Nikita4 Posted January 9, 2023 #151 Share Posted January 9, 2023 This week the ship also goes to Bahrain like last week. But I know people the cruise in February and the received a mail with the instructions for a transit-saudi-visa. Perhaps the ship will sail in feb to saudiarbia? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyGK Posted January 9, 2023 #152 Share Posted January 9, 2023 OK. I haven't heard anything about mu cruise changing yet. I don't mind either way as i will just stay on board. Really looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Newleno Posted January 9, 2023 #153 Share Posted January 9, 2023 17 hours ago, Noncon said: I think you missed the period [.] between pay and Nothing. ...you apply and pay, then nothing happens until... How much did you pay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 10, 2023 Author #154 Share Posted January 10, 2023 15 hours ago, DaveyGK said: Is the current cruise stopping in Saudi or has it also been replaced with Bahrain? I am on next week's. Yes, they have received the visas today onboard, for the stop in Damnan tomorrow 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockotron Posted January 11, 2023 #155 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Great news. We're going in February and Al Ahsa is probably what I've been looking forward to most, so I'm glad the stop is back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 11, 2023 Author #156 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) And World Europa is docked in Saudi for the first time! Of course no alcohol can be served whilst in port and all mini bars in the cabins have also been cleared of alcohol. Edited January 11, 2023 by little britain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockotron Posted January 11, 2023 #157 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I'm sure I can manage a day without booze. 😄 And I guess she'll be back in international waters from 9pm or so, so there's always time for a post-dinner drink. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocdb8r Posted January 11, 2023 #158 Share Posted January 11, 2023 6 hours ago, little britain said: And World Europa is docked in Saudi for the first time! Of course no alcohol can be served whilst in port and all mini bars in the cabins have also been cleared of alcohol. Anyone onboard able to report if MSC handled your Visas or if you did it before? We will likely do it before just to be safe...but I'm curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 11, 2023 Author #159 Share Posted January 11, 2023 2 hours ago, ocdb8r said: Anyone onboard able to report if MSC handled your Visas or if you did it before? We will likely do it before just to be safe...but I'm curious. Yes you apply for the visa beforehand, and it will be issued approx 2 days before you get to Saudi. All reports are that Saudis were very friendly and welcoming and happy to see tourists. If you don’t take a ships tour then MSC run a free ( yes free!) shuttle bus to Khobar which is on outskirts of Damman, waterfront shops and restaurants etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markorop Posted January 11, 2023 #160 Share Posted January 11, 2023 43 minutes ago, little britain said: Yes you apply for the visa beforehand, and it will be issued approx 2 days before you get to Saudi. All reports are that Saudis were very friendly and welcoming and happy to see tourists. If you don’t take a ships tour then MSC run a free ( yes free!) shuttle bus to Khobar which is on outskirts of Damman, waterfront shops and restaurants etc Where are you seeing these reports? Im curious how people liked the stop and if the al ahsa excursion is worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 12, 2023 Author #161 Share Posted January 12, 2023 10 hours ago, markorop said: Where are you seeing these reports? Im curious how people liked the stop and if the al ahsa excursion is worth it The book that has a face. I’m doing oasis excursion in 2 weeks so also waiting for reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markorop Posted January 12, 2023 #162 Share Posted January 12, 2023 4 hours ago, little britain said: The book that has a face. I’m doing oasis excursion in 2 weeks so also waiting for reviews Im sorry I don’t get it… Whats the book that has a face? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lockotron Posted January 12, 2023 #163 Share Posted January 12, 2023 It's a famous social media site that you are not allowed to mention in this forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markorop Posted January 12, 2023 #164 Share Posted January 12, 2023 3 hours ago, Lockotron said: It's a famous social media site that you are not allowed to mention in this forum. oh ok?? what is it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transientoftheseas Posted January 15, 2023 #165 Share Posted January 15, 2023 I have applied for the $22 Saudi Arabia transit visa per the instructions that MSC sent in an email with step by step directions on how to apply on the visa website. The World Europa stops stops in Damman and the directions state to choose simply "Damman" or "Jeddah". Damman was not an option in the pull down menu so I chose "Jeddah Islamic Seaport" or "Jeddah Yacht Club" since another MSC ship docks there (totally different city from Damman but I did not know which other port to choose) I had to do some googling myself since I was curious and it turns out the Damman cruise port is officially called King Abdullaziz seaport! (which was an option in the drop down menu!) Why MSC didn't list this actual port out in the directions- I don't know. I am applying for multiple applications for my family. Will this be an issue or would the location not matter just as long they get the transit visa into Saudi Arabia overall? I am not able to edit the past applications. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweakes Posted January 16, 2023 #166 Share Posted January 16, 2023 So I just applied for the visa following instructions from MSC... but it was only $10.50, not $22 .... what did I do wrong?? 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikita4 Posted January 16, 2023 #167 Share Posted January 16, 2023 1 hour ago, tweakes said: So I just applied for the visa following instructions from MSC... but it was only $10.50, not $22 .... what did I do wrong?? 😞 The Visa ist 10.50, then 4.6 for the health assurance and taxes for 10.50 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikita4 Posted January 16, 2023 #168 Share Posted January 16, 2023 14 hours ago, transientoftheseas said: I have applied for the $22 Saudi Arabia transit visa per the instructions that MSC sent in an email with step by step directions on how to apply on the visa website. The World Europa stops stops in Damman and the directions state to choose simply "Damman" or "Jeddah". Damman was not an option in the pull down menu so I chose "Jeddah Islamic Seaport" or "Jeddah Yacht Club" since another MSC ship docks there (totally different city from Damman but I did not know which other port to choose) I had to do some googling myself since I was curious and it turns out the Damman cruise port is officially called King Abdullaziz seaport! (which was an option in the drop down menu!) Why MSC didn't list this actual port out in the directions- I don't know. I am applying for multiple applications for my family. Will this be an issue or would the location not matter just as long they get the transit visa into Saudi Arabia overall? I am not able to edit the past applications. Thank you It's important to fill it out like the instructions from MSC with the correct address and harbour. Otherwise the don't know your cruise and your port. But you can edit your application with the edit button on the summary of your visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweakes Posted January 16, 2023 #169 Share Posted January 16, 2023 28 minutes ago, Nikita4 said: The Visa ist 10.50, then 4.6 for the health assurance and taxes for 10.50 or so. I followed instructions and was never given options for insurance or other fees... I entered my data, got to the payment screen, and entered my card. Only 10.50... 