Is this true?

Just spoke with NCL the $75 visa is only in conjunction with a shore excursion. If you get a "regular" visa then you can get off the ship on your own. Looks like a regular visa may be $139

Is it true that you can't get off the ship with a $75 visa unless you are on a ship's excursion?

If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in most ports they are ripping you off.

 

If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in some ports they are giving you a great deal.

 

Depends on the port.

Just spoke with NCL the $75 visa is only in conjunction with a shore excursion. If you get a "regular" visa then you can get off the ship on your own. Looks like a regular visa may be $139

Is it true that you can't get off the ship with a $75 visa unless you are on a ship's excursion?

 

CUBA cruise?

If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in most ports they are ripping you off.

 

If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in some ports they are giving you a great deal.

 

Depends on the port.

 

I think it is CUBA?!?!

Yes, I believe Grammy is talking about Cuba. Here is the info on Visa's and travel to Cuba from the NCL Frequently Asked Questions:

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#cuba-travel

If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in most ports they are ripping you off. If they are charging you $75 to get off the ship in some ports they are giving you a great deal. Depends on the port.

Hah? The OP is talking about a VISA to enter Cuba.

Hah? The OP is talking about a VISA to enter Cuba.

 

Are you sure? China also has a $139 visa, as does Ethiopia and Thailand.

 

 

Not sure if NCL charges different for the visa with their tours in those places.

Just spoke with NCL the $75 visa is only in conjunction with a shore excursion. If you get a "regular" visa then you can get off the ship on your own. Looks like a regular visa may be $139

Is it true that you can't get off the ship with a $75 visa unless you are on a ship's excursion?

 

What country are you talking about???

If Cuba you only need the $75 visa to go off, either with Excursion or on your own. If Cuba I have no idea what $139 visa you are referring to.

The green tourist card for Cuba is $50.

You can get the Pink card for much less and will still work for a cruise layover.

https://www.cubavisas.com/visa.php?act=tcform&flight=yes&accom=no

Roughly $34US, including mailing it to you.

Sorry! I am talking about Cuba. I took part of a response on a forum about Cuba on cruisecritic. Someone is saying you need a different visa to go around Cuba than the $75 one you pay for on NCL.

The NCL card swill be a standard tourist card, same as you would get elsewhere. They are charging you a processing fee. Use the link above and get the tourist card for much less, including processing fee.

This may also depend on if you are a US citizen or another country. I think the more expensive regular tourist visa could cause trouble in customs in the US if you are a US citizen and if you booked after they changed the rules in July when the US banned individual people to people interactions and limited it to group (excursions). Not having taken a Cuban cruise yet, I don't know how it is handled at the port after the cruise, though. Non-US citizens is a completely different set of rules that I have no idea about.

"They" is not NCL.

 

Did you read the OP? The OP stated that NCL was charging them $75. What other "they" were you thinking of?

I sailed to Cuba twice last year, it is $75.00 for the Visa. Go through NCL for this it is very easy.

I think the more expensive regular tourist visa could cause trouble in customs in the US if you are a US citizen and if you booked after they changed the rules in July when the US banned individual people to people interactions and limited it to group (excursions).

US immigration does not care what kind of Cuban visa you use to enter Cuba. In fact, if the Cubans follow procedures and collect both halves of your tourist card (upon entry into and exit from Cuba), you will have nothing to show US immigration when you get back to Miami. But again, they don't want to see anything regarding your Cuban visa.

 

Cuba does care very much that you get the right visa for this cruise. As you mentioned, there may still be different colors (green, pink) and different prices: They are not interchangeable, so the safest option is to go through Norwegian and let them give you the right one. I don't know how much of the $75 goes into NCL's pockets, but the visa for guests arriving from the US is more expensive than what people may have paid in the past flying in from the UK, Canada, Mexico, etc. So I would be very wary of outfits offering a cheaper option.

 

The thing about when you booked is a US rule, but again, I have never heard of any immigration agents asking people to show proof of their booking date when the ship gets back to Miami. I'm not saying to ignore the rules about individual tourism. Definitely get informed, but know that enforcement remains very lax on the US side (and by definition, nonexistent on the Cuban side, since these are not Cuban regulations). Pay the $75, and enjoy the irony of being forced to purchase a "tourist card" (by Cuba) while at the same time being told (by the US) that tourism in Cuba is illegal…

China also has a $139 visa,

I wish!!!!!! Not for New Zealanders!!

