Help with Visa Vietnam Celebrity Constellation b2b.

[Gitte]

I hope someone can help us.

Who knows what to do? We (10 people nationality Belgium and the Netherlands) have booked the Constellation for Asia B2B cruise with 3 stops in Vietnam. Can we obtain a visa on board for this cruise or do we need to take care by ourselves for the Visa.

When I was on board the Celebrity Constellation last November I checked with Guest Relations the procedure for Visa Vietnam but I got 3 different answers:

- No visa required

- The ship never provide visa, the guest must always take care by him self

- A visa is given on board.

And Celebrity Cruises:

- Yes, on board you get a visa but if a guest (except those from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, or Thailand) wishes to enter Vietnam two consecutive times without a visa, their second entry must be at least thirty days after previous exit. (we are b2b)

- Yes, on board but you have to book your excursion on board.

Who can help me with the correct answer.

Thank you so much,

Gitte:confused:

[ghstudio]

Warning. Don't rely on any answer you read here. This type of information must come from directly from Celebrity. What happened on past cruises has no relevance to what may happen on yours...things change and Celebrity is known for their inconsistency.

 

However, on our cruise to Vietnam on the Millenium, Visas were issued on board....different visas (cost) depending on whether you were just doing day trips off the ship or staying overnight in a Vietnam hotel on overnight stops. I don't recall the exact prices but it was something like $45 for the "days only" visa and $75 for the "stay overnight" visas. (We stayed off the ship in hotels on the two overnight port stops). The Visas were valid for at least the five or six days and three ports we visited in Vietnam. Note: We are US citizens and I don't know how folks with other passports are handled.

[Bo1953]

I recommend you consider getting your own Visa to be safe if no answer received or not to date is satisfactory OR if it does not matter if you visit Vietnam only once, wait until you board to find out.

 

There, often times, are fees associated with Visas, is there a fee for Visas on your invoice?

 

How did you book your sailing? If via a TA, have them get the info for you, if not try calling your local Captain's Club representative.

 

Good luck and bon voyage

[Gitte]

I asked Celebrity Cruises but received 3 different answers.

TA say Celebrity Cruises never provide Visa on board.

We have no problem to arrange a visum by ourselves (we did it for China) but it is much easer if we can do it on board.

 

Gitte

[Bo1953]

I asked Celebrity Cruises but received 3 different answers.

TA say Celebrity Cruises never provide Visa on board.

We have no problem to arrange a visum by ourselves (we did it for China) but it is much easer if we can do it on board.

 

Gitte

 

I understand...

 

bon voyage

[Jim_Iain]

I had once contacted Celebrity about a Viet Nam Visa and received the following response - Would suggest you contact them direct at the email below to reconfirm - Having something in writing from Celebrity may give you peace of mind.

 

Asking the question in your Cruise Group could also give you a wealth of knowledge.

 

*******************************************

 

Thank you for your email.

 

The current situation with Vietnam visas is as follows.

 

Vietnam

Guests will be able to secure visa onboard the vessel for a one-time fee of less than $50/pp which will be charged to their onboard account.

 

So you do not need to organize anything prior to travel.

 

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

 

Kind Regards

 

David Molloy

Guest Support Unit

Celebrity Cruises

3 The Heights I Brooklands I Weybridge I Surrey I KT13 0NY

T: 0844 493 2092

CustomerServiceUK@CelebrityCruises.com I http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk

[Bo1953]

Thank you Jim for providing a direct X contact for the OP....

 

bon voyage

[C 2 C]

I asked Celebrity Cruises but received 3 different answers.

TA say Celebrity Cruises never provide Visa on board.

We have no problem to arrange a visum by ourselves (we did it for China) but it is much easer if we can do it on board.

 

Gitte

 

We bought the visas on board at an outrageous price of $10 pp ;) on Millennium 2yrs ago.

There are people on board Connie right now who should be able to contact the documentation officer.

[Fish Lover]

Well, here's the issue. Celebrity has notoriously poorly informed customer service. Even if you get it in writing and it turns out to be untrue, Celebrity can not be counted on "making good" what their representative got wrong.

 

That said, their website FAQs state the following:

Before leaving home, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the required travel documents you will be asked to provide prior to boarding the ship. The requirements described below are required by government regulations and policies. They are subject to change without notice.

