After reading this article do you think "kicked off" are the right words to use?

[Boatdrill]

On 12/1/2018 at 8:32 AM, AmazedByCruising said:

I wonder if you actually "enter" a country if you stay on the ship, as HAL seems to have tried to negotiate.  

 

When in St Petersburg, there were lines to enter the country, but only after you debarked. 

 

Would that mean that all crew members would need a visum as well? 

Each time a ship docks in any international port,  local officials come aboard,  stamp the ship's passport (figuratively, of course) and go over the pax and crew lists; all passengers and crew have to have the proper documents/visas, etc. for that country.  As we all know, no  one gets off until the ship is cleared.  You can usually spot them on the pier waiting for gangway to be set up. 

[doublebzz]

14 minutes ago, RDC1 said:

If HAL has stated that you do not need a VISA and are willing to provide you with a letter documenting that fact then you should be set. 

 

Sanya is a fairly unique situation with the presence of two different free Visa programs.  One, the one that has been mentioned here, requires an approved travel company. While this is generally for land tour companies, it is also one that HAL might access in conjuction with their tour providers. The interesting question is if you need to sign up for the tour prior to boarding the cruise (otherwise how would they know if you would be covered under that program) and what happens if you cancel the excursion or if the tour company cancels it prior to arrival at port.  Would that then leave you without a valid VISA. That also raises the question if HAL is the approved tour company or if it is the local tour provider.

 

 

There is no willingness by HAL to put in writing what has been represented verbally to a number of us.  If they would and that is exactly what I'm suggesting in my posts, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.  With respect to your second question, HAL reps have verbally stated if you opt to stay on board, that would also obviate the need for a visa.

Edited December 4, 2018 by doublebzz

[RDC1]

29 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

There is no willingness by HAL to put in writing what has been represented verbally to a number of us.  If they would and that is exactly what I'm suggesting in my posts, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.  With respect to your second question, HAL reps have verbally stated if you opt to stay on board, that would also obviate the need for a visa.

What I would do is to find a local company that provides cruise ship excursions for that port.  I would e-mail them inquiring about tours and in doing so ask them about visa needs for cruise ship passengers visiting the port and what HAL had indicated concerning Visa's.  Then see what they say.  

 

Keep in mind that cruiselines are not in the business of preventing their passengers from completing cruises.  They usually error on the side of caution when it comes to Visas. So if they are saying that it is not necessary if you book one of their tours then it seems reasonable based upon the other info out there.

 

There seems to be plenty of documentation that Sanya is an exception to the general rule in China.  Primarily since it is a resort island, isolated from the mainland.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

The US State Department website has an “International Travel” section where you look at country-specific info, including whether or not a Visa is required.  If a Visa us required, they direct you to the country’s embassy to obtain it.  Seems pretty simple to me.  Of course, this helps only travelers from the US, but that’s where I looked when I was getting ready for the Voyage of the Vikings last year, and when I started putting together all my docs for the upcoming Hawaii-Tahiti-Marquesas cruise coming up in March.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

Edited December 4, 2018 by ArtsyCraftsy

[Stratheden]

4 hours ago, travelholics said:

We are on the same cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong and our only Chinese port of call is Sanya. A number of us have spoken with HAL documentation department and have been told that if we book a HAL tour we do not require visas. The case we have all read about is now making us uneasy as we are not sure how to proceed. It would be helpful to have some guidance in writing from HAL clarifying that their tours do not require a visa.

I cannot understand why you say Hal won't put it in writing. It is on their website. 

 

Sanya, China • USA Nationals 

o 26 nationalities are allowed to enter visa-free if participating on a Holland America Line 

shore excursion: Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, 

Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, 

Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, 

USA. 

[travelholics]

2 hours ago, Stratheden said:

I cannot understand why you say Hal won't put it in writing. It is on their website. 

 

Sanya, China • USA Nationals 

o 26 nationalities are allowed to enter visa-free if participating on a Holland America Line 

shore excursion: Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, 

Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, 

Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, 

USA. 

Please can I ask you where you found this, it is just what we need to put our minds at rest and relax before boarding. Thank you everyone for helping, it is great to have the experience of fellow travellers.

[doublebzz]

3 hours ago, travelholics said:

Please can I ask you where you found this, it is just what we need to put our minds at rest and relax before boarding. Thank you everyone for helping, it is great to have the experience of fellow travellers.

See link :  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.html .  Click on the tab that says "cruise preparation".  Thank you Travelholics - this is really hidden.

Edited December 4, 2018 by doublebzz

[travelholics]

22 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

See link :  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.html .  Click on the tab that says "cruise preparation".  Thank you Travelholics - this is really hidden.

Thank you so much, I pride myself on reading and researching everything but I missed this!We have booked a tour through HAL and will double check requirements two weeks before departure. Really appreciative of all the wonderful info imparted here to us newer cruisers.

 

[doublebzz]

3 minutes ago, travelholics said:

Thank you so much, I pride myself on reading and researching everything but I missed this!We have booked a tour through HAL and will double check requirements two weeks before departure. Really appreciative of all the wonderful info imparted here to us newer cruisers.

 

We already booked the tour.  Looking forward to seeing you on board maybe at the M & G.

[Stratheden]

8 hours ago, travelholics said:

Please can I ask you where you found this, it is just what we need to put our minds at rest and relax before boarding. Thank you everyone for helping, it is great to have the experience of fellow travellers.

Go to. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.cruise-preparation.do-i-need-a-visa.html

the selsect the live link

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/HAL_Visa_Guidance_ADA_v3.pdf

 

It is a .pdf document that you can save and take with you. 

[travelholics]

1 hour ago, Stratheden said:

Go to. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.cruise-preparation.do-i-need-a-visa.html

the selsect the live link

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/HAL_Visa_Guidance_ADA_v3.pdf

 

It is a .pdf document that you can save and take with you. 

Thanks Stratheden, this is a great help for my upcoming trip and I will know where to start my checks in the future

[kwb101]

Rather than rely on HAL, you may want to check with the U.S. State Department's page for country information. Just enter the country's name on the left, and you'll get info on passports, visas, currency restrictions, and more. Good luck!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

[DeeniEncinitas]

1 hour ago, kwb101 said:

Rather than rely on HAL, you may want to check with the U.S. State Department's page for country information. Just enter the country's name on the left, and you'll get info on passports, visas, currency restrictions, and more. Good luck!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

THANKYOU! So much appreciated 

Denise😊

[TAD2005]

On 12/4/2018 at 2:40 AM, ArtsyCraftsy said:

The US State Department website has an “International Travel” section where you look at country-specific info, including whether or not a Visa is required.  If a Visa us required, they direct you to the country’s embassy to obtain it.  Seems pretty simple to me.  Of course, this helps only travelers from the US, but that’s where I looked when I was getting ready for the Voyage of the Vikings last year, and when I started putting together all my docs for the upcoming Hawaii-Tahiti-Marquesas cruise coming up in March.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

We are on the Eurodam Hawaii, Tahiti, Marquesas cruise this March 9.   I checked and I didn't see any requirements for US citizens to enter French Polynesia, other than a regular passport.   Have you found something different for these ports ?

Edited December 6, 2018 by TAD2005

[ArtsyCraftsy]

10 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

We are on the Eurodam Hawaii, Tahiti, Marquesas cruise this March 9.   I checked and I didn't see any requirements for US citizens to enter French Polynesia, other than a regular passport.   Have you found something different for these ports ?

 

Nothing different -- I checked just after I booked the trip (over a year ago), and again while I was responding to this discussion.  For US travelers, a valid US passport is all that's needed -- no additional documents required for any of our ports.  

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA