Daughter's 19 year old boyfriend. Chinese citizen. Can he cruise with us (connecting cabin)?

[The Fun Researcher]

Anyone have a phone number or email contact at Celebrity (besides the main one on the webpage) that could help me?

 

I've sent emails on Wednesday to both cec@celebrity.com and LBethge@celebrity.com with no response.

 

Thanks in advance,
Dan

[hcat]

maybe he or they should skip the trip..too many issues.

 

(.Post say he's  been in US since 2018 as a student...That's kind of a long  time for a basic  degree)

Edited December 1, 2023 by hcat

[The Fun Researcher]

13 minutes ago, hcat said:

maybe he or they should skip the trip..too many issues.

 

(.Post say he's  been in US since 2018 as a student...That's kind of a long  time for a basic  degree)

Thanks, but not helpful.  If we can make it work we will.  He's been here since freshman year in highschool and in his second year in college

[wrk2cruise]

There used to be an email for the executive office but I don't see it now.   Here is another contact at a senior customer service level to try.

 

Jennifer Morales
Director, Celebrity Engagement Center
1050 Caribbean Way
Miami, FL 33132
jennifermorales@celebrity.com

[The Fun Researcher]

59 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

There used to be an email for the executive office but I don't see it now.   Here is another contact at a senior customer service level to try.

 

Jennifer Morales
Director, Celebrity Engagement Center
1050 Caribbean Way
Miami, FL 33132
jennifermorales@celebrity.com

Thank you!  I've sent the email to Jennifer as well.

 

Worst case he can't go but that would be a bummer after all this effort. 

 

I know for certain if we were travelling on our own, we have the correct customs info for him to leave the US, visit Cozumel and Bahamas, and return from the countries to enter the US.  I just need Celebrity to confirm as well so we don't have issues at the pier.  Also need to have in writing that they are o.k. with our cabin setup.  Doesn't seem that it should be this difficult to reach the right people.

[RedIguana]

On 11/29/2023 at 3:02 PM, DaKahuna said:

Maybe I am old and lazy but I'd be tempted to tell my daughter to find a new boy friend as this is sounding like it is a whole lot of time and trouble.     🤣

 

Dear daughter,

 

Your mom and I are going on a cruise. Would you please feed the cats while we are gone?

 

Signed,

Your loving father

[sanger727]

I think mentioning the Chinese citizen fact has confused the issue on what you are asking. You already feel knowledgeable and comfortable with the Chinese citizen part. Your questions is just if three people under the age of 21 can share a cabin that connects to yours. 

[ETHTrader]

@thefunresearcher

 

I just want to say, it's amazing how much time and effort you are putting into this for your daughter's boyfriend. You are a great parent and your daughter is lucky to have you as her parent

[The Fun Researcher]

43 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Dear daughter,

 

Your mom and I are going on a cruise. Would you please feed the cats while we are gone?

 

Signed,

Your loving father

Good stuff.  Made me laugh out loud. 🤣  Speaking of that, it was a whole 'nother ordeal.  We have a cat and a small dog, and our older daughter also has a mid size dog.  All three need to be watched while we're gone and I can't tell you how hard it is to find someone to watch them at this time of year (week before/of Christmas).  We called too late for boarding (which is a last resort anyway).  We settled on our 16 year old neighbor girl.  Hopefully it goes well.  I'm trying to help de-risk by ordering AirTags for all three animals to go on their collars in case they got loose for some reason.

 

9 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I think mentioning the Chinese citizen fact has confused the issue on what you are asking. You already feel knowledgeable and comfortable with the Chinese citizen part. Your questions is just if three people under the age of 21 can share a cabin that connects to yours. 

You may be right.  I only mention it because I'm not sure how they handle the customs/visa stuff upon check-in.  I think this is our 13th cruise (unlucky?  🤣)  We've never had to deal with it and I just don't want a surprise at the pier.  I have heard that if you don't have the correct visa's for ports of call upon check-in that they will deny boarding.  I want to make sure Celebrity agrees with what we have determined regarding Andy's I-20, I-94, visa requirements  and visa status.  One things for sure, after this we will have a much better grasp of what is needed next time. 

 

9 minutes ago, ETHTrader said:

@thefunresearcher

 

I just want to say, it's amazing how much time and effort you are putting into this for your daughter's boyfriend. You are a great parent and your daughter is lucky to have you as her parent

Thank you for this.  💝

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

We have a cat and a small dog, and our older daughter also has a mid size dog.  All three need to be watched while we're gone and I can't tell you how hard it is to find someone to watch them at this time of year (week before/of Christmas).

we use rover.com. Sometimes you find a gem, and sometimes you don't.

