Unexpected Visa Fees on Ocean Princess Southeast Asia Cruise

[California Native]

Can I just add something here....

It's been batted back and forth was it Princess or the Travel Agent who should of told her...

As many seasoned cruisers have responded it was the travel agent..when you use travel agent a cruise line will not speak with you directly.

Costco screwed up not Princess.

but with that said...

In REALITY it was the OP's responsibility.

It is your body that is in a foreign country.

It is your money that gets you to that country and will have to BAIL you out if there is a problem.

Travel is not an exact science and what is a fact yesterday might not be when we wake up.

We are adults here and it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to be educated, informed and aware of

what needs to be done to enter and exit every country you visit and what prescibed medicines you can have on or IN your body when traveling there.

Do not assume anyone else will do that for you.

I'm sorry OP that you learned this lesson the hard way.

Personally, this doesnt seem a hassle to me, but if this is your mindset then anything that might not go perfectly

on this cruise is going to irritate you and it's probably best that you did cancel.

[Essiesmom]

Princess cannot arrange the visa for China, because your passport must be sent to the embassy/consulate and the visa is stamped into it. The passport is then returned to you. It is the same with Brazil. Our Russia visas were totally separate from the passport. Visas for India and Japan are also applied to the passport. EM

[sveipe]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think you can blame the ta (costco) or the cruise line for not informing you about the visa requirements for different countries, in my opinion that responsibility lies on the person booking the trip. If I am booking a trip with an airline, they are not going to research and inform me about the visa requirements for me, and I dont think they can. I might be a resident alien that have completely different visa requirements than a us citizen, how is anyone except myself going to be able to know what requirements applies to me. Whenever I book a trip I check the individual visa requirements of the countries I am visiting and deal with it myself. If I booked a trip to Brazil and realized that Noregians needed a visa to get there, I am not going to be annoyed with my booking agency for not informing me of this.

[phillipahain]

Even though Princess organise the Vitnamese Visas they will still charge you for them and they do not tell you how much beforehand

 

Same goes for Cambodia that was $35 and a total rip off

[jig]

I was somewhat surprised that you were quoted $200. I wss thinking that the Visa service was overcharging. When I went there a multi was $50. I just went to the Chinese consulate and wow, they now charge $130. I do think that is expensive. I too have a Brasilian visa but that is good for 5 years. It have brought many others from $13 to $130 but it still seems like a lot.

in 2002 I sailed down the coast of West Africe I needed visas for several countries that came to about $200. I am repeating this next year on the Ocean Princess. There will be blanket visas that will save several hundred. That is quite a saving. As I live in NY it is easy for me to go to vthe different consulates but for those that don't the visa services costs can really add up.

When you begin to think about where you want to go the FIRST thing you should do is check what are the visa req.

 

Jeffrey

[Coral]

Visa services are expensive. When I had to get my Russian visa (flying into the country) - I had to send my passport to the agency and they walk it through and send it back to me. Their service costs $100 but it is worth it as I knew exactly how long it would take and this is what they specialize in. So - seperate Russian visa's do require a passport (like China) but if you just stop in Russia on a cruise stop and do shore excursions through the ship or through RO - they can arrange your visa for you (for the group).

 

I agree - it is up to Costco or the travelers to find this information out. Just because you have used Costco for 10 years doesn't make them more of an order taker - it just means that you haven't used them for anything that requires special services like a visa.

 

Whenever I go anywhere via land or ship - the first thing I do is look into this info as I see it is my responsibility FIRST.

[alanmal]

Except in our part of the world, Canada, Mexico and Central america we do not need a visa. The rest of the world requires a visa, some you have to get in advance. others you get at the destination airport, filling out the forms on the plane. After 77 cruises and many land trips, I learned from my travel agent 55 years ago, that I would need a passport and visa's as describe above, before they even let me on the ships or planes.

 

Do not blame Princess, blame your Costco agent. Check every cruise critic board, ship, destination, etc, you will not find ONE person complaining about not knowing about visa's.

 

Yes the visa can cost up to $200.00. $135.00 for visa, and then there is the fedex fee, both ways, and the visa company's fee.

