Booking a last minute deal -- finding out if a visa is necessary

[jt58203]

It probably won't happen this year for me. But say I want to book a last minute deal. Where do I find out if visas are required or just a passport will do? An example would be Zaandam, October 25 for the 14 night South American cruise.

[zoncom]

Call up cruise line.

[Dave in NJ]

Calling the cruise line is fine, but I'd get confirmation by going to the Dept. of State website and checking independently.

[iancal]

I would check with the countries that you are visiting.

 

I would never depend on the cruise line for accurate information of this kind.

[iancal]

I would check with the countries that you are visiting.

 

I would never depend on the cruise line for accurate information of this kind.

 

If your passport is going to expire within six months of travel you also need to check the passport requirements of those countries. Some countries insist that you have to have a minimum of six months passport coverage after your last scheduled day in the country.

 

Visa requirements in India actually precluded us from booking a last minute from Singapore -Dubai last March. They have since been changed.

Edited October 12, 2015 by iancal

[jaspersmycat]

Also check how many blank pages you have in your passport. Some countries won't let you in without at least one totally blank page.

[whogo]

The October 25th Zaandam cruise sails from Chile to Argentina via the Falkland Islands. No visa is required for US passport holders. You would be foolish to trust me on this, check the US Department of State website: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html

 

$599 for a 14 day cruise is an awesome price, hope there are cheap air tickets, too.

Edited October 12, 2015 by whogo

[ryndam]

There is an Argentinian Reciprocity Fee that needs to be paid online prior to departure from the US. It cannot be obtained onboard nor at the Argentine Port-of-Entry.

 

Although the Zaandam voyage noted by the OP does not travel to Brazil, it has been our experience that unless you live in a city with a Brazilian Consulate office, it takes many weeks to obtain a Brazilian visa. And even if you are near a Consulate office, each office has different requirements and wait times.

 

I also agree that it is best to check both the US Department of State website as well as the national website of any country on the cruise itinerary. The government websites have the most current visa information. We have never relied on the information provided by a cruise line or airline concerning visa, visitor or immigration requirements of foreign countries.

 

Another method is to use the services of a visa procurement company, but that is generally not an option for last-minute visas unless one is prepared to pay a significant premium for an expedited service.

 

Rob

[serendipity1499]

It probably won't happen this year for me. But say I want to book a last minute deal. Where do I find out if visas are required or just a passport will do? An example would be Zaandam, October 25 for the 14 night South American cruise.

 

I would check with the countries that you are visiting.

 

I would never depend on the cruise line for accurate information of this kind.

 

If your passport is going to expire within six months of travel you also need to check the passport requirements of those countries. Some countries insist that you have to have a minimum of six months passport coverage after your last scheduled day in the country.

 

Visa requirements in India actually precluded us from booking a last minute from Singapore -Dubai last March. They have since been changed.

 

I agree with Lancal..DO NOT depend on the cruise line to give you correct Visa info..It is also very difficult to book a last minute cruise to South America..We don't even know if you hold a U.S. Passport or a Passport from another Country.. You may or may not require a visa depending on your nationality..

 

Go on-line & check each country's WEB site on the itinerary for Visa info..

Then you might have to mail your passport with your checks to an Embassy or a Consulate where you reside.. Sometimes the Embassy or Consulate will issue a visa in person.. You can also hire a company to obtain all your visa's for you, but this could take a longer time to get all the necessary visa's & cost a good deal extra..

 

Everyone, including U.S. Citizens need a visa for Brazil...That took us many weeks to get, as we had to Snail Mail our passports & pictures to the Consulate in Miami.. Our original Visa's for Brazil did not require photographs, but this last one did.. You also will need some shots to get into some SA countries...As another poster mentioned your passport can't expire for at least 6 months when entering most countries in S.A. & be sure you have enough pages left in your passport for the No. of countries you are visiting..

 

SA is an exciting itinerary, please plan ahead & don't try to wait until the last minute to get your documents in order..

