Getting Vietnam visa on board

[plumstead]

We are having a problem with Celebrity, we got our Visas 2 months before we got an email from them to say that we can get visas on the ship at 6 dollors !!!!. We paid £54 each. Can anyone tell me if they had got their visas before the email, if not where did you find the information that told you that you can get them on the ship.

They said our Travel agent should have advised us but out travel agent said when we booked that visas are not their problem.

[emtplg]

Through our travel agent and researching the boards we found that Celebrity handled the visas. If you already have your visa Celebrity will not charge you.

[zennor]

It seems now that cruise ships are still providing the visas for Vietnam.

 

Does anyone know if these visas are adequate if we take a private excursion from Halong Bay & stay overnight in Hanoi and return to the ship in Halong the next day?

[emtplg]

If you get off the ship for a day trip only it was $6. If you left the ship overnight the visa was $50. Didn't matter if it was through Celebrity or private.

[plumstead]

Zennor did you book through cruise 1st, if you did how did you find out that you could get Vietnam visas on the ship, because we are going round in circles trying to find out who was responsible for telling us. We got our visas one week before we got the email from Celebrity, by going to the Embassy in London, so we wasted time and money.

I would be very greatful for you reply, as you are the only U.k. person to put on a question.

Thank you

[zennor]

Zennor did you book through cruise 1st, if you did how did you find out that you could get Vietnam visas on the ship, because we are going round in circles trying to find out who was responsible for telling us. We got our visas one week before we got the email from Celebrity, by going to the Embassy in London, so we wasted time and money.

I would be very greatful for you reply, as you are the only U.k. person to put on a question.

Thank you

 

Plumstead, we are sailing with Azamara (owned by RCI - as is Celebrity) in December. I'm making this assumption based on the info being posted on Cruise Critic. I also asked on the Azamara forum http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2169183 & found this on the RCI website http://bookings.royalcaribbean.co.uk/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=3137&faqSubjectId=329&wuc=GBR

 

Based on all the responses given by people it does seem that Visas are still being issued by the cruise lines & that previously these visas were fine for an overnight stay too.

[plumstead]

Thank you Zenner for your quick reply,it seems like we might be the only English on our trip that starts on the century on the 8th. I am sure the info on cruise critic is o.k. but the replys are not from English people in Great Britain is I would check with RCI nearer your trip.

Hope you have a good time, my place that I wonted to visit was Hanglong Bay but our trip does not go there, but never mind we will enjoy the Phillies.

Take care Plumstead (our first cat)

[zennor]

I also found this info on the Celebrity UK site http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/manage-my-booking/important-sailing-information/visa-information/

 

I'm sure there will be more Brits on your cruise - they're just not on this forum. Have a great time & please do report back on any Visa info.

[We-R-Off]

Hi guys we are sailing on Mariner of the Seas on 11th of February from Singapore I know you can obtain a visa for Vietnam on board for Australian and U.S.A passport holders I was wondering if this was so for British Passport holders.Would appreciate any input on this matter.Thanks Janet.

 

In February when we were there, ALL passports were processed by Celebrity.

We have a European Passport.

 

You will need passport pictures.

We were given a form to fill in & we gave our passport in.

The cost was $6 pp.

We were issued with a card, which we had to have stamped in each Vietnam port we visited.

 

We got our passports back the day before the cruise terminated.

 

If you are staying overnight the cost is more (I think $50 pp). When you stay overnight, the ship will give you the passport for overnight stays both in Thailand or Vietnam, but then they have to be returned to Customer Relations.

 

If the ship is going to overnight in HGK, passengers that wanted to stay on board, had to physically leave the ship (around 11:00) & had to go through immigration before returning on board !!!!!

[nbhwarrior]

there is alot of conflicting information on here, i am stopping 3 times in vietnam, and have no intentions of staying in a hotel overnight, is this 6 us dollars visa, per stop or will this cover the three stops? however i might want to come back to the ship late is there a curfew time? it would be good to hear from those who have currently just sailed

 

Thanks:)

[JL2007]

Hello. We sail on Voyager of the seas with a stop off in Nha Trang. We booked via AVIOS as a travel agent. We also have seen much conflicting information and today we contacted RCI and AVIOS separately. Both told us that we are required to use Visa Central company to arrange a visa as we have a private tour planned. We were told that we would only have visa's arranged, by the ship, if we had a shore excursion arranged by them. However previously, when calling RCI, we were told something different. This is completely frustrating as we have been told by employee at RCI that we don't need to worry and the ship will sort out the visa, yet today told something different. We have also seen the web page on RCI web site where it states visa would be arranged automatically. Other CC posts have raised concerns of costs reaching $100 for visas, like they making up prices as they go along.

I hope some other UK cruisers have had better experience. Im hoping RCI follow Celebrity with regards to charges. We just wish it was more clear.

