nicper

I think the main advantage is that you don't need to book an appointment with the embassy, travel to Ottawa, etc. And I had no luck figuring out how to apply directly to the embassy by mail. I had started the process with Visa Central. It was going to cost a total of $300 which included the $150 visa from the embassy and the courier to have the passport returned. It did not include the shipping for me to send my passport to them. I cancelled the process after figuring out how to apply for the e-visa before the Oct. 1 deadline.

Unfortunately, I can't find any information other than that one little blurb on the Norwegian website that says that visa are not required when entering by sea. And if you go to Visa Central, they don't specify either. They simply say that one is required to enter Egypt. Maybe someone will be going to Egypt on this forum in the next few days and will post their experience. Otherwise, I would err on the side of caution and get a visa. I am also travelling, but I was lucky enough to get the e-visa before the Oct 1 deadline.

I understand the changes. It's my understanding that Visa Central gets the visa from the embassy on our behalf. The process is that we need to send Visa Central our passport and at that point they need 15 days to bring/send the passport to the embassy where a visa is stuck into our passport. The passport is then returned to us by courier. I have not actually done this full process and so I can not guarantee this is how it works. I am simply saying this is my understanding.

It's my understanding that by going through Visa Central, we would get a paper visa put into our passport. That is why we need to send the passports to Visa Central. Do you know for a fact that Visa Central does not obtain a physical visa on our behalf, vs. a digital visa?

I don't have information on that but if you do need to get a visa, it may be easier for you to go through visacentral.ca. This is the company that Norwegian cruise line recommends. The cost is approx $300 (it's an additional $350 if you go with their premium package which I do not think would be necessary). Basically, you would provide them with all your information and you would send your passport to them. They get the visa which goes in your passport and they courier the passport back to you. Once they receive your passport, they said the process takes approx. 15 days.

I talked to two people at Norwegian and my travel agent also talked to two different people. There was no consensus on what will happen when we embark on the cruise and when we arrive in Egypt. All they could agree on is that they are not responsible for getting us a visa and that ultimately we need to follow the guidelines on Visa Central.com. I think the issue is that up until now, the cruise line could get a travel visa for Canadians upon arrival in Egypt but now with the changes, a visa will not be issued to Canadians upon arrival and Norwegian hasn't updated their website.

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.