UK cruisers - visa requirements ???

[DaveUK]

Help - First time on the Magic now only 8 weeks away - so time is a bit short !!!

We are a family of 5 - all UK / British citizens and are unsure as to visa requirements etc. for the 7 day cruise (8/7)

As we have full British passports - we can enter US on the visa waiver programme for up to 90 days (and will be spending time at WDW before the cruise).

We are not sure if we will need any (further) visas for the cruise :

1 to board the ship at Cape Canaveral ; and

2 to embark at the various ports ( St Juan, St Thomas, and castaway Cay).

Any help would be appreciated - especially from other UK based people who have trodden this path before. I'm sure there are lots of Brits who cruise with Disney - who must have had similar issues ?

Thanks

Dave

 

[natdencro]

We have cruised 4 weeks on the Magic now, and you will need TWO forms of photo ID. We had to buy new driving licences here, as we only had the old papers ones! These are checked REGULARLY, so beware. The visa waiver forms which you complete on the plane are sufficient to cover holiday. Not sure about ID for the children: I presume passport photos are sufficient for young children. Check with TA or direct with Disney. Please e mail if you want any more info: DD is CM in Palo! Lucky girl! You are going to have a MAGICAL time! Nat

 

[traycie2201]

Hi Dave, i had the same concern and mailed DCL directly they advised me that i only need my passport and that they take a copy of it for me to use for boarding etc then give me my passport back at the end of the cruise, no other visa are necessary ,just fill in all your paperwork for bahamas etc when you get it in your cruise docs to save time at the port. Have a wonderful holiday

Here is the e mail i received from DCL

All non-U.S. citizens are required to surrender citizenship papers at the pier during check-in. The
guest receives a copy of their documents and a receipt which can be used to debark the ship in the
ports of call.

 

[wendym]

Hi Dave
We are going to be on the same cruise - please come and join our thread!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=5732972#post5732972
We have been 3 Magic cruises - this will be our 4th. Mum has a photo driving licence and I use an expired passport as extra ID but they do take photocopies of your original passport that you can use.
Wendy

 

[DaveUK]

Thanks to everyone who replied.

It would seem the advice from Dreams that I would need "multi entry" visas is wrong (I hope so anyway) and that the visa waiver forms we complete on the plane to Orlando for US entry will suffice for the cruise as well.

If anyone thinks otherwise - please do let me know asap !!!

As regards ID for the cruise, I get the impression that as well as passports, we might need some further photo id. Is this right ? If so, we'll need to get some photo driving licences done in next few weeks - as our current ones are the old style paper ones.

There is still a slight problem with the kids however - the youngest has his own 5 year passport, so has at least one form of photo ID (assume this will suffice ?).

As to my two girls however, they are both on their mum's passport - which is still OK for USA until October - but obviously no photo id. Will this be a problem ?

Any further thoughts / advice welcomed.

Dave

 

[traycie2201]

Dave you may want to check with a british travel agent who books disney cruises on this one, but i'm pretty sure you need a bahamian visa but this is done through filling in the forms in your cruise documents and dcl sort it out when you check in , you don't need to get one before travel.
As for the kids id according to the dcl website guests under 17 are required to have proof of citizenship so i think them being on the passport would do , maybe take along their birth certificates as extra id. but again check with dcl as they can refuse to allow you to board without the right id !!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Hi

To clarify and from my experience

DCL like photo I/D to get on and off the ship at the various ports.

They take your passport on embarkation and keep it in custody until 6.00am on the last day, yes its early! when you claim it back

If you can have your D/L changed to photo D/L cost about £19. Its very fast with the DVLA

But do not worry DCL will take a copy of your passport when you

check in, ( do this on the non USA line)

They will certify it and give it back to you in your stateroom later, use this as your photo I/D to get on and off, with your KTTW card, kids will not require photo I/D to get on and off just the KTTW card.

(KTTW Key To The World Card, issued on check in and your room key)

USA Visa waiver is ok, they will keep it in custody and you shouldnt have to complete another.

All Bahamas documentation is included within the DCL ticket pack and you will not have a problem.

You are considered to be 'in transit' and do not require full visa

Citizenship is proven by passport, for UK customers you need passport and not the birth certificate, (B/C this applies to US residents travelling without a passport).

After October this year you need 'machine readable' passports to go to USA and all children must have their own passport, not familiy.

I think things will change for the Panama cruises next year and we will have to give up our Visa waiver in LA and recomplete as we come back to Port Canaveral, this is from past experience on another line.

Another point, most DCL cruises booked in UK on UK travel agencies include TIPS, if booked with USA operators they exclude tips.

 

[chucklechops]

Hi, Dito with everything that has been said, my only concern would be the children on your wife's passport.
I know that children have to have their own passports after oct this year, but I would check to see if due to them cruising they need their own passport now.
I don't want to worry you but might be worth checking it out, it might mean that you just need to take the childrens birth certificate?!
Anyway fingers crossed and all you will need are your passports.
Bye the way guess who is now going to change their paper driving licence to a photo one!!!!!!
Never even thought of that one.
Goodluck
Chucklechops

 

[DaveUK]

Thanks for all the advice + help.

Relieved to see that we won't need to apply for any visas etc prior to departure.

I don't think we actually need to - but I'll probably get the two eldest daughters their own passports - to complete our set (as this only takes two weeks) so we are then certain of the photo id / proof of citizenship etc. for all five of us.

As for the conversion of the paper driving licence to a photo one - I'm told this takes "about 3 weeks" from the DVLA and costs £19.

if anyone is pushed for time, and simply wants another form of photo id - consider instead applying for an international driving permit - available from larger post offices. These are immediate, have your photo on, and cost only £4.

Hope to see some of you on the cruise - I'll be happy to share my experiences after my return.

Dave

 

[traycie2201]

Here is the response that dcl offered to my query about citizenship papers / i.d for residents of the uk / passport holders.

Your 'citzenship papers' would be your passport. At check-in in Port Canaveral, we will photo copy
your passport and you may use this photocopy as your photo id to debark the ship in the ports of
call.