Cruise ship keeps my passport?

Hi!

I'm going on a Western Mediteranean cruise Sep. 11 on Brilliance of the Seas. I just read somewhere that on European cruises, they take your passport at the beginning and don't give it back until the end. Should I be worried? I was planning on doing sightseeing on my own for 4 out of the 7 ports, rather than take the ships overpriced excursions. I've been doing loads of research for this cruise, and I only now have stumbled across this information, and noone ever mentions this. The Royal Caribbean website doesn't even say they keep passports. I read a suggestion to make copies of my passport to carry around on shore. Is this good enough?? And if they do lose the real one, will the folks at the Barcelona Airport accept the copy when it's time for me to fly home?

April Knighton

:confused:

Interesting, yet alarming question. We'll be in the Baltics and now I'm wondering too.....It's my passport darn it and I want it in my possession!:mad:

Happy Sailing!!

Romy

Please don't take your passport (original) with you on shore excursions. Carry a copy and other ID. American passports are some of the hottest theft items in the world.

Leave the original in the ship safe in your cabin, unless the cruise line takes possession of them. On some cruises (South America to be specific), the ship cannot clear the port until everyone's passport is checked. It was a zoo in Rio-standing in line for over 1 1/2 hours just to walk across the stage and let them stamp your passport. The other countries boarded the ship and checked the passports because the ship had possession of them. But in Rio, we physically had to do it and it was a pain.

I really wouldn't worry about the ship loosing your passport. I would be more worried about someone stealing the passport from you.

Good point! I'll make copies. I've never needed a passport before because we were no farther than the Caribbean. Thanks for clearing that up:) !

Happy Sailing!!!

Romy

A lot depends on the cruise ship. On Silversea, Crystal, Radisson, Seabourn and Cunard, they take your passports on the more exotic cruises to Asia, Europe, South America and Africa because it makes it easier for the ship to clear Customs in every port. Imagine how insane it would be for you to stand in line at every port to get your passport examined. Never, ever take your passports off the ship with you, or even if you're on a land tour, lock your passports in the hotel safe because the black market for US passports is huge. Plus it's a really good way for terrorists to get a legitimate passport to come into this country. All it takes is an expert in changing the photo and there you are, an undesirable is in this country using your stolen passport. Make a color copy of your information page and take that with you off the ship.

We've noticed that the mass market lines, for whatever reason, don't take your passports for Med cruises but the upscale lines do.

I am only familiar with the Caribbean as we do business there for part of each year.

In the Caribbean (on non-American islands), if you miss the ship, for whatever reason and do not have a passport with you, you will not be able to secure an airline ticket to fly off the island to the next port.

A copy of you passport will not work, it will only enable you to secure a replacement passport a day or so sooner.

Is this not true in Europe and Asia?

What if you do an independent tour, miss the ship due to "?" and have to fly, or drive, to the next port. Will you be able to cross international borders and/or board an airline without a passport? Does the cruise lines' port agent take care of this for you? What if you don't have their number with you?

Anyone know (for sure)?

That's what trip insurance is for. It can expedite replacing your Passport and other necessary travel documents. I always take a copy of my Travelguard policy onshore - as well as a copy of my Passport. If you do an independent tour and miss the ship, you are on your own. No - you cannot board a foreign airline without proper proof of citizenship. The cruise line's "port agent" can only tell you what is required, and can assist in arranging transportation for you, but can not help with replacing travel documents.

That's what trip insurance is for. It can expedite replacing your Passport and other necessary travel documents. I always take a copy of my Travelguard policy onshore - as well as a copy of my Passport. If you do an independent tour and miss the ship, you are on your own. No - you cannot board a foreign airline without proper proof of citizenship. The cruise line's "port agent" can only tell you what is required, and can assist in arranging transportation for you, but can not help with replacing travel documents.

Thanks, Imsulin!

It sure seems odd that a person's travel insurance would be responsible for expenses involved in securing passage to the ship at it's next port keeping in mind that the ship, for whatever reason, held your passport.

If one was allowed to keep their passport with them, it would be a fairly simple excursion (in Europe) to the next port, yes?

It seems as if the cruise line would be ultimately responsible for the expenses incurred considering they held your passport for reasons of expedience, yes?

Barbados, your assumption is incorrect regarding the ship's responsibility for not making it to the ship on time. Why would it be the ship's responsibility to cover your costs if you miss the ship? After all, it's your responsibility to make sure you're on the ship on time, and if you don't make it, the ship is in no way responsible to cover something that wasn't their fault to begin with. If passenger's are late with a ship sponsored tour, the ship will wait, but if a passenger is late from a private tour, then it's that passenger's responsibility to cover their own costs to meet the ship in the next port. With a color copy of the information page of a US passport plus another picture ID, any US consulate or embassy can provide a temporary passport within one or two days.

