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Cost of Visas for Australians

MMDown Under
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MMDown Under

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Just lost all interest in dreaming of a World Cruise.

 

Multi entry Vietnamese visa for 6 days' cruise costs $99.00, plus cost of photo and return postage. Plus cost of money order.

 

I guess if the cost of visas is an issue, you really can't afford a world cruise! But it was nice to dream of the possibilities.

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NSWP

NSWP

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Just lost all interest in dreaming of a World Cruise.

 

Multi entry Vietnamese visa for 6 days' cruise costs $99.00, plus cost of photo and return postage.

 

I guess if the cost of visas is an issue, you really can't afford a world cruise! But it was nice to dream of the possibilities.

 

And India is much more, couple of hundred bucks or a bit more. When we did South America in 2014, Brazil, Argentina and Chile hit us for a hundred dollars or so for each country.

 

PNG Visas annoy me, we pour millions into PNG, yet they hit us with a visa fee.:evilsmile: God only knows where the PNG foreign aid goes, but I have my suspicions.

 

When on QM2 in March we hit a couple of Vietnamese ports, authorities came on board and did our visas on board before we arrived. Think it was about US$30 on our onboard a/c.

 

Now with Russia, we go into St Petersburg next year on Sapphire Princess for a couple of days. We have booked 2 Princess tours, because if you go ashore on a Princess shorex, you don't have to get a visa. If you do your own thing, you have to pre apply for a Visa, which is a pain too.

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MMDown Under Holiday Sharing Rare

MMDown Under

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And India is much more, couple of hundred bucks or a bit more. When we did South America in 2014, Brazil, Argentina and Chile hit us for a hundred dollars or so for each country.

PNG Visas annoy me, we pour millions into PNG, yet they hit us with a visa fee.:evilsmile: God only knows where the PNG foreign aid goes, but I have my suspicions.

When on QM2 in March we hit a couple of Vietnamese ports, authorities came on board and did our visas on board before we arrived. Think it was about US$30 on our onboard a/c.

Now with Russia, we go into St Petersburg next year on Sapphire Princess for a couple of days. We have booked 2 Princess tours, because if you go ashore on a Princess shorex, you don't have to get a visa. If you do your own thing, you have to pre apply for a Visa, which is a pain too.

 

We booked organised tours with St Petersburg agents for the same reason, to avoid having to get a visa ourselves.

 

I don't remember getting prior visas on my original return cruise to London.

 

I was shocked when the Embassy said $99 for six days multi entry visa.

 

I must just have been lucky with destinations I have chosen for my recent travels.

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Gwendy

Gwendy

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On Voyager of the Seas two weeks ago, three ports in Vietnam, charged $6 to account for visas.

Each country decides which countries to charge for visas, Australia charges some nationalities as well.

As DFAT says with travel insurance, if you can’t afford insurance you can’t afford to travel, same with visas.

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OzKiwiJJ Great Review Rare

OzKiwiJJ

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People's travel budgets should include all the components of travel and also allow for some extras like spending money as invariably things will occur and then there is also those impulse buys.

 

Not to mention shuttle bus costs that the cruise lines don't tell you about ahead of time. :mad:

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peter.kath@hotmail.com

peter.kath@hotmail.com

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We are going to Vietnam at Christmas and I thought the cost of the visa was a bit rich as well, but after thinking how cheap food and drink and in our case accommodation ($70 per night for 3 people in 4 star hotel with breakfast and transport) not to bad.

 

If you do change your mind, I posted ours on Monday and received it back on Thursday, I paid by cheque.

 

 

 

 

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NSWP

NSWP

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Princess offers to arrange the visas and they charge US $56pp (about AU $72 at the current exchange rate). That covers two port stops. I think other cruise lines do similar.

 

May I ask please, which country is that for ?

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Aus Traveller

Aus Traveller

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Now with Russia, we go into St Petersburg next year on Sapphire Princess for a couple of days. We have booked 2 Princess tours, because if you go ashore on a Princess shorex, you don't have to get a visa. If you do your own thing, you have to pre apply for a Visa, which is a pain too.

If you book tours in St Petersburg with any recognised tour company, you do not need a visa. If you ask Princess, they will say you have to book through them, but not so. We booked a two-day tour with SPB tours. It was less than half the cost of the Princess tours and probably better because we had a much smaller group. Everyone was delighted with the tour. Friends have just come back from a Baltic cruise on the Regal Princess. They booked the two-day tour with a company called Tours by Locals. They were very pleased with the tour.

