My family is in a very difficult situation, and I am hoping someone may know of a solution we have not considered.
My grandparents organized a family Alaska cruise as a special trip for all of their grandchildren. The cruise is a Princess Cruises itinerary that departs from and returns to Vancouver.
As Mexican citizens, all of us applied for and received Canadian eTAs. Unfortunately, we recently discovered that an eTA alone is not sufficient in our situation and that we need a full Canadian visitor visa to board a cruise departing from Canada.
The cruise departs on July 6, and it appears there is not enough time left for normal visa processing.
We have already contacted Princess Cruises and were told that:
The sailing date cannot be changed
The booking is not eligible for a refund
We cannot join the cruise at a U.S. port, even though everyone in our group has valid U.S. visas
We fully acknowledge that we should have verified the requirements sooner, but we are devastated by the possibility of losing both the trip and a significant amount of money.
Before giving up, I wanted to ask whether anyone has experienced something similar or knows of any possible alternatives, such as:
Expedited Canadian visitor visa options
Emergency processing requests
Exceptions or documentation alternatives
Travel insurance possibilities
Any other solution that might allow us to take the cruise
This trip means a great deal to our family, especially our grandparents, and losing it would be heartbreaking.
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.
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