Omega1

1 hour ago, Emmerdale3228 said:

Hi not sure if this topic has been resolved.It appears we do need a visa

I'm in the same position myself. 

 

 

It has been resolved - UK passport holders do not need a visa for a cruise visit.

This is the email received from the embassy:

VISA EXCEPTIONS FOR BRITISH NATIONALS TRAVELLING TO HONDURAS VIA CRUISE

Dear Sir/Madam:

We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to inform you of an important update regarding your upcoming cruise to Honduras. As of July 25, 2024, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Honduras has signed Agreement No. 008-SG-2024, which exempts British nationals traveling to Honduras via cruise ship from the requirement to obtain a visa. 

This means that as a British passport holder, you will be able to enter Honduran territory without the need for a visa during your cruise. We hope this eases your travel planning and ensures a more enjoyable experience as you visit our beautiful country. Please ensure you have your passport with you, as it will still be required for entry and exit. 

Should you have any further questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We wish you a pleasant and memorable journey to Honduras. 

Best regards, 

Embassy of Honduras in London | Embajada de Honduras en Londres 

From the Honduran Embassy:

VISA EXCEPTIONS FOR BRITISH NATIONALS TRAVELLING TO HONDURAS VIA CRUISE

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to inform you of an important update regarding your upcoming cruise to Honduras. As of July 25, 2024, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Honduras has signed Agreement No. 008-SG-2024, which exempts British nationals traveling to Honduras via cruise ship from the requirement to obtain a visa. 

 

This means that as a British passport holder, you will be able to enter Honduran territory without the need for a visa during your cruise. We hope this eases your travel planning and ensures a more enjoyable experience as you visit our beautiful country. Please ensure you have your passport with you, as it will still be required for entry and exit. 

 

Should you have any further questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We wish you a pleasant and memorable journey to Honduras. 

 

Best regards, 

Embassy of Honduras in London | Embajada de Honduras en Londres 

26 minutes ago, jlewism said:

No problem boarding Wonder on the 11th. In Roatan today. They just asked if I was travelling on a U.S. ESTA at the terminal. Very speedy embarkation.

Thank you for reporting back

38 minutes ago, Jacqu said:

Does anyone know what NCL stance on this is please, I’ve contacted but the person I spoke to seemed unsure and stated it was my responsibility. 

Sorry I don’t, but the NCL position is the same as Princess.

6 minutes ago, Cheller1973 said:

Update received from the executive office today 

 

 

Excellent - thank you!

20 hours ago, tattydog said:

 Hi @JohnPangbourne Did you manage to get onboard today?

Not sure if the ‘radio silence’ is good or bad news!

2 hours ago, Suzy T said:

I’ve had an email from the embassy today, responding to my query as to whether a visa is required for cruise passengers on day trips:

 

”Regarding your enquiry so far all British passport holders require a visa without exceptions”. 
 

the ‘so far’ may be a hint at change in the future, but not looking good. 

Fingers crossed - we may have more positive news when cruise ships visit after the 15th.

16 minutes ago, David1828 said:

Hi, I only found out earlier today that we were required to have a visa to enter Honduras on 15th August. My cruise is in 17th August on Icon. After having a panic attack or more like a full blown heart attack I  called the Honduran Embassy in London they didn’t understand English well and advised I email and don’t expect a reply for weeks… ok.. I then tried the Embassy in Miami but no luck. So I decided to call RC in USA. After 40 mins on call and great help from Paul he spoken to the LT and Reservation Teams and told me that as a British citizen I am guaranteed to board but as things stand I can go to Honduras port but if anything changes all that would happen is they will not allow me off the ship. I asked can he confirm in email but he mentioned it was not necessary as the call is recorded and notes on my account. He kept on reassuring me that I will be able to board. I hope this helps 

Thanks for the update David. Please could you come back a let us know how you get on. Have a great cruise (hopefully).

15 minutes ago, Ems Jayne said:

I spoke to someone at Royal Caribbean and asked if we will still be able to board the cruise ship in Tampa if we don’t have a Honduran visa and was told as long as We have USA visa then we can board, just won’t be able to get off the ship at Roatan. 

That’s interesting, were they aware of the specific issue facing U.K. passport holders? By visa, do you mean an Esta?

