No visa service - very grumpy!

[2kiwis]

2kiwis,

Have you actaually been told by Oceania (or your TA) that they will NOT do it for you; or are you just assuming that they will not do it for you?

 

Please keep us informed - I would very much like to know the outcome of this.

Thank you.

Hi

 

Our TA was told "don't know" by Oceania a few weeks ago when he specifically asked if visas would be available at some of the ports for us, and that is the last we have heard.

 

Will let you know if that changes

 

Cheers

[Jancruz]

Hi

 

Our TA was told "don't know" by Oceania a few weeks ago when he specifically asked if visas would be available at some of the ports for us, and that is the last we have heard.

 

Will let you know if that changes

 

Cheers

 

I will let you know shortly

Jancruz1

[brian_uk]

I would be very interested as my Visas are about 3 years old and we sail into both Kusadassi and Istanbul in a couple of weeks.

 

Do O get them for me ?

 

Brian

[wripro]

"I don't know" is no an acceptable answer. Someone at Oceania must know and it's the TA's job to dig as long and hard as he/she must to find out.

[2kiwis]

"I don't know" is no an acceptable answer. Someone at Oceania must know and it's the TA's job to dig as long and hard as he/she must to find out.

 

We know the visa requirements. The problem is that, apart from Myanmar and Tanzania(which are the same visas required by US/Canadian citizens before arrival), the rest of the visas we require, and which are required for ALL visitors, can be acquired on arrival in the country- usually at an airport.

 

All we have been trying to find out is, are these arrival visas being organised by the ship which is what the other cruise lines do. Our TA was told ' don't know' when he inquired.

According to all the embassy websites the US/Canadian passengers need the same arrival visas as we do, so given the following response from Oceania we are can only assume they will be organising these for the US/Canadians on the ship.

 

Response from Oceania

“Each country institutes entry visa requirements and they are subject to change. On the Cape Town to Singapore itinerary we have confirmed that the only ports US and Canadian citizens will require Visas are in Myanmar and Tanzania”.

“We have reached out to the ports in this itinerary to inquire about status for New Zealand and Australian citizens. We should know more in the next week or so”.

[pondnana]

Hi

 

Our TA was told "don't know" by Oceania a few weeks ago when he specifically asked if visas would be available at some of the ports for us, and that is the last we have heard.

 

Will let you know if that changes

 

Cheers

 

I find this visa question very interesting. My TA called O and was told that Canadians and Americans needed visas only for Tanzania and Myanmar. I was just on the Mombasa, Kenya tourist site looking for info for the upcoming cruise - Cape Town to Singapore - and saw that citizens of USA and Canada needed visas to enter Kenya. What is the real story? Where are the visas coming from? How is this managed by Oceania and why are they so reluctant to communicate this information when asked for it. I hope that either Frank Del Rio or Bob Binder can answer these questions.

[Paulchili]

Pondnana & 2 kiwis,

Here is my take on the situation:

 

Each country institutes entry visa requirements and they are subject to change. On the Cape Town to Singapore itinerary we have confirmed that the only ports US and Canadian citizens will require Visas are in Myanmar and Tanzania”.

 

As Oceania is a US cruise line and the vast majority of its clients are US (and Canadian) citizens, the information they have readily on hand pertains to these two countries. They are reluctant to say that OZ/NZ citizens will be OK as well, until they investigate this (which they appear to be doing now). In reality, in the eyes of the countries that you are worried about, there is NO difference between US, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU citizens – they are ALL in the same “bag” (unlike perhaps the citizens of N. Korea or El Salvador or Haiti - they may fall under different rules). Thus, if Oceania can arrange onboard visas for NA citizens, it will certainly do so for you as well.

 

.. My TA called O and was told that Canadians and Americans needed visas only for Tanzania and Myanmar. I was just on the Mombasa, Kenya tourist site looking for info for the upcoming cruise - Cape Town to Singapore - and saw that citizens of USA and Canada needed visas to enter Kenya. What is the real story?

 

Oceania is not saying that you do not need visas for Kenya – what they mean is that they will get it for you. What they are saying that YOU need to get only the visas for Tanzania & Myanmar - they will get the rest for you onboard (and for a fee, I am sure)

I hope this makes as much sense to you as it does to me.

