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Passport email from HAL


3rdGenCunarder
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1 hour ago, erewhon said:

 

So it was CIBT charging US$149.00 fee, plus the cost of a visa?

Yes.  I looked up a few of the visas that HAL can get us onboard.  CIBT wanted the following:

Kenya - $52.75 for visa plus $149 fee

Mozambique - $160 Visa plus $149 fee

Tanzania - $100 Visa plus $149 fee

 

As a final ripoff, CIBT can renew a US passport for $170 government fee plus $179 CIBT processing fee. You can renew your passport on your own for $110.

 

I feel bad for first time cruisers who read the HAL literature (or get the email) that says, “Holland America Line recommends guests utilize a visa service to secure your required documents.  We have partnered with VisaCentral(i.e. CIBT) as a service to assist with the collection of necessary documents.” and don’t know any better.

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21 hours ago, erewhon said:

 

Use the official government websites to obtain the Australian and New Zealand ETA'S.

In the past I have found that the Australian approval was available for less cost elsewhere, including your travel agent potentially.  Not sure if that is still the case. The NZ ETA is new so I have no info on that. 

I also got the email from HALs contractor and was disturbed by it. It is also a sales effort packaged as "HAL is helping you". 

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4 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

Yes.  I looked up a few of the visas that HAL can get us onboard.  CIBT wanted the following:

Kenya - $52.75 for visa plus $149 fee

Mozambique - $160 Visa plus $149 fee

Tanzania - $100 Visa plus $149 fee

 

As a final ripoff, CIBT can renew a US passport for $170 government fee plus $179 CIBT processing fee. You can renew your passport on your own for $110.

 

I feel bad for first time cruisers who read the HAL literature (or get the email) that says, “Holland America Line recommends guests utilize a visa service to secure your required documents.  We have partnered with VisaCentral(i.e. CIBT) as a service to assist with the collection of necessary documents.” and don’t know any better.

 

Thank you for your reply, what a rip off to obtain a passport!

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1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:


It is not required for a closed loop cruise. 

Every country in the world requires a passport for entry if you are flying in.  Certain countries waive the passport requirement if you are on a closed loop cruise, meaning you are returning to the US by the same ship you left on.  Those certain countries are mostly in the Caribbean.

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8 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

Every country in the world requires a passport for entry if you are flying in.  Certain countries waive the passport requirement if you are on a closed loop cruise, meaning you are returning to the US by the same ship you left on.  Those certain countries are mostly in the Caribbean.

 

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:


It is not required for a closed loop cruise. 

 

The countries visited on a closed loop cruise don't have to waive that requirement. They are allowed to determine what's required to enter their country. The closed loop is a US rule about getting back into the US from your cruise and its ports. It does not govern what your port countries do. 

 

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21 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

The countries visited on a closed loop cruise don't have to waive that requirement. They are allowed to determine what's required to enter their country. The closed loop is a US rule about getting back into the US from your cruise and its ports. It does not govern what your port countries do. 

 


If you are on a closed loop cruise Costa Rica does not require a passport book. Passengers can use a passport card or a birth certificate and DL. They are part of the WHTI. Of course the cruise line can require a passport book. Some cruise lines require them even when a country does not.  There are also countries that are not in the WHTI that waive the passport requirement. Until this year Martinique which is not part of the WHTI was waiving the passport book requirement but now a passport book will be required.  

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WHTI is about documents needed to enter the US. It does NOT govern the requirements of other countries. The passage below is from the Customs and Border Protection website. Note the sentences I bolded. Costa Rica has the right to require a passport.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative/faqs

 

U.S. citizens who board a cruise ship at a port within the United States, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S. port on the same ship (referred to as a “closed loop” cruise), may present a government issued photo identification, along with proof of citizenship (an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization).

Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

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15 hours ago, Charles4515 said:


It is not required for a closed loop cruise. 

Costa Rica (and a number of countries) requires a passport that expires at least 6 months after the date of entry into the country.  Take this seriously.  It is still required if you do not disembark.  

 

HAL sent me an email saying that boarding in FLL will be denied if you do not meet the passport requirement.

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1 hour ago, davy jones said:

Costa Rica (and a number of countries) requires a passport that expires at least 6 months after the date of entry into the country.  Take this seriously.  It is still required if you do not disembark.  

 

HAL sent me an email saying that boarding in FLL will be denied if you do not meet the passport requirement.

