Cruise passengers from other countries

[brikee]

Some family friends from Vietnam would like to join us next year on a 12 day cruise NCL breakaway. The cruise will stop at six ports (San Juan, st Maarten, st Thomas, st Lucia, st kitts, Barbados).

 

We think they would be ok in San Juan and st Thomas because they are us territories but not sure if they will need a visa on the other islands. Would anyone know?

 

Ill be checking with my TA but just wanted to see if anyone has experience with this before. We realize they could also join us but just stay on the ship at those ports but just wanted to see what other options there are. Thanks all!

[Demonyte]

I don't think that the ship would be cleared to let anybody out if there were passengers that aren't eligble to enter the country, in other words everybody onboard must have a visa if required.

 

Your friends should check with their own foreign ministry or equivalent for the possible need to obtain visas to enter any specific country, not the TA. At least here in Finland they have a complete list of all the foreign countries and the entry requirements for Finnish citizens on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland's website.

[ColinIllinois]

Some family friends from Vietnam would like to join us next year on a 12 day cruise NCL breakaway. The cruise will stop at six ports (San Juan, st Maarten, st Thomas, st Lucia, st kitts, Barbados).

 

We think they would be ok in San Juan and st Thomas because they are us territories but not sure if they will need a visa on the other islands. Would anyone know?

 

Ill be checking with my TA but just wanted to see if anyone has experience with this before. We realize they could also join us but just stay on the ship at those ports but just wanted to see what other options there are. Thanks all!

 

 

Simply do a Google search to find out the Visa requirements for each destination, or check the official tourism sites for each destination.

 

A quick search brings this up for Barbados for example:

 

http://www.visitbarbados.org/entry-requirements.aspx

[Floridiana]

Staying on the ship does not help since the ship is in the island's territory/waters. Your friends may be refused boarding at the beginning of their cruise if they don't have the proper paperwork. Previous posters have already given good advice. You could also call the independent islands' consulates in NY City.

[luvtheships]

Your friends probably will not even be able to board in NYC if they need visas for the islands

 

When the carnival splendor did the South American loop a few years ago 150 pax were denied boarding in Miami because they lacked visas for brazil

 

They would not even have been able to stay onboard only at the Brazilian ports

 

So in addition to checking with all the other sources I would call Ncl a few times and only ask this question of a supervisor and only after you have asked them " are you qualified to give me a definitive answer about visas for foreign travelers?"

 

Apparantly with the splendor issue, the ta and the ccl booking people never bothered to I form the 150 pax

And the only people who knew the correct procedures were actually at the port of Miami at embarkation

 

 

 

 

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[Demonyte]

Apparantly with the splendor issue, the ta and the ccl booking people never bothered to I form the 150 pax

And the only people who knew the correct procedures were actually at the port of Miami at embarkation

 

This is exactly why nobody should rely on TA or cruise line given information and get the information from the government officials.

[Trevor Fountain]

My GF is Malaysian. We are on the Spirit in May, and she does not require visa's to any port of call. However this could change. The onus is on the passenger to make sure they have the correct documentation at the time of embarkation.

There is no point contacting your T/A or NCL as any information they have may not be up to date. Your friend needs to keep checking with her consulate right up to her departing.

[ColinIllinois]

Travelers should remember though that visa requirements are not the same for all foreigners but may be different due to your country of origin.

[garycarla]

Travelers should remember though that visa requirements are not the same for all foreigners but may be different due to your country of origin.

 

 

And, the rules are often different for cruise ship passengers, vs those that actually travel to some countries.

 

If you fly to many of these countries, your passports are REQUIRED. If you are on a cruiseship, you just get off.

[luvtheships]

And, the rules are often different for cruise ship passengers, vs those that actually travel to some countries.

 

If you fly to many of these countries, your passports are REQUIRED. If you are on a cruiseship, you just get off.

 

Not in brazil you don't

 

You do not even get on the ship in Miami without a brazilian visa

 

 

Easy for retired locals to drive to Miami then get on a 30 day cruise around the horn and debark in so cal

 

While they would need pp I believe for this cruise the 150 pax without visas were still denied boarding

 

The ship wouldn't be able to dock in any Brazilian port because of those 150 pax.

 

This was the first so American cruise ccl had done in years and apparently everyone dropped the ball

 

Except the port of Miami agents

 

Fwiw I have to think that being such a long cruise that those 150 may certainly have been seniors not saavy with Internet searches and relied on a ta or dare I say it... Their tour group leader!! 😱

 

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Edited November 2, 2014 by luvtheships

[brikee]

Wow all. Thank you for these details. Will do additional research.

[brikee]

esSo I did additional research and found the following. It seems like for Puerto Rico and St Maarten, a visa is required. For St Thomas, they can use their US Visa. For the other countries, it doesn't seem required. I'm hoping these sources are reliable.

1. Puerto Rico and this site(scroll down to Customs): Citizens of Vietnam living in the United States can travel to Puerto Rico using their valid United States visa. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Puerto Rico tourist visa is required for citizens of Vietnam.

