Visas ?

[imru12]

Do I need to obtain any visas before my cruise to Italy,Greece,Turkey and Egypt? Does the cruise handle this or am I on my own. I'm going on NCL Jade

[Steamboatin]

Here is the web site of the U.S. Department of State for information pertaining to foreign travel requirements by nation. Read information for the countries you are visiting and you will find your own answers.

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

 

Here is a web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information pertaining to foreign travel requirements by nation. Read information for the countries you are visiting and you will find your own answers.

 

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx

 

Hope these two web sites provide you with the information you desire.

[sk8teacher]

If you are a US citizen and are cruising to those countries, no visa is required. If you fly into/out of, or are staying in a country for a length of time, then a visa may be required, especially Turkey. Check with the US State Dept for details.

 

Cheers,

[cruisemom42]

My experience:

 

In Egypt, your ship will collect your passport at some point in the cruise prior to your stop there, and then return it to you with a "quick stay" visa stamp in it. This is done for everyone, whether or not you are taking a ship tour.

 

In Turkey, there is no need to obtain a visa if you are on a cruise ship just visiting for the day. This is true even if you visit multiple ports in Turkey and even if you stay overnight (as some ships do in Istanbul). Only if you are starting or ending your cruise in Turkey will you need a visa. Some ships give you a "landing card" to carry with you in Turkish ports; some do not.

 

You do not need any sort of visa for Italy or Greece.

[kitty9]

If your cruise ends in Turkey, you'll need the visa to fly out of Istanbul. Otherwise you don't need a visa for any of the countries you visit UNLESS you're not an American citizen----that's a totally different thing.

[Luckyroot]

Can someone also address the responsibility issue? It would appear it is the traveler's responsibility to obtain a visa.

 

A question that had crossed my mind is......if there IS a visa required, why wouldn't the cruiseline tell the passengers somewhere in their documents? (Or possibly they did and OP didn't notice.......never having traveled beyond the caribbean, I don't know the answers, which is why I'm asking)

[sk8teacher]

It is indeed the traveler's responsibility to find out if they need a visa and obtain it. Holland America does send out a notice if a specific visa is required and tells the traveler to get it. They do recommend a service to contact.

 

Cheers,

[kitty9]

Can someone also address the responsibility issue? It would appear it is the traveler's responsibility to obtain a visa.

 

A question that had crossed my mind is......if there IS a visa required, why wouldn't the cruiseline tell the passengers somewhere in their documents? (Or possibly they did and OP didn't notice.......never having traveled beyond the caribbean, I don't know the answers, which is why I'm asking)

 

 

The luxury lines DO tell their passengers what visas are needed and what vaccinations are required, but for whatever reason, the mass markets do not. I don't understand why they can't put an insert into your documents telling you what you need.

[okgirl]

I would suggest a call to your cruise line. It may vary from line to line which items you would be responsible for.

 

I was on a Carnival Med cruise in 2007 and I didn't have to do anything on my own for Turkey, Greece or Italy. We did have to surrender our passports to ships personnel before arriving in Turkey and didn't get them back until we departed that port, but that was the only place.

 

Sorry I've not been to Egypt so not sure how Carnival (or any other cruiseline) would handle it.

[Rickey 88]

The luxury lines DO tell their passengers what visas are needed and what vaccinations are required, but for whatever reason, the mass markets do not.

 

I do believe that most, if not all, cruise lines do publish information as to what visas are needed for each voyage. It is certainly in their best interest to do so, as can you imagine the chaos when some passengers show up for a cruise, and have to be denied boarding as they lack the proper documentation?

 

However, even though some may think that the individual passengers have NO responsibility for informing themselves of documents, visas and inoculations needed, if they are investing that much money for their cruise, it becomes almost imperative that they make themselves completely aware of all requirements.....

