Oceania's Message about STP

Many of my roll call received the following message about Russian Visa's

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

Your upcoming sailing includes a call to Russia. Please be advised visa requirements recently changed for guests planning independent travel or excursions during our call to St. Petersburg.

This change affects guests who wish to explore St. Petersburg on their own, who are required to obtain a Russian visa. Cruise guests on independent excursions will now only be granted either a single-entry or a double-entry tourism visa by the Russian government. A one-time entry visa allows cruise guests to go ashore and return to the ship the same day. A double-entry visa will permit cruise guests to go ashore one additional time. Additional entries are not provided by the Russian government. If the ship is in port overnight, independent guests with a valid Russian visa may spend a night in the city and return to the ship the next day before departure. As a reminder, Oceania Cruises does not provide visa support letters for independent visa applications.

Kindly note this does not affect guests who have opted to purchase Oceania Cruises’ shore tours and are thus covered under our blanket visa. In fact, as a result of this new change, our shore tour groups will now have priority disembarkation in St. Petersburg.

For guests participating in a sponsored Moscow overland program, the blanket visa coverage included in the program does not cover any independent travel in Russia outside of the program. These guests must remain with the tour group at all times and will not be able to stay in town after the tour is over.

Based on this independent travel restriction, we strongly encourage you to explore our available shore excursions, excursion packages, or Executive Collection private vehicle arrangements, which can be viewed on our website at http://www.OceaniaCruises.com.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to providing you with a memorable cruise experience.

Warmest Regards,

Oceania Cruises

I don't understand why Cruise companies try to scare their passengers

Hopefully, cruisers will report back on exactly what the following statement from that email means since cruise lines trying to give their own shore excursions priority has created a lot of concerns in the past:

"In fact, as a result of this new change, our shore tour groups will now have priority disembarkation in St. Petersburg."

A very good reason NOT to cruise with Oceania.

Simply a ploy to scare passengers into using their own excursions. They cannot prevent people from leaving the ship when they want to leave, as long as they have the right paperwork.

Cheers

Len

Hello, I have also received this letter from Oceania and I can't seem to find these changes Listed anywhere else ie. the Russian consulate website. I would really like to find out if these changes are true and if they are not, then Oceania has sunk to a new low!

Any anyone else who is visiting St. Petersburg with another cruise line received this information?

Hello, I have also received this letter from Oceania and I can't seem to find these changes Listed anywhere else ie. the Russian consulate website. I would really like to find out if these changes are true and if they are not, then Oceania has sunk to a new low!

 

Any anyone else who is visiting St. Petersburg with another cruise line received this information?

I am booked on the June 3rd sailing of the Marina and I received the same message from Oceania. It is total swill & I am ignoring it (myself & my niece, along with many others from our ship, have booked our excursions with Alla Tours – I have also checked with Alla and received confirmation that we are a “go” for our 3 days in St. Petersburg). They (Oceania) are hoping that we are all simple minded and we most certainly are not!

The information provided by Oceania is very misleading. You must carefully dissect their message to find the true meaning and not the meaning that they hope you will apply (thus scaring you into booking their overpriced shore excursions). The cruise industry “banks” on the fact that many inexperienced travelers to Russia will be afraid to book independent shore excursions though local, licensed tour companies due to their misinformation. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!

Let’s analyze the most recent message received from Oceania:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING

RUSSIAN VISA REQUIREMENT

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

Your upcoming sailing includes a call to Russia. Please be advised visa requirements recently changed for guests planning independent travel or excursions during our call to St. Petersburg.

First of all, there have not been any recent changes for visa applicants. The most recent change was in 2012 (September 9, to be precise) when the Russian Federation began issuing 3 year visas rather than single or double entry visas.

This change affects guests who wish to explore St. Petersburg on their own, who are required to obtain a Russian visa.

