Symphony to Middle East

[Worldtraveler22]

If anyone is on the October 9 cruise from Athens to Dubai have you had success buying your visas online from the government websites?  I don’t want to pay a premium using Visa central.  Thank you in advance. 

[Stickman1990]

6 minutes ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

If anyone is on the October 9 cruise from Athens to Dubai have you had success buying your visas online from the government websites?

What countries require Visas?

I appreciate it will depend on what country you’re a citizen of but usually if they want them for US citizens they’ll want them for others 

[Roland4]

10 minutes ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

If anyone is on the October 9 cruise from Athens to Dubai have you had success buying your visas online from the government websites?  I don’t want to pay a premium using Visa central.  Thank you in advance. 

While it was several years ago on Serenity, and in the opposite direction, either no visas were required, or they were "in transit visas" obtained by the ship and charged to your shipboard account.

[Worldtraveler22]

In the past some visas were handled on board for guests.  Can’t find out if that applies here for Egypt, UAE and Oman.  

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

In the past some visas were handled on board for guests.  Can’t find out if that applies here for Egypt, UAE and Oman.  

Have your TA check with Crystal on this.

 

Have looked at your itinerary and never needed to do visas for any of them and have visited each of them several times with Crystal.  

 

Country can matter although on the cruise when transiting them that would be a major exception other than if you are ending in a country. But when it comes to all of this best to get current information.

 

If this was me I would have my TA followup with Crystal specially with the group that coordinates this with the ship.

 

Keith

[Zele]

6 hours ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

If anyone is on the October 9 cruise from Athens to Dubai have you had success buying your visas online from the government websites?  I don’t want to pay a premium using Visa central.  Thank you in advance. 

We are on this voyage and we got our Egyptian Visas through the Egypt e-Visa Portal.  Its relatively straight forward.  If you have an issue, the people at the Portal reply well within 24 hours.

 

We have British passports and so we checked with the British Foreign and Commonwealth office first on the entry requirements for each country on this voyage.  Egypt was the only one that required a Visa but only for certain ports, none of which we are stopping at.  I also checked with Visa Central and they had a different view, which makes me suspicious of them.   

 

My suggestion is for you to check with your Government's appropriate department / service as they should have the most up to date and reliable information on entry requirements.

 

As a British passport holder we don't need Visas for Greece, the Oman and the UAE.   However next year it may be different for Greece and all other EU countries.  

 

  

[Zele]

31 minutes ago, Zele said:

We are on this voyage and we got our Egyptian Visas through the Egypt e-Visa Portal.  Its relatively straight forward.  If you have an issue, the people at the Portal reply well within 24 hours.

 

We have British passports and so we checked with the British Foreign and Commonwealth office first on the entry requirements for each country on this voyage.  Egypt was the only one that required a Visa but only for certain ports, none of which we are stopping at.  I also checked with Visa Central and they had a different view, which makes me suspicious of them.   

 

My suggestion is for you to check with your Government's appropriate department / service as they should have the most up to date and reliable information on entry requirements.

 

As a British passport holder we don't need Visas for Greece, the Oman and the UAE.   However next year it may be different for Greece and all other EU countries.  

 

  

The following is from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.  The Egyptian Entry Requirements may be the same for other nationalities, but needs checking especially as to whether there will be immigration officials at Port Suez as according to 'What's In Port' Crystal Symphony is the only vessel docking in 2023 !

 

If you wish to get a visa on arrival, you can do so at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters. The visa fee is US$25, payable in US dollars as the preferred currency, although you may also be able to pay in pounds sterling or euros. Visas granted on arrival are valid for a maximum of 30 days. There’s no need to buy a visa from an agent. In many cases agents will charge more than US$25 for a visa. If you’re harassed by an agent, report the incident to the tourist police in the airport terminal.

If you’re travelling to Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts for up to 15 days, you will receive a free entry permission stamp upon arrival. If you intend to travel out of these areas or stay longer than 15 days, you must get a visa.

  

[Worldtraveler22]

9 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

What countries require Visas?

I appreciate it will depend on what country you’re a citizen of but usually if they want them for US citizens they’ll want them for others 

Egypt, Dubai and Oman - 

[Worldtraveler22]

9 hours ago, Roland4 said:

While it was several years ago on Serenity, and in the opposite direction, either no visas were required, or they were "in transit visas" obtained by the ship and charged to your shipboard account.

Thank you.  The Crystal website's VISA link shows they do require them.  I am hoping that the ship will handle them but I can't get an answer yet if that will be the case.

