Leaving the ship for a few days to do private excursion?

[Tansy Mews]

Has anyone done this - left the ship for a few days in order to do a private excursion? In our case, we are thinking of flying from one port of call (Seoul) on to another one (Beijing), skipping an in-between port (Dalian). This would give us more time in Beijing. Flights and accommodation seem fairly cheap.

 

If I tell Oceania beforehand, would that work with them? Or do they have odd rules that would preclude us doing that?

 

I know that some people stay in a hotel when the ship overnights in port. Someone did that on Easter Island on my last cruise.

 

Any insights welcome! Yes, I will ask my travel agent about this, but it is always useful to have people's experience! Plus my own TA just left for a week in the heat!

[Kissing Seahorses]

We have done this before (on another line). You will definitely want to let the ship know when you are leaving and when you plan to return. As you know there is always a bit of a gamble with meeting a ship, something can cause a delay or even cause the ship to miss the port where you plan to reembark but all in all this possibility is remote. Have a great trip.

[LHT28]

Definitely tell Oceania your plans & get it in writing

There may be restrictions or Country specific rules that the cruise Lines must follow

[Mark_T]

You'll want to look at Visa requirements in particular as cruise ships often have waivers that may not be applicable to you if you are entering or leaving a country independently from the ship.

[ksps cruise fan]

Has anyone done this - left the ship for a few days in order to do a private excursion? In our case, we are thinking of flying from one port of call (Seoul) on to another one (Beijing), skipping an in-between port (Dalian). This would give us more time in Beijing. Flights and accommodation seem fairly cheap.

 

If I tell Oceania beforehand, would that work with them? Or do they have odd rules that would preclude us doing that?

 

I know that some people stay in a hotel when the ship overnights in port. Someone did that on Easter Island on my last cruise.

 

Any insights welcome! Yes, I will ask my travel agent about this, but it is always useful to have people's experience! Plus my own TA just left for a week in the heat!

 

In 2010, we did a wonderful Asian itinerary on Nautica which included an overnight in Kobe, the closest port of call to Kyoto, Nara, and other great destinations. Kobe is a two-hour drive to Kyoto so we planned an overnight in Kyoto. About a day or so before docking in Kyoto, we volunteered our plans to the concierge, but there was never a formal inquiry either by papers left in each room or by a instructions in the daily newsletter. The concierge recorded our name on a list of five other cabins doing the same thing and that was that.

 

Your plan is clearly more complicated since they involve a change of country and a plane flight. Incidentally, having done a land vacation in Beijing once and pre-cruise days in the city before the cruise described above, I don't know that I agree with your assessment that accommodations are inexpensive. Of course, you may be referring to Seoul.

[RetiredFL]

On our upcoming cruise we are overnighting in Hanoi with a private tour.

Our TA let Oceania know in advance and said it was the safest thing to do so if there are any problems you will know in advance.

Just make sure you have a multiple entry visa for China and everything else is in order. Your tour company (You ARE using a tour company!) will know all the rules. (Don't try and do it completely on your own as it is not very easy and there is not a lot in English and the rules are different than in the West. For example in China there are no boarding ques or boarding by rules. When we flew from Beijing to Xian everyone just rushed the gate when the flight was announced. Utter chaos but that is how they seem to do it.

[JimandStan]

Has anyone done this - left the ship for a few days in order to do a private excursion? In our case, we are thinking of flying from one port of call (Seoul) on to another one (Beijing), skipping an in-between port (Dalian). This would give us more time in Beijing. Flights and accommodation seem fairly cheap.

 

If I tell Oceania beforehand, would that work with them? Or do they have odd rules that would preclude us doing that?

 

I know that some people stay in a hotel when the ship overnights in port. Someone did that on Easter Island on my last cruise.

 

Any insights welcome! Yes, I will ask my travel agent about this, but it is always useful to have people's experience! Plus my own TA just left for a week in the heat!

 

Please don't even THINK of doing this without receiving a written authorization from Oceania beforehand.

 

The ship needs to submit accurate manifests when entering and leaving each port, as well as affidavits concerning various Passport and Customs issues.

If there is a delay caused by your not being accounted for, YOU will be liable for any fees and penalties which may be incurred

[Tansy Mews]

Thank you, everyone! We will have to figure this out. At least we have lots of time.

[mrsfish]

We left the ship three times and with our TA's help we notified Oceania and received permission to do so. We left the ship in Ho Chi Minh City and flew to Angor Wat (Siem Riep) Cambodia for 3 nights where we did private tours and returned to Nautica which was now docked in Bangkok. Next we left Nautica in Goa, India, and rejoined it in Mumbai 3 or 4 days later after touring New Dehli and Agra (Taj Mahal). On our the third deviation we left Nautica in Safaga and went in overnight to Luxor. This was a private tour but Nautica also had several tours to Luxor at the same time. The trip was 34 days and we ended up spending about 8 days off the ship on independent tours. It worked for us because we had a thorough TA who secured permission and Visa's where required. All three trips added a lot to our enjoyment of our vacation!

[williegirlcat]

We did this in Israel, left the ship in Ashdod spent the night in Jerusalem and met the ship in Haifa. You must get written permission from Oceania in advance and let them know where you are staying.

We had been told where the ship would be docking in Haifa, but when we were brought there by the guide, the ship was not there. It was in a large industrial area. Be prepared for anything.

 

When the ship goes to another port, they do have to account for all passengers.