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PerfectlyPerth

PerfectlyPerth

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They booked the two-day tour with a company called Tours by Locals. They were very pleased with the tour.

 

 

Tours by Locals is a world wide website where you can search in a destination for tour ideas, read reviews of the tours guides (all private individuals), book their tour and pay thru the site.

 

I have used them for many places in Sth America and my American friends have used them for here in Aus.

 

You can also discuss with the guide online to tailor a personalised tour. I have done that where some of the standard tours include shopping which I have zero interest in - so I add a graveyard or something else of interest.

 

 

 

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PerfectlyPerth

PerfectlyPerth

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Tours by Locals is a world wide website where you can search in a destination for tour ideas, read reviews of the tours guides (all private individuals), book their tour and pay thru the site.

 

I have used them for many places in Sth America and my American friends have used them for here in Aus.

 

You can also discuss with the guide online to tailor a personalised tour. I have done that where some of the standard tours include shopping which I have zero interest in - so I add a graveyard or something else of interest.

 

99 for a visa is cheap. Some countries I have paid hundreds and their embassy has hung onto my passport for over a month. A pain when it's my only form of ID.

Argentina finally ceased their reciprocity fee for Aussies which is nice.

 

To me it's all just part and parcel with travel budgeting. Insurance, visas, vaccinations. All included it the total cost of my travel as a matter of course.

 

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brian1

brian1

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And India is much more, couple of hundred bucks or a bit more. When we did South America in 2014, Brazil, Argentina and Chile hit us for a hundred dollars or so for each country.

 

PNG Visas annoy me, we pour millions into PNG, yet they hit us with a visa fee.:evilsmile: God only knows where the PNG foreign aid goes, but I have my suspicions.

 

When on QM2 in March we hit a couple of Vietnamese ports, authorities came on board and did our visas on board before we arrived. Think it was about US$30 on our onboard a/c.

 

Now with Russia, we go into St Petersburg next year on Sapphire Princess for a couple of days. We have booked 2 Princess tours, because if you go ashore on a Princess shorex, you don't have to get a visa. If you do your own thing, you have to pre apply for a Visa, which is a pain too.

Hi uncle Les,if you use local firms ie. SPB you dont need a visa either and are lot cheaper than Princess.Regarding South America,there was one lady on our roll call who emigrated 20 years ago from UK but let her passport expire.I suggested she renew it, which she did and every SA country was visaless.Even with the passport cost she saved a fortune.If you want to be a pom again,thats the way to go,lol.
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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Hi uncle Les,if you use local firms ie. SPB you dont need a visa either and are lot cheaper than Princess.Regarding South America,there was one lady on our roll call who emigrated 20 years ago from UK but let her passport expire.I suggested she renew it, which she did and every SA country was visaless.Even with the passport cost she saved a fortune.If you want to be a pom again,thats the way to go,lol.
Really don't see how that is worth it ;p
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CassCruise

CassCruise

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Just lost all interest in dreaming of a World Cruise.....
we are doing quite a bit of travel next year including the world cruise - apart from the visas I have just spent over $3000 for the 3 of us for vaccinations and 2 of us for Indian visas!!! sure will get a bit back from our health fund but my goodness not cheap!!
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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we are doing quite a bit of travel next year including the world cruise - apart from the visas I have just spent over $3000 for the 3 of us for vaccinations and 2 of us for Indian visas!!! sure will get a bit back from our health fund but my goodness not cheap!!

If you are going to India, those vaccinations will be worth it, all sorts of filth and disease in that country.

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MMDown Under Holiday Sharing Rare

MMDown Under

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On Voyager of the Seas two weeks ago, three ports in Vietnam, charged $6 to account for visas.

Each country decides which countries to charge for visas, Australia charges some nationalities as well.

As DFAT says with travel insurance, if you can’t afford insurance you can’t afford to travel, same with visas.

 

WOW Voyager of the Seas wins hands down for the least cost for Vietnamese visas.

 

Thank you everyone for your responses, which are much appreciated.

 

Good news - I have received confirmation that Azamara arranges visas for passengers (at a cost, of course). It will be cheaper than getting it myself in Australia, which would have cost $130 all up, including costs, for six days multi entry visa. I have learnt that Canadians can apply to their Vietnamese Embassy on line, which would be convenient.

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