Azamara Journey - South Africa cruise visa questions

[FraserK]

Good morning

 

First time on Azamara and just wanted to ask you all about visas please?

 

Our cruise next February takes us to Maputo, Mozambique and I wondered as a UK citizen do we need to arrange our own visa or can it be done on arrival?  Is this something the cruise ship arranges for us?

 

Many thanks for any advice

 

Kat

[Grandma Cruising]

I don’t know, for some ports Azamara arranges visas but not for others. The best thing is to email them. I recently did so regarding visas for Middle East countries. I emailed them both via Customer Services and through Azamara Circle. It took them a couple of weeks or so to reply, but I did eventually get my answer (Azamara organises visas for Egypt, Oman, Jordan & UAE).

https://www.azamara.co.uk/email-us

[marinaro44]

We did Azamara to Mozambique and Tanzania during the 2019-2020 holidays (also was supposed to go to Kenya), and Azamara arranged the visas...thankfully.

 

[If Azamara offers the Maputo city tour with buffet lunch at the Polana Serena Hotel, give it serious consideration.  Not a lot to see in Maputo, but the buffet was fabulous.  Mozambique is the second poorest country after the Congo.]

[robsaw]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:32 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

I don’t know, for some ports Azamara arranges visas but not for others. The best thing is to email them. I recently did so regarding visas for Middle East countries. I emailed them both via Customer Services and through Azamara Circle. It took them a couple of weeks or so to reply, but I did eventually get my answer (Azamara organises visas for Egypt, Oman, Jordan & UAE).

https://www.azamara.co.uk/email-us

I did email Azamara about on-ship visas for Mozambique - they simply referred me to Visa Central, which didn't really answer the question at all for our Feb 2023 South Africa cruise.

[NC&KY]

Are you working with a Travel Agent?

[robsaw]

On 6/17/2022 at 6:32 AM, NC&KY said:

Are you working with a Travel Agent?

If you are asking me - yes? The TA consultant is my wife! For our own bookings I try to do my own research but since Azamara has yet to publish anything official and public, she'll be going through Azamara's local rep to see if they have a tentative plan for this cruise with respect to Mozambique visas.

 

[cruisinsusin]

On 5/18/2022 at 12:32 PM, Grandma Cruising said:

I don’t know, for some ports Azamara arranges visas but not for others. The best thing is to email them. I recently did so regarding visas for Middle East countries. I emailed them both via Customer Services and through Azamara Circle. It took them a couple of weeks or so to reply, but I did eventually get my answer (Azamara organises visas for Egypt, Oman, Jordan & UAE).

https://www.azamara.co.uk/email-us

Thanks for posting this! I have been searching on the Azamara site without success for information regarding Egyptian visas and whether these would be arranged by the cruise line

[Grand Cru]

We are also going on the South African Cruise in November this year and are getting nowhere with questions about visas, can anyone answer the question are Azamara providing the visas if you take an excursion through them, if we have to go down the route of getting our own I feel it should have been pointed out as to pay the full price for a visa when we will be in port for less than 24th is ridiculous, if anyone has been given information from Azamara please post a message, also the visa company Azamara recommends can’t even advise when the ship is in port for such a short time.

[Grand Cru]

We are booked on the November 29th to South Africa doing a back to back, we have just had a telephone conversation with our agent who had contacted Azamara and the country’s that require a visa we have to purchase ourselves,

not happy with the situation so will be cancelling.

 

 

[Grand Cru]

Sorry further to my earlier post was told that even if you stay onboard you still need a visa.

[Other granny]

We are booked on Jan 15 2023 Capetown to Capetown cruise.

I emailed Azamara several times re visa for Mozambique and have not yet had a reply. However I also emailed our travel agent. Today I had a reply from them - 

“ I have spoken with Azamara today, they said their current info states they can process the visa on board ( around $50pp) . They did however say when we get closer to sailing they will confirm this in your final paperwork as well”

[marinaro44]

For what it's worth, on our Dec 2019-Jan 2020 Africa cruise Azamara provided visas for Mozambique and Tanzania.  We had to get ours for India.

[Jamietravelstheworld]

There has been lots of discussion on visas in the various roll calls for the Africa cruises.