[phillipahain]

Announced today :-------

 

USA are to start charging $10 per person for Visa Waivers everytime anyone from the UK enters the USA ..............lovely!!!!!! given the nasty attitude most incoming passengers are exposed to from surly USA Immigration Officers

 

We used to have Indefinite Visaa for the USA but this facility was suddenly removed without warning

 

Visa charges are nothing short of a tax scam with Africa India and China being the worst offenders

[awhcruiser]

Was cancelling the cruise a mutual decision?? I would not cancel for another $400...How much was the cruise going to cost??? Count your blessings that it was only $200 more per person...My daughter needs a visa for Australia that is going to cost her $450.

 

We just learned that our Dec. 2, 2009 cruise on the Ocean Princess is going to cost us at least $200. more per person than expected. While Princess did alert us that we would have to purchase a $30 visa for Vietnam (provided by Princess while aboard the ship) neither Princess nor our travel agent, Costco, ever mentioned that we would also need a visa for the overnight stay in Shanghai required by the ship's itinerary.

 

We only learned about the China visa requirement from postings on Cruise Critic. We called Princess and they confirmed that we had to have a China visa. They referred us to a visa services agency. If you do NOT plan to travel further in China, disembarkation in Shanghai adds the cost of an overnight hotel stay and transfers (about $180 per person) AND the cost of the China visa ($200 per person) to the basic price of the cruise. This extra cost of $380 per person does not enhance the cruise experience at all. At best, we would only have time for a short afternoon or evening tour in Shanghai before heading for the Pu Dong airport early the next day.

 

When I asked Costco why we weren't told of the $200 China visa charge earlier, their explanation was that they only send out the visa requirement information with the cruise documents. I believe these documents usually arrive AFTER the period when it is possible to cancel the cruise without penalty. By the time you receive the cruise documents and learn that you must have a China visa, there may be a very short window in which to order it—I was told by the visa services agency that they need at least a month to supply the visa without incurring even MORE charges for "rush" fees.

 

For us, the "surprise" of having to pay $400 more for our 24-hour stay in Shanghai was the deal breaker. We canceled our booking today—just under the wire for being able to cancel without penalties. We've taken a considerable number of cruises, but never before were we kept in the dark about significant charges that were required. We appreciate those Cruise Critic postings that brought this to our attention.

[cruisemom42]

Hi Everyone,

 

 

We also have to question why Princess is arranging for the Vietnam visa for all the ship's passengers, but not the China visa. When we called them this week they told us we would have to get the China visa on our own. Their only assistance was to give us the 800 number for a visa agency.

 

Barbara

 

 

Countries do not all handle visas in the same way. In cases where Princess can obtain the visas quickly and easily for passengers, they will do so. (The Egyptian "quick stay" visa comes to mind.) But not all countries make it that easy....

 

Sorry you feel you have to cancel your cruise over something like this.

[Coral]

I work with people who travel for extended stays (which then require a different visa). Some of the things they have had to do - like fly to a nearby consulate two or three times to get their visas plus the fees involved. Often they can't even buy their plane ticket because of the restrictions on the visas is so strict, that they do not know when that will be approved.

 

Paying $200 for a visa is a small portion of the travel. It is part of traveling and while an annoyance - it is not worth canceling to prove a point. I think of all the places I would have missed if I decided to cancel due to an extra $200 fee.

[Cruise Junky]

Announced today :-------

 

USA are to start charging $10 per person for Visa Waivers everytime anyone from the UK enters the USA ..............lovely!!!!!! given the nasty attitude most incoming passengers are exposed to from surly USA Immigration Officers

 

We used to have Indefinite Visaa for the USA but this facility was suddenly removed without warning

 

Visa charges are nothing short of a tax scam with Africa India and China being the worst offenders

 

 

But isn't it $6 already? and that hasn't gone up since implementation.

[Maryandi]

What kind of Australian Visa costs $450 ?- must be for a long visit. We get them online for $15AU and are good for a year.

 

We will be in India for 1 day and have to pay for a full visa !!(see travisa.com). At least we'll be in China for 2 days.

