blag

Yes, I encountered this. Try clicking on the Azamara part of the screen behind this pop-up. Best done on a laptop or PC, not on smartphone.

Not according to the (unreliable?) information on the Azamara Web site, which still shows testing required for Miami!

CI?

Well, maybe they will. Maybe they won't. Angola is also on the return itinerary in March 2023, so it looks to me as if it's not going to change. Post #6, above, seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But, if they do skip it, there will be six, possibly seven consecutive sea days!

Except that maybe (I don't know) you need the visa even if you don't go on land? BTW I think that this visa costs $120!

Here is what you will find if you commence the electronic application process for a visa for Angola (I have emphasised the inconvenient bits) : Before you start the process of applying for the Visa, please take sometime to read carefully and note the following: 1. This site is a Visa online service, approved and certified by ministry of Interior authorities that are responsible of the Visa issuing in Angola. 2. This online service, represent only the collection of your application process digitally and the safe delivery to SME. The E-Visa will be sent to you by email provided all the data and documents are validated and visa request is approved by SME. It is not designed to substitute your physical presence at the consulate (which is mandatory at a subsequent phase), which means the Visa itself can only be granted after a visit to the consulate has taken place, including an interview and biometric data collection and Visa fee payment have all successfully done. 3. The service is designed to help people avoiding visits to the consulates to deliver the documents and the forms, only to go back again to submit the passport. It is ideal for those who live far away from the nearest consulate, where traveling will have costs both financially and in terms of time. 4. In some cases where the country of origin or residence does not have an Angolan consulate, using the service means the applicant will avoid the cost of traveling to the nearest country with an Angolan consulate and have to either stay there for the period during which the Visa is processed, or have to come back to his country for that period, only to go back again to collect the Visa. 5. Please before you advance make sure you read and agree to the terms and conditions , and the privacy policy of this service. 6. Please ensure that you read and understand the steps and requirement for this service 7. Please ensure that you read the technical explanations, the requirement and specifications needed before you start the process. 8. Not following the steps to the letter, and not meeting the technical specification precisely may result in the rejection of your application, which will mean more delays in your Visa processing. I do not know whether this means there is a pre-approval process which allows one to collect and pay for one's visa on arrival. Imagine how long that would take for even a small ship like one of Azamara's!

Understood. But so that we can understand the purpose of your posts, it might add clarity if you were to quote the relevant part of the post to which you are, in effect, responding.

Understood. But so that we can understand the purpose of your posts, it might add clarity if you were to quote the relevant part of the post to which you are, in effect, responding.

I am surprised that you included this 'news'. Gambia did seem to be an issue. You stated as much in your original post!

I am in Italy, TA in UK. No such service here, as far as I am aware. Ghana may be the problem for me: no online service in Italy (but the online service is available in the UK). I am an UK passport holder. In due course I'll speak with the Ghanaian High Commission in Rome to see if a personal visit can be avoided.

For UK residents if the three visas are required, and Azamara are not arranging them shipwide I believe that these can be obtained electronically. Here are some resources in case Azamara don't arrange visas: https://www.ghanahighcommissionuk.com/passports/VisaApplication.aspx http://www.smevisa.gov.ao/Consulate.aspx https://snedai.com/e-visa/ For non-UK residents (like me) things are more difficult, and to avoid mailing passports visits to embassies/consulates/High commission etc. may be necessary. In some cases it may not be possible to stay on board without the visa. I don't know whether this requirement applies to any of the ports on this cruise. I might add that I am surprised that those who have booked this cruise did not check things like visas and vaccines before booking!

Please report your findings and I'll feed them into Facebook fora.

I don't understand this. Could you please explain 'you would purchase'?

What is FVW, please?

I spent some discussing this very issue with the captain very early one morning. He was aware of the problems, and anxious to ensure that we stuck to our itinerary timings, so as not to prejudice our chances of getting to Budapest. We were not able to dock at Batina due to low water, and he went further upstream to dock at Mohacs. As a consequence of this our long (0900 to 1600) excursion was extended by over 3 hours, and we actually boarded at about 1905. In truth, the rest of the guests had embarked previously but I was enjoying the really, really inexpensive beer at a Riverside bar (Pizzeria & Gastropub) so much that we were the last to board, delaying the ship for a full five minutes. Part of the delay in Mohacs was due to customs/immigration for the ship and crew at Mohacs. The ship was coming from a non-Schengen (Croatia) country to a Schengen country (Hungary). The ship was visible upstream from the bar (cheers!) for this process and 'reversed' to the passenger pontoon once the formalities were complete. I learnt from the captain that the River Duchess (110M * 11M) requires a minimum of 20cm water under the bottom to proceed, but with that amount of water under the ship it has to proceed very slowly. Presumably this reduced speed moderates the riverbed damage caused by the propellers. I may be wrong, but I believe he said that they require at least 1M clear water under the ship to go at full speed.

Hi. Winding down after a couple of hairy days. (long story, but flights Budapest-Istanbul; Istanbul/Milan Malpensa. Were forced to stand for 40 minutes in 35+ heat waiting for hotel transfer. Hotel is only 4 mins away from airport!) A complimentary cold prosecco at the Hotel is soothing. I will post pictures and report on my cruise, but as it is not a matter of high priority for me, please be so kind as to remind me.

There seems to be very few cruise ships on the stretch between Budapest and Bucharest at present. You can monitor cruise ship movements on CruiseMapper.com or the app of the same name.

Very few ships currently sailing as far as that. I suugest you use CruiseMapper to see how many cruise ships are parked at Budapest.

What is the port of disembarkation?

I don't know that this question can answered other than in the most general of terms. Customs/immigration clearance may be a factor. If you identify which port, and the preceding one, you might receive more specific input from others who have visited that port.

Update from the River Duchess... Captain addressed the guests here in Budapest this evening. He reported that the water level (location not specified) had dropped by an unprecedented 30cm in just one day!

We are currently on the River Duchess (110m) nearing Budapest. Yesterday evening the ship was not able to use the pontoon dock at Batina due to low, water, and those guests due to travel beyond Budapest (some travelling all the way to Amsterdam) were told that, due to low water and the likelihood that there will be high temperatures and no rain, the ship would not proceed beyond Budapest!

The answer is: yes. I am very sensitive to noise, and usually take a suite in such a location. But... The noise has never been sufficiently intrusive for me to regret having the suite.

Lowest levels on the Po for seventy years, and when we drove over it yesterday (on our way to Milan Malpensa airport for flights to our lower Danube cruise!) it was a sorry thing indeed. A far cry from 'the mighty Po'! Fountains in Milan all turned off and drinking water rationing in Verona.

I didn't think you were allowed to take your own hairdryer on board!