Carrying your passport while in European ports

[garydm]

On Oosterdam this month passports were collected at embarkation and returned after we visited Croatia. We were advised to take our passports with us in Rome but were never once asked for them on any of the 12 days, nor were we asked for any kind of photo ID.

 

 

Gary

[RedmondCruiser]

Getting a replacement is also an involved process if it sails away on the ship without you. And good luck flying home without one! Your copy is useless for that.

 

On our European cruises they took our passports for the duration of the cruise. What do you do then ? Stay on the ship ?

A copy has your passport number and you scan code. Customs can piece together more than you think - it they have to.

[kyriecat]

Next time you go to Split, get your local money at the Front Desk first! :):)

I was an RC ship that trip. All they had at the front desk was euros (and the exchange rate was awful!).

[jtl513]

On our European cruises they took our passports for the duration of the cruise. What do you do then ? Stay on the ship ?

Of course not. On two European cruises we have not had our passports held by the ship, but if it happened I would stop by the Purser's office in the morning and get it back for the day. Maybe if I was in a large port that I knew had a US Embassy I might not bother, but otherwise I would.

 

A copy has your passport number and you scan code. Customs can piece together more than you think - it they have to.

Customs where? At the airport check-in desk where you're trying to catch a plane home? Lots of luck!! :p BTW, Customs deals with goods, not people's identification and border controls.

[world~citizen]

If you take your passport ashore you can have it stolen - you're beat.

 

If you don't take it and you don't make it back to ship before it sails - you're beat.

 

Being stuck in a foreign land without a passport can be a very "gnarly" situation, especially if you are in a city without an embassy or consulate.

 

Sometimes (as mentioned) immigration authorities take that choice away from you altogether.

 

You pays your money and takes your pick,

 

Smooth sailing...

[wander]

Maybe not quite right world~cruiser, line 2

 

On at least two of our past cruises, due to injuries folks had to stay in a port when the ship left. In both cases the Ship had been holding the passports onboard for all passengers, but arranged to get the passports to the hospitalized person and spouse before the ship left.

 

On one of these cruises a question about this came-up in an interview with the Purser and we were told that when the ship is holding the passports, if a passenger is not back with whereabouts unknown, their passports are left with the Port Agent. He emphasized that is it important to note the Port Agent for each port (in the daily paper on Port days) before you get off the ship for this very reason. They are the folks to contact IF you miss the ship, for whatever reason. They can at least let the ship know you are alive, well, angry, etc.

[lcmslady]

I haven't been on a European cruise but have been to Europe. We were pulled over by the police on the way to the airport to take our rental car back (the day before flying back).

 

If we hadn't had our passports (and they asked for them), I'm not sure what would have happened and don't even want to know.

 

If you're concerned about pick pockets - there are a couple of different types of cases that you wear under your clothes. One hangs around your neck and the other is like a waist pack.

 

Have fun and be safe!

[jtl513]

On one of these cruises a question about this came-up in an interview with the Purser and we were told that when the ship is holding the passports, if a passenger is not back with whereabouts unknown, their passports are left with the Port Agent.

Yes, and on ships that don't hold your passport, as I said back in post #14, if your passport is locked in your safe, the Purser can get it out and turn it over to the Port Agent IF there is enough time. Still, IMO, the best place for that passport to be is in my money belt!

[wander]

jtl513,

I can respect your preference. You are not alone.

 

I guess that I have just cruised enough to areas where Immigration required the ship to have the passports in one place for their inspection that I am simply use to it. On these longer cruises the ship always gives us a copy of our picture page and this along with our driver's license with picture has always been enough for purchases in every country we have visited. Flying home from the country, well that would be another matter.

 

A number of countries have issued a Visa card for our time in port which we must return before the ship leaves. This satisfies everyone, except of course for flying home.

 

I too use a money pouch of some sort, certainly helpful from pickpockets, probably the biggest risk. However I have been on several cruises where folks I knew were held-up on the streets (once the beach) and the thieves know of all the pouch options, including hidden pockets. I would suspect that such "hold-ups" are much more rare than pick-pockets.

[ScottishMaid]

On our Baltic cruise the ship needed our passports to clear us in to certain countries but told us we had to carry them with us for certain other ports, including Warnemunde Germany. When my brother got back to his cabin he realized his passport was missing, either pickpocketed or dropped. So he had to stay on the ship at Tallin and St Petersburg. He was OK to get off at Helsinki and Stockholm, where he spent the day at the British Embassy, persuading them they had to issue a new EU passport that day. It was absolutely needed to fly out of Copenhagen.