2. St Thomas: If you are visiting from Europe or any other country you will need a passport and a United States visa to enter St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

3. St Maarten: Saint Martin tourist visa is required for citizens of Vietnam

4. St Lucia: Saint Lucia cruise visa is not required for citizens of Vietnam for a stay up to 1 day. Good news if cruise visa is the correct choice for the purpose of your trip to Saint Lucia.

5. Barbados: Cruise ship passengers entering Barbados and departing on the same vessel on the same day do not require a visa, regardless of nationality. Barbados cruise visa is not required for citizens of Vietnam for a stay up to 1 day.

6. St Kitts: Cruise ship visitors, staying less than twenty-four (24) hours, are not required to have visas, regardless of their nationality. Saint Kitts Nevis cruise visa is not required for citizens of United States for a stay up to 1 day.

[njhorseman]

esSo I did additional research and found the following. It seems like for Puerto Rico and St Maarten, a visa is required. For St Thomas, they can use their US Visa. For the other countries, it doesn't seem required. I'm hoping these sources are reliable.

1. Puerto Rico and this site(scroll down to Customs): Citizens of Vietnam living in the United States can travel to Puerto Rico using their valid United States visa. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Puerto Rico tourist visa is required for citizens of Vietnam.

2. St Thomas: If you are visiting from Europe or any other country you will need a passport and a United States visa to enter St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

3. St Maarten: Saint Martin tourist visa is required for citizens of Vietnam

4. St Lucia: Saint Lucia cruise visa is not required for citizens of Vietnam for a stay up to 1 day. Good news if cruise visa is the correct choice for the purpose of your trip to Saint Lucia.

5. Barbados: Cruise ship passengers entering Barbados and departing on the same vessel on the same day do not require a visa, regardless of nationality. Barbados cruise visa is not required for citizens of Vietnam for a stay up to 1 day.

6. St Kitts: Cruise ship visitors, staying less than twenty-four (24) hours, are not required to have visas, regardless of their nationality. Saint Kitts Nevis cruise visa is not required for citizens of United States for a stay up to 1 day.

 

While it may be correct, do not rely on the website you are citing for the visa requirements. It's the site of a commercial visa and passport procurement business, not an official government website. And it looks like you're interpreting the information on Puerto Rico incorrectly. There's no such thing as a "Puerto Rico tourist visa". Puerto Rico is part of the United States. It doesn't issue visas. Any visas necessary to enter Puerto Rico are the same visas required to enter the US (because it is the US).

 

As I said...do not rely on unofficial sources.

Edited November 4, 2014 by njhorseman

[brikee]

Yes, I was a bit concerned because not all were government sites.

 

So I checked out travel.state.gov and found the following:

1. Barbados: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/barbados.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED: Not required for stays under 6 months

2. St. Kitts: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-kitts-nevis.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays under 90 days

3. St. Lucia: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-lucia.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required as long as you have an onward or roundtrip ticket

4. Sint Maarten: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/sint-maarten.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays under 90 days

5. St Thomas: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/british-virgin-islands.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays up to one month

http://www.bvitourism.com/entry-requirements

6. Puerto Rico – Uses US Visa because they do not issue Visas.

[njhorseman]

Yes, I was a bit concerned because not all were government sites.

 

So I checked out travel.state.gov and found the following:

1. Barbados: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/barbados.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED: Not required for stays under 6 months

2. St. Kitts: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-kitts-nevis.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays under 90 days

3. St. Lucia: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-lucia.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required as long as you have an onward or roundtrip ticket

4. Sint Maarten: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/sint-maarten.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays under 90 days

5. St Thomas: http://www.travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/british-virgin-islands.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:Not required for stays up to one month

http://www.bvitourism.com/entry-requirements

6. Puerto Rico – Uses US Visa because they do not issue Visas.

 

You also can't get this information from the US State Department's website (which is the site you're quoting) because that information is for US citizens. Citizens of other countries may be subject to different requirements than US citizens.

 

You need to get official information from the governments of the countries being visited, not from the US State Department.

 

Also, in #5, you've cited requirements for the British Virgin Islands (for US citizens). St. Thomas is in the US Virgin Islands, not the British Virgin Islands, and as in the case of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas is part of the US.

Edited November 4, 2014 by njhorseman

[brikee]

Ok we will call the governments offices directly. My TA actually directed us to go to the state website. Shows how helpful they are :(

 

So for PR and St Thomas they should be ok using their US visa correct? We will try to contact the offices for the other countries.

[njhorseman]

Ok we will call the governments offices directly. My TA actually directed us to go to the state website. Shows how helpful they are :(

 

So for PR and St Thomas they should be ok using their US visa correct? We will try to contact the offices for the other countries.

 

Without knowing what type of US visa they have I wouldn't want to begin to venture a guess whether they can travel outside the US and then reenter the US.