Thanks for the advice so far! I also emailed passport services at the state department, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for an answer from them. I guess there shouldn't be a problem-I've read lots of port reviews from people who have done the touristy stuff in Italy without taking the ships excursions that never mention this passport thing, so I guess they were ok with it. I just thought having real id (besides my drivers license and ship id) might be better (even with the threat of pickpockets and such), considering I won't be on organized tours-just taking the public transportation system (trains) from the ports to the cities I want to see. (Livorno-Pisa, Citavecchia-Rome, Naples-Pompeii & Herculaneum) I wonder if just a small fraction of the passport keeping, on the part of the ship, is to make you feel that it is unwise to do anything but take their tours. More bucks for them....

Barbados, your assumption is incorrect regarding the ship's responsibility for not making it to the ship on time. Why would it be the ship's responsibility to cover your costs if you miss the ship? After all, it's your responsibility to make sure you're on the ship on time, and if you don't make it, the ship is in no way responsible to cover something that wasn't their fault to begin with. If passenger's are late with a ship sponsored tour, the ship will wait, but if a passenger is late from a private tour, then it's that passenger's responsibility to cover their own costs to meet the ship in the next port. With a color copy of the information page of a US passport plus another picture ID, any US consulate or embassy can provide a temporary passport within one or two days.

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You are totally correct and I agree with you regarding the ship not being responsible if you are not back in time to sail.

However, my point is that why should it be the insurance company’s responsibility to make you whole after spending perhaps a three day stay (Saturday, Sunday, Monday---worse case) in a country waiting for a replacement when it could have been a 1/2 day train/bus ride if they let you keep your passport.

It seems to me that the cruise ship policy of keeping one's passport puts a person in jeopardy and additional room and meal expenses incurred while waiting for a replacement passport should then be the ship's responsibility, not the insurance carrier.

Unless it is a government policy for the ship to keep passports, but I don't believe that is the case.

Whether or not the ship retains your passport may have a lot to do with your nationality. Your profile does not say where you live. I'm Canadian and am used to having my passport taken from me on embarkation. But I'm not happy about it. :(

Beth

Thanks for the advice so far! I also emailed passport services at the state department, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for an answer from them. I guess there shouldn't be a problem-I've read lots of port reviews from people who have done the touristy stuff in Italy without taking the ships excursions that never mention this passport thing, so I guess they were ok with it. I just thought having real id (besides my drivers license and ship id) might be better (even with the threat of pickpockets and such), considering I won't be on organized tours-just taking the public transportation system (trains) from the ports to the cities I want to see. (Livorno-Pisa, Citavecchia-Rome, Naples-Pompeii & Herculaneum) I wonder if just a small fraction of the passport keeping, on the part of the ship, is to make you feel that it is unwise to do anything but take their tours. More bucks for them....

I will repeat myself. Even if the cruise line does not take your passport, DO NOT take the original with you off the ship. And NO, the cruiselines do NOT take your passports so they can make more money. It is required by some countries, China, Russia, Chile, and others to clear the ship. And China and Russia require someone be responsible for you (the good ol' communist system) and on a cruise, it is the cruiseline.

The US Government State Dept. website recommends (and gently ASKS) that Americans traveling to foreign countries, after arrival in said country, leave original passports in hotel or cruise ship safes, unless you are on a plane, where you would need the original. You should have a photocopy in your suitcase and on your person, as well as other ID. And always take an extra set of pictures, to expedite Visa's or a replacement passport. American passports are GOLD in some foreign countries. And are frequently stolen.

Think about it-you are a thief, looking for a passport for either yourself, to enhance a political agenda (terrorists) or just looking for some quick money. Where better to hang out to steal a passport than a cruise ship dock (or a short distance away)? Everyone getting off the ship at the same time, a lot of confusion, people trying to take pictures and NOT REALLY paying attention. Happens all the time.

Please leave those original passports on the ship or in a hotel room safe. Replacing the passport if you miss the ship is enough hassle. And a very good reason to plan your shore excursions VERY carefully and have a backup plan, if things do go wrong.

Having the FBI show up at your front door to explain why your passport was just used by a terrorist is NOT an experience you want to have.

"Having the FBI show up at your front door to explain why your passport was just used by a terrorist is NOT an experience you want to have".

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Thanks, greatam, for helping me understand this passport thing. You have made some good points that we all need to consider.

But, the question now in my mind is how would a militant ever be able to use my passport?

They would have to change the picture, yes?

The plastic overlay has imbedded watermarks that would be destroyed upon removing the picture.

If they have the ability to reproduce the plastic overlay, why couldn't they just reproduce the entire passport with the picture of the bad guy?

Is there something special about the rest of the passport that is difficult to reproduce?

Do Customs have the on-line ability to verify the name and photo vs. the passport number?

If you, or anyone, have the answers to these questions, your input would be greatly appreciated in helping me get a grasp on the big picture.