The staff of the Rotterdam ship were incredibly helpful at contacting authorities such as German police and setting up the embassy appointment.

[zoncom]

Keep it in your room safe. Years ago, an American passport was worth $1000. They strip off your photo, insert new theft persons photo. Ultimate ID theft.

[mudscraper]

Yes, and on ships that don't hold your passport, as I said back in post #14, if your passport is locked in your safe, the Purser can get it out and turn it over to the Port Agent IF there is enough time. Still, IMO, the best place for that passport to be is in my money belt!

I question whether the purser goes into your safe and obtains the passports and gives them to the port agent, unless the purser knows positively that you are not on the ship at time of sailaway.

 

How many times have we heard the repeated paging of John Doe prior to sailaway. The staff believes John Doe didn`t return to the ship. John Doe contacts the purser and straightens the situation out.

 

What if John Doe was taking a nap by the pool and missed the pages.

Would John Doe`s passport be taken from his safe and be turned over to the Port Agent?

 

 

Rich

[world~citizen]

Maybe not quite right world~cruiser, line 2

 

On at least two of our past cruises, due to injuries folks had to stay in a port when the ship left. In both cases the Ship had been holding the passports onboard for all passengers, but arranged to get the passports to the hospitalized person and spouse before the ship left.

 

On one of these cruises a question about this came-up in an interview with the Purser and we were told that when the ship is holding the passports, if a passenger is not back with whereabouts unknown, their passports are left with the Port Agent. He emphasized that is it important to note the Port Agent for each port (in the daily paper on Port days) before you get off the ship for this very reason. They are the folks to contact IF you miss the ship, for whatever reason. They can at least let the ship know you are alive, well, angry, etc.

 

Interesting.

 

That would mean they would enter your cabin and search your safe. He didn't say that though. He said it applied if the ship was holding the passport.

 

The question of taking the passport ashore can only come up if they are not being held buy the purser - which I took to be the point of this thread.

 

It is a very good idea to give the passports to the ships agent if you miss the ship. I wasn't aware of that and boy does that save a lot of trouble.

 

Thanks for that really good info.:)

 

Smooth sailing...

[jtl513]

I question whether the purser goes into your safe and obtains the passports and gives them to the port agent, unless the purser knows positively that you are not on the ship at time of sailaway.

 

How many times have we heard the repeated paging of John Doe prior to sailaway. The staff believes John Doe didn`t return to the ship. John Doe contacts the purser and straightens the situation out.

 

What if John Doe was taking a nap by the pool and missed the pages.

Would John Doe`s passport be taken from his safe and be turned over to the Port Agent?

 

Rich

I don't know under exactly what circumstances, but I know it has been done. I would presume to begin with, that both John Doe and his cabin companion would have to have been scanned off the ship at the gangway and not scanned back on.

 

Certainly if the ship knows that the missing person has been involved in some incident and definitely won't be back in time it would be done - IF they have the time.

[kyriecat]

Keep it in your room safe. Years ago, an American passport was worth $1000. They strip off your photo, insert new theft persons photo. Ultimate ID theft.

I'm not sure how many years ago that was, but things aren't the same anymore. I renewed my passport in 2005 so it isn't the latest technology. I think they embedded a microchip a couple of years ago. When the immigration official runs your passport through the reader, they pull up your passport photo and a description of your recent travels. I didn't realize all that information came up until I returned from my cruise in April. The agent asked how I liked Rome, which is where I traveled the previous year. I was surprised and wanted to know how he knew I had been to Rome. He told me what what on his screen. I think he would have been suspicious if my screen photo showed a 6 ft blonde woman but the passport was carried by a 5'2" brunette man. :eek:

[jtl513]

[quote name='kyriecat']I'm not sure how many years ago that was, but things aren't the same anymore. I renewed my passport in 2005 so it isn't the latest technology. I think they embedded a microchip a couple of years ago.[/quote]Does yours have a symbol on the front which is a gold rectangle with a circle in the middle and a horizontal line that doesn't cross the circle? If yes, then it has the chip.

