travelordie

1 hour ago, nicper said:

NCL is not honoring that statement on their website. They said that Canadians will need a visa to travel and that travellers could get denied entrance on the ship without a visa.  Even though it is before Oct. 1, I have not successfully been able to complete the online Visa application and I am nowhere near the embassy and leave for the cruise at the end of October.

If anyone hears anything definitive that visas are not required when arriving by ship, please let me know.

Post #275 provided us with helpful hints for completing the online e-visa application.  We filled in the applications last Friday and received our two e-visas Monday morning…less than 72 hours after submission.  Our cruise line claims that they will provide us with Egyptian transit visas but in case that changes (we board on October 27th) we decided to get the e-visas anyway.

9 minutes ago, alreadythere1 said:

My apologies, I should of been clearer in my question.  Our cruise is November 2024.  We are looking for cruisers experiences with Visa's from December 2023 forward (outside of e-visas, as they will expire by then).  Did you require a Visa from the Embassy or were you able to acquire a "72-hour Transit Visa" in Egypt.  If so, what was your experience?  Don't want to be spending $300 on travel visas that are not necessary and sending our passports away if not necessary.

 

We are currently travelling and will be until we board our ship.  Therefore, applying to the Egyptian Embassy was not an option.  I contacted Azamara to ask about visas for Egypt and received this response:

"No visa is required for Canadian residents if they arrive onboard and have booked a shore excursion and return onboard before vessel departure. The exemption will be submitted via our agency and subject to antitreaties approvals. If you have not booked a shore excursion, you cannot leave the vessel, unless you have obtained a visa from an Egyptian embassy or consulate abroad before arriving at the airport/onboard the ship."
 

6 minutes ago, alreadythere1 said:

Will someone of the cruisers out to Egypt after October 1st, please post their experience into Egypt.  Do all Canadians need a travel visa costing $150 per person from the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa/Montreal or did they apply for a "72-hour Transit Visa" on arrival.  If they could apply for the transit visa on arrival was it a long drawn out process.  Any and all of your actual experiences would be greatly appreciated!  Enjoy your cruise!

We'll be on a cruise visiting Egypt at the end of October.  Why would you apply for a $150 pp visa from the Egyptian Embassy in Ottawa when you can apply for an Egyptian e-visa online for $25 pp?  Note that Canadians must apply before October 1st for the e-visa.

10 minutes ago, fannym123 said:

Thank you @travelordie my cruise is early 2024. I booked an authorized tour operator. If you find out more info when you are on your Oct cruise, please share. Thanks so much. Enjoy your upcoming cruise.

Yes, I'll do that sometime in late October.   We embark on October 27th or thereabouts.

3 hours ago, fannym123 said:

@travelordie great to hear Azamara got back to you. Just wonder if the shore excursion mentioned must be the cruise line excursion or it can be the shore excursion organized by Egyptian authorized tour operators? Wonder if you have any insights. 

I know that in some Chinese ports, either ship excursions or Chinese government authorized tour operators will allow passengers to get off the ship but I’ve seen nothing to suggest that both options exist for Egypt.  However, I am just guessing with respect to Egypt.  Sorry, but there’s nothing in my response from Azamara which answers your question.

21 hours ago, TeamCan said:

The Egypt e-visa Portal is slower answering emails now. A few weeks ago, I received an answer for an inquiry the next day.  I sent another inquiry last week and it took 3 days for them to send back a reply...an automated email saying if the e-Visa application got rejected for whatever reason, we would have to start over again and pay the application fee again. They are much busier now than 3 weeks ago with processing Visas. I think they will respond, it may just take a little longer. Hopefully soon!

I have still not heard back from the Egypt e-visa Portal and therefore cannot apply for an e-visa.  Fortunately, I did hear back from Azamara Customer Service a few minutes ago and they answered my question about whether Canadians need an Egyptian visa for our October, 2023 cruise.  Azamara's response was exactly what we had hoped for.  Here it is:

"No visa is required for Canadian residents if they arrive onboard and have booked a shore excursion and return onboard before vessel departure. The exemption will be submitted via our agency and subject to antitreaties approvals. If you have not booked a shore excursion, you cannot leave the vessel, unless you have obtained a visa from an Egyptian embassy or consulate abroad before arriving at the airport/onboard the ship."
 

1 hour ago, TeamCan said:

The Egypt e-visa Portal is slower answering emails now. A few weeks ago, I received an answer for an inquiry the next day.  I sent another inquiry last week and it took 3 days for them to send back a reply...an automated email saying if the e-Visa application got rejected for whatever reason, we would have to start over again and pay the application fee again. They are much busier now than 3 weeks ago with processing Visas. I think they will respond, it may just take a little longer. Hopefully soon!