See the current passport requirements here

 

It is your responsibility to identify and obtain all required travel documents and have them available at the pier when necessary. These appropriate valid travel documents such as passports, visas, inoculation certificate and family legal documents are required for boarding and re-entry into the United States and other countries.

 

If you do not possess the proper documentation you may be prevented from boarding your flight or ship, or from entering a country, and you may be subject to fines. No refunds will be given to individuals who fail to bring proper documentation. Guests on consecutive sailings must ensure they have the proper travel documents for their entire cruise vacation."

 

 

Therefore, personally, I would go to the trouble of obtaining my own visas rather than risk being disappointed.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Fish Lover

[florisdekort]

I'm Dutch - and a Dutch passport holder. It was not needed to arrange a visa before the cruise. The paperwork is handed out on board (the same for other countries like Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.), you fill it out, and Immigration then adds any visa or stamps to your passport that are needed. Quite painless.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[redransom]

I'm an Australian, just off the Millennium 2 weeks ago. Cost of the onboard visa was $US6 and no photos needed.

 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Forums mobile app

[[g]cruiserke]

Fellow Belgian here, who traveled on the Millennium in Asia twice before and will be boarding her again next week. Our past cruises included visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, South-Korea, Taiwan, Japan and mainland China. The ONLY country for which we needed to pre-arrange visa ourselves before boarding was China. For all the other destinations either no visa was required or Celebrity arranged the visa (group or individual) whilst inboard, at a minor cost. We had multiple consecutive stops in Vietnam on those cruises.

 

I assume that is still the case, including for Vietnam. If not, I'll find out the hard way next Monday when I'm due to board the Millennium in Singapore (where I'm right now, enjoying a hot Christmas week) and I'll be sure to come back to this thread to warn you ;)

 

Now, you indicate you are on a b2b with both cruises stopping in Vietnam. Presumably you'll visit other countries between your stops in Vietnam. Our stops have always been consecutive, meaning that we we did not visit a second country between our first and second entry into Vietnam. If there indeed is a rule you cannot apply for two such visa within a 30 day period, your situation may indeed require you to obtain a full multi-entry visa by yourself.

Edited December 29, 2016 by [g]cruiserke

[Ine]

I'm an Australian, just off the Millennium 2 weeks ago. Cost of the onboard visa was $US6 and no photos needed.

 

Sent from my SM-G900I using Forums mobile app

 

The same with us, we are dutch (nederlands paspoort).

[Orator]

Am on Constelltion now and have asked about Visa for Vietnam. The answer depends on you specific itinerary. Some make a Visa available, some do not. Really depends on local authorities. That's why you are receiving conflicting information. Should be able to get a specific answer for your cruise if I know the specific dates.

[Gitte]

Thank you all for the help.

 

Hello Orator,

This is our itinerary. We booked 26 January and 5 February 2017.

 

Celebrity Constellation - 26 January and 5 February 2017

Day 1 Thu, Jan 26 Singapore, Asia 4:30PM

Day 2 Fri, Jan 27 At Sea

Day 3 Sat, Jan 28 Ko Samui, Thailand 7:00AM 4:00PM

Day 4 Sun, Jan 29 Bangkok/Laem Chabang, Thailand 7:00AM

Day 5 Mon, Jan 30 Bangkok/Laem Chabang, Thailand 6:00PM

Day 6 Tue, Jan 31 At Sea

Day 7 Wed, Feb 01 Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam 7:00AM 6:00PM

Day 8 Thu, Feb 02 Nha Trang, Vietnam 9:00AM 5:00PMDay 9 Fri, Feb 03 At Sea

Day 10 Sat, Feb 04 Singapore, Asia 11:00AM

Day 11 Sun, Feb 05 Singapore, Asia

 

Day 1 Sun, Feb 05 Singapore, Asia 6:00PM

Day 2 Mon, Feb 06 At Sea

Day 3 Tue, Feb 07 Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam 7:00AM 8:00PM

Day 4 Wed, Feb 08 At Sea

Day 5 Thu, Feb 09 Hue / Danang (Chan May), Vietnam 7:00AM 6:00PM

Day 6 Fri, Feb 10 At Sea

Day 7 Sat, Feb 11 Hong Kong, China 9:00AM 7:00PM

Day 8 Sun, Feb 12 At Sea

Day 9 Mon, Feb 13 Manila, Philippines 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 10 Tue, Feb 14 Boracay, Philippines 8:00AM 6:00PM

Day 11 Wed, Feb 15 At Sea

Day 12 Thu, Feb 16 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 7:00AM 3:00PM