[Worldtraveler22]

2 hours ago, Zele said:

We are on this voyage and we got our Egyptian Visas through the Egypt e-Visa Portal.  Its relatively straight forward.  If you have an issue, the people at the Portal reply well within 24 hours.

 

We have British passports and so we checked with the British Foreign and Commonwealth office first on the entry requirements for each country on this voyage.  Egypt was the only one that required a Visa but only for certain ports, none of which we are stopping at.  I also checked with Visa Central and they had a different view, which makes me suspicious of them.   

 

My suggestion is for you to check with your Government's appropriate department / service as they should have the most up to date and reliable information on entry requirements.

 

As a British passport holder we don't need Visas for Greece, the Oman and the UAE.   However next year it may be different for Greece and all other EU countries.  

 

  

Yes, Visa Central says Dubai, Oman and Egypt require visas for US and Canadian pp holders.  I also looked at the e-Visa for Egypt but couldn't tell if it was legit.  I'll do some more digging. Thank you.

[Worldtraveler22]

1 hour ago, Zele said:

The following is from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.  The Egyptian Entry Requirements may be the same for other nationalities, but needs checking especially as to whether there will be immigration officials at Port Suez as according to 'What's In Port' Crystal Symphony is the only vessel docking in 2023 !

 

If you wish to get a visa on arrival, you can do so at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters. The visa fee is US$25, payable in US dollars as the preferred currency, although you may also be able to pay in pounds sterling or euros. Visas granted on arrival are valid for a maximum of 30 days. There’s no need to buy a visa from an agent. In many cases agents will charge more than US$25 for a visa. If you’re harassed by an agent, report the incident to the tourist police in the airport terminal.

If you’re travelling to Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts for up to 15 days, you will receive a free entry permission stamp upon arrival. If you intend to travel out of these areas or stay longer than 15 days, you must get a visa.

  

Not exactly a straight answer in our case on this trip.  We do need a visa per the description.  The question is where to get it. As we are not arriving by air, it's different.  I'll keep digging.  

[Stickman1990]

For Australians 

 

Dubai (from Emirates website)

Visa Exemptions:

Nationals of Australia with a normal passport for a maximum stay of 30 days.

Information: Extension of stay possible for an additional 30 days.

 

Oman

Oman Tourist e-Visa (30 days valid, single entry) https://evisa.rop.gov.om/visa-eligibility US$51.90 each  Egypt Australians require an eVisa Tourism Visa: Issued for single or multiple entries to persons whose nationalities require visas to enter Egypt. Visa type Visa fees Single entry visa (Tourism) 25$ Multiple entries visa (Tourism) 60$ https://www.visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/Home;jsessionid=Zh-DTv67XALZyEUZVkAn9Sff8d-mnvCiYEx1eJl3.pp-ui-01?VISTK=QQJN-HM9W-H05L-ZMAX-8EHN-XVQ2-B32J-24JC-RP3D-7DV3-O4C4-EI32-GEOQ-SQYK-103Y-WBCR

 

[Zele]

31 minutes ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

Not exactly a straight answer in our case on this trip.  We do need a visa per the description.  The question is where to get it. As we are not arriving by air, it's different.  I'll keep digging.  

 

37 minutes ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

Yes, Visa Central says Dubai, Oman and Egypt require visas for US and Canadian pp holders.  I also looked at the e-Visa for Egypt but couldn't tell if it was legit.  I'll do some more digging. Thank you.

Both the Canadian and US government websites say that Visas are not required by their citizens for entry into the UAE.   For Canadians a Visa is not required for the Oman but is for Americans according to their respective government websites.

 

I would wary of the accuracy of Visa Central. 

 

 

[Worldtraveler22]

23 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

For Australians 

 

Dubai (from Emirates website)

Visa Exemptions:

Nationals of Australia with a normal passport for a maximum stay of 30 days.

Information: Extension of stay possible for an additional 30 days.

 

Oman

Oman Tourist e-Visa (30 days valid, single entry) https://evisa.rop.gov.om/visa-eligibility US$51.90 each  Egypt Australians require an eVisa Tourism Visa: Issued for single or multiple entries to persons whose nationalities require visas to enter Egypt. Visa type Visa fees Single entry visa (Tourism) 25$ Multiple entries visa (Tourism) 60$ https://www.visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/Home;jsessionid=Zh-DTv67XALZyEUZVkAn9Sff8d-mnvCiYEx1eJl3.pp-ui-01?VISTK=QQJN-HM9W-H05L-ZMAX-8EHN-XVQ2-B32J-24JC-RP3D-7DV3-O4C4-EI32-GEOQ-SQYK-103Y-WBCR

 

Thank you.  I have seen that online as well but I’m skeptical of this evisa website.  I found something issued by Seabourn which states for their passengers arriving in Egypt, Guests in transit will obtain a quick trip stamp good for 72 hours.  This applies to most nationalities.  Maybe that is the answer

[Worldtraveler22]

3 minutes ago, Zele said:

 

Both the Canadian and US government websites say that Visas are not required by their citizens for entry into the UAE.   For Canadians a Visa is not required for the Oman but is for Americans according to their respective government websites.