 

The exchange rate on money is expensive, too.

 

Travel sure isn't for the faint-hearted :eek:.

 

MaryAnn

[awhcruiser]

Student and work visa...She will be living in Sydney for a year..

 

What kind of Australian Visa costs $450 ?- must be for a long visit. We get them online for $15AU and are good for a year.

 

We will be in India for 1 day and have to pay for a full visa !!(see travisa.com). At least we'll be in China for 2 days.

 

The exchange rate on money is expensive, too.

 

Travel sure isn't for the faint-hearted :eek:.

 

MaryAnn

[phillipahain]

Cruise Junky

 

Theres currently no charge for Visa Waiver to enter the USA from the UK

 

So do not know where you get the $6 figure from

[Coral]

Student and work visa...She will be living in Sydney for a year..

 

I work at a college and we have faculty and staff going abroad for a year at a time and some of the requirements in order to get the required visa's are quite difficult. My friend who went to Spain had to fly to visit a consolate at least 2x and had very little notice when she had to be there and she couldn't get her plane tickets until she knew she had her visa.

 

After hearing my friends do that - paying $200 pp is a piece of cake.

 

There are tourists and then there are travelers!

[Pam in CA]

Our beef with Princess and/or Costco (they each say the other had the responsibility of notifying us of any needed visas) is that they should have told us about the need for the China visa right up front—at the time of booking.

Actually, your beef is with Costco since you chose to go through a TA (Costco). By doing that, everything comes from the TA, not Princess. While ultimately it's your responsibility, your TA should have notified and assisted you with the visa, right from the time of booking. Every time I've needed a visa, that's been the case. IMHO, you need a better TA who is more knowledgeable about international travel.

 

I'm sorry you've canceled this cruise and I do think you will regret it.

[paul929207]

With all our Princess cruises, we have gotten info from Princess via our TA on the required visas. It always includes contact info for the visa service Princess recommends. I just got such a package when I got home last Sunday.

[awhcruiser]

It was still your responsibility to check what visas were needed...Your decision is made although some wouldnt agree it is a wise one...

 

Hi Everyone,

 

Thanks for all your responses. And yes, maybe we will regret canceling this cruise. But, once you lose confidence in the cruise line, it throws a bit of a pall over the trip. As many of you noticed in our signature line, we've been on a few cruises, but none of them have required a visa. Guess that was just a lucky coincidence, as we've never avoided a cruise or land tour because of possible visa expenses. We just don't like last-minute surprise expenses like the China visa, I guess.

 

Our beef with Princess and/or Costco (they each say the other had the responsibility of notifying us of any needed visas) is that they should have told us about the need for the China visa right up front—at the time of booking. The required overnight hotel stays for this cruise in Singapore and Shanghai are listed right on the itinerary. Several months ago we asked a Princess representative what visas would be required for the cruise. The representative assured us the only visa we would need was for Vietnam and it would be issued aboard the ship. I suppose we could have checked each port on the itinerary for visa requirements, but we assumed the Princess representative was giving us correct and complete information. Our past cruising experiences with Princess and other cruise lines gave us no reason to question what Princess told us.

 

We also have to question why Princess is arranging for the Vietnam visa for all the ship's passengers, but not the China visa. When we called them this week they told us we would have to get the China visa on our own. Their only assistance was to give us the 800 number for a visa agency.

 

We also have to say that we have booked all of our cruises and other resort stays (in Mexico, etc.) through Costco for the last ten years and have never had a single problem with them. So, we felt we had every reason to place our confidence in them.

 

If this cruise had been on our "bucket list" we would probably just pay the extra costs of the required overnight stay in Shanghai and go on the cruise-- but actually, it isn't. We've been in SE Asia before so we've had some opportunity to see portions of the area. This is indeed a nice itinerary, but we are getting to an age where sometimes, a trip just ain't worth the hassle. This one was beginning to be a hassle!