49 minutes ago, Emma Berry said:

Good summary of the mess Omega1.

 

I started calling embassy on 19th July, was told I couldn’t have an appointment as I was going on a cruise therefore wouldn’t need one.
 

But two weeks later the message changed to “highly unlikely” I’d need one, but now 3.5 weeks later there’s still no email to confirm.

 

I called the embassy again yesterday who said emails should be coming soon. I think they need to decide by Sunday 11th as that’s when the first cruise ship departs which will be affected by change on 15th as it docks in Roatan on the 15th. 
 

Just to add…. I’ve tried to get appointments with Honduran embassy in Miami a few weeks ago and was told I couldn’t have an appointment I wouldn’t need a visa for a cruise. And again anyway, no appointments available for August. Didn’t try other US locations though - will decide in the states if it’s worth all the pain of trying to get an emergency appointment in the states next week vs losing cruise.
 

If I hear UK people are denied boarding on 11th or I get confirmation from the port of Miami that I will be denied boarding on 17th, then the only thing I can think of to cut losses, will be to cancel all cruise extras (as I can 48 hours before sailing)…. To give us some money back to find a hotel/holiday somewhere near Miami/mexico etc. 

 

Then it’ll be a battle to make uk passports holders aware so they have a chance to get money back or change cruises as it doesn’t seem that there are even appointments available at London embassy for 3 months. 
 

I’ve tried everything I can to get a visa since 19th July and cannot. I’m having to just make peace that there’s a high risk I’ll lose my cruise without any recourse. I feel like the cruise companies should at least have some responsibility to rebook consumers, especially when there’s issues like this. I know it’s tough all round though. 

It really is a Catch 22 and passengers carry all the risk- it’s impossible to get a visa but cruise lines say if we don’t have a visa we will be denied boarding and the risk isn’t covered by travel insurance. Hope you (we) get some good news soon. We sail from Southampton to Galveston on Oct 6 and then have a 7day cruise (same ship), so two separate cruises plus transfer to New Orleans - it’s a complete package sold by a UK TA.. Our plan B if they kick us off the ship in Galveston might be to rent a car for a week and do a mini road trip in Texas. We’re looking at booking something on a fully cancellable basis. In the meantime the TA is speaking to the cruise line (Princess) but we don’t expect to hear anything before the 15th.

41 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Probable reason is because the U.K. requires Honduran citizens to obtain a visa to visit U.K. as from July last year, which was imposed with no notice.  So unless the new government lift the visa requirement for Hondurans, U.K. visitors are for now going to need a visa to enter the country.

 

The Honduran Government announced this mid July and gave a 4 week transition period which seems to match what the previous U.K. Government gave Honduras last year. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/introduction-of-visa-requirement-for-honduran-nationals-visiting-uk

Yes, you are correct. Staff at the Honduran Embassy have ‘indicated’ that day visits by cruise ship may be visa exempt but cannot give clear guidance because they are awaiting official notification. In the meantime there are cruise passengers visiting Roatan this month and early September for whom there is no prospect of obtaining a visa because the embassy staff are overwhelmed and not responding to emails (the only mechanism for visa applications).

The cruise lines and TAs approach is, understandably, visas are the passengers’ responsibility and the only advice they can offer is to consult a visa application company such as CIBT or Sherpa, who say they cannot help because a visa requires personal attendance at the embassy. 

It would be very helpful if everyone could add a comment about their experience - especially the ‘pathfinders’! Good luck

6 minutes ago, Cheller1973 said:

I’ve had a reply from CIBTthis afternoon:

 

“For Honduras we still don’t have any information, we will know after the 15th of August if we can assist with the process, please contact us then for further information”

 

🤦‍♀️

My brother had the same response!☹️

19 minutes ago, Emma Berry said:

I’ve been battling the Honduran visa change for the last two weeks and my situation is desperate. 
 

I noticed the change on 17th July, coming into force on 15th August. Our cruise with Royal is on the 17th August!

 

I phoned the Honduran embassy in London immediately and was told cruise passengers would not need a visa and to send in an email which they would reply to within 3 days.

 

10 days later - still no email, so I phoned again last Tuesday and the embassy said that they still did not have authority to send the emails. They said it will be “highly unlikely” i would need a visa and they could not get me an appointment just in case as they were inundated. 
 