Day 13 Fri, Feb 17 At Sea

Day 14 Sat, Feb 18 Singapore, Asia 2:00PM

Day 15 Sun, Feb 19 Singapore, Asia

[nast]

cruiserke;51851272']Fellow Belgian here' date=' who traveled on the Millennium in Asia twice before and will be boarding her again next week. Our past cruises included visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, South-Korea, Taiwan, Japan and mainland China. The ONLY country for which we needed to pre-arrange visa ourselves before boarding was China. For all the other destinations either no visa was required or Celebrity arranged the visa (group or individual) whilst inboard, at a minor cost. We had multiple consecutive stops in Vietnam on those cruises.

 

I assume that is still the case, including for Vietnam. If not, I'll find out the hard way next Monday when I'm due to board the Millennium in Singapore (where I'm right now, enjoying a hot Christmas week) and I'll be sure to come back to this thread to warn you ;)

 

Now, you indicate you are on a b2b with both cruises stopping in Vietnam. Presumably you'll visit other countries between your stops in Vietnam. Our stops have always been consecutive, meaning that we we did not visit a second country between our first and second entry into Vietnam. If there indeed is a rule you cannot apply for two such visa within a 30 day period, your situation may indeed require you to obtain a full multi-entry visa by yourself.[/quote']

 

Hello cruiserke. We are also from Belgium and cruising to China (Sanya) next March.

 

Can you give me some tips and advice about best way and how to get a Chinese Visa in Belgium.

 

If possible, do you have maybe an email address where I can contact you, so we can discuss this in Dutch.

[[g]cruiserke]

Hello cruiserke. We are also from Belgium and cruising to China (Sanya) next March.

 

Can you give me some tips and advice about best way and how to get a Chinese Visa in Belgium.

 

If possible, do you have maybe an email address where I can contact you, so we can discuss this in Dutch.

 

Happy to share our experience getting our China visa. Do keep in mind that there has been a recent change where you can now visit China for a limited amount of time (74 hours if I'm not mistaken) if your itinerary falls within a specific set of conditions. So if you are only boarding or disembarking in China, without any other stops in the mainland during or before/after the cruise, you may not even need a visa. Best check this thoroughly before going to the trouble and expense of applying for visas.

 

That said, we did need visas for our trip. We arranged the visa ourselves by making an appointment at the Chinese consulate in Brussels via their website: http://www.visaforchina.org/BRU_EN/

 

On the website you will find all the forms to fill out, which were pretty straightforward (my reference point is a visum I needed for a business trip to India earlier this year. Boy, the Indian authorities make getting your papers a full day job!).

 

In addition to the printed form and our passport we also had to provide a standard passport picture and supporting material: They ask for a "letter of invitation" and for this we used a mail from our hotel in Shanghai. For the itinerary they wanted, I just printed a daily schedule of our holiday, with all our hotels and the fill cruise itinerary.

 

We live in Leuven and work in Brussels so getting to the consulate in Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe was easy, and they meticulously stick to the meeting time we chose on the website. The people at the consulate went through the paperwork with us to make sure everything was in order. They then took a few days - I seem to remember it was about one week - to process the visa and we were notified when we could pick up our passports with the visas. Pick-up was also at the consular offices in Woluwe but no appointment was required, you could go whenever you wanted and there was no wait at all. Very efficient, all in all, though not cheap, about €160 each, I believe, for multiple entry. But engaging a visa service center to arrange everything on your behalf usually is much, much more expensive!

 

I just searched my preparation documents for that cruise and found the following details, which I must have found on the consular site, which will give some additional info:

 

 

1. Basic Documents

 

(1) Passport

Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and with blank visa pages, a photocopy of the passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate.

(2) Visa Application Form and Photo

One completed Visa Application Form with a recently-taken colour passport photo (bare-head, full face) against a light background (size: 48mm x 33mm) attached.

There are two ways to prepare your application form. You may complete an Online Application Form (where a Visa Centre provides such service), print it out and sign it; or, you can download the application form from our website and fill it out manually and sign it.

Please remember to bring the completed form to the Visa Centre to submit your application.

(3) Proof of legal status (applicable for those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship)

 

If you are not applying for a visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid certificates of residence, employment or student status, or other valid certificates of legal stay provided by the relevant authorities of the country where the Visa Centre is located.

(4) Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas (applicable for those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship).