 

Costa Rica does not require that if you are on a closed loop cruise. Believe whatever you want. I don't take the  misinformation posted here seriously. HAL might require a passport. Some cruise lines require a passport no matter what. I definitely would follow what HAL requires for documents seriously. I have noticed though that many read the HAL web pages and emails and don't understand what they are reading. They don't understand the difference between what HAL requires and what HAL recommends. 

Edited by Charles4515
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40 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Costa Rica does not require that if you are on a closed loop cruise. Believe whatever you want. I don't take the  misinformation posted here seriously. HAL might require a passport. Some cruise lines require a passport no matter what. I definitely would follow what HAL requires for documents seriously. I have noticed though that many read the HAL web pages and emails and don't understand what they are reading. They don't understand the difference between what HAL requires and what HAL recommends. 

I'm just reporting what the letter from HAL says.  I don't want anyone to be denied boarding over this.

 

To me, having a passport is far better than navigating the changing document requirements.  It's good for 10 years, easy to renew, and universally accepted.

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2 hours ago, davy jones said:

I'm just reporting what the letter from HAL says.  I don't want anyone to be denied boarding over this.

 

To me, having a passport is far better than navigating the changing document requirements.  It's good for 10 years, easy to renew, and universally accepted.

 

I agree. I think it is far better to have a passport than any other documents that may be accepted. I understand the reluctance of parents to get the short duration childrens passports and that the cost for a family adds up but what if there is an emergency that requires flying back......then those families are going to have a big hassle. The reason the exceeptions to requiring passports for all cruises were made was because the cruise lines requested the exception,.  They were afraid they would lose a lot of buseness. Carnival even has a marketing page touting that many cruises don't require a passport. Also unfortunately people being human they forget to renew their passport or lose it and time before the cruise is limited to get a passport. I would never do international travel without a passport book but we should not give out wrong information based on what we think other people should do or should not do. 

Edited by Charles4515
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I can understand when people have 3 or more children that the cost is prohibitive.  However, many things can happen and if you need to get home from a foreign country, the process may be slowed down without a passport. I may be paranoid, but I use my Canadian passport as ID even when I fly within Canada. 

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1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I agree. I think it is far better to have a passport than any other documents that may be accepted. I understand the reluctance of parents to get the short duration childrens passports and that the cost for a family adds up but what if there is an emergency that requires flying back......then those families are going to have a big hassle. The reason the exceeptions to requiring passports for all cruises were made was because the cruise lines requested the exception,.  They were afraid they would lose a lot of buseness. Carnival even has a marketing page touting that many cruises don't require a passport. Also unfortunately people being human they forget to renew their passport or lose it and time before the cruise is limited to get a passport. I would never do international travel without a passport book but we should not give out wrong information based on what we think other people should do or should not do. 

 

47 minutes ago, dot73 said:

I can understand when people have 3 or more children that the cost is prohibitive.  However, many things can happen and if you need to get home from a foreign country, the process may be slowed down without a passport. I may be paranoid, but I use my Canadian passport as ID even when I fly within Canada. 

 

I'm a firm believer in having a passport. Yes, the cost of a passport adds to the cost of a trip. But compared to the price of a cruise, the passport isn't that expensive. And you can amortize the cost over 10 years of travel. 

 

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27 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

I'm a firm believer in having a passport. Yes, the cost of a passport adds to the cost of a trip. But compared to the price of a cruise, the passport isn't that expensive. And you can amortize the cost over 10 years of travel. 

 

 

Passports for children under 16 are only good for five years. And they must tbe applied for in person. 

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7 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Passports for children under 16 are only good for five years. And they must tbe applied for in person. 

 

True, but even so it's an investment in safety. As is travel insurance. It's like the old American Express commercial. Don't leave home without it.

 

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1 hour ago, dot73 said:

I can understand when people have 3 or more children that the cost is prohibitive.  However, many things can happen and if you need to get home from a foreign country, the process may be slowed down without a passport. I may be paranoid, but I use my Canadian passport as ID even when I fly within Canada. 

 

I would never use my passport to fly within the USA but some US citizens may need to in October 2020 if the Real ID deadline is not extended. 

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2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I would never use my passport to fly within the USA but some US citizens may need to in October 2020 if the Real ID deadline is not extended. 

 

I'll have to do that. I just renewed my driver license in the past year. New Jersey is only rolling out the real ID now. It isn't going well, and they haven't even got all of the offices set up yet. I'm not going to rush to renew my license. If I have to fly somewhere, I'll just use my passport until they get their act together. 

 

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