Passport email from HAL

[cruisemom42]

Some posters have suggested in the past that Holland America requires all passengers to have a passport. I never paid much attention as I always travel with mine, but I do confess to wondering whether that is really the case.

 

Can anyone confirm, or confirm that they have sailed on a HAL cruise (e.g., Caribbean) without one?

[erewhon]

3 hours ago, TTFromSommersTown said:

I know that if I receive an email from this company then I will report it to the appropriate Canadian department. This is a breach of privacy laws in a lot of countries because HAL cannot share this type of information with third parties without specific consent.

I have received a few email for my next cruise regarding Australian and New Zealand ETAs but they have all been from HAL.

 

Use the official government websites to obtain the Australian and New Zealand ETA'S.

Edited October 22, 2019 by erewhon

[Scrapnana]

I believe that the cruise line must get a cut of the money generated by the astronomical prices CIBT (formerly Visa Central) charges.  For most visas they charge a $149 processing fee on top of the cost of the visa.

[erewhon]

52 minutes ago, Scrapnana said:

I believe that the cruise line must get a cut of the money generated by the astronomical prices CIBT (formerly Visa Central) charges.  For most visas they charge a $149 processing fee on top of the cost of the visa.

 

That's interesting,  I suppose we when don't respond, that we can expect more messages from them.

[TTFromSommersTown]

2 hours ago, erewhon said:

 

Use the official government websites to obtain the Australian and New Zealand ETA'S.

Thanks for the suggestion but I have already used those sites to obtain my ETA's.

[doone]

7 hours ago, AnnieBelle said:

My passport expires Jan. 2021 and I’m looking at a possible July 2020 cruise. Will I need to have my passport renewed since it will expire in 5 months?

If you require a passport for your cruise then yes you will need to renew before your cruise.  Your passport needs to be valid within 6 months of your return date.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

10 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I'm doing the Zuiderdam partial canal cruise this winter--sunfarer or seafarer, I forget which. I just got an email telling me that I need a passport. 

 

OK, no problem I have a passport. But what's interesting is that the email did not come from HAL. It came from a service that will help you renew your passport. CIBTvisas, so I guess they arrange visas, too. I don't think I've ever had a message like this before. 

 

This is the address the email came from. 

<visaadvisor-HA@cibtvisas.com>

 

Congratulations on your upcoming sailing on ZUIDERDAM with Holland America Line.

A passport is required for your voyage. Please ensure you have a valid passport prior to sailing on your cruise on ZUIDERDAM departing 02/15/2020.

Some countries require that your passport be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip. Your passport must also have blank pages available for entry and exit endorsements and be in good condition - clean and not frayed or torn.

It is your responsibility to hold the proper travel documentation in order to avoid disruptions to your trip. In some cases, if you fail to present the required travel documents at cruise check-in, you may be denied boarding.

We look forward to helping you prepare for your trip.

 

 

This might be a new service from HAL.  But as a rule if you have sailed on HAL before, they have a record of your passport.  So not sure why you got such a letter.

[DaveOKC]

We just got this same email last night.  I know we do not need Visas on the Caribbean cruise we are taking, so wonder why HAL is allowing these people to email us???

[palolake]

We just received the exact thing yesterday for our Princess cruises in January.  None of our ports require a passport.  I'm guessing every CCL passenger will now receive this.  Our HAL cruise is right after our Princess cruises so we'll probably be getting another email very soon 🙂

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

 

This might be a new service from HAL.  But as a rule if you have sailed on HAL before, they have a record of your passport.  So not sure why you got such a letter.

 

37 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

We just got this same email last night.  I know we do not need Visas on the Caribbean cruise we are taking, so wonder why HAL is allowing these people to email us???

 

I think HAL just forwarded entire passenger lists to this company rather than determine who needs to take action. It's easier for them that way.

 

I knew I had filled in all the required info when I booked, as that's what I usually do. But this email had me wondering if something got lost, so I checked my booking at HAL's site. Everything was fine. I did not need to receive that email.

 

I feel sorry for the TAs and PCCs who are getting worried phone calls this morning.

 

Edited October 22, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[kazu]

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

I think HAL just forwarded entire passenger lists to this company rather than determine who needs to take action. It's easier for them that way.

 

I knew I had filled in all the required info when I booked, as that's what I usually do. But this email had me wondering if something got lost, so I checked my booking at HAL's site. Everything was fine. I did not need to receive that email.

 

I feel sorry for the TAs and PCCs who are getting worried phone calls this morning.

 

 

Bolding is mine.
 

I am very concerned that HAL is forwarding passenger lists to this company.  If I get an email from them prior to my cruise, HAL will hear from me as to the breach of confidentiality, I assure you.

 

I recommend that everyone who has received this letter contact HAL regarding this and outline your displeasure (assuming you are displeased 😉 )

[Tampa Girl]

13 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Neither require a passport. But Costa Rica does.

 When did Costa Rica start requiring passports?  Or is the issues visas?  I would think that HAL requires passports for the Caribbean, depending on the itinerary.

[Tampa Girl]

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Bolding is mine.
 