The fallback would be to try the Honduran embassy in Miami before the cruise. 
 

I called the Miami embassy- this very nice lady again verbally reassured me that I would not need a visa. Also there’s no appointments available for August! 
 

So I’m utterly stuck, worried beyond belief, not knowing if we’ll be able to go on this cruise.  
 

There’s no information- CIBT visas didn’t even know of the change when I called two weeks ago. Their websites still show UK nationals not needing a visa for August! Royal Caribbean just pointed me to CIBT. 
 

I called CIBT again last week - now their call center staff know about it. And I was reassured that they were waiting for information from the Honduran embassy - they expected cruise passengers not to require a visa and told me to hang tight. Even if we do need visas CIBT won’t be able to help as they’re not setup with the Honduran embassy’s in order to process on behalf of clients yet.  
 

I’m not sure, given the complete lack of clarity, that it’s at all easy to get a visa. The only progress available is an in person appointment on Tuesdays or Thursdays. But given that the London Honduran embassy is swamped, it can’t get an appointment. 
 

Tryinn to stay calm faced with this pressure is ruining what should have been a once in a lifetime holiday for us. The treat of losing all of our cruise is heartbreaking. 
 

Good luck with your September trip. The minute I find out what happens for us on the 17th Aug, I’ll post our experience. 

Emma - thank you for replying. Your experience mirrors our own but we don’t sail until early October so not as acute. I spoke with someone at the embassy this morning who confirmed they had received ’thousands’ of enquiries about this and were awaiting further information regarding cruise visitors being visa exempt- she was ‘hopeful’ it would be this week. Our TA is very vague and trying to get further info (we have a package of 2 cruises, hotel, flights and transfers). I sincerely hope a positive outcome comes through quickly for you.

2 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

I can appreciate that, and I can appreciate that the newly announced need for a Visa from Honduras is an unwelcomed, and a potentially expensive surprise 6/7 weeks before you sail.

 

I actually work at a cruise port in the US, and we deal with foreign passengers from certain countries who are required to have a Canadian visa to sail to Alaska (which includes an hours long stop in a single Canadian port).  Sadly, if a passenger from one of those countries that a Canadian visa is required shows up to board the cruise ship, and we don't see the Canadian visa, then it is a full stop denial of boarding.  And to make it even worst, the cruise line does not have to refund any of your cruise fare because you (or your travel agent) have electronically clicked off on an acknowledgement that you understand that you, the passenger accepts all responsibility of knowing what travel documents are needed.

 

As an example, Canada added Mexico to the list of countries that require a Canadian visa to enter Canada.  All ships sailing from US homeports must stop in Canada.  That means that all Mexican passport holders need a Canadian visa to board an Alaska bound cruise ship in the US.  The Canadians added Mexico to the list of countries on April 1, 2024, and the first ships sailing to Alaska were at the end of April.  So at the beginning of the season, we had lots of denials.  It got better as the season has gone on, but there are still folks arriving who need a Canadian visa, but sadly don't have one - and they are denied boarding.

 

I am glad that you are going to start working on this tomorrow, and I wish you all the best.  I hope you come back and give us an update.

Thank you - we are familiar with the necessity for visas, this year we have acquired estas, etas, visas for Kenya and Tanzania. The issue we face is that Honduras has introduced the new visa requirement but does not have the infrastructure in place to deal with the increased volume of applications - the visa office in London is only open two days a week - no online applications (only in person). So a two day trip is required and then the passport has to left with them for it to be mailed back or collected in person - they don’t state how long this process takes!

I did speak to someone at the Embassy last week who didn’t know much about the process, I asked if there would be a visa exemption for one day cruise ship visits - he said there may be but they were waiting for ‘official’ information.

Of course, time is now tight and there is no guarantee we are practically able to obtain a visa. If we are able to obtain a visa, the cost of obtaining it is almost equal to the 7 day cruise out of Galveston for one person!! Needless to say, had we known all this when we booked the cruise 13 months ago we wouldn’t have done so!!

I’ve just become aware of the new requirements which will come into force on 15 August requiring UK citizens to have a visa for entry into Honduras.

The information on the Honduran Embassy website is in Spanish but it seems that an in person appointment for a visa in London is required… that’s two days of travel, overnight accommodation plus the visa cost for an eight hour visit!! Plus the visa office is only open two days per week.

