Princess is now charging a processing fee on Indonesian and Vietnamese visas

[MicCanberra]

So France is off the list too?

Yes it is , they both have the high degree of caution warnings.

Although, it is a slightly different situation as with Bali they have openly said they will target westerner tourist coming there while with France it is still very much random for anyone. Neither are on my list for the foreseeable future.

[Fitzall]

Yes it is , they both have the high degree of caution warnings.

Although, it is a slightly different situation as with Bali they have openly said they will target westerner tourist coming there while with France it is still very much random for anyone. Neither are on my list for the foreseeable future.

 

Random for anyone as well visiting the US with their gun laws .... And Munich & Brussels & Istanbul & Bangladesh & Nice & etc etc ..... May as well set up a tent in your backyard for your holiday :rolleyes:

[Pushka]

The terrorists have control at the moment. Just a whiff of a device that looks like a bomb and everything around has to shut down. Too easy to create havoc.

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

What else can they do, it is Better to be safe than sorry.

[Pushka]

What else can they do, it is Better to be safe than sorry.

 

 

Of course. They have no choice. But it just seems too easy these days to create havoc and too many people prepared to do it.

 

 

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[yatchet]

The only thing we, as individuals, can do is to avoid using products with palm oil,

 

Easier said than done.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/palm-oil-what-you-need-to-know-about-push-to-make-it-sustainable/7672312

[OzKiwiJJ]

Easier said than done.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/palm-oil-what-you-need-to-know-about-push-to-make-it-sustainable/7672312

 

I know. :(

 

But we can try. There are a number of websites that list palm oil free products and/or products that use sustainably produced palm oil eg http://www.orangutans.com.au/Orangutans-Survival-Information/Helping-you-buy-responsibly-Palm-oil-free-alternatives.aspx

[shireboi]

thought I would take a few posts out of another thread .. and revive this one.....

 

not wishing to hijack this thread - but 'huh' on the Vietnam visa fees ?? If you are talking about visa fees for cruises into Vietnam - they are only $U5 - which we paid to cover Nha Trang and HCMC in Oct 2016 on RC Voyager of the Seas. Have they changed yet again ???

 

Was referring only to Princess, have a look at their charges - you will be stunned at the difference.

 

 

I am heading to Vietnam next month on Dawn Princess. $56 US for the Visa. rep off, but what can we do.

 

 

ok...... revived...

 

WOW... Princess Cruises are RIPPING YOU OFF... RCI charged passenger with a Visa On Arrival for $U6 (granted that the Vietnamese had posted articles stating that it would be available for $U5). Upon our trip, RCI Australia was giving out OUTDATED costs - and failed to provide details on their sources) - they STILL HAVEN'T UPDATED this page = it has INCORRECT costs for Viet visas :

http://www.royalcaribbean.com.au/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Excursion+Planning&faqId=1066&faqSubjectId=327&faqType=faq

 

 

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/01/vietnam-visa-fee-for-cruises-drops-to-usd5/

 

Where to go ??

 

If you are booking this cruise locally - then complain to the ACCC

 

Look at ATAS - https://www.atas.com.au/provide-feedback/complaints

 

 

 

 

http://www.princess.com.au/excursion/exDetails.do?t=O&exType=S&tourCode=PH1-185 $U80

 

I 'note' that even THIS is a RIP OFF. They are almost DOUBLING THE PRICE as compared to what we paid for HCMC On Your Own (we did that in Oct16)

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=UH05&DestinationCode=

 

$U46

[domwild]

Indonesia no longer charges for visa BUT Princess charges $25 for collecting, stamping and returning! An insult! With 2,000 pax, that means a windfall of $50,000 for Princess.

 

Will need to book with Holland America or Royal Caribbean (spelling?) next.

 

Have officially complained to Princess but get only excuses. There used to be a requirement for a visa to Indonesia but no more, so no money actually goes to Indonesia any more.

[Pushka]

Indonesia no longer charges for visa BUT Princess charges $25 for collecting, stamping and returning! An insult! With 2,000 pax, that means a windfall of $50,000 for Princess.

 

 

 

Will need to book with Holland America or Royal Caribbean (spelling?) next.

 

 

 

Have officially complained to Princess but get only excuses. There used to be a requirement for a visa to Indonesia but no more, so no money actually goes to Indonesia any more.

 

 

Princess did NOT charge any fee for the Indonesian visa we required in December 2016 so there is no longer any issue.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Interestingly Princess seem to have cut back on the number of cruises from Australia that have port stops in Indonesia. All of the Top End cruises now stop at Alotau. There are a few cruises ex Fremantle that stop in Bali - there aren't really many other choices for itineraries going north out of Fremantle. Many of the bigger cruises bypass Indonesia and go straight from Australia to Singapore or Malaysia.

 

I wonder if Princess had some problems with Indonesian authorities - perhaps they were demanding kick backs. :eek:

[MicCanberra]

Interestingly Princess seem to have cut back on the number of cruises from Australia that have port stops in Indonesia. All of the Top End cruises now stop at Alotau. There are a few cruises ex Fremantle that stop in Bali - there aren't really many other choices for itineraries going north out of Fremantle. Many of the bigger cruises bypass Indonesia and go straight from Australia to Singapore or Malaysia.

