Mariner. Osaka to Hong Kong.

[OrpingtonT]

Well. I've been and gone and dunnit!!

 

I have succumbed once again to the lure of the "Regent Experience" and let my heart rule my head by booking for the Osaka to Hong Kong segment of the 2007 Grand Pacific cruise. Even though (perhaps because of) it is only a few weeks since we disembarked at San Francisco after the Panama Canal cruise.

 

Only 3 months or so to go.

 

I wonder if anyone who has done this or is going to, can give me a steer on the Chinese Visa we will require? There are single and double entry visas and am I right in thinking that a single entry tourist visa would be appropriate. Mariner calls at Dalian, Tianjin and Shanghai (plus Hong kong of course). I assume that this counts as single entry as we are in Chinese waters whilst cruising. Any experience anyone?

[TxnAquarian]

Unless things have changed since we did the same itinerary on the Mariner in 2004, all you'll need is a single-entry Visa since you'll hit all your Chinese ports in a row. They will issue you a Visa that is good for 6 months from the date of issue.

 

I'm jealous....that was my favorite cruise (port-wise). Have an amazing time!

 

 

Michael

[OrpingtonT]

Unless things have changed since we did the same itinerary on the Mariner in 2004, all you'll need is a single-entry Visa since you'll hit all your Chinese ports in a row. They will issue you a Visa that is good for 6 months from the date of issue.

 

I'm jealous....that was my favorite cruise (port-wise). Have an amazing time!

 

 

Michael

 

Thank you, Michael. That confirms my thinking, except that my understanding is that the visa is good for 3 months rather than 6 (Here in the UK anyway)

[Donaldm]

My wife and I will be on the Mariner from Seward to Hong Kong in September to October. It should be a great cruise. On the Regent web page for the Osaka to Hong Kong segment, there is a link to the zvs.com visa service company:

 

http://www.rssc.com/voyage/details.jsp?code=MAR070926

 

The zvs link is at the bottom of the page after the star. The exact details will not be available until 90 days prior to sailing. I believe you can save the zvs fees by getting the visa directly from the Chinese Embassy or consulates. See:

 

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/default.htm

 

Good luck and we hope to see you on the cruise.

-Don & Mary McKenzie in Sacramento, Calif.

[Donaldm]

P.S. You can get the zvs information now by logging onto the "Full Grand Asia Pacific" cruise on the zvs website. It states that you just need a single entry visa. The Chinese Embassy website in the UK is:

 

http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/lsyw/default.htm

 

-Don in Sacramento

[JMARINER]

I believe you can save the zvs fees by getting the visa directly from the Chinese Embassy or consulates.

 

I went to the consulate in LA to get a visa for my first AsiaPac and I would NOT recommend that avenue. Long lines, poor instructions, and I had to come back three days later to pick-up my passport/visa because some machine was not working, or so I was told.

 

Save yourself a lot of time and trouble and use a service like zvs.

 

J

[OrpingtonT]

Thank you Donaldm and JMARINER.

 

I had spotted the zvs option, but it is necessary to get the visa from the Embassy in the country where you reside, in my case, the UK. I am reluctant to fork out often more than double the Chinese Visa fee for the privilege of someone taking and collecting the visa form. As I live within 20 miles, I guess I will pop along with my dowloaded application forms and photos and take a chance that things won't be as bad in London as they are in LA. Fortunately I have 3 months or so before flying off to join the cruise.

 

Look forward, Don & Mary to meeting you. You will be well established when we board in Osaka.

[LOGHL]

my husband & I will be on from Vancouver to Hong Kong. Our first on the Mariner, but anumber of times on Radisson/Regent...so assume it will be the same high quality. Hope that with such a large passenger load it will not be too busy....we usually go on cruise ships with a passenger load of about max..400

[Donaldm]

Thanks for your kind notes. We are looking forward to meeting you. Our stateroom is 748 for both segments: Alaska to Osaka and Osaka to Hong Kong. Please leave a note or call us. My wife and I have cruised on Regent/Radisson, Silversea, Crystal and a number of other lines. Regent has a fine product which in many way surpasses Silversea and Crystal. The Mariner has larger staterooms and a better passenger space ratio than Crystal or Silversea Wind and Cloud.

See you in September.

-Don in hot Sacramento

[JMARINER]

Thank you Donaldm and JMARINER.

 

As I live within 20 miles, I guess I will pop along with my dowloaded application forms and photos and take a chance that things won't be as bad in London as they are in LA.

 

If you are going to go in person, take along a large self-address envelope, postage paid. That way you might avoid having to make two trips and get the visas mailed back to you. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

 

J

[sundial]

You will have a wonderful time on this cruise! We did the Tokyo to Hong Kong itinerary on the Mariner last fall and loved it!!! Our ports were slightly different, but we only needed a single entry VISA for our cruise since all the Chinese ports are together.

[OrpingtonT]

Thank you all for your contributions.

 

However, fate has taken a hand. Last week I fell and dislocated my right shoulder. Painful, but no cause for alarm, the cruise being 3 months or so away. The following day my wife was taken seriously ill and, though now on the mend, clearly won't be fit to fly from the UK to Osaka in time. So I have had to cancel.

 

The point of burdening you with this, however, is to say that Regent have been marvellous through this ordeal. The UK MD even sent me a personal sympathetic note.

 

What a wonderful firm Regent is.

[Donaldm]

To OrpingtonT,

My wife and I will miss meeting you. Our best to you both for quick recoveries.

-Don

[OrpingtonT]

To OrpingtonT,

My wife and I will miss meeting you. Our best to you both for quick recoveries.

-Don

 

Thank you, Don, for taking the time to send this note. we appreciate it very much.