[John Bull]

Hello. We sail on Voyager of the seas with a stop off in Nha Trang. We booked via AVIOS as a travel agent. We also have seen much conflicting information and today we contacted RCI and AVIOS separately. Both told us that we are required to use Visa Central company to arrange a visa as we have a private tour planned. We were told that we would only have visa's arranged, by the ship, if we had a shore excursion arranged by them. However previously, when calling RCI, we were told something different. This is completely frustrating as we have been told by employee at RCI that we don't need to worry and the ship will sort out the visa, yet today told something different. We have also seen the web page on RCI web site where it states visa would be arranged automatically. Other CC posts have raised concerns of costs reaching $100 for visas, like they making up prices as they go along.

I hope some other UK cruisers have had better experience. Im hoping RCI follow Celebrity with regards to charges. We just wish it was more clear.

 

Getting correct visa info - and other itinerary-related info - out of cruise lines' offices is nigh-on impossible, as you've doubtless learned from other threads.:rolleyes:

 

Do you have that info from RCI & AVIOS in writing?

If so, print it off.

Cos I'm pretty certain its wrong, & if you organise your own visa you'll end up in dispute with RCI over your wasted money.

For AVIOS it's a little more difficult - they should know the visa rules, but they're not necessarily going to know ship's policy.

 

The only reason you need to fix your own visa is if you arrive or depart any Vietnamese port other than on the ship, and possibly if you overnite ashore when your ship is in port overnite.

Whether you're on a ship-sponsored excursion or doing your own thing is irrelevant, immigration officers aren't interested in whether you're on a tour.

This has been the case with every cruise line.

Every Cruise Critic contributor, of every nationality including many of us Brits, has had visas arranged on-board & the cost added to their on-board account - even during the ....... errrr, shall we say "uncertain" ......... period at the beginning of the year, when Vietnamese rules were changed & when there were long queues & high charges. Visas were still issued on-board to everyone, regardless of whether they were on a ship-sponsored excursion.

 

Can I suggest:

Don't waste your time & money getting a visa.

Ship's crew know their stuff.

Check the situation with them when you're on-board.

If by some strange miracle RCI is right & I'm wrong, you can then book a ship's tour.

And send me the bill. ;)

 

Don't let the buggars grind you down. :cool:

 

JB :)

[akSail7]

Hello. We sail on Voyager of the seas with a stop off in Nha Trang. We booked via AVIOS as a travel agent. We also have seen much conflicting information and today we contacted RCI and AVIOS separately. Both told us that we are required to use Visa Central company to arrange a visa as we have a private tour planned. We were told that we would only have visa's arranged, by the ship, if we had a shore excursion arranged by them. However previously, when calling RCI, we were told something different. This is completely frustrating as we have been told by employee at RCI that we don't need to worry and the ship will sort out the visa, yet today told something different. We have also seen the web page on RCI web site where it states visa would be arranged automatically. Other CC posts have raised concerns of costs reaching $100 for visas, like they making up prices as they go along.

I hope some other UK cruisers have had better experience. Im hoping RCI follow Celebrity with regards to charges. We just wish it was more clear.

 

Just returned from an RCI cruise with a stop in Phu My Vietnam. Also, had many conflicting reports. However, in my online cruise documents (not the generic links but your contract) it specifically had by country Visa requirements with cost. For our cruise it was $6 per person.

 

Look under your Booking Dashboard, Cruise Documentation, Guest Vacation Documents, View Document, and ours was on page 6

[Ashland]

Also just off Mariner with a port stop in Pu My (Saigon)..the Vietnam visa provided onboard couldn't have been easier..onboard guests were charged $6.00pp toward their SeaPass account and a paper visa was delivered to your cabin the night before arriving into this port. So confused and concerned about the process/cost prior to our cruise but it couldn't have been simplier.

 

In addition if you aren't getting off the ship you can have the $6.00pp fee credited to your account (as they do charge it automatically)...However you must regardless of this get off the ship to have a face to face with immigration officials...the ship gives you a time and info on this easy to do precedure.

[zennor]

There's another very helpful post here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45939821&postcount=8 from someone who was on Celebrity recently. It does appear that all is taken care of by the ship and you are charged 6 USD or 50 USD depending on whether you are just on a day trip or staying overnight, regardless of who has organised the excorsion. It's helpful to have passport photos and photocopies of your passport but these can be obtained if necessary.

[juicyjuju]

I just got back from disembarking in Ho Chi Minh city on the Crystal Symphony. Because we weren't just "in transit" but going to the airport after a 6 hour private tour with Ann tours, we had to get the 30 day visa. I took passports photos to the ship. Wasn't necessary! The ship just put a paper visa in our passport like the in transit visas, only difference was ours cost $80pp

[Ashland]

There's another very helpful post here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45939821&postcount=8 from someone who was on Celebrity recently. It does appear that all is taken care of by the ship and you are charged 6 USD or 50 USD depending on whether you are just on a day trip or staying overnight, regardless of who has organised the excorsion. It's helpful to have passport photos and photocopies of your passport but these can be obtained if necessary.

Passport pictures and photocopy of passport wasn't necessary on my Mariner a couple weeks ago. The ship kept our passport upon boarding in Singapore and didn't return it to us until the night before our first China port which was Xiamen. A paper visa card was left in our cabin the night before our Vietnam port (Phu My).