The Cuban tourist card for flights or cruises from the US is 75 USD (for flights from Europe it´s only 25 Euro). That´s the same with all cruise lines and you need a second one if you reenter Cuba after a non Cuban stop (not with the NCL itinerary, we had a cruise out of Havana with a stop in Jamaica).

 

And yes, since last year (in effect for arrivals in Cuba starting November 9th, bookings made after June 16th) you either have to book a shore tour with the ship or a certified tour operator to go ashore.

 

This is unfortunately valid for all nationalities. It valid for all cruises from/to US with a shore stop in Cuba.

 

steamboats

"The Cuban visa is valid for a single entry and allows the holder to stay in Cuba for 30 days. U.S. residents may obtain this visa (or "rosada") through Norwegian for a separate processing and procurement fee of $75 or on your own."

 

NCL is not who you are paying for the VISA, they are simply processing the transaction for the passenger. My prior post was in reply to the comment of "NCL charging passengers to get off of the ship. It is all controlled by the Cuban government.

 

 

• Southwest: $50, purchased online and delivered at the gate
  
• JetBlue: $50, purchase at gate
  
• Delta: $50, purchase at gate or through mail
  
• United: $75 ($50 visa + $25 processing fee), purchase at gate.
  
• American: $85 ($50 visa + $35 processing fee), purchase online and sent via mail. AA will send instructions.
  

These are what you pay with different airlines paying the airline.

 

 

My link above shows how to get it for $34 mailed to your home.

 

NCL charges you to process the visa, and it is NCL taking the OP's payment. So yes, NCL is the "they" who are charging the OP.

My link above shows how to get it for $34 mailed to your home.

Your link is only for the green color tourist card. Look at their FAQ, for example question #7: "I am flying via a US airport. Can I apply for a Tourist Card through this website? In this case, you will need a different type of Tourist Card (pink - ours are green, as on the Home Page picture). We recommend you to contact your airline or the Cuban Consulate in the US. This applies to everybody and does not depend on nationality. Same applies if you are flying from Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands."

 

For NCL cruises out of Miami you need the pink card, which is more expensive. You may be able to get it for less than what NCL is charging, but I think you should stop leading people to believe that they can get the correct visa for this cruise for $34.

Edited March 18, 2018 by hawkeyetlse

Thank you all for your input. I went through NCL. $25 or $75 or $50-- it hardly matters when you consider what you already paid for the cruise and the flight to get there.

Thank you all for your input. I went through NCL. $25 or $75 or $50-- it hardly matters when you consider what you already paid for the cruise and the flight to get there.

 

Don't forget your affidavit, you need to keep this for 5 years.

There is only one charge of $75 for the Cuba cruise that NCL charges. Cuba requires the visa and they don't care whether you take cruise excursions or not. That is called a tourist card. The US requires an affidavit which is a document informing them the reason for visit. NCL cannot legally charge a different amount for a visa dependent on ship excursions.

The affidavit is for NCL's records, in order to satisfy their reporting requirements as a carrier (they have to hold on to the affidavits for 5 years, and turn them over to the US authorities if asked). Individual travelers have a more burdensome obligation to keep records of all their activities in Cuba, in order to prove (again, if asked within 5 years) that they qualify for the general license. It's not enough just to have a copy of the affidavit.

The Cuban tourist card for flights or cruises from the US is 75 USD (for flights from Europe it´s only 25 Euro). That´s the same with all cruise lines and you need a second one if you reenter Cuba after a non Cuban stop (not with the NCL itinerary, we had a cruise out of Havana with a stop in Jamaica).

 

And yes, since last year (in effect for arrivals in Cuba starting November 9th, bookings made after June 16th) you either have to book a shore tour with the ship or a certified tour operator to go ashore.

 

This is unfortunately valid for all nationalities. It valid for all cruises from/to US with a shore stop in Cuba.

 

steamboats

 

Not true, at least not in practice. When the regulations changed there was that concern, that the cruise lines would enforce this, but they have not done so. There are plenty of posts on the Cuba board of people--after November 9th and with booking made after June 16th--simply walking off the ship when and how they wanted to, and no reports of the ship preventing anyone from doing so.