visas

1st time cruiser

when we booked with princess line we were not informed of extras adding to the cost

we now been informed we need visas for india and melbourne how do we get these without paying a fortune

thanks

I'm not sure what type of information you're looking for, it's generally not possible to by a bargain visa.

Getting the visa on your own will of course be cheaper than going through an agency, or if you're booking excursions, you might look into whether the visas are covered by the tour company.

In St. Petersburg, you can be covered by a group visa if you book an excursion with a tour company, which can come out cheaper than getting a standalone visa. Maybe it's the same in Melbourne and India. Alternatively, you might not need a visa if you're staying onboard. So if you're outside of the cancellation window and money is an issue, you could possibly avoid the cost by staying onboard in port.

There will always be extra charges on top of your cruise fare (e.g., daily gratuities are automatically added to your onboard account and can tack a few hundred dollars onto your fare).

I don't know about India but for Melbourne (Australia) you can apply for a visitors visa on http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visi

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Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic

Unless things have changed in the last year or so, Australian visas are free for British citizens.

Although it's free, you must get one.

Theoretically you don't need a copy, the computer system at your Australian point of entry will pick up the details when you present your passport.

Our T/A arranged ours free of charge, but the procedure is pretty easy.

No worries with that one :)

Does your cruise include places like Vietnam & Cambodia? Visas are needed there too, but cruise lines arrange these on-board and add the (insignificant) cost to your on-board account.

But for some countries, and India is an example, this cannot be done by the cruise line.

You have to apply yourselves, and you have to get it in advance.

Embarkation staff at the port will want to see your Indian visa - without one you may not even be allowed to board the ship. This is because cruise operators, like airlines, are heavily fined if they transport ineligible passengers.

Sorry, have never visited India so I don't know the details or the cost (though I believe it's around £100). To keep the cost to a minimum, do be sure to use the official Indian High Commission website https://www.hcilondon.in/pages.php?id=28

Be aware that there are visa agencies with official-looking websites that charge a processing fee as well as the base visa fee.

Advice from the UK government at

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements

JB :)