Visa for Oman

[tarn2008]

Do you require a visa for Oman, we are visiting there on our March 19 cruise on Silver Spirit. 

[Silver Spectre]

3 hours ago, tarn2008 said:

Do you require a visa for Oman, we are visiting there on our March 19 cruise on Silver Spirit. 

Not if it’s only for a port visit, joining or leaving then yes.

[tarn2008]

I have just been informed by my TA that Silversea issue the Visas onboard for Oman , Abu Dhabi . It’s so confusing, not sure what info is correct 🤔

[Tothesunset]

Usually the confirmation invoice from SS includes a visa section where it is stated which visas are organised on board. It's hidden way down the paperwork somewhere - might be worth looking closely at the confirmation email. 

[tarn2008]

Hi thanks again for replying so promptly, we don’t have any confirmation email from SS only the booking schedule from our TA , we’ve had no correspondence from SS . 

[Randyk47]

8 hours ago, tarn2008 said:

I have just been informed by my TA that Silversea issue the Visas onboard for Oman , Abu Dhabi . It’s so confusing, not sure what info is correct 🤔

 

If there were visas for Oman we were totally unaware of them last year.   Zip zero nothing was said to us or announced.    Stopped twice in Oman and had no idea of a visa.

[tarn2008]

Randyk47, are you saying you never had visas at all when you were in Oman? 

[Randyk47]

4 hours ago, tarn2008 said:

Randyk47, are you saying you never had visas at all when you were in Oman? 

 

If Silversea handled it they did it totally transparent to us.   Our stops were port calls not us flying in or out to catch a flight.   There is no evidence that our passports were even inspected by Oman officials though they may have been and just not stamped.   When we went on shore we weren’t required to carry our passports so the ship didn’t reissue them.   We exited and reentered the port area by shuttle bus with no ID check.

[megavfm]

We did Dubai>Piraeus on the Shadow in April this year. I acknowledge that you said you hadn't received a voyage confirmation email from SS as yet let alone a copy of the Travel Journal, but this is what it said in ours:

 

 

Further, I discovered after disembarking in Piraeus and then later looking through my passport that our passports had entry & exit stamps for Sur, Khasab & Salalah (and also UAE, Safaga & Jordan).  When we got off the Omani ports we were given a plastic entry card prior to the gangway, which we returned to the crew at the conclusion of our port visit.  As Randyk47 has alluded to, SS seems to have the process nailed down, especially in Oman & Jordan.  I found Randyk47's blog to be a mine of useful info for our trip. I also posted a few words about our cruise if you care to search CC.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I hope things settle down in the area by the time of your cruise next March.

 

[Randyk47]

3 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

 

If Silversea handled it they did it totally transparent to us.   Our stops were port calls not us flying in or out to catch a flight.   There is no evidence that our passports were even inspected by Oman officials though they may have been and just not stamped.   When we went on shore we weren’t required to carry our passports so the ship didn’t reissue them.   We exited and reentered the port area by shuttle bus with no ID check.

 

I have to correct myself.  Just pulled our passports out of the safe and indeed there are stamps from Oman.   Looks like an ink visa stamp that says good for less than 48 hours from the date of entry.  There are then separate Oman entry and exit stamps.   Again Silversea handled all this transparent to us.  If there was a fee they either had included it in the fare or charged our cabin and I just didn’t notice.  My bad.  🤪

Edited July 22, 2019 by Randyk47

[tarn2008]

Thank you so much guys for the information, this eases my mind greatly , as you say Megavfm here’s hoping things are sorted in the Gulf Of Oman by next March. 

[Randyk47]

35 minutes ago, tarn2008 said:

Thank you so much guys for the information, this eases my mind greatly , as you say Megavfm here’s hoping things are sorted in the Gulf Of Oman by next March. 

 

I hope so.  The transit through the Somali pirate zone was interesting but not tense.   Had a great party afterward.  Now being in the area with the Iranian situation could be a bit off putting.  No reason for us to check now as we hav no plans to cruise in the area but I wouldn’t be surprised if my wife was asked by her work not to go to the area.  

[Wellseasoned]

We are also keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.  This Fall we will be on the Spirit, Venice to Athens to Dubai, finishing on November 10.  I hope that Silversea has some contingency plans to alter things if the area remains this tense.  Posting photos of commandos on the pool deck would not be fun!

