No visa for one of the ports

For a week now I'm trying to find out what is the formal NCL policy about ports in countries that require a visa from certain passengers.

It's important to us, because we're contemplating booking a cruise (our first on Norwegian) which docks in Tangier (Morocco).

We have Israeli passports, so no relationships with Morocco and no visas... Let it be clear that we do NOT wish to get off the ship in Tangiers.. we're planning to stay on board in any case! The only thing I would like very much to hear - from somebody who has the knowledge and the authority - that the absence of the relevant visa in our passports won't be considered a reason for not letting us embark the ship in Barcelona.

 

The strange thing is that I can't find an email address to whom to write about it and get a "formal" answer. Not on the NCL website... nor from NCL agents.. I even tried their Facebook page and they promised to help - but so far I haven't heard back anything . I don't know why.. We had once a similar situation on HAL with Tunisia and it was easy to find whom to ask.. and we got a quick answer too.

 

Maybe someone here can help??

 

Miriam

I think you need to ask this question to your own embassy which is what the small print on NCL brochure suggests

"Not getting off the ship" is usually not good enough and you may very well be denied boarding but best to get that directly from the source.

 

I would check with your embassy and the embassy of Morocco.

I would not take the advice you may or may not be given on here as truth.

It doesn't make any difference whether you stay on board or get off at the port of call, you will be in Moroccan waters and therefore require a Visa.

The ship will have a manifest which is open to scrutiny from the Moroccan's, and if they see an 'illegal' passenger, the cruiseline can incur a hefty fine, for which they will make you liable, as I'm sure it's in the small print of the contract of passage.

Not sure that they would actually let you embark. I have no direct experience.

If a visa is required and you do not have one, you will be denied embarkation.

"Not getting off the ship" is usually not good enough and you may very well be denied boarding but best to get that directly from the source.

 

I would check with your embassy and the embassy of Morocco.

I would not take the advice you may or may not be given on here as truth.

Agreed, we have been told that technically once you enter the waters of the country where the port is located, you will need a visa. You may not be able to board the ship without the visa.

If a visa is required and you do not have one, you will be denied embarkation.

 

You may all be right, of course..

 

Still, I found this on the NCL website under " Required Travel Documents and Information for Cruise vacation"

MOROCCO - Moroccan immigration regulations state that certain individuals require a visa to go ashore. Guests of the following nationalities do not require a Moroccan visa: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guinea (Conakry), Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, and Venezuela.

 

NOTE: Guests belonging to nationalities that require a visa will not be permitted ashore while the vessel is in a Moroccan port if they are not in possession of a valid Moroccan visa.

 

From what is implied above it doesn't seem as if people without a visa are forbidden to get on the ship (if they were, then there wouldn't be any need to even mention "people without a visa" or "permission to get ashore")

 

That's why I would like to hear from NCL ..

You may, or may not need a visa.

 

Most (not all) countries that require a visa or similar document to enter their country treat cruise ships differently. When going to most countries you have to show your passport and sometimes a visa upon arrival.

 

Most, but not all do not require this from a cruise ship and their passengers. The allow one day visits without going through the SAME paperwork required when you fly into the country.

 

As a result of these rules and the varied rules by some countries, there is a good chance you will get a wrong answer.

 

Your country of origin and the visiting country rules for cruise ships can swing the answer many ways.

We did NCL to Russia (St P), where obviously everyone needs a visa. Those that didn't have one and planned to stay on board weren't denied embarkation at Dover.

 

Can someone remind me why NCL stopped calling at Tunisia....from memory was something to do with denying entry to Israeli passengers.

The countries we sailed to which required a visa (Russia and Egypt, for example), NCL took care of the visas. We turned in our passports and got them back a few days later. I have no idea how they handle Morocco, but I'm sure there are plenty of cruisers on this forum who've been there.

If you go to a port in China, you must have a Chinese visa. We are on a Japan and China cruise with Celebrity October/Nov 2015 and a visa is required for one port in China (Shanghai).

I have no idea how they handle Morocco, but I'm sure there are plenty of cruisers on this forum who've been there.

The problem is not many of them were traveling on Israeli passports… We just got back from a Canary Islands and Morocco cruise, and I can tell you that our passports were not collected (I know that some other passengers' passports were collected, don't know which countries), and there was no face-to-face immigration control for passengers getting off the ship in Casablanca. So if any passengers had travel restrictions for Morocco, it would have been completely up to the ship's security officers to keep them on board. There were no Moroccan officials present in port checking to make sure that everyone actually getting off the ship had the required papers. Edited February 26, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

The problem is not many of them were traveling on Israeli passports… We just got back from a Canary Islands and Morocco cruise, and I can tell you that our passports were not collected (I know that some other passengers' passports were collected, don't know which countries), and there was no face-to-face immigration control for passengers getting off the ship in Casablanca. So if any passengers had travel restrictions for Morocco, it would have been completely up to the ship's security officers to keep them on board. There were no Moroccan officials present in port checking to make sure that everyone actually getting off the ship had the required papers.

 

Thanks all for your input. The CC is a great community that can always be counted on! :)

 

But I am still not much wiser.. I know that there are differences between countries and their policies towards cruise ships and their passengers (re the differences between China, US, Russia, Egypt.. and - probably - Morocco).

 

My problem still is that I can't find an access to anyone in NCL who is supposed to KNOW FOR SURE what that policy is. Or even to anyone else in the NCL administration. :confused:

To me it's incomprehensible. In all our past cruises on other lines one could usually find an email address of some customer service official. Where you could send your inquiry.. get an automatic (the "don't reply to" kind) answer which would acknowledge that your request has been received and you'll be answered by the appropriate dept. And even if it would take a week or more - eventually you'll hear from them.