[JL2007]

That's all great info. Thanks for the info on the guest booklet also

[zennor]

I'm not sure if this has already been reported elsewhere on this board but just in case, Visas are no longer required for Vietnam for certain nationals including those from the UK.

 

According the to the Vietnam Embassy (& elsewhere in the press):

 

"On 22 June 2015, the Embassy received the formal notification that the Government of Viet Nam decided to exempt visa for British, German, French, Spanish and Italian citizens travelling to Viet Nam (for all purposes) for a period of up to 15 days, and on the basis of meeting all conditions prescribed by Vietnamese laws.

 

The visa exemption period will start from 1 July 2015 and end on 30 June 2016." see http://vietnamembassy.org.uk/index.php?action=p&ct=Notice2

[Mamma G]

Hi guys we are sailing on Mariner of the Seas on 11th of February from Singapore I know you can obtain a visa for Vietnam on board for Australian and U.S.A passport holders I was wondering if this was so for British Passport holders.Would appreciate any input on this matter.Thanks Janet.

 

As a British passport holder NO visa is required for Vietnam. This applies to German and Italian citizens also. Check Vietnam embassy site to confirm for yourself. I simply googled Vietnam visas as I am going there in October. Hope you have a great time.

[pieshops]

any thought on this scenario for our Asia Cruise next December

 

We will stop in Vietnam - Ha Long Bay, Da Nang and HCMC - no overnights.

 

We plan on departing the ship in Ha Long - touring to Hanoi - overnighting on our own there and meeting back up with the ship in Da Nang ( flying or overnight train, not sure yet)

 

We will be on NCL and they can not tell us anything about visas as this is still a new destination for them and no ship has yet been.

 

I have spoken with the embassy and they tell me a multiple entry visa (80Pp) is fine.

 

any thoughts

[Mamma G]

any thought on this scenario for our Asia Cruise next December

 

We will stop in Vietnam - Ha Long Bay, Da Nang and HCMC - no overnights.

 

We plan on departing the ship in Ha Long - touring to Hanoi - overnighting on our own there and meeting back up with the ship in Da Nang ( flying or overnight train, not sure yet)

 

We will be on NCL and they can not tell us anything about visas as this is still a new destination for them and no ship has yet been.

 

I have spoken with the embassy and they tell me a multiple entry visa (80Pp) is fine.

 

any thoughts

 

Until end of June 2016, certain nationalities do not require a visa eg. British, French, Belgian etc. USA citizens do require visa. When the trial period ends, I believe that the Viet government will extend it as the country is very keen to build up the tourist industry and rely on foreign visitors to boost the economy.

If visa is required, the cruise line issue this on board ship, the evening before you sail into port.

Your ship will probably dock about 2 hours from Saigon and it is a real pity you are not doing any overnights. A group of us got together through the forum, hired a mini bus, guide, booked hotel, did a river dinner cruise and it was much cheaper than doing 2 days of tours with the cruise line. It also cut down on travel to and from ship. Vietnam is an enchanting, exhilarating country to visit.

[pieshops]

Until end of June 2016, certain nationalities do not require a visa eg. British, French, Belgian etc. USA citizens do require visa. When the trial period ends, I believe that the Viet government will extend it as the country is very keen to build up the tourist industry and rely on foreign visitors to boost the economy.

If visa is required, the cruise line issue this on board ship, the evening before you sail into port.

Your ship will probably dock about 2 hours from Saigon and it is a real pity you are not doing any overnights. A group of us got together through the forum, hired a mini bus, guide, booked hotel, did a river dinner cruise and it was much cheaper than doing 2 days of tours with the cruise line. It also cut down on travel to and from ship. Vietnam is an enchanting, exhilarating country to visit.

 

So you also departed from the ship at one location and hooked back up at another?

 

If so did you require any special permission from the ship to do this?

 

It would be nice if Vietnam extended it to the USA as Visas are going to cost us 400 dollars for the 5 of us

[Mamma G]

So you also departed from the ship at one location and hooked back up at another?

 

If so did you require any special permission from the ship to do this?

 

It would be nice if Vietnam extended it to the USA as Visas are going to cost us 400 dollars for the 5 of us

 

No, we were overnight in Phu My, which is about 2 hours from Saigon.

We simply notified ship that we would be staying in Saigon and would return in time for departing next day. There were passengers who did get off in one port and returned to ship in another port. As long as you notify ship, have necessary visa, if required, then the choice is yours. I would suggest you contact a reputable local company who will supply mini bus or car and English speaking guide. It really is an adventure not to be missed and well worth the effort it takes to organise.

[pieshops]

No, we were overnight in Phu My, which is about 2 hours from Saigon.

We simply notified ship that we would be staying in Saigon and would return in time for departing next day. There were passengers who did get off in one port and returned to ship in another port. As long as you notify ship, have necessary visa, if required, then the choice is yours. I would suggest you contact a reputable local company who will supply mini bus or car and English speaking guide. It really is an adventure not to be missed and well worth the effort it takes to organise.

 

 

Since we do not overnight we would leave the ship at Ha Long Bay and meet back up at Da Nang my concern is having an issue with the ship in doing this.