Originally Posted by
moondog
I definitely remember you posted the form here for us to see, but I am hoping you can focus on the cruise related issues in isolation.
The "form", Turkey, breaking laws during previous stays in China, being a journalist... are variables that apply to ALL people, and our understanding of them is pretty much as good as you could hope to expect from a group of unpaid hobbyists with no skin in the game.
Are you able to provide any information that applies specifically to travelers whose itineraries include cruise ship segments?
Please accept my apologies if you feel that I'm repeating myself. The thing is this:
-the UK press articles are puff pieces, at best
-but, even puff pieces might have legs (unbeknownst to their clueless authors)
-in light of your relationships with the articles' subjects and --by extension-- their peers, you are possibly in a unique position to close the loop
I received this additional information today. One of the passengers showed the border agents a plane ticket and he was able to clear the airport.
OCTOBER 23, 2019 post #917
Posted 4 hours ago
Being in our late 60's we considered this our one & only trip to China so paying for a Visa when the 144 hour Visa waiver sounded so easy seemed a silly thing to do,I can only say that after the horrendous experience at Beijing airport that day,GET A VISA!
Our problems started at Manchester airport when at check in we were directed to a seperate desk where airline staff were giving passport details to the Chinese Embassy to get clearance for us to fly,we really didn't anticipate any further problems after that,how wrong can you be!
We were well versed on what to do,arrived around 0820hrs,fingerprints done,forms filled in,seeing people in tears as they were refused was really awful & made you dread what came next,we were ushered into line behind a couple who were being lead away after being refused so were not optimistic,totally
floored when we were asked for a copy of our boarding pass for the flight which nobody had mentioned,I suddenly found one screwed up in my pocket,thank goodness I hadn't binned it(!),luckily we were through,I have wondered what would have happened if I hadn't found the boarding pass or what we would have done if refused entry,by the time we got through customs,immigration & got the train to the baggage hall it was nearly midday,transfer taxis had long since left so we had to pay for a taxi,arriving at our hotel about 1400hrs,shattered both physically & mentally,but somehow we both enjoyed Beijing!
REPLY TO POST #917
"Unfortunately even having a proper visa did not help a lot of people who were still rejected.
I spoke to one couple who had a proper visa. They landed in Xian for a couple of days, then flew to Beijing on what should have been considered a domestic flight, yet were denied entry at Beijing.
Whether the rejections were due to recent issues with Turkey or heightened security with the 70th anniversary celebrations, no one will know.
RC even reported that some of their crew leaving the ship in Tianjin were refused entry at Tianjin to transit through Beijing."
Posted 1 hour ago post #919
During our heated ‘discussions ‘ at the check in desk at Heathrow, the couple behind us related how they had used an agency to apply for a full visa only to have their paperwork returned with the comment ‘you only need the 144 hr visa, don’t bother with a full one’. It seems the stories of grief are endless. It just goes to prove the point that countries can and sometimes do refuse entry through no fault of the applicant!
Posted 1 hour ago post #920
Sadly also it means that well meaning people giving advice on these forums could be wasting their time as other peoples experiences could end up being very different to theirs!