 

Here I feel as if I'm dealing with a stone wall.. No doors anywhere.

 

I know that this is all not that serious. We haven't booked this cruise yet, and - if we won't clear this up - of course we are not going to .. Why take a chance?

Still, I think it's a pity..

Miriam

For a week now I'm trying to find out what is the formal NCL policy about ports in countries that require a visa from certain passengers.

It's important to us, because we're contemplating booking a cruise (our first on Norwegian) which docks in Tangier (Morocco).

We have Israeli passports, so no relationships with Morocco and no visas... Let it be clear that we do NOT wish to get off the ship in Tangiers.. we're planning to stay on board in any case! The only thing I would like very much to hear - from somebody who has the knowledge and the authority - that the absence of the relevant visa in our passports won't be considered a reason for not letting us embark the ship in Barcelona.

 

The strange thing is that I can't find an email address to whom to write about it and get a "formal" answer. Not on the NCL website... nor from NCL agents.. I even tried their Facebook page and they promised to help - but so far I haven't heard back anything . I don't know why.. We had once a similar situation on HAL with Tunisia and it was easy to find whom to ask.. and we got a quick answer too.

 

Maybe someone here can help??

 

Miriam

 

You might not even get on the ship

 

They might not even be able to dock as the Moroccan govt might not clear the ship even if you don't get off

 

Google carnival splendor South American inaugural cruise.... Usa citizens without Brazilian visas weren't allowed to board in Miami

 

And the USA does have relations with brazil.

 

 

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Edited February 26, 2015 by luvtheships

NCL it self provides a link to a visa service that may help...

 

http://visacentral.com/tourkits?bookmark=1&login=ncl

 

Go to the "visa" tab and answer the pertinent questions...

Thanks all for your input. The CC is a great community that can always be counted on! :)

 

But I am still not much wiser.. I know that there are differences between countries and their policies towards cruise ships and their passengers (re the differences between China, US, Russia, Egypt.. and - probably - Morocco).

 

My problem still is that I can't find an access to anyone in NCL who is supposed to KNOW FOR SURE what that policy is. Or even to anyone else in the NCL administration. :confused:

To me it's incomprehensible. In all our past cruises on other lines one could usually find an email address of some customer service official. Where you could send your inquiry.. get an automatic (the "don't reply to" kind) answer which would acknowledge that your request has been received and you'll be answered by the appropriate dept. And even if it would take a week or more - eventually you'll hear from them.

 

Here I feel as if I'm dealing with a stone wall.. No doors anywhere.

 

I know that this is all not that serious. We haven't booked this cruise yet, and - if we won't clear this up - of course we are not going to .. Why take a chance?

Still, I think it's a pity..

Miriam

 

There is NO ONE at NCL who will give you an answer FOR SURE. That is why my original post directed you to reach out to both embassies.... Even if an NCL phone rep gives you an answer you may or may not be getting the correct info....

Send NCL a registered letter outlining your visa issue and ask them to confirm that you will be able to board the ship without the visa. Perhaps this will help you get a refund if you are unable to board.

There is NO ONE at NCL who will give you an answer FOR SURE. That is why my original post directed you to reach out to both embassies....

What embassies? :confused: And even if Israel and Morocco did have normal diplomatic relations, it's not up to the embassy of any country whether NCL will let you board a cruise. That is up to NCL.

 

almostnewtocruise, your best bet is to try to find other Israeli passport holders that have cruised recently on Norwegian Spirit (which stops in Casablanca). You might find some by posting on some roll calls for past cruises. Or contact a travel agent in Israel that books NCL cruises.

 

And keep in mind that whatever you find out now may no longer be valid by the time your cruise date comes around. But it is disappointing that no one at NCL is able to give you a reliable answer now. But after their experience with Tunisia last year they may be wary of making any promises to Israeli passengers, since the decision is ultimately out of their hands.

There is NO ONE at NCL who will give you an answer FOR SURE. That is why my original post directed you to reach out to both embassies.... Even if an NCL phone rep gives you an answer you may or may not be getting the correct info....

 

 

On the contrary.. Only NCL security people (and no "phone representative" ) can give me an answer (in writing, please) if they will allow us to board the ship. After all it's their call - and I can't believe ours will be the first case ever in a similar situation.

 

As to the advice "to reach out to both embassies".. that's totally irrelevant in this case.

Maybe you don't realize this, but there is no Moroccan embassy in Israel. Neither an Israeli one in Morocco.

What embassies? :confused: And even if Israel and Morocco did have normal diplomatic relations, it's not up to the embassy of any country whether NCL will let you board a cruise. That is up to NCL.

 

almostnewtocruise, your best bet is to try to find other Israeli passport holders that have cruised recently on Norwegian Spirit (which stops in Casablanca). You might find some by posting on some roll calls for past cruises. Or contact a travel agent in Israel that books NCL cruises.

 

And keep in mind that whatever you find out now may no longer be valid by the time your cruise date comes around. But it is disappointing that no one at NCL is able to give you a reliable answer now. But after their experience with Tunisia last year they may be wary of making any promises to Israeli passengers, since the decision is ultimately out of their hands.

 

I totally agree with you analysis. Even if the Tunisia analogy doesn't really apply here. If I remember correctly, the Israelis in that case were assured that they will be able to get off the ship and go on excursions (after granting them sort of a one day visa) - and then denied disembarking.

 

We, on the other hand, are not interested in going ashore at all.. So no fear of us complaining about broken promises etc.

 

The idea of asking an Israeli agent isn't bad.. But again - I would prefer to have it in writing - and from the main office too.. :)