Egypt visa for EU citizen on MSC Splendida Trieste-Durban cruise?

[KaisaSeikkailee]

Hello! A first time cruiser here. I booked a 26-day cruise on MSC Splendida from Italy to South Africa and I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to know which visas I need. I'm from Finland. I've never been on an international cruise before, save the ones that sail between Finland and Sweden/Estonia, so, inside Shengen and no visa questions there.

 

The cruise ship has two stops in Egypt, with Suez canal transit in between. It has a shore day in Alexandria on 2th Nov and Safaga on 5th Nov. So, how does this work visa-wise? I assume that a visa is needed. Is it one entry or two entries? And what's the process, are passengers supposed to get this beforehand or is it somehow managed by the ship?

 

I would have expected there to be info on this on MSC website by now. The ship will sail in less than four weeks, after all. But there is no information regarding this specific cruise, only some older ones with stops somewhat different. With the other stops the situation seems clearer as the stops are for one day only but with this one, I really don't know, I feel like an idiot. But surely there's someone who's taken this cruise before, so, please advice me.

 

Also, apparently MSC does not want to offer customer service in any other way than on the phone. No chat, no email. Frankly, this seems ridiculous in 2023. I wonder if they realise that they have customers whose first language is not English and who might wish for service in written form. EDIT: Oh, there seems to be a contact form on msccruises.fi though I couldn't find the same on the US site! I can only access my booking through the US site so that's what I've been using but I posted my question anyway. Let's see if they care to answer.

Edited October 2, 2023 by KaisaSeikkailee
More info

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  As a brand new member, you probably haven't had time to explore this huge, sometimes confusing site.  The first place you should visit is the Roll Call for your cruise.  There is a little typo in it's title...it really isn't 226 days!  A Roll Call is a thread started by someone on the cruise, and it is where you can connect with other CC members who will be sailing with you.  You will find them arranging meetings and shared excursions.  I suggest you start with the first page...there are only 6.  You might find the answer to your visa question.  Here is the link:

 

Other places you might want to visit here are the Ports of Call boards, seeking out the areas that pertain to your ports.  

Do join in on the conversation on your Roll Call. 
There are also separate boards here for each cruise line.  They are not links to the cruise line websites, but boards where cruisers share their experiences and ask questions about sailing that line.  You might do some reading and asking on the MSC board.  EM

Edited October 2, 2023 by Essiesmom

[John Bull]

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

You'll find different pages on the website, like MSC cruise line, your cruise RollCall and your destination useful for  most of your cruise information

 

In the past, visas for Egypt have been issued on-board, with Egyptian immigration officers boarding ships in a previous port in order to process them, but without confirmation from the cruise line it would be very risky to presume that's still the case.

 

EU citizens can apply on-line for an Egyptian government tourist e-Visa, as can citizens of a great many other countries.

A single-entry E-visa costs 25 US dollars.

Going direct from one Egyptian port to another (and another and another and another) counts as a single entry. So if you visit say Alexandria, then Sharm el Sheikh, then Port Sokhna, then Safaga you'll need only a single-entry visa.

A multiple-entry E-visa costs 60 US dollars.

You'll need one of these if you visit a foreign port between two Egyptian ports. So if you visit say Port Sokhna, then Aqaba (Jordan), then Safaga you'll need a multi-entry visa.

(I think that to keep things simple the charge is in US dollars for all nationalities)

 

The Egyptian government site for E-visas is

https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/Home

This is the English-language version, if that proves too difficult you'll need to hunt that website for one in Finnish.

USE ONLY THAT GOVERNMENT WEBSITE. There are other official-looking websites operated by visa agencies which add a fee which can more than double the cost  for simply copying the information you give them onto that govt. application form - those sharks do the same for visa applications  around the world, in a very few rare cases their expertise can be helpful but it's totally unnecessary for your tourist E-visa to Egypt, and for every E-visa or visa-waiver  we've ever seen.  .

 

Theoretically E-visas are granted within minutes or hours of application, so in theory you can apply  the day before you travel. But if there's a glitch (eg your name is similar to an undesirable) that can delay it by as much as a week or two. 

You have time to chase MSC to find out if the ship issues visas - I suggest you do it by e-mail if possible so that you have proof of your enquiry. But in the absence of a positive response I strongly suggest you apply for an E-visa at least two weeks before your cruise.

If you get a negative response or if they fail to respond and you then find they could issue visas you have the right to refuse to pay any fee required by MSC.

 

Good luck - but I think you'll find the E-visa is quick & simple, and the cost comparatively insignificant. 🙂

 

JB 🙂

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by John Bull

[KaisaSeikkailee]

Thank you, friends, for answering and being so patient with me though I'm not familiar with the site yet! Great tips. I'll get to know the site better.

 

MSC did reply and they confirmed that a "fast trip stamp valid for 72 hours" will be provided, so it seems I'm all sorted.

[tecalopess]

Hi, I'm on the same cruise, the Msc at least in Brasil doesn't know the visa information, just in case I got mine online visa, was really easy. For us also the Oman Visa it is a request ( but I send an email to Oman embassy and they told me they give a pass for the cruise.