[Randyk47]

5 minutes ago, Wellseasoned said:

We are also keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.  This Fall we will be on the Spirit, Venice to Athens to Dubai, finishing on November 10.  I hope that Silversea has some contingency plans to alter things if the area remains this tense.  Posting photos of commandos on the pool deck would not be fun!

 

Especially Iranian commandos.......  😳

[Silver Spectre]

3 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

 

I have to correct myself.  Just pulled our passports out of the safe and indeed there are stamps from Oman.   Looks like an ink visa stamp that says good for less than 48 hours from the date of entry.  There are then separate Oman entry and exit stamps.   Again Silversea handled all this transparent to us.  If there was a fee they either had included it in the fare or charged our cabin and I just didn’t notice.  My bad.  🤪

There was no fee.

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, Wellseasoned said:

We are also keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.  This Fall we will be on the Spirit, Venice to Athens to Dubai, finishing on November 10.  I hope that Silversea has some contingency plans to alter things if the area remains this tense.

 

I too wonder what the contingency plan would be?  We have friends who'll be about a week behind on Regent's Voyager.

Do you think they'd take such drastic action as to avoid the ports in Oman too and head straight to Mumbai when you enter the Gulf of Aden?

[tarn2008]

My cruise actually starts in Mumbai and finishes in Dubai, as we have six days in India before the cruise as part of the itinerary so I’m unsure how they would get round changing the route/schedule. Most likely they’d end up cancelling the cruise and offering us something else. 

[Randyk47]

3 hours ago, tarn2008 said:

My cruise actually starts in Mumbai and finishes in Dubai, as we have six days in India before the cruise as part of the itinerary so I’m unsure how they would get round changing the route/schedule. Most likely they’d end up cancelling the cruise and offering us something else. 

 

I doubt they would cancel the cruise.  They might change the itinerary but the Spirit is heading west and has to get through the Suez Canal for 2020 Med season. They would jump through hoops to not sail empty from Mumbai.

[Grand Cru]

We are also on Silver Spirit at the beginning of November and due to sail through the Straights of Hormuz and then docking in Mumbai, continuing to do a weeks tour of the Golden Triangle,we would like to know if/when they might cancel as one cruise company have already cancelled all sailings there.

[tarn2008]

I know P&O have just cancelled a cruise in October as my friends were booked on it, they were offered a different cruise which the accepted. 

Funnily enough I was speaking to my TA today and they are contacting Silversea to find out if we can cancel or change to another cruise. I’ll let you know how we get on. 

[Grand Cru]

Hi,I also phoned Silverseas today and as from today they have not been informed by their head office, we would like to know sooner rather than later as we would then delay and do something over Xmas.

[Observer]

1 hour ago, tarn2008 said:

I know P&O have just cancelled a cruise in October as my friends were booked on it, they were offered a different cruise which the accepted. 

 

 

P&O ships may be more vulnerable than Silversea ships.  I am fairly certain that P&O ships are British flagged, and there is currently a nasty spat between UK and Iran since UK seized an Iranian ship at Gibraltar and Iran responded by seizing a British flagged ship in the Gulf.

[Randyk47]

4 hours ago, Observer said:

 

P&O ships may be more vulnerable than Silversea ships.  I am fairly certain that P&O ships are British flagged, and there is currently a nasty spat between UK and Iran since UK seized an Iranian ship at Gibraltar and Iran responded by seizing a British flagged ship in the Gulf.

 

I guess it depends where the P&O ships are and where they are going.  Silversea has to get their ship through the Suez Canal to get to the Med for the Med season.   Dubai could be dropped and the itinerary changed but not require  a full cruise cancellation.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Randyk47

[tarn2008]

22 hours ago, Grand Cru said:

We are also on Silver Spirit at the beginning of November and due to sail through the Straights of Hormuz and then docking in Mumbai, continuing to do a weeks tour of the Golden Triangle,we would like to know if/when they might cancel as one cruise company have already cancelled all sailings there.

Can you please let us know if there are any changes to your cruise in November. Thanks . 

[Grand Cru]

Will do , I’m sure as soon as my travel agent knows they will phone us.