[jocap]

We were on Jade this Feb, and this is how they handled it: On arrival at Barcelona, your passport is taken from you and kept on the ship. You are already in the EU, so should not need it again. At Turkey, they may give you a special card for entrance- all done by the ship. Whilst you are in port there, a man from Egyptian Immigration will fly in, and spend the day at sea checking and stamping your passport. Later, you will be called to collect your passport from a dining room. It will remain with you for the rest of the cruise. This was explained to us by the captain. By the way, please make sure your insurance people know you are going to Egypt. One lady from the US with several ailments, had been cleared by her Dr. to travel in Europe, and her problems flared up in Egypt, which she hadn't realised was Africa- sounds a bit obvious, I know, but she'd just seen it as a Med Cruise, and it hadn't registered in her excitement. We have to pay an extra premium for DH who has diabetes, for Egypt.-Enjoy!- we did!-jocap.

[cruisemom42]

My experience:

 

In Egypt, your ship will collect your passport at some point in the cruise prior to your stop there, and then return it to you with a "quick stay" visa stamp in it. This is done for everyone, whether or not you are taking a ship tour.

 

In Turkey, there is no need to obtain a visa if you are on a cruise ship just visiting for the day. This is true even if you visit multiple ports in Turkey and even if you stay overnight (as some ships do in Istanbul). Only if you are starting or ending your cruise in Turkey will you need a visa. Some ships give you a "landing card" to carry with you in Turkish ports; some do not.

 

You do not need any sort of visa for Italy or Greece.

 

 

Trust me, what I posted above is accurate for US citizens (and many others, but I can't speak to that personally....only what I've read on CC). This IS what will happen.

 

Cruise lines often give out misleading information -- not because they are willfully doing so, but because the people in their answer centers often do not know where to find the correct information. Visa situations differ by country, there is no "one answer" that fits all.

 

EGYPT:

 

Here is a link to a thread on the Middle East board that I started, particularly because this question is asked so often (and people tend not to believe a single poster, for some reason :rolleyes:):

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1008588&highlight=egypt+visa

 

 

TURKEY:

 

And here are links for a few recent posts on the subject of visas for Turkey. Again, you do NOT need to obtain a visa unless you are flying into Turkey to start your cruise or are ending your cruise in Turkey and flying out:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1020595&highlight=turkey+visa

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=952043&highlight=turkey+visa

 

(On the second one, I love how people insist over and over that their TA/cruiseline/website told them something different.....:eek:)

[Steamboatin]

Here is the web site of the U.S. Department of State for information pertaining to foreign travel requirements by nation. Read information for the countries you are visiting and you will find your own answers.

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

 

Here is a web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information pertaining to foreign travel requirements by nation. Read information for the countries you are visiting and you will find your own answers.

 

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx

 

Hope these two web sites provide you with the information you desire.

 

Your choice:

 

Trust the U.S. Department of State.

Trust the curise lines.

Trust what you read on the Internet.

 

Personally I know which one I will choose to believe however it is your life and your choice.

[cruisemom42]

Your choice:

 

Trust the U.S. Department of State.

Trust the curise lines.

Trust what you read on the Internet.

 

Personally I know which one I will choose to believe however it is your life and your choice.

 

Unfortunately, many people either a) don't read far enough on the official websites or b) don't realize that cruise ship passengers are often regarded differently than land-based travelers.

 

For example:

 

Using the link you provide to the State Dept above, when you check the requirements for Turkey, the first sentence under Entry/Exit Requirements says "A passport and visa are required." Then a bit later, it refers you to the Turkish embassy for "the most current information."

 

It's not until you actually check the Embassy website (which is still about 3-4 clicks in, AFTER changing the language to English:rolleyes:), that you read the following clear statement:

 

"The passengers of cruise ships are allowed to enter and stay overnight in the port cities of Turkey upon the permission given by local border police authorities. These passengers are not required to obtain an entry visa to Turkey."

 

Many people would give up before ever reaching this point.....and would wrongly assume that they need to obtain a visa before entering Turkey on a cruise ship. Which is why it is indeed valuable to read CC and share information with other cruisers. Of course, one should always double-check. The problem is in LOCATING the correct information in order to do so....:cool: