Stolen passport - could Princess have done more to help?

If you take into account how many passengers each day they are dealing with, not to mention those who make mountains out of mole hills, it is quite a feat.

II am sure some people make mountains out of molehills, but a port agent worth their salt would surely prioritise people in a country where they do not speak the language, have been hospitalised following a heart attack on board a Princess ship ?

In the case I am talking, about the port agent did not make contact, even though the passenger had been in touch with them.

As I said, we are fortunate not to have had any dealings with port agents. We did talk to and try to help people when the port agent didn't support them.

II am sure some people make mountains out of molehills, but a port agent worth their salt would surely prioritise people in a country where they do not speak the language, have been hospitalised following a heart attack on board a Princess ship ?

 

In the case I am talking, about the port agent did not make contact, even though the passenger had been in touch with them.

 

As I said, we are fortunate not to have had any dealings with port agents. We did talk to and try to help people when the port agent didn't support them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that all those with "unimportant" problems, ruin it for those who truly need it. But, I really think the port agent dropped the ball on your acquaintance. I have heard much better regarding the same matters with, I'm assuming, better port agents.

I would hope Princess would offer some assistance in terms of getting info so I could get it replaced, etc. but nothing more than that.

I'm very sorry those people had to go through that experience, but this is a very informative post! I have been guilty of carrying our passports ashore after seeing that blurb in the Patter about bringing your government issued ID. Last year, I "lost" our cruise cards on a boating excursion in Antigua. I had our belongings in the blue Princess tote bag and had put our cruise cards in a ziploc bag in the tote (not a smart move) and they fell out. I had a panic attack while waiting in the line back to the ship, as I realized our cruise cards were gone. Thankfully, someone from the excursion had returned them to Princess and we were able to get back on board.

I will definitely plan differently for going ashore in the future!

I'm one of those that never take their passport ashore unless I have to. I do take a photo copy which won't do anything much for you. I'm so paranoid that I take an EXPIRED driver's license ashore to show for a picture ID to get back on the ship.. My DL is the only picture ID I have other than the passport. I've been meaning to "lose" my DL and go down and get a duplicate one so I would have a back up if my purse gets snatched while on a domestic trip when I don't take a passport. To date (knock on wood) it has never been questioned. I figure if it was, I'd send DH to the cabin to get my current license or passport.

If I have to take my passport (and anything else of value) I put them in a neck bag which I attach to my bra strap so it hangs down my side below my waist and is further secured by my waistband/belt. That way, no string shows around my neck that is visible to a mugger. I have a zip waist belt that is under my top that has "bathroom money," chap stick, whatever that is easy to get to.

DH has a "throw down" wallet he carries. It is full of worthless things like pictures of grandchildren sent at Christmas by friends, those "mock" credit cards you get with applications, and play money. On a good day, he may have a dollar on both sides of the play money. We figure the pick pockets wouldn't know they have a wallet full of nothing until we are long gone. So far, no one has taken it, I think he is disappointed (lol). His real things are in a pocket that attaches to his belt and is inside this pants.

Some of us have the passport card. Did Cuba accept those?

I doubt they would accept the card. When we were there when you disembarked you went through Cuban immigration and they stamped the passport. When we returned to the ship you again had to go through the Cuban immigration booths and they checked the passport for the stamp. The second day we again had to have our passports to disembark and again it was checked for the stamp.

Last year, I "lost" our cruise cards on a boating excursion in Antigua. I had our belongings in the blue Princess tote bag and had put our cruise cards in a ziploc bag in the tote (not a smart move) and they fell out.

That's one advantage of a lanyard. I attach my lanyard to a belt loop or a bathing suit strap, if I don't want to wear it around my neck.

Interesting story. My first thought was that this just shows why many experienced travelers do not normally carry their Passports (or many other valuables) off the ship in a port (unless its specifically required by law). In Montengro there would be no reason to carry one's Passport.

And 2. Princess did exactly the normal thing. which is to disembark the passenger and refer them to the ship's local agent.

But, we also do not see any reason why Princess should have given any kind of refund to that couple. It was not the fault of the cruise line (in any way) that this person chose to carry their Passport and had it stolen (or lost).

And we did have one other thought which is that Celebrity Cruises now charges $65 per person for early disembarkation...so wonder if Celebrity would have actually charged that fee rather than given a refund :).

Hank

This begs the question....what if you realized your PP was missing, and just didn't say anything until you docked back for disembarking??? Then it's, oh my...I've lost my pp after you're already off the ship? Makes you wonder how they would handle that as I'm sure there are MANY people who disembark and can't find their PP.

This begs the question....what if you realized your PP was missing, and just didn't say anything until you docked back for disembarking??? Then it's, oh my...I've lost my pp after you're already off the ship? Makes you wonder how they would handle that as I'm sure there are MANY people who disembark and can't find their PP.

What a great thought :). We think the answer would depend on your itinerary. If you were on a Caribbean cruise and heading back to the USA...it would certainly delay your disembarkation...but once CBP verified your identity you would be free to go. But if you were in a foreign land it could be a major problem. Although not every country does a Passport check (most of the time this is not done when docking in Italy) you would need a Passport to check-in for a flight and possibly for even checking-in at a hotel. And on some itineraries you would need your Passport at some ports (such as when in the Baltic and docking in St Petersburg). There would be something to say for not saying anything until the end of a cruise (assuming you do not need the PP for any of the ports) and then dealing with the issue at disembarkation. It might mean spending a few days in your disembarkation city...while you worked on getting an emergency replacement.

Hank

Losing your cruise card isn't a big deal. I lost mine in St. Thomas and got driven back to the boarding point in the port security golf cart, and was then turned over to ship security people. He wouldn't let DW ride in the cart because she had her card and had to walk alongside. It was easy to get a replacement.

I often see on CC that if you miss the ship Princess will give your passport to the port agent. I have never heard this from Princess and wonder if this is just a CC myth. Does anyone have any real experience with this? I seem to recall a post on CC a few years ago from someone stranded, in France I believe, and their passports were not turned over to the port agent.

It sounds like Princess did what was needed. There is so much info on how to carry your important documents. Why would you risk getting pick pocketed by carrying docs in a backpack. And, they should have taken a copy ashore and left the original in the safe.

The Med. cruise DH and I took in 2013, NCL took our passports and returned them on last day of cruise. DH was SO upset. He wanted stamps from all of the countries we visited. I did too ... oh well ...

So... I cannot get into the head of the lady who took her passport with her ashore and carried it into her backpack. But I can understand why some people prefer to bring their passports with them. It's sometimes nothing more than a habit. I CAN tell you however that she felt quite embarrassed that she did not take care to put it in her money belt before making the climb up to the fort. A moment of "forgetfulness" that she is certainly not likely to repeat EVER.

As for Princess, the couple certainly did not say that they thought the ship should have stayed in port. They were simply dismayed by the fact that the only response they received was "get off now!". In the heat of the moment, when you are feeling vulnerable and victimized, you look for a little empathy and support. It's more of a defensive response after going through a traumatic experience. Plus the TV show painted a very biased picture.

Many important takeaways though. I would definitely think twice before reporting my passport stolen or missing to ship's authorities. But as others mentioned, it would definitely depend on where in the world I am. I remember disembarking in Rome and simply walking off the ship, no questions asked. But there are countries that are much more scrutinous.

We did not take our passports ashore in Kotor last May but did take photo id. The passport is just too juicy a target. We also use Pac-Safe brand packs which have a lightweight wire mesh in the pack and strap making them almost impossible to cut. I don't blame Princess for keeping to schedule but perhaps they could have helped them with a "more" solid linkup to the port agent who would have known how to solve the problem.

We did not take our passports ashore in Kotor last May but did take photo id. The passport is just too juicy a target. We also use Pac-Safe brand packs which have a lightweight wire mesh in the pack and strap making them almost impossible to cut. I don't blame Princess for keeping to schedule but perhaps they could have helped them with a "more" solid linkup to the port agent who would have known how to solve the problem.

In my opinion, keeping anything valuable in a backpack is a bad idea. It’s out of your sight. The pac-safe material may keep a thief from stealing the whole pack, but someone can easily slip their hand into it and steal your valuables. I now use a belt bag and think it’s best for valuables. It’s always in sight. In addition, we take a lightweight nylon bag for maps, water bottles, umbrellas and such. However, a backpack would be fine for that stuff.

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We use the PAC-Safe neck pouch under our clothing when we carry our passports, credit cards, money with us. For us this works.

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We use the PAC-Safe neck pouch under our clothing when we carry our passports, credit cards, money with us. For us this works.

 

 

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Another good option in my opinion.

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You really can't slip a hand into a Pac-Safe if the zippers are clipped and the clips are worn toward the centre of the body and not outward. A Pac-Safe, however, can be grabbed off your shoulder and the thief can run away with it.

I bought a waterproof plastic carrier, size of cruise card, to carry on ship when I go in pool. Read where if you leave it in bag on lounge chair it could be stolen and very quickly purchases could be made. It goes around my neck and I tuck it into top of my bathing suit. I also bought one size of passport and carried color photo copy of passport on photo paper (kept real one in safe), cruise card, driver license, insurance card, prescription info and cash when snorkeling in Mexico and also tucked it in to top of bathing suit.

In Alaska this August I know I’ll need real passport for excursion so I’m ready with my holder to be tucked in under my shirt. Makes me feel very safe.

