Arriving in shanghia from UK for 3 nights before cruise deprts from cruise terminal do I need a visa

Janes, you don’t need to apply for an entry permit because you are eligible for the 144 hour free transit in Shanghai.

We have just had confirmation from Celebrity Cruises that says a visa is not required for our cruise leaving from Shanghai. However, they also cover themselves by saying that there could be a problem if you req. medical treatment over the transit time of 72/144 hrs or if the ship for any reason could not dock in Shanghai ! We are waiting for a response from Virgin as to whether they will allow us to fly without a visa. A previous flyer informed us that Emirates would not allow passengers without a visa to fly! If we get a positive response from Virgin we will not apply for a Chinese visa. Our trip is not until the 23rd Jan 2017 and so there is plenty of time. Hope this helps,

Thank you for that information. My wife will now contact Emirates.