[DS]

I'm following the roll call on the Nov 29 Journey cruise from Lisbon to Capetown.... this is the first  cruise to Africa since the pandemic, and they have a lot of visa discussions.   We are on the "return trip" in March 2023 from Cape Town to Lisbon.   I'm hoping the visa questions will be mostly answered by the time the Nov 29 cruise sails

That roll call is here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2775892-november-29-2022-western-africa/page/12/.   FYI there are differences to the various answers depending on if you have a US or UK or Italian or.... passport

 

[mdeegooden]

I recently received confirmation from my TA and from AZ directly, for U.S. passport holders the South Africa Intensive itinerary does NOT require visas in advance for embarkation.  Moreover, AZ will issue a visa for Mozambique once on board.  So w/ a proper passport and sufficient vaccination documentation, boarding in Cape Town should be hassle free.  My wife and I will be taking the Journey for the Feb 8 sailing.

[Eric2628]

We are booked on the 3rd January sailing and having also been advised by Azamara that as UK citizens visas are not required in advance of sailing. They can be purchased on board for Maputo. 

[nina2000]

Was this confirmation by telephone or email? If email is there any chance that you could post a copy of it on here for other passengers to see?

This is our first cruise with Azamara and despite emailling them several weeks ago we have not had a reply to our question re visas.We sail 8th February so need to sort this soon.

[tmacktravels]

2 hours ago, nina2000 said:

Was this confirmation by telephone or email? If email is there any chance that you could post a copy of it on here for other passengers to see?

This is our first cruise with Azamara and despite emailling them several weeks ago we have not had a reply to our question re visas.We sail 8th February so need to sort this soon.

I am on 15th Jan sailing and from the UK. This is what I received on Email 

[nina2000]

Thanks for your prompt reply. Glad they're to be issued on board, but $50 for a stay of 6 hours seems a little excessive!! Hope you enjoy your cruise 😀

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:16 PM, nina2000 said:

Thanks for your prompt reply. Glad they're to be issued on board, but $50 for a stay of 6 hours seems a little excessive!! Hope you enjoy your cruise 😀

The issuing of visas for Maputo seemed to go smoothly, as passengers perceived them.  However, the captain mention they spent about 7 minutes per passport, and even though we are half full that was about 76 hours, if I recall correctly.  The time in Mozambique of about 4 hours didn’t warrant that cost in labor or visa costs.  
 

Also, remember after visiting Mazambique you need to “re-enter” South Africa.  A process that was face to face in the Cabaret.  Followed by joining your tour group if you had one.  
 

imho Mozambique may be removed from future itineraries as the labor costs for amount of time visiting aren’t warranted.  Nor is the passenger time - even though seemingly minimal.  
 

 

[almostam]

We are booked on Azamara's Cape Town to Lisbon voyage departing March 4.  After a 45 minute hold with Azamara Customer Service, I was told by the agent that US citizens do require a visa for Angola, Ghana and Gambia, however the ship will get the necessary day pass for us and charge it to our shipboard account.  No mention of costs, but it does save the hassle of doing the visas on your own.

Documents necessary are just your passport.  Yellow Fever & Covid vaccine certificates are required to board.  We are planning on taking some malaria prophylaxis medication also.

 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 1/13/2023 at 7:52 PM, almostam said:

We are booked on Azamara's Cape Town to Lisbon voyage departing March 4.  After a 45 minute hold with Azamara Customer Service, I was told by the agent that US citizens do require a visa for Angola, Ghana and Gambia, however the ship will get the necessary day pass for us and charge it to our shipboard account.  No mention of costs, but it does save the hassle of doing the visas on your own.

Documents necessary are just your passport.  Yellow Fever & Covid vaccine certificates are required to board.  We are planning on taking some malaria prophylaxis medication also.

 

As I recall the day visas were in the $56 range some a bit less, some a bit more.  There was an interesting event when the group went from, I believe, Ghana to Sengal and back: they were charged twice for the Ghana vis at total of $120 if I recall correctly. This was even though the visa say it was good for a day.    
 

Angola required a current antigen COVId tests, for the whole ship, which was free if you were negative, otherwise it cost you 5 days isolation, in your own room!