It’s a long shot, but does anyone have information about this - is a one day visit by cruise ship visa exempt? I ‘ve spoken to the Embassy and they couldn’t give any further information. Thanks

I’ve just become aware of the new requirements which will come into force on 15 August requiring UK citizens to have a visa for entry into Honduras.

The information on the Honduran Embassy website is in Spanish but it seems that an in person appointment for a visa in London is required… that’s two days of travel, overnight accommodation plus the visa cost for an eight hour visit!! Plus the visa office is only open two days per week.

It’s a long shot, but does anyone have information about this - is a one day visit by cruise ship visa exempt? I ‘ve spoken to the Embassy and they couldn’t give any further information. Thanks
 

Only just read this and my contribution may be too late. In 2022 we visited Leknes (tender into Gravdal). We rented a car from Sixt based at the airport but they delivered it to the tender pier (small fee) and collected at the end of the rental. The service was outstanding- excellent communication and even accommodated our late arrival. We shared the rental cost with another couple and had a fabulous day - the scenery was simply stunning - and at a fraction of the cost of ship tours.

Added - the car itself was a Volvo suv hybrid even though we only reserved a small hatchback.

For our June trip, the price of the White Pass train ticket was only $8pp less booking direct than doing a ship excursion (Princess) - we have used our obc and got the departure time we want.

Thank you for your review - the blog was very helpful. We fly into Doha in January to pick up the Norwegian Dawn. We have a full day to explore Doha and your blog has given us lots of ideas and the confidence to do it DIY. We will probably add on a visit to the museum of Islamic Art and finish up with an evening meal in the Souk Waqif.

Thanks for the recommendation- we’re planning a side trip to Vic Falls and Botswana (Chobe) as part of our trip to South Africa next year. We’re regular visitors to SA, but the add on is new.

4 minutes ago, Wayfairers said:

Thanks for the info.   Definitely plan to return for a multi day safari one day including a balloon flight over migration.   The cruise is our intro to Africa….(well Morocco will be a repeat…spent a week and a half there a few years ago).  Anyway, we want to experience a short safari or two on this trip to see some animals and Aquila is one we are considering.  
 

 We will definitely see Table Mountain and Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope, Boulder Beach to see the penguins, Chapmans Peak Drive.   Thinking of possibly a hike between Cape Point and Cape of good Hope.  At this point I don’t know if we can do all that in one day.   We aren’t into seeing buildings and gardens unless they are something really special.   

It’s a pleasant and relatively easy walk between Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point (45-60 mins). Good luck with the planning.

It’s probably 16 years since we were at Aquila, it hadn’t been established that long and felt a bit like Noah’s Ark - 2 elephants, 2 giraffe (get the idea) and the lions were in their own fenced enclosure like a zoo. It looks as though it has expanded now and become more ‘safari like’ and it’s one of the few opportunities to see game in the Western Cape. Obviously, the best game parks are much further afield in the Eastern Cape and Kruger. Having said that it’s certainly a fun activity but given you only have a couple of days in CT there is so much to see and do within an hour of the city, my advice would be stay local (Aquila is a 2 hour + drive away) and go back to South Africa to do a ‘quality’ safari experience.

We are flying to the Western Cape for three weeks in 10 days (our 7th visit) and if visiting for 48 hours on a cruise ship, on day 1 I would book a tour (or rent a car) to Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope to include the African Penguins at Boulders Beach and a stop at Hout Bay and take in the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive en route to Cape Point. For a long day you might add a call at a Constantia winery eg Groot Constantia.

Day 2 take your pick of several CT attractions- Table Mountain cableway, Robben Island, Kirstenbosch Gardens, afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson hotel to name a few. So much choice, you need to be selective.

Thanks for posting, we visit Doha in January 24 and I had read about this on a different site. We have annual, worldwide travel insurance ( with a good level of cover, plus we pay an additional premium to cover existing conditions), so this seems like an underhand tourist tax to me.

57 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

Was this shuttle price RT and did one have to register before or are they just waiting there for pax? I am googling trying to find this bus, or is it cruise line organized? thanks!

 

The price is RT and I think tickets were purchased from a desk in the cruise terminal.