Have you been denied boarding for no visa?

[adirondacksailor]

Have you considered the e-Tourist Visa? It's half the price you are quoting:

 

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

 

e-tourist visa is only for airport entries. I just got my tourist visas for our Dubai- Singapore cruise next month. The paperwork is ridiculous. It took me hours to make sure I had it right the first time. Crazy things like 2 copies required of the 2 page checklist you work with printed out and signed. About 14 pages of forms. I've never experienced anything like it. One woman on our cruise has had to fedex her paperwork 3 times and has yet to get her visa.

[nekzaadvakil]

I guess we Indians are yet very worried about Brits coming back :D

 

On a more serious note, I tend to agree that the TOURIST visa fees between India and the UK really needs to be re-looked at. For both the British wanting to visit India and Indians wanting to visit the UK, the visa fees are just absurdly high.

 

The standard visit visa fee for Indians is GBP 85 / INR 8500 approximately. For a single entry tourist visa. Compare that to the USA tourist visa fee of just under USD 100 / INR 6700 for a 10 year multiple entry visa! Crazy stuff.

 

I'm pretty sure you will either need to get the Indian visa or change your cruise. Its a waste of money IMHO if you don't even plan on getting off the ship in India.

 

Cheers!

 

Nick

[Fouremco]

e-tourist visa is only for airport entries.

I had looked at this some months ago for a flight in and didn't realize that it was restricted to airport entries. Given the generally more relaxed treatment of cruise passengers, I'm surprised that it hasn't been extended to cruise ports of entry. In any event, thanks for the catch. :)

[newport dave]

Well no I have not been denied Boarding for not having a visa, as I would never even consider not having the proper travel documentation for a trip.

 

 

I have never in the past travelled without all of the proper documentation and insurance.

 

However, on a recent Suez cruise on the Rhapsody I was amazed how many people did not have a visa for Turkey. As the cruise finished at Istanbul a visa was necessary to leave the ship even if only going to the airport. These guests were not denied boarding but were told onboard they could not leave the ship without a visa.

 

Pete

They can get them at the airport before they leave.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[newport dave]

Off on Explorer next month Dubai to Singapore with two stops in India. Just had email off RCI to print off paperwork and to ensure we had got our Indian Visas.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[xpcdoojk]

When we got our Visas to enter Australia it was linked to our flight. If traveling abroad one should have the proper documents, this eliminates any problems.

 

hmm... we went to Australia a few years ago and were not required to have a visa. WE entered via a cruise, but we stayed another 10 days on our own.:confused:

 

jc

[tillydog]

hmm... we went to Australia a few years ago and were not required to have a visa. WE entered via a cruise, but we stayed another 10 days on our own.:confused:

 

jc

 

I dont know how you got away with that ... Visas are required for entry into Australia, unless of course you've got dual citizenship of which Australia is one of countries of citizenship (by birth or parent/s birth) and you're a holder of an Aussie passport.

Or you're from NZ, in which case you dont need a visa.

Edited September 24, 2015 by tillydog

[Diplomacy]

lol wow.

 

I seriously considered taking this cruise 2 years ago b2b with the other 2 mariner cruises in my sig, but I decided not to go specifically because I didn't have enough time to get my visa sorted for India... My thought process was "why go, if I can't go there?" And the OP is like eh, who cares? lol. They have butter chicken in the windjammer anyway, right? lol.

 

That said, it never even occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to go, AT ALL, I merely assumed that I couldn't do the shore days. Why do they keep selling tickets if they know it is physically impossible for anyone else to book and sail with them? I would have been totally blindsided. Not cool.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Diplomacy

[Diplomacy]

I dont know how you got away with that ... Visas are required for entry into Australia, unless of course you've got dual citizenship of which Australia is one of countries of citizenship (by birth or parent/s birth) and you're a holder of an Aussie passport.

Or you're from NZ, in which case you dont need a visa.

 

When I went to Australia (By plane; not via a cruise) I was never in physical possession of any paper visa. I stayed for 14 days. Some countries issue their visa's automatically. As long as they are notified of your details, and their fees are paid, and you have a passport when you get there... cruise ships and tour companies handle these types of visas automatically on behalf of their customers.

 

India is different. You have to mail the passport in, along with an extra set of passport photos well in advance of the cruise. RCCL isn't able to facilitate.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Diplomacy

[Sharkb8]

Have only had one cruise regarding a Visa (Around the Horn of South America), and all passengers were left at the dock at the stop prior to the one requiring a Visa (Montevideo, for Brazil).