 

3 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I want to make sure Celebrity agrees with what we have determined regarding Andy's I-20, I-94, visa requirements  and visa status. 

a ton of Chinese citizens go on Caribbean cruises. Surely, Andy will not be Celebrity's first Chinese citizen. 🙂

 

Signed, a former F-1 student.

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I know for certain if we were travelling on our own, we have the correct customs info for him to leave the US, visit Cozumel and Bahamas, and return from the countries to enter the US.  I just need Celebrity to confirm as well so we don't have issues at the pier.

 

Having a 'letter' from corporate doesn't matter when it comes to citizenship documents.  The decision to accept documents, or deny boarding is made at the pier, and the final say (yay/nay) comes from the Ship's Documentation Officer.  If a citizenship documentation mistake is made, it is a &10K fine against the ship.  This why those of us who deal with checking in passengers are so careful and diligent when it comes to passports, visas, and other documents.

 

As for your room/guest configuration, assuming that you really have a connecting room, and that you are all checking in at the same time, it shouldn't be a problem.  If it was, the Pier Coordinator and/or the ship could administratively swap an adult and a child to make it more compliant.  I wouldn't worry about your stateroom.

[The Fun Researcher]

7 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we use rover.com. Sometimes you find a gem, and sometimes you don't.

 

a ton of Chinese citizens go on Caribbean cruises. Surely, Andy will not be Celebrity's first Chinese citizen. 🙂

 

Signed, a former F-1 student.

Thank you for this.  💝

 

4 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Having a 'letter' from corporate doesn't matter when it comes to citizenship documents.  The decision to accept documents, or deny boarding is made at the pier, and the final say (yay/nay) comes from the Ship's Documentation Officer.  If a citizenship documentation mistake is made, it is a &10K fine against the ship.  This why those of us who deal with checking in passengers are so careful and diligent when it comes to passports, visas, and other documents.

 

As for your room/guest configuration, assuming that you really have a connecting room, and that you are all checking in at the same time, it shouldn't be a problem.  If it was, the Pier Coordinator and/or the ship could administratively swap an adult and a child to make it more compliant.  I wouldn't worry about your stateroom.

This is great info, specifically the fact that they do indeed have a dedicated documentation officer.  This actually makes me feel better, knowing if this goes beyond the knowledge of the check-in person, it can get raised to someone that is dedicated to stuff like this.  

 

...yeah, definitely connecting rooms.  Equinox Prime Veranda's deck 7 on the bump out near the rear elevators.  Useless added info, but all prime veranda cabins in that bump out area from deck 6 - 9 are connecting.  🙂

 

Thanks again.

[hcat]

Did not know what an F1 visa was..googled it very interesting.  I learned  that many thousands of foreign citizens study in the US,  but it did not move this issue forward.

 

Maybe an immig atty can answer the question about  entry to other nations. Cruise ship rules seen to clearly discourage underage minors by their definition from sharing a room unless married (?)

 

Hope it works out!

[Ferry_Watcher]

16 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

This is great info, specifically the fact that they do indeed have a dedicated documentation officer.  This actually makes me feel better, knowing if this goes beyond the knowledge of the check-in person, it can get raised to someone that is dedicated to stuff like this.

 

Generally speaking, the check-in agent isn't the person telling you that you have been denied.  The check-in agent may know that someone doesn't have the required travel documents and will be denied, but sadly, the job of telling someone that they are denied goes to a supervisor, or someone from the document recovery team.

 

Not a fun part of the job.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[Loracpin2]

On 11/28/2023 at 5:57 PM, cruisestitch said:

Not to Celebrity

 

 

Exact Guidelines we had to follow for our 55th Anniversary celebration cruise with Family. All 8 Grandchildren were booked across the hall from their parents. One grandson was 21 so all three boys were booked in one room. One of the 5 granddaughters was 22 and we were able to book adjoining rooms with 2 of the girls in the room with the 22 year old and the other 2 girls (one was 20 in the adjoining room.  

[The Fun Researcher]

Thank you @wrk2cruise for the contacts to the Executive offices at Celebrity.  Not sure which of the two contacts made it through but I did hear back today.   

 

1)  Regarding the cabin situation (which I describe in my first post) they did reply that we are good to go.  No need for a parental consent form.  

 

2)  For those that may run into a situation where you want to bring a foreign citizen with you, be aware that Celebrity can only advise US and Canadian residents as to proper travel documents they may need.  Any other citizens need to verify their requirements on their own with appropriate Embassies/Consulates or Visa services.  This isn't a big surprise I guess.  It is good to know for certain that this is how it is handled.  At least we know.