Thanks, this is very useful to know.

6 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I might suggest setting up a gmail account for this and reapplying. There is a possibility that your email provider has blocked the email as suspected spam. 

Thanks, I like this idea but will wait a day just in case the Egypt e-Visa Portal responds to our inquiries on their contact form.  I described the problem on the contact form and am waiting for a response.  My wife did the same.  We'll open new email accounts if we fail to receive a response.

46 minutes ago, 2Cruisehoppers said:

The eVisa portal is browser-specific, meaning it only supports certain browsers.  If you watch the video in my post #275, when it gets to payment section, it has a list of browsers that the portal supports.  We checked our browser to make sure it is compatible before we even started the application.  Not sure if that’s your issue but you may want to double check it. Good luck! 

We looked at your video which will be very helpful to us if ever we receive an email from Egypt verifying our email address. We've still received nothing despite using an approved browser, Chrome.

We tried applying again and the screen stated "Account already exists" but won't be active until we reply to the verification email.  Meanwhile, we have not received a verification email.

52 minutes ago, mr_cruiser8 said:

Check your spam/ junk inbox for the e-mail 

 

Thanks, I tried that but its not there.  My wife also tried to apply with her email address and also failed to receive a verify email.

So the first step in applying is to verify your email address.  When we attempted to apply on the website, the message on the site stated..." We sent you an email to _________ with a button to verify your email address."  However, they did not send an email so now we're stuck and can't proceed.

Just now, Emptybucket said:

According to above article by Michale P, Celebrity said Canadian cruisers can still continue to get the 72 hr transit visa on arriving an Egyptian port, beyond Oct 1 this year, the same as the Americans, Australians, etc.  Well, when I talked to Celebrity just this morning, I wasn't offered that option.  I was simply told by them that since our sailing is not until Feb 2024, we have ample time to apply for our visa from Ottawa or Montreal!  (By the way, we live in Vancouver, and the processing time for a visa, as noted by the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa, will take 2-3 weeks.  )   Anyway, I would like to caution you to take Celebrity's info provided to Michael P with a grain of salt.

I’m playing it safe and assuming that Celebrity is wrong and that both the Egyptian Embassy in Canada and Global Affairs Canada have now posted the most up-to-date information.  We will be in an Egyptian port on an Azamara cruise in October of this year so will be applying for an e-visa before October 1st.  Sending our passports to the Egyptian Embassy or Consulate is not an option since we are currently travelling on other cruise lines and cannot give up our passports in the interim.

During our last visit to Egypt which was on a Viking cruise in February 2023, our e-visa was sufficient for boarding but it has now expired.  Viking did not offer Canadians an Egyptian transit visa on board  in February so I’d be surprised if Celebrity is now offering one.

Just now, TeamCan said:

Did you apply and receive your e-visa yet?  Does it state that it is valid for entry after Oct 1? We may just go ahead and apply hoping that the e-visa will be valid for entry after Oct 1.  

We will apply before October 1st and hope that it will be valid for entry after October 1st.  We have no choice given that we can’t give up our passports before the cruise.  We last applied for an Egyptian e-visa in February and it was approved within 48 hours.

Just now, TeamCan said:

Yes, I've been checking both sites for the official update and no new updates. We are traveling/cruising in 2 wks, so e-Visa is our only option for our trip to Egypt in Nov.  Please update if you see an official written update on the Egyptian Embassy or travelgc.ca.  Thank you!

We are also from Beautiful BC🙂

We are in a similar position.  We are currently travelling abroad and will continue to do so until embarkation.  We have no alternative but to apply for an e-visa as we need our passports.

1 minute ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Yeah, that's confusing. But if you read through the thread on FB (which I can't post here), you will see several people got the answer that it is applicable to non-Egyptian Canadians as well. I feel confident because I called and asked and got the answer. You can also message them on FB and they are answering there as well.

Great news that this applies to non-Egyptian Canadians as well and many thanks for reassuring us that you received the same response when you called.  We’ll be applying for an e-visa.

2 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Here is another graphic just posted by the Egypt Embassy in Ottawa. It clearly states you can use your eVisa past October 1st (yellow box at the bottom)

Many thanks for posting this.  I see that at the very top of this graphic it states that this applies to Canadian citizens of Egyptian origin.  I hope I’m wrong but this could mean that Egypt is now streamlining the process for Egyptian-Canadians but not for other Canadians.  