Edited October 12, 2015 by serendipity1499

[Marianne]

As far as I know you will need a visa for Brazil, but check with your TA or HAL for this important information. It took about two weeks for sending and return of our Brazilian visas from Portland OR to San Francisco, via special mailing. We always chose the five-year visa, which we used several times. Hope this info helps.

Marianne

[Hlitner]

We will be contrarian and say, it is not wise to totally depend on any cruise line for Visa info. We have been given incorrect info by 2 cruise lines in the past which was only corrected at the last minute. For US Passport holders we strongly advise going onto the US State Department's web site and reading the latest Visa (and other info) about each country you will visit. Here is the link to the site:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html

 

If you do go to South America, keep in mind that getting a Brazilian Visa is a major hassle and expense. We once made the mistake of dealing directly with the Brazilian Consul in Washington D.C. which was a very unpleasant experience. In the future if we ever return we will spend the extra money and use a reputable Visa company to do the work.

 

Hank

Edited October 13, 2015 by Hlitner

[take us away]

Took a peek at the itinerary - good grief - you did find a great deal, congratulations! There is no Brazil which is the worst visa for SA. Just do a quick search for countries you will visit to see about visas. 2 years ago, no visas were needed for those ports for US passport holders but things change on a regular basis.

 

You can quickly search on HAL's recommended visa service website: hollandamerica.visacentral.com as you can search by your passport nationality, add a list of countries and they will let you know about a visa. Have used them with great success and minimal hassles. I echo the recommendation you check with each country's embassy website to be absolutely sure.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

I've found the info on the visahq website to be the most accessible, and so far has been reliable. Sometimes I double check with the website of the consulates of the country to be visited, or with a call to one of their consular offices.

[HokiePoq]

We will be contrarian and say, it is not wise to totally depend on any cruise line for Visa info. We have been given incorrect info by 2 cruise lines in the past which was only corrected at the last minute. For US Passport holders we strongly advise going onto the US State Department's web site and reading the latest Visa (and other info) about each country you will visit. Here is the link to the site:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html

 

If you do go to South America, keep in mind that getting a Brazilian Visa is a major hassle and expense. We once made the mistake of dealing directly with the Brazilian Consul in Washington D.C. which was a very unpleasant experience. In the future if we ever return we will spend the extra money and use a reputable Visa company to do the work.

 

Hank

 

Appreciate this insight. We've dealt with the Chinese Embassy directly in DC (very polite, but wasted hotel and trip due to being told when we arrived "no expedited visas today") but did not know it would be a challenge to deal directly with Brazil.

The Argentine reciprocity is available online, OP. It was no problem to get. However, be sure to take a copy of it with you in case of difficulty. One lady in our tour group was delayed as somehow it didn't get recorded properly (by who I don't know). She did eventually board and made the cruise. Our around the horn cruise did not require any other visas, but as most have suggested, the state department website is the definitive authority.

[iancal]

This is good info. We are hoping to do a late booking on a South American cruise early in the New Year. This has prompted me to start determining what documentation is required.

 

Last time, a number of years ago, that we obtained a Brazilian visa it was a fairly straightforward process. There was a consulate in Vancouver and the visa was issues promptly. The process may well have changed since then.

[InTheWASide]

It probably won't happen this year for me. But say I want to book a last minute deal. Where do I find out if visas are required or just a passport will do? An example would be Zaandam, October 25 for the 14 night South American cruise.

 

HAL provides the information if you are a US or Canadian citizen. All others need to check with local embassies/consulates.

 

South America TYPICALLY does not require visas but there are vaccination requirements and "reciprocity fees" required by some countries and processes involved in doing that.

 

travel.state.gov is also a fantastic resource for this info if you're a US citizen

[iancal]

We travel on Canadian passports.

 

Our challenge is that if we take a SA cruise we will spend an additional three weeks or more so touring South American countries that may not be included as a port stop. We usually combine cruises with independent land tours.