Feb 2020 Jewel of the Seas Visa confusion

[Roger the cabin boy]

We are doing B2b 3rd and 10th february 2020 and as UK citizens it appears that we do not require visas for UAE and Qatar but the information on Oman and Bahrain is very confusing. Maybe an experienced traveller on the forum can help with the following;

Does RC arrange visas on arrival in these ports?

Do UK citizens need visas if arriving on a cruise ship for the day (I am aware air travellers visiting will require one)?

If they are required, do you deal direct with the embassy or through a third party visa specialists? 

Any guidance would be much appreciated

 

[Bailey & Sophie]

Go to a professional travel agent. 

[NightWoman]

Hi Roger the cabin boy,

 

We've done this cruise many times, we also  from the UK and we are going on the Christmas Cruise this year

 

You are correct if you are flying you would need a visa for Bahrain. Bahrain seems to be the confusing one, as I've mentioned we've been here before and have never had to obtain a visa for getting off the ship. As you are on a cruise ship you are classed as being in transit and yes for some countries even though you are in transit you need to purchase a visa before embarking the ship.

Remember on RCI you need to hand your passport in as you embark so the authorities are aware of who is on the cruise ship and because we are classed as in transit this would be covered by the cruise line. I also double checked this with my TA to ensure nothing had changed and she hadn't heard anything, she also contacted RCI with regards to this.

 

In Oman you will be issued a pink tourist visa as you exit the ship, you show it at the port gate for exit/entry then its handed back as you get back on the ship, you don't pay for this.

 

 

I hope this helps enjoy your holiday.

 

 

 

[di T]

Everything NightWoman says has always been our experience we last did this cruise in 2018.Dianne

[di T]

5 hours ago, Roger the cabin boy said:

We are doing B2b 3rd and 10th february 2020 and as UK citizens it appears that we do not require visas for UAE and Qatar but the information on Oman and Bahrain is very confusing. Maybe an experienced traveller on the forum can help with the following;

Does RC arrange visas on arrival in these ports?

Do UK citizens need visas if arriving on a cruise ship for the day (I am aware air travellers visiting will require one)?

If they are required, do you deal direct with the embassy or through a third party visa specialists? 

Any guidance would be much appreciated

 

We will be on our last part of our b2b2b when you board! Don’t worry about visas the ship will take care of anything you need. They do take your passport when you check in and hand it back later on the cruise. Dianne

[Roger the cabin boy]

Many thanks to all for the quick response. I managed to find an email contact for the Bahrain embassy and received the following 

 

Thank you for your e-mail. 

As a UK citizen, you will be able to obtain a visa upon arrival at the port
in Bahrain. 

I hope this helps but please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require
any further information. 

Kind regards, 

Consular Section 
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain

 

[dubaihammer]

We are sailing on the Jewel 23rd December sailing and have4 received our edocs. For Bahrain they state:

All eligible guests, including United States and Canadian citizens will receive their visa with the shipboard team’s assistance. For visa requirements of other nationalities, contact your visa provider.

[LXA350]

On 11/27/2019 at 12:00 PM, NightWoman said:

Hi Roger the cabin boy,

 

We've done this cruise many times, we also  from the UK and we are going on the Christmas Cruise this year

 

You are correct if you are flying you would need a visa for Bahrain. Bahrain seems to be the confusing one, as I've mentioned we've been here before and have never had to obtain a visa for getting off the ship. As you are on a cruise ship you are classed as being in transit and yes for some countries even though you are in transit you need to purchase a visa before embarking the ship.

Remember on RCI you need to hand your passport in as you embark so the authorities are aware of who is on the cruise ship and because we are classed as in transit this would be covered by the cruise line. I also double checked this with my TA to ensure nothing had changed and she hadn't heard anything, she also contacted RCI with regards to this.

 

In Oman you will be issued a pink tourist visa as you exit the ship, you show it at the port gate for exit/entry then its handed back as you get back on the ship, you don't pay for this.

 

 

I hope this helps enjoy your holiday.

 

 

 

 You seem to be a pro when it comes to these matters 🙂 Do you know the situation for a cruise that stops in multiple ports in India, as I understand there you do need to apply for a Multiple entry E-Visa?

[NightWoman]

Hi LXA350,

 

Yes, a Multiple entry E-Visa will enable  you to get off the ship in the Indian Ports. These will be checked by Indian authorities at the ports.

 

With introduction of the E-Visa for cruise passengers this has been made a lot easier. The last time we travelled to India in 2017 there was no E-Visa and the forms were  bit of mine field, we had to send our  passports to the Indian Consul with exact size photos and it was very expensive so its a lot more efficient for cruise passengers now, also at one time if you didn't have a Visa you couldn't get off the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

[LXA350]

43 minutes ago, NightWoman said:

Hi LXA350,

 

Yes, a Multiple entry E-Visa will enable  you to get off the ship in the Indian Ports. These will be checked by Indian authorities at the ports.

 

With introduction of the E-Visa for cruise passengers this has been made a lot easier. The last time we travelled to India in 2017 there was no E-Visa and the forms were  bit of mine field, we had to send our  passports to the Indian Consul with exact size photos and it was very expensive so its a lot more efficient for cruise passengers now, also at one time if you didn't have a Visa you couldn't get off the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

 thanks a lot for that 🙂

[Roger the cabin boy]

An update, following all the good advice I thought that I’d contact RC direct....what a waste of time!

Their advice was a two liner saying that they don’t deal with visas and that I should contact the appropriate embassy or visa service, then there was four lines on how I could enhance my cruise by purchasing dining and drink packages. Typical sell, sell and sell again attitude.

if my memory serves me well, when we sailed around Australia on RC and went to Bali, we were charged $35 US for the ship to obtain visas!!!

Surely when a cruise line repeats an itinerary as often as this they should know what the ship does and doesn’t do in each port rather.

Once  again, thanks for the advice from the experienced CC members on this subject