MSC Splendida Dubai cruise - visa questions

[chobachlin]

Hello.

I keep getting different answers and MSC will not help me. I am a US Citizen and going on a cruise with MSC Splendida out of Abu Dhabi cruising to Sir Bani Yas, Bahrain, Doha Qatar and Dubai. I would like to get a definitive answer and figured I'd try here on Cruise Critic to see if anyone has been on this cruise. Does anyone know if Visas are needed for this sailing????? So far I am not happy with MSC customer service and am now quite nervous about going on this cruise. I've never sailed MSC before and am having 2nd thoughts because customer service can never give me a straight answer. I've even left a message and emailed the Embassy with no return responses. Please help!!!!

[pwake]

I was in Qatar last Friday. Qatar, UAE and Bahrain don’t require visas in advance. All 3 countries allow US citizens with passports with at least 6 months validity, fee free entry for up to 30 days. I don’t know what MSC is telling you, but it’s pretty easy to find this info on the various countries websites. In general, I wouldn’t trust any cruise line’s customer service to tell me the entry requirements for any county. After all, in the contract of carriage, visas are the responsibility of the passenger. They can give you wrong info with no consequences for the cruise line.

 

 

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[chobachlin]

Were you on a cruise?

No - I don't think it's that easy to find out as I get different answers. MSC gives me 1 answer, then I find out something different. Now you are saying that a Visa is not needed - but when I go on to http://www.travel.state.gov it says that a Visa is required. Just getting really aggravated and was hoping that someone was on this particular cruise :)

[pwake]

Yes, visas are required! But you get them on arrival and they are free.

 

 

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[corballypaudie]

Hi , sailing on Splendida on the 18th calling to Abu Dhabi , Sir bani yas , Muscat , Khor Fakken and Dubai ..we dont require visa and entry permits ( day pass ) are given to you as you leave the ship and returned by you as you return to the ship ...we are travelling from Ireland so not sure if that makes a difference .

[Beamafar]

Hi , sailing on Splendida on the 18th calling to Abu Dhabi , Sir bani yas , Muscat , Khor Fakken and Dubai ..we dont require visa and entry permits ( day pass ) are given to you as you leave the ship and returned by you as you return to the ship ...we are travelling from Ireland so not sure if that makes a difference .

 

(Off-topic) I'm sure you're relieved to see an improvement in the weather! ;p

[Haworth]

This is from the Emirates web site, the same information is on the Ethiad site:

 

Visas on arrival

 

(A) If you are a passport holder of the below country or territory, no advance visa arrangements are required to visit the UAE. Simply disembark your flight at Dubai International Airport and proceed to Immigration, where your passport will be stamped with a 30-days visit visa free of charge.

Andorra

Australia

Brunei

Canada

Hong Kong

Ireland

Japan

Malaysia

Mauritius

Monaco

New Zealand

People's Republic of China

Russian Federation

San Marino

Singapore

Ukraine

United Kingdom

United States of America

Vatican City

[corballypaudie]

(Off-topic) I'm sure you're relieved to see an improvement in the weather! ;p

 

 

Really looking forward to some sun and a relaxation .

[chobachlin]

Thank you!

I know Visas are not required for US Citizens to the UAE, but I'm just concerned about Doha, Qatar and Bahrain. I'm fairly certain a visa is not required for Qatar, but unsure about Bahrain. Plus I don't want to be "fairly certain"....need to be 100% :)

[kernow]

I am British and did a cruise that stopped in Bahrain on Costa a few years ago. We did not need to obtain a visa beforehand, according to this link it is the same for those from the US

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Bahrain