HighlandPark

I've been to Muscat recently with BA. I think others have covered the flight and airport experience pretty comprehensively but in case it's any use I can recommend a restaurant (Ubhar Bistro, easy walking distance from the Intercontinental) and a tour company if you want a day out of Muscat (Lifetime Tours: http://www.lifetime-tours.com/en/ - Mu'sab was my guide and was excellent).

simons1

They are reporting the terminal is virtually complete and should open this year. TBH I take that with a pinch of salt, work seems to have largely stopped and I know there have been problems with labour.

Dazed and Confused

We were originally looking to go on the 28th but are now going out on the 29th.
Hope you and your wife have a lovely time out there.

D&C

Dazed and Confused

Thanks for the recommendations HighlandPark, I'll make sure to make a note of them.

D&C

flatlander

The new terminal didn't look at all finished to me; the external structure and cladding still looks incomplete. The current terminal works OK, at Omani official pace, at the time the BA flight leaves
It may not be very rapid but it's not stressed, pushy and crowded like some other airports (ahem Stansted ahem).

The shwarma and juice place (the one with the brighter lighting) outside the entrance to the Muttrah Souk is a bit tourist-priced but tasty (i.e., costs about as much as a bad kebab in London). There's a Persian restaurant called Persepolis in the Madinat al Qaboos area (also not far from the Intercontinental) which we also found good, even if it was bizarrely empty when we were there.

Do visit the Grand Mosque, it's one of the more approachable mosques (for the non-Arabic-reading non-Muslim) I have been in, as well as architecturally and decoratively impressive. Get there early (open 08:00-11:00 for tourism, tour buses start to clog it up from 09:30).

Dazed and Confused

Thanks flatlander,


Just in case anyone else is interested I applied for two visas online this morning, I recieved an email for reciept of payment at 09:32 and another email at 09:39 with the actual visas so a very quick turnaround.


The process itself was easy, I just needed to fill in a brief form with passport etc details and attach an electornic copy of the passports and a picture of each of us.


Hopefully this will save us a little bit of time after landing.

corporate-wage-slave

Just to add my greetings and welcome to you Dazed and Confused. Welcome to the forum and I hope you have a good time in Oman, a place which I've visited frequently, both Muscat and Salalah. Going First to MCT is a good idea, since it's a decent length daytime flight. Maybe not so great coming back due to the late departure time, but nevertheless one of the better routes for First travel, along with the North America West Coast routes.

SoggyDollar

It's t'other way round now that the flights are direct :
MCT-LHR is the day flight

(And much preferable now that the transit in AUH is avoided)

flatlander

Going out to MCT, it is reasonable to eat after departure from LHR (if the service is fast), but one cannot have a leisurely meal and reasonable sleep in the time available. If the service is slow, it's both late to eat and early to wake on arrival and that is frustrating.

(Last time I went to MCT, in Club, from pushback it took 1 hour for drinks, 2 hours for starters, and over 3 hours for main meals - I gave up at the 3 hour mark, gave my tray back, and tried to sleep instead; I hope Dazed and Confused has a better service)

On the way back, it is a fine flight to enjoy all-day pampering in F.

If you don't mind saying, can I ask if you are eligible for visa on arrival or if you have to get a visa before arrival? I was only trying to describe the process for paying the VoA fee before arrival; it had not occurred to me to get the actual visa before arrival. Did you get a 10-day tourist visa ("countries from List A") for R.O. 5 online? That sounds like a useful thing to do, if it lets one use the (short, from the look of it) queue for people with visas at MCT immigration.

Dazed and Confused

Hi,

To answer you're questions, Yes we're both eligible for visas on arrival being from a country on list A and yes we got a 10-day tourist visa for 5 Oman Rial.

The email I received contained a PDF of the visa itself which is to be printed out and presented at immigration.

I'll post here if there are any issues using this method if it's useful for people.

flatlander

Thanks, I'm interested to know if that lets you avoid queueing up with all the others who are there for Visa on Arrival. If I can take 20-30 minutes off the airport waiting experience next time, I'll get brownie points from Ms F

SoggyDollar

It only saves visiting the payment process so you can go straight to the immigration line. Still worth doing IMO

flying_pig

Just to manage the OP's expectations, bear in mind that MCT-LHR (BA80) is a breakfast service in First (so the main is the usual full english, or omelette, or sweet option), followed by afternoon tea (sandwiches and sweets). So, no "proper lunch" is available on the flight.

The gate operations and boarding are appalling lately. No fast track at the gate and only one agent. A good 20-minute queue to get past the gate desk and to the secondary security screening.

Wozza2404

I always thought you could only get the 30 day (OMR20) visa in advance. The OMR5 10 day one isn't available online?

Or am I looking in the wrong place?

rssfed23

Has this changed lately?
When I last did BA80 in F on the 10th Jan there was no breakfast option but full lunch service.


The visa story may of changed - as I can see at evisa.rop.gov.om you can apply for the 30 day one online but the 10day one says apply at airport.
And yet in my email inbox from January is an email receipt for 5OMR

EDIT: Somethings definitely changed as you never used to have to register or have user accounts to use the service.