I am very concerned that HAL is forwarding passenger lists to this company.  If I get an email from them prior to my cruise, HAL will hear from me as to the breach of confidentiality, I assure you.

 

I recommend that everyone who has received this letter contact HAL regarding this and outline your displeasure (assuming you are displeased 😉 )

 

I agree!  It sounds like they are, perhaps, "selling" the  info to CIBT.  In any event, I don't like the idea of confidential info going to a third party without my knowledge or permission.

[Walfam]

We did the Panama Canal cruise earlier this year on the Zuiderdam and i did not have to show a passport in Costa Rica.  However, in today's world, the rules change often.

[DeeniEncinitas]

25 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Bolding is mine.
 

I am very concerned that HAL is forwarding passenger lists to this company.  If I get an email from them prior to my cruise, HAL will hear from me as to the breach of confidentiality, I assure you.

 

I recommend that everyone who has received this letter contact HAL regarding this and outline your displeasure (assuming you are displeased 😉 )

I agree with you Jacqui!!!! I will do the same if we receive the email! So far nothing  doing Panama Cruise this March! 
HAL has all info with our passports from the past!

Denise😊

[palolake]

We just booked two Princess cruises yesterday.  The first time I clicked into the booking, I acknowledged that it was ok to give info to 3rd parties.  I think there was something to opt out (I was excitedly clicking quickly) but I didn't do it.  They are both the same company.  You probably already oked a 3rd party.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

26 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 When did Costa Rica start requiring passports?  Or is the issues visas?  I would think that HAL requires passports for the Caribbean, depending on the itinerary.

 

I don't know when they started, but they do now. I forwarded the email to my TA, just so she'd see what was happening, and she mentioned both Costa Rica and Martinique requiring passports.

 

[taxmantoo]

Cruising on HAL in November ... did not receive the email.

Cruising on Princess in February ... received the email.

Seems like all of Carnival ships are involved with giving data away to this company.

[ger_77]

We received an email yesterday as well, but it wasn't about passports, it was about the need for a visa for our stop in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic.  I'm now wondering if we can purchase the visas on board just as we did during our SE Asia cruise.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[canadianbear]

As I said we got the email yesterday for our Mexico cruise.  I sent a message to my PCC and this was his response via email:

 

“Hi! Your trip does not need travel visas.  CIBTVisa is formerly Visa Central, but they didn’t take the effort to say that, and they do now contact guests about travel visa assistance. They do not know your nationality or details so everyone gets the email offering visa help, even if not needed. Sorry for the confusion.”

 

 

[RAS4331]

We received the same email.  They know what ship we're sailing on and our departure date.  The email says

"In order to determine your travel document requirements for your voyage on _____________ departing on _______ (blanks were filled in), we will need more information from you. "  (Then "click here" to enter more information.)   Now in this day and age, who is going to provide more details on their cruise to some previously unheard-of company?  That's exactly like the scam emails from "banks" saying "we need you to verify your log-in information."    I suspect that this is actually legitimate, but it still burns me up that Holland America did not notify us in advance to expect this email.  All it would take is a simple email from them saying that they are using CIBTVisas to help passengers obtain the proper travel documents.  I'm sure their phone is ringing off the hook with passengers wondering if this is legit.  I don't intend to offer CIBTVisas any  more information about myself or my cruise without some word from Holland America.

Edited October 22, 2019 by RAS4331
privacy

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 When did Costa Rica start requiring passports?  Or is the issues visas?  I would think that HAL requires passports for the Caribbean, depending on the itinerary.

 

About 3 years ago.

[USN59-79]

To be clear, here is the information that HAL has forwarded to this company:  My name, my email address, the ship and boarding date, the fact that I am a U.S. citizen and hold a U.S. passport, and each port that I will be visiting.  They erroneously state that I need a Philippine visa for a one-day stop in Manila and offer to assist me (while generating a large fee for themselves) in obtaining that unneeded visa.  So I am disgusted that HAL has enabled this to happen.

[3rdGenCunarder]

40 minutes ago, RAS4331 said:

We received the same email.  They know what ship we're sailing on and our departure date.  The email says

"In order to determine your travel document requirements for your voyage on _____________ departing on _______ (blanks were filled in), we will need more information from you. "  (Then "click here" to enter more information.)   Now in this day and age, who is going to provide more details on their cruise to some previously unheard-of company?  That's exactly like the scam emails from "banks" saying "we need you to verify your log-in information."    I suspect that this is actually legitimate, but it still burns me up that Holland America did not notify us in advance to expect this email.  All it would take is a simple email from them saying that they are using CIBTVisas to help passengers obtain the proper travel documents.  I'm sure their phone is ringing off the hook with passengers wondering if this is legit.  I don't intend to offer CIBTVisas any  more information about myself or my cruise without some word from Holland America.

 

I hope their phones ARE ringing off the hook! This should have come from HAL. Find to include a link to CIBT and say "this is our partner in organizing visas," but I don't like that they did this big data dump and CIBT contacted everyone.

 

[summer slope]

I forwarded the email to my TA and she hadn't seen it before.  She said she can't imagine why they are doing it unless many people arrive at the docks without proper documentation.