We use the PAC-Safe neck pouch under our clothing when we carry our passports, credit cards, money with us. For us this works.

 

 

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I have a LewisNClark one that is very similar. I also prefer this one (under the shirt) to other ones. I bought it decades ago and still use it.

You really can't slip a hand into a Pac-Safe if the zippers are clipped and the clips are worn toward the centre of the body and not outward. A Pac-Safe, however, can be grabbed off your shoulder and the thief can run away with it.

In some cases they just cut the strap.

In some cases they just cut the strap.

Depends on the Pacsafe model. The daypack I use has wire reinforced straps. You’d need to use a bolt cutter to cut the strap.

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Last night I watched this show on our local French language CBC; about a couple on Royal Princess who had a harrowing experience after the wife had her passport stolen in Kotor. This was a consumer advocacy show, therefore the story was, admittedly, heavily biased in favor of the customers. In the end it serves at the very least as a reminder to 1) watch out for your stuff wherever you travel 2) The princess ship must leave on time so they won't take any action that may cause delays and 3) read your travel insurance policy VERY CAREFULLY

 

Some highlights:

 

- Couple was mid-50's, seemingly well-travelled.

- They were on Royal Princess departing out of Athens (no mention of date or length of cruise)

- The wife had her passport stolen as they ascended a trail to some fort in Kotor. She said she usually keeps her valuables in a waist belt, but this time she carried everything in a small backpack. Her wallet and passport were lifted from the bottom of her backpack.

- Back on board the ship, the couple informed customer service immediately. They were told to go ahore and fill out a police report and then they would be forced to DISEMBARK since Princess would not allow them to sail without a passport.

- The couple asked if Princess would at least help them contact the nearest Canadian Embassy, but were refused. Princess referred them to the port agent for any further assistance, and continued to insist that the couple go to their room, pack their things and get off the ship. The reason given: "It's the law. You are no longer compliant with the law. So you must get off"

- Princess actually told the husband that he could stay on the ship if he wished since he still had his passport (I guess if he wanted to get divorced he could have stayed on the ship...)

- The couple is eventually removed from the ship in Kotor. There was actually another passenger removed as well for the same reason, a lone American lady.

- The TV show reached out to Princess but the company denied an on-camera interview. Eventually, after investigating the matter Princess did send an email to the TV show, stating 1) Confirmation of the law requiring passengers to have passports 2) That they did connect the couple with the port agent and 3) They understand that the couple managed to get back on the ship in Rhodes 3 days later - and that Princess would offer a refund of 2 cruise days per person

- The couple mentions on the show that the port agent was some 20 year-old kid who knew nothing about contacting embassies. After spending the night in a hotel in Kotor, the couple took a bus to Pogderica and had to go to the British Embassy since there was no Canadian one. To their credit, the British Embassy was able to help. The couple managed to get an emergency passport sent (incredibly quickly IMO), then fly to Athens and then on to Rhodes to meet back with the ship 3 days after getting off in Kotor. Total costs incurred = CDN $3,000.

- The show did interview a maritime lawyer who said that this is not a specific maritime law. However, cruise ship cannot carry passengers without proper documentation that would bar them from entering the port at final destinaiton.

- The couple called their TA and asked them to request a refund from Princess, to which Princess replied they had already agreed to a refund of 2 cruise days per person and that would be it.

- The couple also had TWO travel insurance policies. One from the credit card and another through a group plan on their car insurance. NEITHER of them paid out any money because the policies DID NOT COVER STOLEN PASSPORTS!! The travel agent had offered them coverage that would have covered this incident but they did not take it since they thought they were covered already (READ YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICIES)

- After the TV show pressed on a bit, Princess agreed to refund a 3rd cruise day per person. But the couple is still out the $3,000 in travel and passport replacement costs.

- And finally... the couple mentioned that the only crew member who showed them any sympathy was their cabin stewart, who welcomed them back on the ship with a water bottle they she had purchased herself.

 

Could Princess have done more to help? Hard to see how IMO. The ship has to leave on time. I guess that's why they connect passengers with port agents. Once again, a reminder to ALWAYS safely carry your valuables.

I never bring our passports ashore unless required. In regards to back packs..these are easily "picked". I kind of wonder where the husband was & how the pick pocket was able to get so close when they were ascending a trail. Could both items have fallen out? As to back packs, good Velcro closers make a lot of noise if someone's trying to get into the pockets. Still sounds like there is some missing info. There's a line in another thread that states there's 3 sides to a story: What the person told/what someone else saw/ & the actual truth to the story.

Depends on the Pacsafe model. The daypack I use has wire reinforced straps. You’d need to use a bolt cutter to cut the strap.

 

 

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I think the links I put up here included a purse manufacturer with that amenity.