Desperate! We need your advice!

[auburn77]

We are US citizens, but read everything furnished to us long before our cruise date to the Med. I can remember reading the specific instructions sent to us regarding what to do if you were not a US citizen. It had nothing to do with us, but I read it anyway. It was in BOLD print!

We,too,spent quite a bit on the trip, so I re-read all of the requirements down to the slightest details. I can't imagine anyone not taking the time to do this.

[uksimonusa]

So what country is the OP from, I don't think there's many that require a visa to visit Spain.

[leavnofingerprints]

Personally, I find that in this day and age of heightened security that the OP would over-look this detail. You would have to be living under a rock to not realize how important proper documentation is.

 

LNF

[PhoenixCruiser]

Each of you should file in small claims court for the individual cost of your trip. I would sue the travel agent not the cruise line since the TA was worthless. I always book directly with the cruise line and just before final payment I might give it to a TA if they give me onboard credit but I've already done the legwork.

 

WHAT??? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

###

[Happy ks]

I just wanted to post a link to the requirements, I know it won't help the OP, but perhaps it would have if she would have read it (or any of the other materials) before travelling.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/passportGuidelines.do;jsessionid=0000P-9reHPwu7EX3EGKXCR2pAO:10ktdmlju

[Clarkk W Griswald]

3 weeks before we left for our cruise we had received our cruise papers and it stated in there that if you're not a US citizen that you would need to acquire a visa to get in those countries

Something in this thread seems fishy to me. To receive cruise documents and completely ignore the fact it stated you needed visas. Not even questioning what the documents stated. This story just doesn't make any sense to me. And sorry, I don't think insurance covers stupidity. And as far as filing a claim in court, the OP will have to sue his/herself, because that's where the fault lies.

[dad son team]

I agree with everyone that you should have questioned when the cruise docs said you may need a visa. The first thing I would have done was to call the TA and inquire, then call RCI to double check the TA's answer then go online to veryify their info. Especially when that amount of money is in jeopardy. The airline will be fined for letting you board.

 

Even if you were to obtain an emergency visa, you would then need to buy tickets to fly to Europe again since you have already flown on your previous tickets.

 

It's too bad that your friend didn't go and she lost her money too. I would have told my friend to have a drink for me and wished them bon voyage.

[LynneL]

I initially felt so terrible for these people. (always like to believe the good in people but sometimes....) Now reading all these posts I'm really questioning all this. There are the obvious things she did wrong, such as not reading (I'm going on a cruise on Sun. & I have read every single line of that cruise document booklet, reading RCCL thread etc. but then again I have off in the summer & have way too much time on my hands).

 

Anyway, what has me really curious is how old is this person really (I attribubed the mistake to being in their 20s), how did you see her profile & what country is she from if not from that long list someone posted?

[cruisePRN]

I've bought several homes in my lifetime and i rely on the realtor to have me sign the appropriate forms. If I sat and read every word in every form I've ever signed It would be a miracle. When you pay a commission to a "supposed" professional they should do their duty. A TA is similiar in their duty to do the best for you.

I think the TA is more responcible then the OP. Had the OP dealt directly RCL and bypassed the TA then they'd have no excuse.

[Cruising89143]

I've bought several homes in my lifetime and i rely on the realtor to have me sign the appropriate forms. If I sat and read every word in every form I've ever signed It would be a miracle. When you pay a commission to a "supposed" professional they should do their duty. A TA is similiar in their duty to do the best for you.

I think the TA is more responcible then the OP. Had the OP dealt directly RCL and bypassed the TA then they'd have no excuse.

 

Then if you sign things without reading them then it becomes your problem. This is the same case for the OP. No court is going to side with the OP. When are folks going to learn to take responsibility for their own mistakes?:rolleyes:

[wrp96]

I've bought several homes in my lifetime and i rely on the realtor to have me sign the appropriate forms. If I sat and read every word in every form I've ever signed It would be a miracle. When you pay a commission to a "supposed" professional they should do their duty. A TA is similiar in their duty to do the best for you.

 

Actually if you had a problem with those same real estate deals due to something you signed but did not read, you would be out of luck. The courts assume that if you have the opportunity to read but do not, then it is your fault for not taking the time to read, not the other person for not telling you exactly what it says.

 

Unfortunately for the OP, the TA is not at fault here if the OP did not take the time to actually read what she was signing.