Thanks! :)

"Having the FBI show up at your front door to explain why your passport was just used by a terrorist is NOT an experience you want to have".

 

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Thanks, greatam, for helping me understand this passport thing. You have made some good points that we all need to consider.

 

But, the question now in my mind is how would a militant ever be able to use my passport?

 

They would have to change the picture, yes?

 

The plastic overlay has imbedded watermarks that would be destroyed upon removing the picture.

 

If they have the ability to reproduce the plastic overlay, why couldn't they just reproduce the entire passport with the picture of the bad guy?

 

Is there something special about the rest of the passport that is difficult to reproduce?

 

Do Customs have the on-line ability to verify the name and photo vs. the passport number?

 

If you, or anyone, have the answers to these questions, your input would be greatly appreciated in helping me get a grasp on the big picture.

 

Thanks! :)

There are ways to doctor passports, but I'd not feel comfortable talking too deeply about how! :eek:

It depends on the customs office on how they can verify your photo to a passport. Pre-2001 it was easier for black market passports to be used, but unfortunately despite all security measures a smooth talking person will probably always be able to get past a checkpoint if they're determined.

As a US citizen with a clearance, I actually need to report all my foreign travel just-in-case...I've become a very paranoid person

Unless I'm just going on a quick shopping trip in the port city or maybe going snorkeling very nearby to the pier, I take my passport with me. I'm willing to risk that someone could steal my passport, but I'm not willing to risk travel in a foreign country without it.

No one has held my passport for me when I've traveled to foreign countries without being on a cruise, so I guess I haven't got a lot of fear about it being stolen or lost. I'll give it the same kind of care I would give my credit card, etc. I think each person has to weigh his own experiences and plans and decide for himself.

"Do Customs have the on-line ability to verify the name and photo vs. the passport number?"

This is the VERY problem. There is no database available (at least to my knowledge and I am in the know) to the inspectors which matches passport number to picture. And I really don't think that is a viable alternative either. If I cut my hair short and dye it, I really look totally different (kind of like I did at 25-LOL!!!). Can you imagine standing behind someone at passport control, especially in a foreign country, who is trying to explain why her once dark hair (passport photo) is now ash blond and her nose job was just completed last week????

So your US passport is stolen; it is reproduced or "retrofitted". There are professionals who make almost flawless copies or retrofit YOUR passport. Yes, it can and is done all the time.

Passport number, name, address, etc. all matches. Viola, the terrorist in now in the US courtesy of YOUR stolen passport.

The biometric (either fingerprint and/or iris scan) passports were supposed to be available in 2005. Due to ACLU's privacy concerns and lawsuits which are following, they will not be available. Just as the CAPPS II database for airline safety is not going to be enacted, due to privacy concerns (this one I have to agree with)

And after the June 29 flight from Detroit to LA, with 14 Syrians on board, with EXPIRED visa's, which were checked by ICE (Immigration and Customs),TSA AND the FBI, how closely do you think they really check??? http://www.womenswallstreet.com/WWS/article_landing.aspx?titleid=1&articleid=711 This story has been verified by NUMEROUS media people.

Coming back from Japan in March, the Immigration guy started laughing when I told him I didn't know what day it was (short 4 day trip, with 2 of them flying). He put my passport through the scan reader and never looked at it. I was back in the USA.

Unless I'm just going on a quick shopping trip in the port city or maybe going snorkeling very nearby to the pier, I take my passport with me. I'm willing to risk that someone could steal my passport, but I'm not willing to risk <A TITLE="Click for more information about travel" STYLE="text-decoration: none; border-bottom: medium solid green;" HREF="http://search.targetwords.com/u.search?x=5977|1||||travel|AA1VDw">travel</A> in a foreign country without it.

 

No one has held my passport for me when I've traveled to foreign countries without being on a cruise, so I guess I haven't got a lot of fear about it being stolen or lost. I'll give it the same kind of care I would give my credit card, etc. I think each person has to weigh his own experiences and plans and decide for himself.

And your credit cards can be stolen. Especially in certain areas of the world!!! Please leave original passports in the hotel or cruise ship safe. It is to the benefit of all of us. Thanks

Also be aware that in many hotels throughout Europe, they take your passport and lock them up until you check out of the hotel. I've had my passport taken from the Hassler and Eden in Rome, the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, the Oriental in Bangkok and many other hotels. I asked why they took passports and they said to prevent their guests from taking the passports with them while on tour and having them stolen by pickpockets and thieves. The blackmarket for US and Canadian passports is huge and passports can very easily be altered to fit another person. But it sure freaked me out the first time it happened. A couple of months ago I was checking into the Peninsula in Chicago and a family from Hong Kong was checking in next to me and the hotel staff took all their passports, so it's not just the US passports that are taken.

