Rooster Posted July 17, 2018 Posted July 17, 2018 Saw the almost full page ad in yesterdays The Philippine Star newspaper advertising cruise one take one Christmas specials. I decided to call their office (02) 836-6080 before I booked the Dec 4, 2018 cruise Manila, China, Vietnam, Manila. https://booking.starcruises.com/ViewBooking.aspx?pid=6c273bd8-6b55-4694-9a9b-b5fbbf705ce5&lang=en The fine print reads Philippine Passport Holders can get China Visa Waived upon pre-booking of shorex in Sanya China. Star Cruises rep told me U.S. Passport holders need a Visa for China & Vietnam if they want to disembark in China & Vietnam to just walk around or avail the shore excursion/land tours. He also mentioned Filipino/Filipina passport holders do not need Visa's for Vietnam. They also mentioned an additional gratuity fee in Hong Kong Dollars. I plan on contacting both China/Vietnam Embassies in Manila before I book this cruise. FYI to anyone thinking of booking a cruise in Asia, ask many questions ahead of time & research requirements on Google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysRt Posted July 17, 2018 Posted July 17, 2018 3 hours ago, Rooster said: Star Cruises rep told me U.S. Passport holders need a Visa for China & Vietnam if they want to disembark in China & Vietnam to just walk around or avail the shore excursion/land tours. He also mentioned Filipino/Filipina passport holders do not need Visa's for Vietnam. We cruised Royal Caribbean out of Singapore in February. One of the stops was Vietnam, Royal Caribbean took care of visas for everyone on the ship. I was charged $6 for mine (US Passport) and my wife's was free (Philippine Passport). We haven't been to China together (just Hong Kong, free for both of us). I have a 10 year, multiple entry China Visa. Cost of that was $110 + a week to process in Chinese Chicago Embassy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyWay Posted July 17, 2018 Posted July 17, 2018 I was wondering, do these Asian cruise ships allow smoking? I know one of the big draws is the on-board gambling, and it seems like gambling and smoking go together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysRt Posted July 17, 2018 Posted July 17, 2018 12 minutes ago, OnMyWay said: I was wondering, do these Asian cruise ships allow smoking? I know one of the big draws is the on-board gambling, and it seems like gambling and smoking go together! Royal Caribbean has dedicated smoking areas, one of which is, of course, in the casino. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Posted July 17, 2018 Author Posted July 17, 2018 11 hours ago, AlwaysRt said: We cruised Royal Caribbean out of Singapore in February. One of the stops was Vietnam, Royal Caribbean took care of visas for everyone on the ship. I was charged $6 for mine (US Passport) and my wife's was free (Philippine Passport). We haven't been to China together (just Hong Kong, free for both of us). I have a 10 year, multiple entry China Visa. Cost of that was $110 + a week to process in Chinese Chicago Embassy. Star Cruises rep said U.S. Passport Holders must get the Visa on their own if they wish to depart the ship. Both country requirements here: http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/visas/t960523.htm http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/ http://www.vietnameseembassy.org/philippines+manila.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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