[rubrrick]

Wrona should know............as she has a great deal of knowledge of the law! I too, feel sorry for the OP...........but it was the OP's fault, not the TA.

 

Rick

[xpcdoojk]

O man you guys are harsh! :D

 

RiverRev, I know that your recommendations are not easily offered in this case. However, I find this story very difficult to believe. Not saying it is impossible, but highly :D improbable.

 

If it is true. Good luck because you will need it. Although I was waiting for the prison scene from Midnight Express while reading it. :D

 

jc

[dream trip 06]

okay, sorry if I caused such a commotion. First of all for those people that thinks that I'm making this up because my age is off by 1 year...give me a break! I just turned 30 this year and my friend is 25...is that okay by you? Do you need my driver's license to prove my age before you believe my story? Gosh! I know I was going to get a lot of slack for this post and I was ready for it...but some of you could just be really mean!

 

For those of you who were nice enough to actually give me some advice, good or bad...I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I really do appreciate it.

 

I never said that I did not want to take responsibility for my stupidity. I know I made a mistake. I stated that on my post. I just wanted to see if there were some advices out there for me to take. I learned my lesson and will never again sign anything before I read it. I'm not the suing type of person and I'd rather swallow the loss before I do anything of the sort. I learned my lesson and it's a very expensive lesson to learn.

 

I do have a great friend and it was her choice to not go to the cruise, eventhough I had told her numerous times that she should do it. I even asked RCCL if we could somehow get someone else in my place so that my friend can go with someone else. Unfortunately, this was not possible. I do intend to pay her for her loss even if I have to work 2 jobs to do it. I hope that this will answer the comment one poster made.

 

Again, thank you for everyone that took the time to answer my post. I really do appreciate it. And if anyone else is wondering what country I'm from...it's the Philippines!:)

[celle]

To the OP:

 

I am so sorry this happened to you. And I do hope that you manage to get a cruise some time soon. It was a hard way to learn the lesson about reading everything before signing!

 

I know from personal experience how humiliating it is to be sent back for lack of a visa. It happened to my husband and me when we tried to enter VietNam in 2004.

 

We are from New Zealand, and we knew we would need a visa to enter VietNam. We applied to the Vietnamese embassy in good time and a visa was entered in our passports.

 

What threw us was that VietNam was going through a period when 2 classes of visa were allowed, as a phase-in to the new visa class. The weekend we arrived in Saigon, there was a pan-Asian conference in Hanoi and it was suddenly decided that the old (our) class of visa would no longer be accepted.

 

We were pulled out of the immigration line and sent back to Bangkok (I cried), being told that we would have to get a new visa there. The airline had to transport us for free, as they had apparently been notified of the changed visa requirement, and should not have allowed us to board in Bangkok.

 

It usually takes a minimum of 3 days to get a visa for VietNam, but (here is a benefit of having a TA) our TA was able to contact the Vietnamese embassy in NZ and they arranged for an expedited visa. We spent most of the next day getting our visa and visiting the headquarters of Thai Airways, to get a flight back to Saigon.

 

It all ended happily for us, as Thai Airways gave us a complimentary flight back to Saigon, and the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand later reimbursed all our additional expenses, even the cost of our phone calls. We even received a Christmas card from the Vietnamese ambassador to New Zealand!

 

As for our holiday, we only missed half a day of our tour (yet another plug for arriving a day early). We loved VietNam and its people, and would go there again at the drop of a hat.

[Happy ks]

dream trip 06, I know it is too late for you, but I'm glad you posted your story. Perhaps it will help someone else realize how important it is to have everything in order. Thank you for posting your story.

 

I have a feeling we may see more of these stories next year, people not realizing they will need passports to re-enter the US after a cruise. I'm sure we will hear from some who are left at the dock, after months of planning. TA's are trying, cruiselines are trying, the gov't publishes the info, it's even a sticky on this and other cruise boards, but there may be many who just won't bother to read it.

 

We'll more than likely hear a lot from people who didn't start the passport application early enough, too. As well as people who can't qualify, for various reasons. We recently had a thread (pulled, I never got to read the real juicy stuff) regarding a man who could not get a passport due to back child support. People with outstanding warrants (traffic tickets, perhaps years ago, perhaps another state) may be denied. People with names the same as criminals will be delayed for further investigation.

 

It would probably be nice if there were a thread (sticky) regarding these issues, maybe some people will notice it. I know there is one letting people know they have to get a passport, but I don't think everyone realizes they aren't just handed out to everyone, no questions asked. Like the thread that was pulled, there are going to be some angry people, mostly angry because they "did not know".

