Cindy, According to our consulate here, if you apply in person on a Monday you can pick up the visa on Friday. After hearing everyones comments I'm prepared that it may not be quite that efficient. We have some time so I'm not worried yet. I hope it goes smoothly for you.

Donna, Thank you. No need to apologize as my earlier posting wasn't very clear. We decided, after reading the info from B&K, that it would be more efficient to cut out the middleman (ZVS) and take care of this in person since we are so close to the embassy. That decision may come back to bite us. We shall see....

Sandee

We still don't have our passports or visas. According to ZVS this morning, they are in ZVS office in Houston and were never sent to the Brazilian consultant! So now we are two weeks away from getting on a plane, and we still don't know when we will get them back. Supposedly my "agent" at ZVS is going to call me. Since they have had our passports since middle of August, and the India visa has been issued, I'm not sure why we don't have our Brazilian visas and our passports! Wonder how hard it is going to be to get a duplicate, if they still don't get them back by Sept 30.

Glad so many of you have gotten them back already and have no more passport worries!

Good luck Jan, hope it all works out.

Good heavens, Jan--hope you get them back in time. It looks like once they got our passports and applications to the consultate, it only took a few days for them to turn it around. I'd be calling ZVS every day to be sure they're working on it. Don't know why ours got processed before yours--doesn't make sense!!!

Just checked my status. Website says In Process at Consulate or Agency.

Heh Sandee,
Well, I figured out why the different information. The Chicago consulate has made a notation on their website that due to systems being upgraded they NOW need (for in person applications) 15 business days. Based on what is going on with Jan, I had nearly decided to just go down their and do it myself. Now it looks like ZVS might do just as well, or we can sure hope.......

Jan, I'm so sorry. I really hope this situation is resolved soon!

Jan and Cindy I am so sorry you both are having this stressful situation - especially Jan leaving in few weeks - hoping it is resolved quickly!!! we sent our PP's off for renewal and needed old ones back as they contain the "precious Brazilian visa from 2005" - new PP's arrived in 2 weeks .... I flipped NO old ones...till I got to bottom of large stack of mail and in entirely different envelope the old ones - big sigh of relief...

Jan, With all the other craziness of getting things together to be gone 75 days, I do hope this problem is remedied soon for you.

Yes Joanna, you do need that precious document! I am actually in a pretty good situation compared to Jan leaving very soon AND Frank who is moving! I cannot imagine. Mine are long gone to ZVS, feel great that it is that far along I guess!

Jan, so sorry to hear about your visa troubles. Hope it's resolved soon.

I just called ZVS and was told my passport and Brazilian visa will return on Sept. 25 and I would get it on Sept. 30. That is a cutting it short for me.

Beth when do you leave?

I plan to leave Wilson on the 4th or 5th.

Hang in there Beth......how frustrating. This close to a trip, all you should be feeling is excited.

Wow, we'll all certainly be happy when we finally get to Brazil! Beth, hope all goes as planned or even better than planned (maybe you'll get the Visa before the 30th). Looking forward to meeting you, Crystal, Donna, Cindy and everyone else we haven't travelled with. We should all have a Capharina on the ship in honor of the Brazilian Visa process.

I don't have any idea what a Capharina is :eek: But I'll have two!!!! I'm really looking forward to meeting new friends too!!

Yesterday someone from ZVS left me a message saying she has our passports in New York and that we would have them and the Brazilian visas on Friday....trouble is...she didn't say which Friday! So we are still up in the air. If they don't come until Oct 3, it is cutting it pretty close. If they don't come this Friday, we may start working on duplicate passports...but not really sure how that works yet.

It will be so nice to finally make it on the ship and meet up with some current friends, and make some new ones!

Jan, hope you get them this Friday--if he meant Oct. 3rd he'd probably have said that.
Cindy, a capharina is the "national" drink of Brazil--it's basically fresh lime juice, sugar and a Brazilian alcohol (can't remember the name, but it's like high test :D --sometimes they substitute vodka or light rum). Tasty, but lethal...

Jan, Keep your chin up. I do hope all comes out easy for you during this mess.

I heard from ZVS today and my passport and visas are being sent out today. That's good news.

Looking forward to those tasty, but lethal Capharinas with new and old friends. I read that the makings of a good one is in the stick!!!

YEA!!! Just got an e-mail that our passports are being shipped FEDEX today. Hopefully, Fed Ex will get them here tomorrow! Now back to repacking!