 

Things are looking brighter now. Barbara is recovering and, though still in hospital, she is optimistic that another cruise is within her capabilities sometime in the future.

 

I have no doubt that, come Sept 26, we will be sitting miserably thinking of the delights of cruising the Orient.

 

We hope it all goes well for you.

 

Best wishes, Tom.

[smilin jack]

Tom....

 

About the time you canceled, I signed up. I will lift a glass for you while we cruise the Orient. Sorry you can't make it.

 

Jack

[OrpingtonT]

Tom....

 

About the time you canceled, I signed up. I will lift a glass for you while we cruise the Orient. Sorry you can't make it.

 

Jack

 

 

Glad for you, Jack.:)

 

Miserable for me.:(

[londonfog]

Hi: My husband and I are taking the Grand Asia cruise on the Mariner starting in September. We just applied for our visa for China which is a single entry visa according to my travel agent. Hope he is correct. They claim that you are only entering the country one time, so single entry should do it. I am trying to find other cruise critic people who will be on the ship either throughout the whole cruise as we will be or just for a segment or two. Do you know anyone else taking this cruise? Happy sailing.

[easy spirit]

Hello;

We are doing the Osaka to Hong Kong segment & staying in Hong Kong 4 nights after the cruise.

Yes a single entry visa is all you need for this cruise. If you are doing a post- cruise, either to the Yangzee River, Xian or another city in China you DO need a double entry visa.

[count florida]

We will be joining those of you cruising on the Mariner from Osaka on Sep 26th. For those of you residing in the Southeast US: i.e., Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico, you get your visa from the Chinese Consulate in Houston - http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/default.htm. That web site has this "Important Notice"

1, The Chinese Embassy or Consulates General do not take visa applications sent by mail. If the applicant can not come to the visa office himself, he can send someone else or a travel/visa agent to the Embassy or Consulate General for the visa application process.

2, Due to technical reason, applications for " same day service " must be submitted before 11:30a.m.

 

As residents of Fl, we are using a local agency in Houston: http://www.mychinavisa.com, which seems reasonable and reliable. As we are taking a post-cruise tour of China, we require double entry visas. For those taking only the cruise, and not entering China either before of after it, a single entry may well be fine, but make sure the visa you get will be valid when you arrive in China. We got China visas in 2000 while visiting Hong Kong (for which no visa is required) on the advise of a poorly informed local travel agent here in SW Florida, but got it too early, more than 90 days before arrival, so we couldn't enter China using them and wasted about $200. as I recall.

 

Also, if you plan on staying more than 90 days, I would check the length of the visa’s validity; ours in 2000 were single entry visas valid only if we entered within 90 days from date of issue, and were then valid for only 90 days. Things may have changed in the past seven years of course. We just applied, as we aren't entering China until Oct 1 on the cruise, and again on Oct 12 from Hong Kong, which is not considered a part of the People's Republic of China for visa purposes, so it 'breaks' the China entry and requires the double entry visa.

 

More complete info is available via Goggle: china visa houston tx

[street96]

we got multiple entry visas as we are doing both the Xian and Li River excursion from Shanghai and travelling into mainland from Hong Kong post cruise. Will be based in Hoong Kong 4 days post cruise as well.

Houston Chinese consulate advised that first entry is when we enter first port in china, second is during the excursion from Shanghai and that any subsequent entries resulted in the need for multiple entry L type visa.

It was a straightforward process

[londonfog]

Thanks for your kind notes. We are looking forward to meeting you. Our stateroom is 748 for both segments: Alaska to Osaka and Osaka to Hong Kong. Please leave a note or call us. My wife and I have cruised on Regent/Radisson, Silversea, Crystal and a number of other lines. Regent has a fine product which in many way surpasses Silversea and Crystal. The Mariner has larger staterooms and a better passenger space ratio than Crystal or Silversea Wind and Cloud.

See you in September.

-Don in hot Sacramento

Hi Donald: My wife and I will be taking the Grand Asia cruise starting in Vancouver as you are. Our statement is 1018. Would love to get together. Give us a ring or leave a note. Our names are Arline & Irwin, or Londonfog. See you soon.

[Donaldm]

Hi Londonfog,

Unfortunately we won't be joining you until Seward on September 12 and then disembarking in Hong Kong on October 10. My wife, Mary, and I would enjoy getting together with you. We are still in cabin 748. We have signed up for the Seward-Osaka tours: Kodiak, wildlife boat; Petropavlovsk, nature and countryside; Hakodate, morning market; Sendai, sights; Yokohama, highlights; Osaka, highlights. Do you have any thoughts about these or Osaka-Hong Kong tours?

-Don

[londonfog]

Hi Londonfog,

Unfortunately we won't be joining you until Seward on September 12 and then disembarking in Hong Kong on October 10. My wife, Mary, and I would enjoy getting together with you. We are still in cabin 748. We have signed up for the Seward-Osaka tours: Kodiak, wildlife boat; Petropavlovsk, nature and countryside; Hakodate, morning market; Sendai, sights; Yokohama, highlights; Osaka, highlights. Do you have any thoughts about these or Osaka-Hong Kong tours?

-Don

Hi Don and Mary: Sorry for the long lapse, but have been out of contact with my computer. Since this is our second trip to Alaska, we haven't planned on doing too much although we still haven't gone through the list. This weekend is crucial for us as we only have three weeks to go before we leave. We leave Florida September 4th. In Russia, we might be joining you. In Hakodate, because we booked through a Virtuoso travel agent, they have a full day planned with lunch for us. In Sendai, it is open, Yokohama, probably will do the same as you but have to sit down with the book. In most of the places we are going, if there is not a tour that excites us, we usually team up with another couple and take a private cab. Can't say until we go through the available tours. Will let you know next week. Irwin and Arline or Londonfog