 

If you are applying for a Chinese visa for the first time, you should provide the last Chinese passport held and a photocopy of its data page.

If you have obtained Chinese visas before and apply for a Chinese visa with a renewed foreign passport that does not contain any Chinese visa, you should present the photocopy of the previous passport's data page and the photo page if it is separate, as well as the previous Chinese visa page (If your name on the current passport differs from that on the previous one, you must provide an official document of name change).

2. Supporting documents

 

 

 

Documents showing the itinerary including air ticket booking record (round trip) and proof of a hotel reservation, etc. or an Invitation Letter for Tourist issued by a relevant unit or individual in China.The invitation letter should contain:

(1) Information of the applicant (incl. full name, gender, date of birth, etc.);

(2) Details of the planned visit (incl. arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, accomodation arrangements, etc.);

(3) Information of the inviting party(incl. name of organization or person concerned, contact telephone number, address, official stamp of the organization, signature of the legal representative or individual).

3. Special notes

 

 

 

(1) The invitation letter may be in the form of fax, photocopy or computer printout, but the consular officer may require the applicant to submit the original of the invitation letter. An issuer of invitation letter who is an individual in China should also provide a photocopy of his/her Chinese ID.

(2) If necesssary, the consular officer may require the applicant to provide other proof documents or supplementary materials, or require an interview with the applicant.

(3) The consular officer will decide on whether or not to issue the visa and on its validity, duration of stay and number of entries in light of specific conditions of the applicant.

 

[Nachosdelux]

Am on Constelltion now and have asked about Visa for Vietnam. The answer depends on you specific itinerary. Some make a Visa available, some do not. Really depends on local authorities. That's why you are receiving conflicting information. Should be able to get a specific answer for your cruise if I know the specific dates.

 

Would you ask about the Feb 19, 2017 Constellation for a US Passport holder?

 

thanks in advance!

[misspresh]

I recently enquired through Cruise1st re visa for Vietnam. The reply stated the visa for Vietnam is available on board the ship for around $6. You do not need a visa for Hong Kong as Hong Kong is it's own country and not in China. I did not need to apply for any visas prior to travel. I am departing on Feb 5th. Hope this helps!

[Nachosdelux]

I recently enquired through Cruise1st re visa for Vietnam. The reply stated the visa for Vietnam is available on board the ship for around $6. You do not need a visa for Hong Kong as Hong Kong is it's own country and not in China. I did not need to apply for any visas prior to travel. I am departing on Feb 5th. Hope this helps!

 

I was on the Millennium in 2015 and this was the case (for Vietnam). I'm sure it's the same, I just would like confirmation, and the name of the Celebrity official who confirms it. I would hate to show up in Singapore and be denied boarding!

[Gitte]

For b2b it is confusing.

I hope to recieve an answer soon.

Gitte :confused:

[Orator]

According to sources on Constellation the charge will be $6.00. Supposed to send me specifics.

[Gitte]

Hello Orator,

Do you have more information for B2B?

I called the Captains Club, the lady said we only help US and Canadian guests.:( TA said we only help German guests...... :(

I know the ship will assist guest requieres to secure the visum for Vietnam but I don't know if there are exceptions for B2B.

I don't understand this: If a guest (except those from Combodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, or Thailand) wishes to enter Vietnam two consecutive times without a visa, their second entry must be at least thirty days after previous exit.

So confusing....:confused:

[Orator]

Hello Orator,

Do you have more information for B2B?

I called the Captains Club, the lady said we only help US and Canadian guests.:( TA said we only help German guests...... :(

I know the ship will assist guest requieres to secure the visum for Vietnam but I don't know if there are exceptions for B2B.

I don't understand this: If a guest (except those from Combodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, or Thailand) wishes to enter Vietnam two consecutive times without a visa, their second entry must be at least thirty days after previous exit.

So confusing....:confused:

 

I'm now off the ship so not in a position to ask. As I understand it each cruise will be treated as a separate cruise. I'm certain that all Visa questions will be addressed and you will experience no problems. On my cruise several either obtained the improper Visa or no Fisa at all. They were allowed to take several desiginated cruises and paid extra for not having a Visa. Sorry, don't know amount. Don't know how much a Visa would cost, but I don't understand why anyone going to a place that requires one wouldn't get it in advance. I guess there are always special situations.

[Gitte]

Thank you Orator.

I just received an answer from Rccl. ;) The ship will assist on both sailings. :)