Glad that things are working out for everyone visa-wise!

I know have my passport and visas in hand. Interesting, it looks like my Brazilian visa was signed in Atlanta, Qatar in Washington, DC and can't make out the location of the Indian one. In tracking the shipment, my passport started in Miami yesterday.

Jan, YIPPEE..... Great news!!!!!

Jan, Wonderful news. Beth, yeah! I've checked our status and it says received and processed..... I really think we need to have a toast to the "Brazilian visa" on the ship! This will all be a bad memory very soon!
Cheers!

Our passports with Brazil visas were delivered this morning by FedEx - insert BIG sigh of relief!

We sent passports and forms to ZVS Sept. 8 overnight express USPS so it took just under a month to get them back.

Much thanks to Donna for mentioning they had left out parents' names and nationality. We had already sent our forms so I checked my copy and, sure enough, neglected to put in Cathy's parents' nationality. I emailed ZVS with info and they took care of it.

We just received our passports back today with the Brazil visas also. It is such a relief to have them back in our hands. We FedEx ours on 9/22 and got them back today. We used a Visa service we had used before and we have always been very satisfied. So now I think we are ready to go. Just waiting to do the DOCS dance.


Carolyn

Glad to hear that everyone's visa issues have been resolved. I applied in person to the Brazilian Consulate last Thursday and was informed I would be able to pick them up this Wednesday (4 business days). I have no reason to believe there will be a problem but I will be relieved when I have passports and visas in hand. Go ahead and have a "Brazilian visa toast" (or two) as you all have earned it and we'll catch up when we get aboard.

Sandee

Well, I for one can report a very good experience with ZVS for my Brazilian visa! They received my passport on 10/3, and since I wanted the option of visiting my daughter in England sometime this month (a bit of time before leaving for pre-cruise on GAME/SAMBA on 11/16), requested expedited service. I just got an email today, 10/10, that they are being sent out with Fed Ex today, so I will have my visa and passport on Monday, one week earlier than I requested in BOLD print on a separate cover sheet with my application. Doesn't get much better than that for peace of mind. So I'm having a "Brazilian visa toast" as Sandee suggested!

That's great, Olivia. For the most part, it's actually been the Brazilian visa rules and not ZVS that have been the problem. But it all turns out in the end--hopefully everyone has their visas now and all is well. We'll all drink a visa toast on the ship!

I am still waiting. Hope mine will come soon.

Well, no visa's for us. They have had them almost 3 weeks, and they have not updated our "status" yet. We are getting anxious!

I'm relieved to report that I picked up our visa's last Wednesday from the Brazilian Consulate within the four business day turnaround time as indicated on their website. I expected problems but encountered none.

Cindy, I'm sorry to hear you're having a problem and understand the anxiety it's causing. I would be beside myself. I hope you have your visa's in-hand very soon so that the anxious feeling can change to one of excitement for your upcoming travels.

Sandee

ZVS had emailed us to say Visas are on the way. Maybe yours will be next, Cindy.

Hooray! We are now legal. Our visas and passports arrived 5 minutes ago via FedEx. Kudos to ZVS. We indicated Oct. 23 as the date we need them in our hands. They beat that by ten days.

Glad to hear that the visas are coming in. That means you all will be on the Navigator soon!!

Yeah!!! After several calls, (they were pretty nice), our visa's are in the fed x truck......should have them tomarrow. Oh how happy are we........

I dont yet-I leave on November 8. I know there is time but it is not a good feeling NOT to have your passports.

What a exciting process getting a visa has been for many of us.

Embarassed to say had bad information and then finally got good information and were able to apply in person in Boston and will have the Visa within 5 days. AMAZING!!!!

FV

NO, that is how we were feeling.....I MAY need to make a quick trip to Windsor next week. Not happening without the passport.

Frank, I think we may have had bad info as well. When I talked to the consulate in Chicago, they said 15 - 19 business days. I got another email after I sent them to ZVS, that said 5 business days. Believe me, I would have gone to the city in a minute to get this done. Ah well, much expense, much stress but we are heading in the right direction. We will toast to the "visa" soon enough....

Yes:

Hopefully I will be ready for a Toast by the time we leave if I can lift my arms, Too many shots, have not worked out in days my arms are killing me, Hep A/B Yellow Fever/ Typhus: feeling better today
I feel like a big baby LOL!

FV