[JimandStan]

Paul-

 

When a cruise ship calls at a port during a cruise they obtain what is called a "blanket visa" which enables passengers to day trip off the ship providing that the ship leaves port with the same passengers that they came in with.

Although this allows the passengers to tour in various ports with the least paperwork, it is also the reason why I always recommend that passengers get authorization from Oceania if they wish to overnight off the ship or debark early.

[Paulchili]

Paul-

 

When a cruise ship calls at a port during a cruise they obtain what is called a "blanket visa" which enables passengers to day trip off the ship providing that the ship leaves port with the same passengers that they came in with.

Although this allows the passengers to tour in various ports with the least paperwork, it is also the reason why I always recommend that passengers get authorization from Oceania if they wish to overnight off the ship or debark early.

 

 

:confused: Isn't this what I said above (just with more verbiage)?

Please explain this to 2kiwis and pondnana

They need your re-assurance (not me).:)

[2kiwis]

Hi all

 

Following is the reply from Oceania and it is what we have been asking for and a bit more. They can now get transit visa's for places we originally thought we'd need to get visa's before leaving.

 

Our TA has been fantastic and been fighting in our corner and, at the end of the day, Oceania has come through for us all, which we do appreciate :o

 

FROM OCEANIA

 

We have now heard back from all the ports.

 

Each country has various visa requirements. In some cases since the cruise ships are in transit they have set up special “Transit Visas” to accommodate the passengers.

 

We have now received notices from each of the countries and the following are the Visa requirements. All of them are “Transit Visas” that can be secured by our ship’s staff. The Transit Visas can be pre purchased by guests by simply calling their travel agent and having them add it to your invoice. We strongly suggest you use this method as a convenience. You can also purchase it on board and it will be added to your onboard account.

 

Here are the required Transit Visas:

 

Mozambique – US, CAD, NZ and AUS - $129pp

Tanzania – US $149; CAD, NZ, AUS - $99pp

 

There is a recent change to Kenya –

US, CAD, AUS - $49pp

NZ – No charge

 

Myanmar – US, CAD, NZ, AUS - $49pp

 

My recommendation is that you contact your travel agent and add the cost of the visas to your invoice. I hope this is what you were looking for.

[KCRC]

Glad to hear that 2kiwis issue has been resolved. O, FDR and team obviously do listen to their customers. I'm sure that accounts for a large part of the staunch loyalty I have seen on these threads. Really looking forward to our first O cruise this coming March. And we will obtain required visas thru O !

[Paulchili]

I am glad your anxiety has been quelled. It is exactly what I was saying all along, though I understand you couldn't take MY word for it.

In fact you come out ahead as NZ has no visa fee for Kenya.

No discrimination - Oceania was going to treat everyone the same all along. It was just a case of poor information/communication from the staff on a new itinerary.

Have a great trip!

[sitraveler]

On a not recent Viking river cruise- Vienna to black sea and back to Vienna, a group of Mexican passport holders were denied entrance and sent back from Hungary. We should have suspected something when they asked what my "USMC" tee shirt meant.

[lovetocruise16]

Just a thought: try www.google.co.nz and search each country for visa requirements. Some may issue visas at the port of entry, with valid passport and ongoing cruise information. Often many countries have visa forms which you can print off the web, and have ready in case you can present them (completed) at an entry port. Bring some additional 2"x2" passport photos along.

 

If you booked through a TA, he/she should be the one to handle this problem; however, google the visa information for each country in question and present your agent with the results. As your TA he/she should cover all aspects of this trip, not just the booking.

 

Understand your frustration. Visas can be tricky things to obtain, especially in some of the more remote ports. Hope Oceania comes through for you. Good luck!

[Paulchili]

Just a thought:

,

Understand your frustration. Visas can be tricky things to obtain, especially in some of the more remote ports. Hope Oceania comes through for you. Good luck!

 

It's all set - see post #35 above.

All is well that ends well.

[lovetocruise16]

:) So good to hear things worked out visa-wise. Looks like a fabulous itinerary! Happy sailing!