who to contact at Celebrity to confirm travel visa compliance?

[sanjay]

I am departing a cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale in a few weeks and one of the people in our group has an Indian passport (but American tourist visa)

From my online googling it appears this is sufficient because the websites for the embassies of the ports we are visiting imply cruise passengers do not require a visa.

 

Is there someone or a department at Celebrity or RCL I can contact just to confirm this so my friend does not have a problem at boarding in a few weeks?

 

My Celebrity Personal Vacation Planner did not have the answers and recommend a third party company called  Visa Central but it appears all they want to do is try and sell me things.  Their info has also been inconsistant.

 

Hoping someone has an answer of who I can confirm my details from.    I imagine Celebrity will verify her documents before boarding -- I would like to call that department.

 

 

 

 

 

[tschwa2]

Most cruise lines will not advise you on these issues.  At the port they will verify that you have sufficient documents to re-enter the US.  Once on the ship they will forward passenger information to the port authority and then the port will let the cruise line know if passenger X needs to provide additional documents like a Visa and if they don't have one may need to stay on the ship. 

Foreign laws can change at any time and the cruise line doesn't want to legally take responsible on advising passengers of the foreign laws nor would they want to be responsible for compensating you if they give out incorrect info or info that changed since they told you which resulted in muffled travel plans.   

 

There are over 190 countries in the world.  RCL and Celebrity will advise US citizens and citizens from the countries where the various cruises embark but that is the extent of the help you can get.  

Most Caribbean countries want tourist dollars and aren't going to be picky but you do have to look it up for each one or pay a 3rd party to do the research.  You also want to make sure that the person has a multiple entry tourist visa to the US.  I am not sure if a standard one allows more than the single entry.  Without that, he would not be allowed on the ship in Ft Lauderdale.

[LeeW]

The Caribbean countries most likely to care are Martinique (part of France) and Colombia but it is pretty easy to check requirements online.  Do it early and again a few weeks before the cruise.  

[alexandria]

Your friend should confirm with the US State Department and CBP that they will be able to depart and re-enter the US on their particular tourist Visa, as well as with the embassy of each country on the itinerary what may be required to enter that country as a passport holder of India.

[cruisestitch]

Celebrity will not provide the answers you seek, at least they never have in the past.  All you can do is check country by country and be sure that your friend is ok for re-entering the US.

[Jim_Iain]

Please read on Celebrity Site under FAQ Travel Documentation -  Celebrity agents will not and can not give advise on this and will refer you to Visa Central -

 

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/travel-documents

[Ferry_Watcher]

@sanjay, it is good that you are checking now.  While I don’t have an answer for your particular cruise, I can tell you that if your future plans included a closed loop Alaskan cruise that your friend with the Indian passport would need a Canadian visa to board the ship in Seattle.  Without that Canadian visa (full page pasted in the passport), he/she would be denied boarding.

I hope it all works out for your friend on your upcoming cruise.

[sanjay]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@sanjay, it is good that you are checking now.  While I don’t have an answer for your particular cruise, I can tell you that if your future plans included a closed loop Alaskan cruise that your friend with the Indian passport would need a Canadian visa to board the ship in Seattle.  Without that Canadian visa (full page pasted in the passport), he/she would be denied boarding.

I hope it all works out for your friend on your upcoming cruise.

thanks

 

my friend actually has a 10 year multi-entry canadian and usa visa

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

My answer was regarding a closed loop Alaskan cruise, i,e., and a passé with an Induan passport would also need a Canadian visa to cruise to Alaska.  I am happy that your friend has both (and probably many others as well)

 

I actually work checking in passengers for Alaska closed loop cruises, and folks who we deal with being denied due to Canadian visa issues are generally foreign nationals from India, The Philippines, China or South Africa.  These friends/relatives are usually visiting Americans or Permanent US Residents for an extended vacation, and the US friend/friend suggests an Alaskan cruise.  Americans and US Permanent Residents don’t have to worry about Canadian visas, and wrongly assume that since their visiting friend/relative who has an American visa is covered as well.  Sadly, it is a shock when the friend/relative is denied boarding because they don’t have a Canadian visa.  (This doesn’t apply to passport holders from EU countries, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, etc)

 

I realize that your cruise will be in the Caribbean, but anytime that I can share what can happen in the Alaskan cruise market, and maybe someone will read this and someone could be spared the heartbreak of being denied (and the loss of the non-refundable cruise fare), so I continue to share the information.

 

Do continue to check to see if your friend needs any additional visas for their cruise.  Best of luck!

 

 

Edited February 4 by Ferry_Watcher

[Alakegirl]

No one in the office will go out on a limb to answer your question, Sanjay

[sanjay]

hello everyone - thanks for your tips/help

 

i know everyone here has posted that Celebrity would not help but today I called the Captains Club number with the advice of the Celebrity Personal Vacation Planner and they were able to confirm that the documents I had were sufficient in their opinion.

 

 

[mahasamatman]

14 hours ago, sanjay said:

they were able to confirm that the documents I had were sufficient in their opinion.

 

And that's exactly what it is - an opinion. You have to decide your comfort level with an opinion from someone who is not necessarily familliar with your specific situation.