 

I wonder if Princess had some problems with Indonesian authorities - perhaps they were demanding kick backs. :eek:

 

You may be right, greasing the wheel so to speak..

[OzKiwiJJ]

Very few of the itineraries out of Singapore go to Indonesia either.

[Aus Traveller]

Interestingly Princess seem to have cut back on the number of cruises from Australia that have port stops in Indonesia. All of the Top End cruises now stop at Alotau. There are a few cruises ex Fremantle that stop in Bali - there aren't really many other choices for itineraries going north out of Fremantle. Many of the bigger cruises bypass Indonesia and go straight from Australia to Singapore or Malaysia.

 

I wonder if Princess had some problems with Indonesian authorities - perhaps they were demanding kick backs. :eek:

I think the Indonesian officials came on board at the last port before Bali and were on board for a couple of days stamping passports. Without doubt, Princess would have had to pay their airfares and maybe a night's hotel accommodation and transfers. Then they put them up in a couple of passenger cabins that had to be kept empty for them. That is where they were seen stamping passports. When officials leave the ship, I notice they are usually carrying bags of duty free alcohol.:) Not a cheap exercise for the cruiseline.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I think the Indonesian officials came on board at the last port before Bali and were on board for a couple of days stamping passports. Without doubt, Princess would have had to pay their airfares and maybe a night's hotel accommodation and transfers. Then they put them up in a couple of passenger cabins that had to be kept empty for them. That is where they were seen stamping passports. When officials leave the ship, I notice they are usually carrying bags of duty free alcohol.:) Not a cheap exercise for the cruiseline.

 

I've also seen Australian officials on board, once on a Princess Top End cruise returning to Australia after a Lombok stop, and also on a Celebrity NZ to Australia cruise.

 

Plus there were Vietnamese officials onboard on the Golden repositioning cruise we did last year.

[Aus Traveller]

I've also seen Australian officials on board, once on a Princess Top End cruise returning to Australia after a Lombok stop, and also on a Celebrity NZ to Australia cruise.

 

Plus there were Vietnamese officials onboard on the Golden repositioning cruise we did last year.

Yes - and Indian officials prior to a ship visiting India. All these would cost.

[Pushka]

Chinese Immigration people boarded QM2 in Kota Kinabalu and enjoyed a five night cruise to Shanghai on our trip. A whole bunch of them. But still took well over an hour to clear the ship on arrival let alone the very expensive visa we had to preobtain.

[MicCanberra]

More public servants getting free cruises, they should be paying us.;)

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes - and Indian officials prior to a ship visiting India. All these would cost.

 

However I would expect the fare to cover those costs, after all that's probably been happening all along. That Indonesian surcharge was a strange one though. I guess we'll never know the real reason behind that. It didn't win any points for Princess though. :rolleyes:

Edited February 4, 2017 by OzKiwiJJ

[MicCanberra]

Passing extra costs onto the consumer as they occur is definitely not what Aussies are used to. We much prefer a total one up cost.

[NSWP]

They love the buffet those officials, right into it and often leave the ship with a 'show bag.' Love to know what is in that...'adult beverages perhaps?, No, no, a Princess T shirt and coffee mug.

[andrewcb]

My mother is going on a cruise soon to Asia from Australia and wants to keep her passport when she goes ashore as she had a very bad experience many years ago. (Got stuck in Jakarta with no ID).

 

Does anyone categorically know if it is possible to DEMAND you get your passport to take ashore on a Princess Cruise to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia etc,

[rkmw]

My mother is going on a cruise soon to Asia from Australia and wants to keep her passport when she goes ashore as she had a very bad experience many years ago. (Got stuck in Jakarta with no ID).

 

Does anyone categorically know if it is possible to DEMAND you get your passport to take ashore on a Princess Cruise to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia etc,

 

if the cruise line tells you to hand it over i'd say you would have too other wise you may not be allowed ashore and in your mothers case she could photo copy the passport

[OzKiwiJJ]

My mother is going on a cruise soon to Asia from Australia and wants to keep her passport when she goes ashore as she had a very bad experience many years ago. (Got stuck in Jakarta with no ID).

 

Does anyone categorically know if it is possible to DEMAND you get your passport to take ashore on a Princess Cruise to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia etc,

 

She could try asking politely at Guest Services. ;)

 

However she should be perfectly OK with a photocopy of her passport plus another form of photo ID such as a drivers licence.

[stki]

My mother is going on a cruise soon to Asia from Australia and wants to keep her passport when she goes ashore as she had a very bad experience many years ago. (Got stuck in Jakarta with no ID).

 

Does anyone categorically know if it is possible to DEMAND you get your passport to take ashore on a Princess Cruise to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia etc,

 

We were recently on the Majestic Singapore to Shanghai, and our passports were taken from us at embarkation. Several ports we were given a copy of our passport. We asked for our original Passport back for Xiamen, as we needed to buy ferry tickets, and they would not give us them. We were able to use the copy supplied.

 

Cheers

 

 

Tanya