Cruise GSAs have raised the alarm that some South African passport holders are at risk of missing their UK, Europe and US cruises and could be left out of pocket if they can’t get their visas approved and their documents returned in time.
Cruises International CEO, Marco Cristofoli, said the peak European summer season, which generally lasted into September, could now be “at risk” for SA pax because of lengthy wait times for visa application appointments and processing times for several European destinations and the UK.
It’s common knowledge that travellers are currently waiting about a month for UK visas, but Cristofoli pointed out that many people also needed a Schengen visa for many of the sailings, which made the wait times twice as long.
Foreign embassies around the world are experiencing delays because of COVID-19 backlogs and capacity constraints, and Cristofoli said it was becoming very likely that some customers simply would not get their documents in time. He said customers were waiting up to a year for a US visa appointment in African markets like Nigeria. In South Africa, applicants are having to wait until March 2023 for an appointment.
MSC Cruises South Africa MD, Ross Volk, said the cruise line was aware of the problem and had raised the issue with the relevant industry bodies.
“Overall, our forward booking for international cruises is lower than we have seen pre-COVID. This is not unexpected and is the result of many factors – economic pressure, concerns over COVID protocols, differing regulations in destination countries, and visa issues. We have raised the delay in visa appointments with the relevant industry bodies as we believe obtaining visas is critical to the recovery of the industry as a whole.”
Meanwhile, Norwegian Cruise Line is telling South African customers to book their visa appointments as early as possible to avoid delays or disappointment. Regional Vice President MEA, Nick Wilkinson, said South Africans were still intent on cruising and reported “incredible pent-up demand for travel, cruises in particular, from the South African market”.
“We have noted the challenges experienced around the applications for UK and EU visas ahead of the peak European summer season. Generally, the lead time for cruise bookings is a few months, or even years ahead, so most of our customers that have booked early can get their visas sorted in good time,” he said.
“Our South African travellers are always resilient, showing that nothing will stop them from travelling and cruising. We have seen good bookings and enquiries throughout 2022 so far, with our Med cruises remaining the most popular.
“Late last month, NCL celebrated the completion of its Great Cruise Comeback, with the sailing of Norwegian Spirit, the 17th and final ship in our fleet to return to service. With the many complexities that still surround travel and the inclusive nature, freedom and ease of a cruise, we have seen many South African repeat guests as well as new bookings from customers looking for a hassle-free way to travel Europe.”
Shaun McCarthy, CEO of Whitestar Cruise & Travel, which represents Cunard in South Africa among other cruise lines, said there were clients struggling to get visa appointments, which was affecting the customers’ bookings and causing “unnecessary stress”.
“Visa delays are having a very definite effect on our short-term cruise bookings for this summer and, unless passengers already have a Schengen or UK visa, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to travel before September.
“The US is not much better,” he added. “In fact, we had passengers who have had to cancel a world cruise booking for fear of not being able to get a US visa in time. This is coupled with the fact that they would need to get a number of other visas as well. We have also picked up errors on visa issues, as we have had passengers denied boarding as they were issued with a single-entry Schengen visa when multiple-entry was requested.”
McCarthy warned agents and their clients: “A word of advice to passengers is to always check their visas on collection to try and avoid these issues once travelling.”
Although she said visa delays were a headache for outbound trade partners and cruise operators, Cruise Vacations MD, Gaynor Neill, is happy that cruising is back. She agreed, though, that the Med’s peak season could take a direct hit and that last-minute bookings could be lost.
She said there was definitely demand for last-minute bookings from passengers wishing to travel between July and September. “We have been fortunate with several bookings for guests who host dual nationality and do not require visas.”
Neil reiterated the visa protocols for cruises. “Agents need to be aware that visas are required for all ports (for South Africans) as would normally be required by FIT pax. It is vital to ensure that they have this covered.”
She also reported that some Schengen countries, which had the most impact on future Med sailings, were starting to issue visas more quickly, but warned agents that penalties could still apply when customers did not get documents in time.
“Unfortunately, there is no safeguard, unless through private travel insurance, against cancellation penalties if the guests do not get visas on time,” she said. “I don’t expect the cruise lines themselves can get involved. This is a local issue affecting only SA passengers, therefore it needs to be handled at a local level. We are happy to support any local initiative to lobby the consulates in our capacity as a GSA, but my understanding is that Asata has taken this on.”