Well, marypoppinz, it looks like you weren't on the tour of Ireland that I took, where our U.S. Passports were taken at the beginning of the tour, and returned to us at the end. I felt quite safe having my Passport taken and secured, and felt very comfortable carrying around a COPY of my Passport and my trip insurance policy. Hoo -Ha to those who insist on carrying their original Passports with them on cruises and tours outside of the "Good Neighbor" areas (U.S., Canada, Mexico). Original US and Canadian Passports and credit cards have been targeted for years, Marypoppinz. I'm surprised you didn't know that! I also carry international numbers of my credit cards with me. Do you?

I realize you addressed your comments to marypoppinz, but I too carry a list of all credit card numbers along with the international phone numbers in case they're misplaced or stolen. I leave this list in the cabin or hotel safe. There is another copy left at home with my legal documents.

Beth

Thanks to all, especially imsulin, that donated their valuable time to get us old analog guys on track!

So, the passport is a delicate, and reproducible vehicle. I was under the impression that it was untamperable.

I agree with you in that the CAPPS II database may be going a little too far, but the Biometric Passports sound like the ultimate answer to security, yes?

We spend a ton of money on everything else, why haven't we implemented that?

The story about the 14 Syrians with expired visas really got my attention. We pretend that we are safer now, but that's not the case, is it?

Well, thanks to all of you, I am carefully re-evaluating the carry-the-passport or don't-carry-the-passport issue.

Don't carry passport is winning.

Thanks again to all that have shared their experiences so selflessly so that a prisoner of the Caribbean can feel comfortable outside that realm. :)

I'm aware of passport theft. I'm also aware of credit card theft. I'm aware of cash theft. And, I'm aware of shoe theft. So far, I've managed to make it from my home and through international airports and traveled into foreign countries with all of those items being kept safely with me. For those who don't feel they are in a situation to do the same or for those who are on itineraries that require otherwise, you'll either need or want to make a different choice.

Let me just say that as a European I wonder how firmly some people think they do not need a passport in foreign countries. Do I really want to be approached as a potentially illegal and ill meaning alien somewhere in the US and having to tell CIA or FBI (or even a local police officer in a bad mood) my passport has sailed away on a cruise ship? Will they be satisfied with a more than easy to fake copy?

There a numerous examples of Europeans even with passports and visas kept in American custody and being interrogated for hours / days without attorney and diplomatic advice.

Well, you probably will not get into this situation in e.g. Western European countries where officials are not allowed to act like this but there are other places around where you individual rights are less protected and you might get into real trouble being American or not. So please do not underestimate the importance a passport might gain in some situations.

Having said this I still would follow the advice to leave my passport in the hotel safe where it is within easy reach. Regarding cruise ships the question is more ambiguous and I somehow want to second MaryPoppinz: Weight your itinerary, what you are going to do, the overall situation you are facing in which country and of course what you personally feel more comfortable with.

To Knighton, the original poster: If your Western Mediterranean cruise goes only to European countries you do not need to worry about your passport being kept on board. Between most Western European countries there are no border controls so in the unlikely event of missing the ship you can “just” take the train to the next stop without your passport unless you need to fly. The risk of your passport being stolen on shore is very small but the chance that you need your passport is even much smaller.

OK, guys and gals:

I got an answer from the State Department Passport Services division.

Here is what I asked them:

"QUESTION: I am taking a European cruise this September. I heard somewhere that the cruise ship will hold my passport for the entire cruise and not give it back to me until the end. Can they really do that? There are 4 ports (in Italy) where I was planning to do sightseeing on my own, but I'm not sure I'll feel safe without my passport. Someone suggested getting a color copy made. Will that (along with my cruise ship I.D.) be good enough in the event of real trouble, such as getting stuck somewhere and having to fly to the next port because the ship left without us?"

Here is their answer, verbatim:

"If you plan on leaving the ship at ports of call, you need to have your passport with you. You cannot travel in a foreign country, such as Italy, without a valid passport. We would recommend discussing this further with the cruise line. There is no reason for them to retain your valid passport."

And I looked on their website, which someone else said says to leave it in your hotel safe. Yes, it does say that, but it is assuming that your hotel is not going to start its engines and leave the country without you. Therefore, I am now going to contact Royal Caribbean and explore this further with them. As some others have said, I would much rather take a chance on it being stolen than have some kind of major trouble where a government official asks me for a passport that I don't have. According to their email, they CANNOT impound your passport for the entire cruise!! With all the talk about copies being made and carried, why not this instead: Let the CRUISE SHIP KEEP THE COPY. If the Italian authorities think I'm Mata Hari or something, I want my legal passport to be able to prove otherwise!!!

Frankly, I'm surprised that nobody questions this practice-they just give up their passport blindly for 2 weeks while touring around in foreign lands. I would have given them a holy fit if the first I found out about it was when I was boarding.