7 minutes ago, 3JCruiser said:

mmm thats interesting.. this is Azamara's response today !

 

Hello,

It does mean Canadians will have to secure their visas ahead of the cruise and before they are in Egypt. We will not be able to assist when they are onboard due to this change.

 

Kind regards,

Azamara Customer Service

This is yet another example of how hopelessly behind Azamara is now that they have been sold to an investment company.  Celebrity and Seabourn are apparently aware of the latest developments as they apply to cruise ships.  Azamara is not.  For our upcoming October 27th Azamara cruise with stops in Egypt, Azamara has yet to inform us that e-visas will be void after October 1st.

Goway Travel's Moira Smith, vice-president, Africa and Asia, told PAX on Wednesday that there is "still a lot of confusion" surrounded Egypt's new visa process. 

"We’ve been trying to get clarity from the Embassy or Consulate unsuccessfully," Smith wrote PAX in an email. "Both have consistent busy signals. Also both their sites are down." 

She said Goway's partners in Egypt have been in touch with the Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs.  

"I believe there is an official meeting being held today around this issue," she said. "Hopefully we will have a better understanding tomorrow. It will significantly impact tourism to Egypt if customers have to present themselves in person. Best outcome will be if Canadian travellers to Egypt can apply for a visa through the Egyptian visa e-portal.""

Source:   https://news.paxeditions.com/news/tour-operator/blow-agents-operators-g-adventures-responds-egypt-visa-debacle

3 minutes ago, tmli said:

Has anyone gone in person to the Consulate in Montreal to drop off their Visa Application? We are driving there tomorrow, it’s 9.5 hours one way to Montreal. Ottawa adds a couple more hours. 

It would be great if the Consulate had a shorter processing time than the one week required by the Egyptian Embassy.  Please post the Montreal processing time once you determine what it is.

18 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

For those that are unable to get the VISA in time for their cruise  I wonder if the cruise line would allow you to get off before Egypt & reboard  after the ship departs the Country?

It is not ideal but  would save you from missing the whole cruise 

It may be worth contacting  your line or have your TA  do it in writing  & see what they say 

Just  a thought

 

Fingers crossed  you all get the VISA in time  though

Intriguing suggestion.  I’d be happy to do this if the cruise line would permit it.

1 hour ago, ALD18 said:

Wow, harsh indeed.  We were wondering how the cruise lines would handle this.  Apparently it is business as usual for the cruise lines as per their established guidelines.  Luckily you have a bit of wiggle room, not much, before you go.  We started exploring some of the online agencies that get Visa's for you and they appeared to be willing to do it.  I started to fill out the forms on one to see what costings were and initial, fast turn around, with phone support was about $350cdn per visa.  Some appeared to be cheaper, but not sure on their reputations or speed.  Bit of an unexpected additional cost, but would get you going.  Otherwise, I would try and contact your local federal elected official and deal with them directly.  See what they can/will do for you.  Best of luck regardless.

Unfortunately all of the online visa agencies require passports to process a visa for Egypt and I am not in a position to send them my passport.

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

I would not wait until Athens to get the VISA 

I would get it ASAP  I know it is difficult  but  keep trying  before you leave Canada

JMO

I am currently travelling outside of Canada and need my passport while travellng.

35 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

This is no different than the Brazil situation of Canadians need visas 

It is entirely different.  Canadians were always able to get Egyptian  e-visas well in advance.  Egypt has suddenly decided that Canadians (but not others) need to send their passports to an Egyptian embassy. Brazil did not suddenly eliminate e-visas for Canadians.

22 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Is it all nationalities or just Canadians  for the new Visa rules ?

It is just Canadians.  Egypt is retaliating with Canada because of difficulties in Egyptians getting visas to visit Canada.

2 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Wow... this is harsh.  This is no one's fault and you would think that a cruise line would have some mercy for folks caught in this kind of mess.  

 

Investigate your travel insurance to see if there is a way through that, OR, if you paid by credit card, then look at their cancel policy.

 

We did learn through experience however that the Credit Card thing - for us anyway - because we paid the bulk on the credit card, but there were airline points involved, the CC would not cover us as you had to pay the full amount on the CC.

Our travel insurance clearly states that this type of situation is not covered.  Our current plan is to go to the Egyptian embassy in Athens a couple of days before boarding and hope they can issue a visa.

It is shocking that Azamara has not informed passengers of this new development.  Not all passengers are on Cruise Critic.