If you are intending to visit St. Petersburg with a licensed tour company (either with an independent company such as Alla Tours or the Russian company with whom Oceania contracts to conduct their tours in St. Petersburg), you will not need a Russian visa. You will be issued a tour ticket by your tour provider which will act as your visa waiver or “blanket visa”. You can read the correct information on the website of the US Consulate in Moscow:

http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/special-entry/exit-requirements-for-international-cruise-ship-passengers.html

International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers!

International Cruise Ship/Ferry Passengers: You are permitted to visit Russian ports without a visa for a period of up to 72 hours. You may go ashore without a visa during port calls, but only if you are with an organized tour and accompanied at all times by a tour operator who has been duly licensed by Russian authorities. Cruise ship and ferry lines offer shore tours that meet these requirements. If you want to do sightseeing on your own, you must have a visa. If you arrive in Russia by ship or ferry, but want to depart by air, train, or other mode of transportation, you must have a visa. You must present your U.S. passport to Russian immigration officers each time you depart or return to the ship during your port call in Russia. If your U.S. passport is lost or stolen while you are ashore, you will not be allowed to return to the ship until you obtain a replacement passport from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If your ship leaves Russia without you, you must obtain an exit visa to depart Russia by alternative transportation. Russian authorities may take up to 20 calendar days to authorize an exit visa, during which time you will have to remain in Russia at your own expense. These special entry/exit requirements for international cruise ship and ferry passengers do not apply to river boat cruise passengers. River boat cruise passengers must have a visa and should follow the general guidelines for entry/exit requirements.

Cruise guests on independent excursions will now only be granted either a single-entry or a double-entry tourism visa by the Russian government.

Not true – if you are a US or Canadian national AND you are applying for a Russian visa (which most cruise passengers will not do – they will utilize the visa waiver/blanket visa), you will most likely apply for and be granted the 3 year, multiple entry visa. Single and double entry visas pretty much disappeared in 2012. Note: this only applies to you if you have obtained a Russian Visa through the Russian consulate!

A one-time entry visa allows cruise guests to go ashore and return to the ship the same day. True – but this would only apply to you if you have obtained a single entry Russian Visa through the Russian consulate & since September of 2012, most visas are of 3 year duration! If you are planning on utilizing the visa waiver/blanket visa option, this does not apply to you.

A double-entry visa will permit cruise guests to go ashore one additional time. Additional entries are not provided by the Russian government. If the ship is in port overnight, independent guests with a valid Russian visa may spend a night in the city and return to the ship the next day before departure.

True – but this would only apply to you if you have obtained a double entry Russian Visa through the Russian consulate & since September of 2012, most visas are of 3 year duration! If you are planning on utilizing the visa waiver/blanket visa option, this does not apply to you.

As a reminder, Oceania Cruises does not provide visa support letters for independent visa applications.

Kindly note this does not affect guests who have opted to purchase Oceania Cruises’ shore tours and are thus covered under our blanket visa. In fact, as a result of this new change, our shore tour groups will now have priority disembarkation in St. Petersburg.

Aha! Now, here is the “rub” – Oceania states that none of the aforementioned obfuscation applies to “guests who have opted to purchase Oceania Cruises' shore tours and are thus covered under our blanket visa”. Yep, this is the same “visa waiver” or “blanket visa” that every licensed local operator in St. Petersburg offers. Oceania leads you to believe that only they can provide this magical “blanket visa”. Total rubbish!

For guests participating in a sponsored Moscow overland program, the blanket visa coverage included in the program does not cover any independent travel in Russia outside of the program. These guests must remain with the tour group at all times and will not be able to stay in town after the tour is over.

Based on this independent travel restriction, we strongly encourage you to explore our available shore excursions, excursion packages, or Executive Collection private vehicle arrangements, which can be viewed on our website at http://www.OceaniaCruises.com.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to providing you with a memorable cruise experience.

Warmest Regards,

Oceania Cruises

Oceania is stooping to the same tired, overused tactics that other cruise lines have employed in the past. Ignore them! (I have received similar messages from RCCL, Celebrity & NCL on past cruises to Russia and ignored them - I had no problems touring with an independent company in St. Petersburg).

