of all visas.  
 

That is what I generally understand as a “wholesale change” , perhaps that is too colloquial a term.  This would be in the case that it was affecting a vast percentage of crew and passengers.  For heaven’s sake if the crew or the captain are going to be denied entry into a country do you think they are going to continue to dock because it is on their itinerary.  One does not need to be a geophysicist 🙋‍♀️ to understand how to pump gasoline.