 

Looking at doing the Ovation in May 2016 from Dubai to Singapore.

 

The visa required is over £80 per person for the stop in India. As we are not really bothered about getting off the ship in India I am considering not getting visas.

 

Have you ever been denied boarding for not having a visa or is it just a case of you cannot leave the ship without a visa once arriving in India?

 

Thanks

 

Pete.

[kobecat]

We did the Celebrity Solstice Barcelona to Singapore in November 2012, it was a 2 segment cruise, Barcelona to Dubai then Dubai to Singapore (taking in an overnight in Cochin India). We got the Indian visa but we're lucky as they have an office in Perth so we didn't have to send passports away. They cost about AU$120 each.

 

Many passengers did not get the visa and they were not denied boarding. When we got to India, authorities came on board and gave them all a visa for $50. I was a bit annoyed about that but would never not get the visa.

 

Going back to 2009, over 100 passengers were left on the dock at Fort Lauderdale who did not have the Brazilian visa.

[globalshopping]

Looking at doing the Ovation in May 2016 from Dubai to Singapore.

 

The visa required is over £80 per person for the stop in India. As we are not really bothered about getting off the ship in India I am considering not getting visas.

 

Have you ever been denied boarding for not having a visa or is it just a case of you cannot leave the ship without a visa once arriving in India?

 

Thanks

 

Pete.

 

Hi

we have been on the Quantum this year going to Singapore and were told to have an Indian visa, but as we arrive there were plenty of People not having a visa for India. The only thing happened to them were the could not get on shore while we were in India.

Thats it, so much for that. And by the way you will not miss a lot on this port.

 

Also nobody was checking our Visa while we were boarding in Barcelona.

Edited November 7, 2015 by globalshopping

[FLACRUISER99]

I was also on the Mariner repo & folks were denied boarding w/o a Brazil visa. On Princess folks were put of the ship in Senegal Africa that did not have an Brazil visa. However on the Solstice repo Dubai to Sydney folks w/o an Indian visa were allowed to get one at the port of Kochin for $50 USD that was much less than everyone that had them in advance paid. If you want to gamble you could not get one, but I would prepare myself for the possibilty of being denied boarding.

[mollyeilis]

hmm... we went to Australia a few years ago and were not required to have a visa. WE entered via a cruise, but we stayed another 10 days on our own.:confused:

 

jc

 

Did you have a TA? S/he maybe applied for it for you?

 

DH didn't realize he needed one, and at the airline counter when in the US he paid the fee for an electronic visa and it was done right then. Easy.

 

http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/601-

 

Not sure when you would have done it, but you would have had one.

[Docker123]

The Oz-US visa requirements, and many other countries, have varied considerably over the years.

 

When I first went to the US as a tourist, and tourists coming here, had to fill in all the forms and pay a visa fee.

 

At some time it was decided we could trust each other and tourist and some other short visit visas were abolished.

 

Then about 10 years ago an in-between process was instituted for lots of countries. This is now the electronic approval process that is in place now.

 

I have seen people at both Australian and US airports denied boarding because their passport scans did not link with an electronic visa.

[Who Cares?]

The Oz-US visa requirements, and many other countries, have varied considerably over the years.

 

When I first went to the US as a tourist, and tourists coming here, had to fill in all the forms and pay a visa fee.

 

At some time it was decided we could trust each other and tourist and some other short visit visas were abolished.

 

Then about 10 years ago an in-between process was instituted for lots of countries. This is now the electronic approval process that is in place now.

 

I have seen people at both Australian and US airports denied boarding because their passport scans did not link with an electronic visa.

 

My wife and I are flying to Oz next summer to visit friends. While we both have to have a visa, what sucks is I have to pay $20 for mine (US citizen) and hers is free (German citizen with a US green card). :(

[adirondacksailor]

We are just off Explorer Dubai-Singapore this week. If not going off ship, Indian visa NOT required. We had been told it was. A big fuss at Meet and Mingle when a question was put forth. Activities Director had it checked into and came back and asked guests who had no intention of getting off ship in India, but had purchased visas, to tell Guest Services. He said it will be checked that they in fact do not get off ship in India and they MAY get visa costs reimbursed as it appears Miami office was in error telling guests they needed visa.

[Fat Bastard]

Currently on Ovation in Kochin,

And NO, you don't need a visa if you don't get off the ship.

Typical RCL BS.

I and many others intend on getting refunds from RCL for the cost of the useless visa.

 

#FURCL