If you are booked with any of the highly regarded, licensed local tour companies in St. Petersburg, you will have no problems, experience a more comprehensive and intimate experience than the tours offered by Oceania’s big bus groups and (bonus) pay a much more reasonable rate for your higher quality tour than the extortionate fees that Oceania is charging for their overpriced cattle calls.

There you have it - it is a no brainer. :D

Thank you dogs4fun for that great explanation. I am on the Marina July 7 cruise and despite this being my first cruise I was skeptical of this letter after doing some checking around.

It has certainly scared some people on our Roll Call and I think unfortunately it will probably encourage some people to go with Oceania excursions, which of course was their goal.

I think cruisers who don't do their own research might get nervous and will only book the ship excursions. Those in the know will ignore the email. It is confusing to say the least. And I'd respond to O if I were on this cruise. It is NOT helpful in any way to anyone.

Some people DO listen to and believe everything they read. We have very good friends who actually have been to St P twice. And they told me just last month that I HAD to use the ship excursions or I wouldn't get off the ship. I disputed that fact and they were honestly surprised that they had been misled by their travel agent. :o They aren't new to traveling. They make two long expensive trips a year. But they DO depend on their regular travel agent to make all the plans and work the details. Thus relying on someone who apparently is more interested in getting a cut of something than setting their clients straight and letting them make a choice.

Excellent detailed riposte from D4F.

Yes, it's a typical cruise line attempt to blur the difference between

- "independent excursions" :rolleyes: - folk who just want to jump into a taxi & explore by themselves, and

- "independent excursions" :rolleyes: -folk on tours arranged with local tour operators.

And yes, more worryingly, it sounds very much like a lame excuse for attempting to get those on ship's tours into the immigration lines ahead of those on independent operators' tours.

If there had been some change of Russian policy which meant that those on tours with local operators need visas (the impression they've tried to give :rolleyes:) virtually everyone would take a ship's tour - so giving priority to ship's excursions would be an unnecessary nonsense.

I know that the independent tour operators monitor these threads, hopefully one of them (all of them?) will forward a translated copy of Oceania's letter to the Immigration Officers to show that crass underhand attempt to massage the immigration lines.

Shame on Oceania :(

JB :)

Sounds like what Princess and maybe another line (??) tried a few years back. It backfired pretty badly, but there were some reportedly heated exchanges between passengers seeking to get off the ship for private tours and cruise staff who must have been instructed to not let them depart until after the ship tours.

Personally, I think it is extremely underhanded (not to mention short-sighted) on the part of the cruise lines. Purchasing your passage on the ship does NOT obligate you to take a ship tour in port, nor should the ship be able to stop people disembarking as they wish unless there is a compelling reason (e.g., a tender port) to organize their departure.

Very detailed summary, Dogs4fun. I hope people will see it.

Dogs4fun quoted this:

First of all, there have not been any recent changes for visa applicants. The most recent change was in 2012 (September 9, to be precise) when the Russian Federation began issuing 3 year visas rather than single or double entry visas.

In fact there was a visa change in December last year, involving citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Republic of Namibia, which requires them to attend the Russian Consulate in person to be fingerprinted prior to the issue of a visa.

 

In fact there was a visa change in December last year, involving citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Republic of Namibia, which requires them to attend the Russian Consulate in person to be fingerprinted prior to the issue of a visa.

 

True. But totally irrelevant to the thread, or to Oceania's attitude.

It affects only the visa application process, & only for Brits & a few other nationals.

It has zero effect on disembarkation, and there has been no change to the visa-free arrangements for tours arranged by local tour operators, which Oceania were implying with their phraseology.

JB :)

True. But totally irrelevant to the thread, or to Oceania's attitude.

 

JB :)

Dogs mentioned "to be precise" about visa changes, and I was just that, so my contribution was not "totally irrelevant".

I do agree with you and deprecate the tenor of Oceania's note, nothing more than an advert for their overpriced tours and a frightener for innocent and/or gullible passengers.

Seems incorrect, We just received a three year multiple tourist visa through the Russian consulate in Washington. processing took about a week.