getting an Australian visa

[kenish]

There's one and only one party who can confirm your visa is taken care of. That's the cruise line. Everyone on this board is being helpful and providing general facts and the benefit of their experience. None of this answers the question however. But time after time, posters would rather rely on us than contact the party who can answer for sure. With phone calls and emails being almost free nowadays....

 

Sorry if this comes off as a bit snarky, but I really will never understand.

[whynotcruise]

There's one and only one party who can confirm your visa is taken care of. That's the cruise line. Everyone on this board is being helpful and providing general facts and the benefit of their experience. None of this answers the question however. But time after time, posters would rather rely on us than contact the party who can answer for sure. With phone calls and emails being almost free nowadays....

 

Sorry if this comes off as a bit snarky, but I really will never understand.

 

Thanks for your response no matter how snarky it is. Isn't what these boards are for? To get help and general facts and other experiences? And yes, I'm sure that I WILL be calling the cruise line at the end. What is so wrong to ask for info?

 

I've heard that "if a person have nothing but sarcastic things to say, don't say anything at all."

 

Thanks.

[pcur]

The only problem with having the cruise line do the ETA for you is it will cost you more. Using the Australia web site and buying it online yourself is a matter of a few minutes. You print out the confirmation, the ETA is recorded against your passport number electronically, and when they scan your passport when you go through immigration, the ETA shows up. The confirmation printout is just in case there's a glitch, and you have the proof.

 

A few minutes online and it's done, and cheaper.

[moyaroo]

Sometimes we rely on word of mouth when word of vendor is the better way to go. In the case of Ausie ETA. Yes, from experience, Princess will organize it and charge IIRC $20US so no too much overcharge. Your TA could do it for you cheaper and tell Princess to not do it or you could relay same message and do it yourself.

 

If your TA has access to a GDS system (TA Should know what that means) they can probably do it for free. Qantas fixed my wife's at no charge on our last visit as she had a new passport that didn't coorespond to the ETA's passport number.

[The_Big_M]

Sometimes we rely on word of mouth when word of vendor is the better way to go. In the case of Ausie ETA. Yes, from experience, Princess will organize it and charge IIRC $20US so no too much overcharge. Your TA could do it for you cheaper and tell Princess to not do it or you could relay same message and do it yourself.

 

Just by chance, and for the purpose of comparison, I saw that Oceania also do it for their passengers, though charge $59US for the convenience. Ouch!

[kenish]

whynotcruise- I fully agree with your comments about the purpose of this board. But others' experience has zero relevance to your question, sorry. The only party who can answer if your ETA was processed is the cruiseline so it's good to hear you're contacting them. If the question was "What were the best things you did in Sydney?" or "How do I apply for an ETA?", that's when experience is golden.

 

By and large, the vast majority of my posts are not sarcastic and I prefaced this one by saying it was. Enjoy your cruise, Australia is an amazing country ! A tour guide summed it up by saying "Australia is a very fortunate nation"

[painfree]

Hi..

 

I applied for my visa the other day using the Australian immigration website..It took 5 minutes and I have a confirmation number in case of a 'glitz'..as someone so aptly put it..My sister tried to apply for her visa later in the day and got an error message...'stated she already had a visa'..Princess had already obtained the visa..When she called Princess to enquire about the cost she was told to check with her TA..They..Princess..could not give out that information???..Rather odd, huh?

 

I paid $20AD..with exchange..$18.54 USD..of course, My CC will probably charge a foreign transaction fee which will bounce it above $20..Go Figure..

 

Carol...

[Stevek7]

The $12 web site for the Australian ETA appears to be a scam. I went through the process before payment, and although the processing fee was $12, the tried to charge a $16 fee for the ETA itself, which is free.

[Globaliser]

Thank you for the warning about that, which is about to be expected.

 

I don't know why anyone would even think of trying some non-official site when there is a clear and easy official site that is, at worst, just a few dollars more. But I suppose there are some people who will go to any lengths, and take any risks, just to save a few measly bucks.

[jestley]

I got the E-Visitor, online from the Australian government website, took a few minutes to fill in, had to do one form for each of us, a few hours later I got confirmation emails with our authorisation details and it cost nothing!

That's my kind of price:D

Jo

[Globaliser]

Just to clarify, for those who are new to the distinction between ETAs and eVisitors.

 

The free eVisitor to which jestley refers applies only to European nationals from eligible countries.

 

The ETA is applicable to US and Canadian nationals, amongst others. This is the electronic document for which the Australian government's official website charges an AUD 20 service charge.

[kenish]

Thank you for the warning about that, which is about to be expected.

 

I don't know why anyone would even think of trying some non-official site when there is a clear and easy official site that is, at worst, just a few dollars more. But I suppose there are some people who will go to any lengths, and take any risks, just to save a few measly bucks.

 

Quite a few personal details are required to apply for the ETA. I'm sure it's a dream come true for ID thieves. You don't know if a "middleman" site is in Russia or some other notorious cyber-crime hotbed. Even if research shows the URL is registered in the US, UK, etc. there's nothing to prevent the ETA from being delivered while your personal details are forwarded to people who don't have your best interests in mind.....