 

Maybe we are the only ones sailing this itinerary who were living under a rock and didn't realize a China visa was needed. Maybe Princess and/or their TA's have alerted all the other passengers about arranging to get this visa. Then again, maybe this will at least alert some to the need for obtaining this visa, on their own, before they have to pay those additional "rush" fees to get it.

 

Again, thanks for all your comments. Best wishes to all!

Barbara

[bsamole]

I purchased the Feb 4, 2010 sailing directly from Princess. NO mention of China Visa requirement from Princess so lets not jump on Costco's back. I since transfered my booking to my TA who only sells cruises and still no mention of the China Visa from my TA. I only found out by looking at boards like this. BTW the cost of the China visa is $130 for USA passport holders if you go in person or have anyone you trust to go for you to one of their 5 consoles? or to their embasy in Washington DC. If you use a Visa company to acquire your China Visa please go to the china website and choise one that they recommend. What really bothers me is having to purchase the China visa when we will only be in China to travel from the Shanghai port to the Shanghai airport. Yesterday I sent an email to the China embasy to verify if this was true but they havn't responded as yet.

Does anyone know from experience?

[gooch47]

This is a pet peeve of ours. I do NOT understand why Princess doesn't tell you up front about Visa's and required innoculations. The cost isn't insignificant, either, as you know. I don't know if it could mean the difference in someone being able to afford to go or not, but it just isn't right that it isn't spelled out.

 

We actually cancelled our Amazon River cruise this year because my husband got so annoyed over the whole thing. We did re-schedule for this year after he calmed down.

[Stevesan]

The "Cruise Answer" book states that:

"Visa requirements for U.S. and Canadian citizens are listed on your precruise letter or Travel Summary..."

 

See the following page and scroll down to "Visas"

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/answer/before_you_leave/ready.jsp

 

There are one or two other posters in this thread booked for the Asia cruise that includes Shanghai.

Is the visa notification included in your "Travel Summary" in "Cruise Personalizer"?

 

It is obviously an individual's responsibility to be aware of travel document requirements,

but Princess states they provide notice of visa requirements. Princess is remiss if they aren't doing that.

[paul929207]

The "Cruise Answer" book states that:

"Visa requirements for U.S. and Canadian citizens are listed on your precruise letter or Travel Summary..."

 

See the following page and scroll down to "Visas"

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/answer/before_you_leave/ready.jsp

 

There are one or two other posters in this thread booked for the Asia cruise that includes Shanghai.

Is the visa notification included in your "Travel Summary" in "Cruise Personalizer"?

 

It is obviously an individual's responsibility to be aware of travel document requirements,

but Princess states they provide notice of visa requirements. Princess is remiss if they aren't doing that.

While am not on this cruise, info on required visas is or has been on the cruise personalizer.

[DrivesLikeMario]

to the OP if you go to this site you can find out what countries require US citizens to have a visa to enter the country: http://www.passportvisasexpress.com/visas.xml

 

That's a neat website - thanks for the link!

 

I'm so sorry to hear the OP has cancelled a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience just because of added $400 expense. :( The experience would be well worth the additional money!

[alanmal]

I purchased the Feb 4, 2010 sailing directly from Princess. NO mention of China Visa requirement from Princess so lets not jump on Costco's back. I since transfered my booking to my TA who only sells cruises and still no mention of the China Visa from my TA. I only found out by looking at boards like this. BTW the cost of the China visa is $130 for USA passport holders if you go in person or have anyone you trust to go for you to one of their 5 consoles? or to their embasy in Washington DC. If you use a Visa company to acquire your China Visa please go to the china website and choise one that they recommend. What really bothers me is having to purchase the China visa when we will only be in China to travel from the Shanghai port to the Shanghai airport. Yesterday I sent an email to the China embasy to verify if this was true but they havn't responded as yet.

Does anyone know from experience?

 

I have posted this already, spoke to head of visa section for USA in Washington DC. He said we are the 1st cruise to end or start from Shanghai. They give a no visa permission to travel between the 2 international airports. They never have confronted the situation we have on our cruises. He was going to send a memo to Beijing to have a rule introduced to change the law and have the pier to airport included in the no visa system, but that6 could take up to a year to enact. Just like the good old USA.