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philippetheriault Posted January 16, 2023 #170 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Perhaps that could help a few here. We are abord MSC World Europa. Departed Dubai on Jan 14th. We applied for the Saudi Arabia Transit Visa for via https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/ as instructed 2 weeks prior and nothing happened. The cost for us as Canadians turned our to be $ 26.85 taken via 3 distinct credit card payments. I picked the basic insurance package. Our applications were visible on the website right away and remained "Under Process" and in fact are still showing "Under Process" as I'm writing this note despite the fact that we have received our visa by email earlier today during the stop at Sir Bani Yas Island. That is approximatively 48 hours before arriving in Dammam. Interesting fact, we also just got our passport back. We had to give them to the MSC crew during the check-in process. Useful information. 1) For those who can't find Dammam in the drill down list, there is something called Google that can help you for those kind of things. "Port of Dammam" in Google or Google Maps will return King Abdul Aziz Seaport, Dammam 32211, KSA. 2) In the form, at one point you need to enter your address in KSA and other information. I put my phone number (no + before the country code), and the address of King Abdul Aziz Seaport in the address fields. That worked. 3) For the picture, we have uploaded a low resolution picture, 200x200, in front of a white background. If you have a Mac, you can use the Preview app, open the picture and "Resize" and enter 200x200. Good luck and Bon voyage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transientoftheseas Posted January 16, 2023 #171 Share Posted January 16, 2023 1 hour ago, tweakes said: I followed instructions and was never given options for insurance or other fees... I entered my data, got to the payment screen, and entered my card. Only 10.50... 😕 I have the same issue. I think US citizens may not need the supplemental insurance? I applied for my family and the non-us citizens directed me to the medical insurance pages but the US citizens directed me to the $10.50 payment page immediately and started processing. What a bargain! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transientoftheseas Posted January 16, 2023 #172 Share Posted January 16, 2023 2 hours ago, Nikita4 said: It's important to fill it out like the instructions from MSC with the correct address and harbour. Otherwise the don't know your cruise and your port. But you can edit your application with the edit button on the summary of your visa. 4 minutes ago, philippetheriault said: Perhaps that could help a few here. We are abord MSC World Europa. Departed Dubai on Jan 14th. We applied for the Saudi Arabia Transit Visa for via https://visa.mofa.gov.sa/ as instructed 2 weeks prior and nothing happened. The cost for us as Canadians turned our to be $ 26.85 taken via 3 distinct credit card payments. I picked the basic insurance package. Our applications were visible on the website right away and remained "Under Process" and in fact are still showing "Under Process" as I'm writing this note despite the fact that we have received our visa by email earlier today during the stop at Sir Bani Yas Island. That is approximatively 48 hours before arriving in Dammam. Interesting fact, we also just got our passport back. We had to give them to the MSC crew during the check-in process. Useful information. 1) For those who can't find Dammam in the drill down list, there is something called Google that can help you for those kind of things. "Port of Dammam" in Google or Google Maps will return King Abdul Aziz Seaport, Dammam 32211, KSA. 2) In the form, at one point you need to enter your address in KSA and other information. I put my phone number (no + before the country code), and the address of King Abdul Aziz Seaport in the address fields. That worked. 3) For the picture, we have uploaded a low resolution picture, 200x200, in front of a white background. If you have a Mac, you can use the Preview app, open the picture and "Resize" and enter 200x200. Good luck and Bon voyage. Thank you for the great help! What information did the visa have on it that was emailed to you? Did the immigration officer have to scan a QR code of some sort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philippetheriault Posted January 16, 2023 #173 Share Posted January 16, 2023 4 hours ago, transientoftheseas said: Thank you for the great help! What information did the visa have on it that was emailed to you? Did the immigration officer have to scan a QR code of some sort? The email contained a PDF file that is the visa. That's the document you need to leave the ship. You need a hard copy. We got it printed at the Yacht Club. No ideal how passengers who are not on Yacht Club can get it printed. I would guess that you can go to the Business Center on Deck 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40yearcruiser Posted January 16, 2023 #174 Share Posted January 16, 2023 How far in advance did you get the email from MSC for the visa application? Our cruise begins in about 2 1/2 months and we haven't received anything yet. So far our reservation shows our port as Jeddah so I'm assuming that is what we will enter for port of entry on the application unless we get a change of port notification from MSC. Thanks to all of you who have posted information. I'm hoping that any of you who have visited this port will post what your experience was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare little britain Posted January 17, 2023 Author #175 Share Posted January 17, 2023 9 hours ago, 40yearcruiser said: How far in advance did you get the email from MSC for the visa application? Our cruise begins in about 2 1/2 months and we haven't received anything yet. So far our reservation shows our port as Jeddah so I'm assuming that is what we will enter for port of entry on the application unless we get a change of port notification from MSC. Thanks to all of you who have posted information. I'm hoping that any of you who have visited this port will post what your experience was there. We got the email a few weeks before sailing. As there is so little info on this ship, I’m hoping to do a “live from “ if the Wi-Fi is good enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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