 

I would wary of the accuracy of Visa Central. 

 

 

Per a Seabourn Visa guideline…USA Nationals and Canadian Nationals entering Oman…A visa is required for a stay longer than 48 hours in each port.  This Symphony cruise has 2 day stops in Oman.  That may mean a visa is not required.

[Old Sea Dog]

Beware  Egyptian Visa

We are U.K. citizens on the October 9 th sailing and visas are a must.

However we were advised that the single entry one was not appropriate for this voyage as we are in and out of the country on at least three occasions.

So we applied and received a multiple entry one which cost 120 US per couple.

The website is not the best and can be difficult to navigate from our experience.

[Worldtraveler22]

24 minutes ago, Old Sea Dog said:

Beware  Egyptian Visa

We are U.K. citizens on the October 9 th sailing and visas are a must.

However we were advised that the single entry one was not appropriate for this voyage as we are in and out of the country on at least three occasions.

So we applied and received a multiple entry one which cost 120 US per couple.

The website is not the best and can be difficult to navigate from our experience.

Thank you.  Who advised you that the multiple entry visa was required, Crystal or the Visa service?  Which website did you use?

[Old Sea Dog]

This was quite a saga.

Firstly our US TA contacted Crystal as I enquired if they were doing a group visa.

The answer was no you must do your own.

After reading both the U.K. government and the Egyptian embassy requirements all they confirmed was visa on entry at airports nothing about sea ports.Phone calls and emails to help desk went unanswered.

After contacting local TAs no firm answer was forthcoming so it was recommended we go for a multiple entry one so we at least we’re covered as we did not want to be refused entry at the second port.

We used the online visa service which also gave us grief as it has done with our Canadian travelling companions.

I must say the cost was a shock but we now have the required documents so no need to worry 

I hope you have a trouble free experience 

 

[Zele]

26 minutes ago, Old Sea Dog said:

This was quite a saga.

Firstly our US TA contacted Crystal as I enquired if they were doing a group visa.

The answer was no you must do your own.

After reading both the U.K. government and the Egyptian embassy requirements all they confirmed was visa on entry at airports nothing about sea ports.Phone calls and emails to help desk went unanswered.

After contacting local TAs no firm answer was forthcoming so it was recommended we go for a multiple entry one so we at least we’re covered as we did not want to be refused entry at the second port.

We used the online visa service which also gave us grief as it has done with our Canadian travelling companions.

I must say the cost was a shock but we now have the required documents so no need to worry 

I hope you have a trouble free experience 

 

We too read the same UK government and Egyptian embassy requirements and then we spoke to our TA who arranges many holidays in Egypt and who confirmed that multiple entry Visas at US$120 per couple was required. 

[Worldtraveler22]

Interesting update from Port agency in Suez. Here is what he wrote to me today. 
 

You do not have to do anything, all will be arranged by us as port agent with the Cruise company.

Wish you a happy sailing onboard and a lovely visit to our Country Egypt

 

Best regards,

[Old Sea Dog]

22 hours ago, Worldtraveler22 said:

Interesting update from Port agency in Suez. Here is what he wrote to me today. 
 

You do not have to do anything, all will be arranged by us as port agent with the Cruise company.

Wish you a happy sailing onboard and a lovely visit to our Country Egypt

 

Best regards,

IMHO this just muddies the water even more. Crystal have categorically said they are not involved In Egyptian visas as it’s the passengers responsibility and this implies that they will have to be.

Personally I’d be very wary of his statement.

 

[MsCrystalina]

The Egyptian E-visa is legitimate and was efficient process.  

[Old Sea Dog]

Received from our TA a notification from Crystal that they will now provide visa’s for Egypt and Oman onboard.

Charge will be made to your onboard account 

[Worldtraveler22]

Any word on Dubai?

[PaulMCO]

On 8/24/2023 at 5:05 PM, Worldtraveler22 said:

Any word on Dubai?

why worry about Dubai,  It has always been for most Nationalities a Visa on arrival good for 30 days.  No formality just an entry stamp in your passports. 

 

.

Edited August 28, 2023 by PaulMCO