 

With that being said, Andy will be contacting Visa services to insure that we have "all our ducks in a row" regarding his required travel documents.  I'm pretty certain we are good, but we'll verify.

 

Thanks again to all for the help, suggestions, well wishes, and humor.  -Dan

 

Here was the reply from Celebrity's Executive office...

"Thank you for taking the time to contact the Executive Offices at Celebrity Cruises.

 

As previously advised , Mr. ---- does not need to fill out the form as he is of age and will be in a connecting room. With regards with travel documents, please know that Celebrity is only able to advise US and Canadian residents.  All other guests should review the visas and passport requirements for each country on their sailing itinerary with their Embassy/Consulate or a Visa service of their choice. Anyone at your consulate will be able to answer your inquiries."

Edited December 3, 2023 by The Fun Researcher

[Ferry_Watcher]

Glad that you heard back from Celebrity and found that the cruise lines will not advise on travel documents (Visas, et al) needed by foreign passport holders sailing on a US closed loop cruise.  If you have any concerns that there could be an outside possibility that Andy could be denied boarding, I would suggest as a precaution, that that he carry on his luggage (rather than dropping it off with a porter), as it could take hours for the luggage to be located and returned to a denied passenger. Having to wait in the terminal get your luggage back after being denied is just extra heartbreak.

 

I also noticed under your signature that y'all took an Alaska cruise last summer (RCI Quantum).  So glad that that cruise wasn't the one he was invited to join the family, as without a Canadian Visa, he would have been denied.

 

You did mention that his F-1 Visa date in his passport has expired, so I would have him bring any and all paperwork that proves he has a Visa extension, or that he has applied for an extension.

 

Good luck, and thanks for keeping us updated.

 

 

[The Fun Researcher]

58 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

If you have any concerns that there could be an outside possibility that Andy could be denied boarding, I would suggest as a precaution, that that he carry on his luggage (rather than dropping it off with a porter), as it could take hours for the luggage to be located and returned to a denied passenger. Having to wait in the terminal get your luggage back after being denied is just extra heartbreak.

 

I also noticed under your signature that y'all took an Alaska cruise last summer (RCI Quantum).  So glad that that cruise wasn't the one he was invited to join the family, as without a Canadian Visa, he would have been denied.

 

You did mention that his F-1 Visa date in his passport has expired, so I would have him bring any and all paperwork that proves he has a Visa extension, or that he has applied for an extension.

 

Good luck, and thanks for keeping us updated.

 

 

1) Great point about the luggage!!  Thank you.  Knowing him he'll probably have just a carry-on so that should be easy to accommodate.

 

2) Correct, he was not on the Alaska cruise this summer.  However if he was, I think we would have looked into those requirement ahead of time and and gotten that Canadian Visa beforehand.  That Alaskan cruise was truly amazing. (With my siblings and their families, 14 of us total)

 

3) Regarding the expired F-1 Visa, that's what he's asking the Visa service or Consulate this week.  Our understanding at this point is that he can leave and return to the US, even though his Visa is expired, under this special rule:

 

From the ice.gov website:

I wish to travel to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands adjacent to the United States (insert: which includes the Bahamas). Can I return if my visa is expired?

Yes, in most cases. You can usually revalidate an expired visa automatically when returning from a visit of less than thirty days to Canada, Mexico, or one of the islands adjacent to the United States provided that you have a valid Form I-20 and a valid unexpired Form I-94. This process is known as automatic visa revalidation.

Link to ice.gov website

[Ferry_Watcher]

16 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Correct, he was not on the Alaska cruise this summer.  However if he was, I think we would have looked into those requirement ahead of time and and gotten that Canadian Visa beforehand.

 

FYI - getting a Canadian visa does take a bit of time.  A person would first submit an application, then, if approved, submit their passport so the full page visa can be attached to the passport.  I believe the cost is around $180.

 

While I know that this really doesn't pertain to your current situation, hopefully it could be useful knowledge for future travels, or for other CCer's planning Alaska cruises with visiting friends and family who hold foreign passports, and may need a Canadian Visa to cruise to Alaska.  (The nationalities we see most likely running into this problem are foreign passport holders from India, the Philippines, and South Africa, who are visiting American friends & relatives.  We also see folks from South America (except Chile) who are unaware they need a Canadian Visa on a Alaska cruise.

 

I actually had a passenger with a foreign passport from a country that needed a Canadian Visa show up to check-in with her just arrived Visa approval letter.  She had no time to send in her passport to get the Visa.  Since her passport didn't have the Canadian Visa, she was denied boarding, even though she had the letter approving her Visa request.