[MGoBlue2]

Each of you should file in small claims court for the individual cost of your trip. I would sue the travel agent not the cruise line since the TA was worthless. I always book directly with the cruise line and just before final payment I might give it to a TA if they give me onboard credit but I've already done the legwork.

Even if that were a good idea, the amount is too large to file in small claims court (at least where I'm from).

[rjg41]

To the OP-

 

Still would like to know who filled out your passport number on the RCCL documents? Has anybody shown you a copy or the original of the document you initialed?

[Tralynn222]

To the OP:

 

You are absolutely correct, the holier than thou's can most definitely be mean on here.

 

I truly sympathize with what you went through. You asked the TA if you needed a VISA and she stated you did not. While I agree that you should have second guessed it once you received the documentation, you trusted that she knew what she was talking about and didn't.

 

Before I met my husband, I have been known to make some "dumb" mistakes in trusting those who you expect to be the "expert". My husband has taught me, never trust anyone, be the leader of your own destiny and watch out for yourself. I hope it all works out for you.

[Catnip]

I am tired of hearing people like you wanting to sue everyone. It's about time, people take responsibility for themselves.

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but I get really tired of people suing for no reason whatsoever!!

 

While I do feel sorry for the OP, I have to agree with you on this.

A hard lesson was learned that we can all learn from......always read the fine print!! ;)

[sailingawaysoon]

Dream Cruise 06,

 

I just wanted to post a note and tell you that I'm sorry you missed your cruise. Regardless of who's to blame, I know you must feel horrible.

 

I would follow what someone else said and just call someone at Royal Caribbean and explain your story. You never know who might be on the other end and decide to help you out. You get more flies w/honey, so keep that in mind and good luck! I hope that something works out for you!

[shoreless]

Without getting into a long debate about personal responsibility, etc., I don't believe that anyone nowadays has the time to read every bit of the fine print that rules our lives. You could spend a lifetime just reading tax regulations from the IRS. Just the EULA on any piece of software, or even an audio CD in some cases, can take hours to read and begin to understand. And courts have been divided in some cases of disputed EULAs. Sometimes you really do just have to hope for the best.

[Autumnrose]

Without getting into a long debate about personal responsibility, etc., I don't believe that anyone nowadays has the time to read every bit of the fine print that rules our lives. You could spend a lifetime just reading tax regulations from the IRS. Just the EULA on any piece of software, or even an audio CD in some cases, can take hours to read and begin to understand. And courts have been divided in some cases of disputed EULAs. Sometimes you really do just have to hope for the best.

 

I agree with you to a point. I will admit that I certainly did not read every page of my home loan. But coming from an agency that sends out client verification forms I know that it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes to read such a form. Especially since the OP said that this was highlighted. How long would it really have taken to just read the important highlighted lines. Isn't the point of highlighting to draw attention to certain information? When I see something highlighted I know that means that it must be important.

[cruisePRN]

Even if that were a good idea, the amount is too large to file in small claims court (at least where I'm from).

 

Small claims is usually $5,000 limit and that's why I said they should each file separatly $4,000 each.

[LH_05]

Dream Cruise 06,

I can relate to you. My sister and I were supposed to go on the Med cruise together October last year on Carnival Freedom. (I went but not her, guess why?)

 

We found out that she needed to have a visa or US passport to travel to Europe. My husband and I are US citizen w/ passport, but my sister at the time was not. She made her deposits, then applied for her visa - thinking it'll come in time (applied early May for October traveling). Late July was when we had to pay in full, which we all did. A few days later, she received a letter informing her that they were back-logged and that she won't be getting her visa in time for her October cruise.

 

She contacted our TA right away, almost gave our TA a heart attack. TA contacted Carnival immediately and was able to get her final payment back, but was told she would lose the deposits ($800). She asked if TA can work w/ the cruiseline to see if the deposit can be applied to the same cruise for future sailing dates. With lots of phone calls, emails, and faxes and some months later, my sister was able to rebook for this past May, same cruise, w/ the $800 credit.

 

My sister had learned her lesson. She is now a US citizen w/ a passport. We'll be on the AOS this Oct 22nd-29th for our family cruise.

 

My point is - you need to be calm and patient. Work closely w/ your TA and RCCL. Hopefully they can work out something for you.

 

 

 

*** RCCL Adventure of the Seas 10/22/06