Looking around, she realised dozens of fellow passengers had also been held back, all of them from Australia. The group was told they could not board the ship because they did not have a visa for Chile and, unlike fellow passengers from the US, Australia did not have a visa-wavier agreement with Chile.
Pre-pandemic, the group would have been fine. However, since May, 2020, Australian passport holders must hold an E-Visa to enter Chile.
Princess Cruises firmly rebuffed any responsibility for the group’s fate.
“Unfortunately, a small number of guests were unable to embark on this voyage due to a discrepancy in required travel documents,” a spokesperson said, adding that passengers were reminded to check their documents before the trip.
“Prior to embarkation on all voyages, all guests travelling on Princess Cruises are asked to check with their travel agent or relevant government authority to ensure they have the right documents for each port of call, including visas.
“This is standard practice across our industry, and ensures we comply with all government regulations in the many jurisdictions in which we operate.”
However, Jones felt the communication between the company and passengers had not been explicit enough.
“The implication was that it’s our fault, we should have known, but of course, we didn’t know because we hadn’t been told by Princess Cruises that we needed to do this,” she said.
“Me and my friends booked through Princess Cruises and we could never find anything on the website that indicated we needed a Chilean visa.”
Fellow cruise-goers who booked through travel agents told Jones they didn’t know anything about it either.
After hearing a visa could take five weeks to process, some passengers, including Jones, arranged a flight home from LA.
“A group of us have decided to come home rather than try to tangle with the Princess Cruise people”.
Jones claims she has spent close to AU$5000 on accommodation in Los Angeles and flights home, as well as AU$15,000 on the cruise she could not take.
According to Princess Cruises’ passage contract, which is found on their website, the question of liability is clear.
“When booking a cruise visiting an international port, You are responsible to ensure you have all necessary visas, vaccinations and travel documents, including a passport that is valid for the minimum duration required based on the countries you are visiting,” states the contract.
Without the right documentation, passengers may be denied boarding, stopped from going ashore or hit with a fine, it warns.
Despite this, Princess Cruises said they were in contact with guests about solutions.
“We continue to work closely with affected guests to offer alternate bookings on a case-by-case basis,” a spokesperson said.