[Willsot]

Really interesting differences of opinion resulting in a likewise interesting thread. We have taken HAL cruises in Europe 3 of the past 5 summers. As some others have also experienced, on our Baltic cruise all passenger passports were collected for the duration of the cruise. The ship (Westerdam) staff provided photocopies to carry ashore. They did return the original passports for the two days in St. Petersburg. On our next two Europe cruises we left our passports in our cabin safe for the duration of the cruises. I also leave my wallet, jewelry and all but one credit card in the safe. I carry our passport photocopies, a small amount of currency and one credit card (authorized for ATM use) when visiting ports, whether on HAL excursions or on our own.

In my opinion some of the claims regarding carrying only photocopies vs. actual passports may be unfounded. I know that it was a greater concern in earlier days (we lived in West Germany for three years in the 1970s. I'm not doubting anyone's word, just would need a bit more official verification of the accuracy of some of these statements.

[kyriecat]

[quote name='jtl513']Does yours have a symbol on the front which is a gold rectangle with a circle in the middle and a horizontal line that doesn't cross the circle? If yes, then it has the chip.[/QUOTE]No. Mine was issued in 2005 which was before they added the microchips. It has Passport United States of America on the cover along with the eagle symbol. Nothing else on the front and the back is blank. The government added the microchips at some point during 2007. My parents got their passports in early 2007 (Jan or Feb) and don't have the chip. My MIL got hers either late summer or early fall 2007 and has the chip. I suppose when I renew mine in 2015 I will have a microchip or some other technological device added.

[Storylady]

We have done 2 cruises in the Med, a Norwegian cruise, a Baltic cruise, and a repositioning cruise from Copenhagen to Athens. The only time we really needed our passports was St Petersburg and on an excursion out of Dubrovnik. On the excursion out of Dubrovnik, I really felt sorry for one man who just brought a copy of his passport along. The tour guide made him leave since he didn't bring his passport. And I know that not everyone had their passport with them.

The CD usually tells you what ID you need for each port. Most of the time it is only your room key and a photo id---Drivers license.

[catl331]

[quote name='Storylady']The CD usually tells you what ID you need for each port. Most of the time it is only your room key and a photo id---Drivers license.[/quote]That's fine [U]unless[/U] something goes wrong and you have to fly home. :eek:

[momofmeg]

[quote name='Frankie Sue']This may seem a stupid question but we are planning on a European cruise next year that would be stopping at ports that have a bad reputation for pickpocks.

So my question is: when you stop at most European ports, do you need to carry your passport with you to get off and back on the ship. If not, we would much prefer and feel safer leaving our passports in our cabin's fase.

Again I know that some of my knowledgeable cruisecritic friends will have the answer.

Thanks for helping me.[/QUOTE]

We took a land tour of Franc ethis summer. Our tour guide recommended we NOT take our passports around-especially if we rode public transportation in th evenings and were not with our bus group.

Our hotel has safes in our rooms-he told us to lock them up there, along with any credit cards we would not be using, and simply to carry a photocopy of our passport.

One person in our tour group had not photo copied his passport, so he carried his. He did get pickpocketed in Paris, while on a public bus one evening. Fortunately his wife was not pickpocketed, so she had her credit cards, they were able to cancel his,and the hotel got him in touch with the American embassy so he could get another passport. The hotel also helped him, by telling him where he could get the proper photo made for his passport.

[gentlemancruiser]

When cruising the baltic we had to give our passports at check in. We received them before we reached St. Petersburg, they were then collected again after leaving St. Petersburg.

When in Europe I keep a copy of my passport with me just incase I need additional ID and leave my original on the ship. The only time I've needed to present a Passport was cashing travellers cheques.

These days it is rare that you would need to show a passport when traveling in europe unless you were leaving for a north african or middle eastern country.

[catl331]

[quote name='momofmeg']Our tour guide recommended we NOT take our passports around-especially if we rode public transportation in th evenings and were not with our bus group.

Our hotel has safes in our rooms-he told us to lock them up there, along with any credit cards we would not be using, and simply to carry a photocopy of our passport.

One person in our tour group had not photo copied his passport, so he carried his. He did get pickpocketed in Paris, while on a public bus one evening.[/quote]
(a) the hotel is not likely to sail away with your passport
(b) passports in under-clothing money belts or pouches can not be pickpocketed

[NMLady]

[quote name='Jemima']We don't take our passports off the ship unless the port requires it. We had to have them in Croatia, but otherwise have left them in our cabin safe. The chances of loosing them in port are much greater than missing the ship. One of us had ID stolen in one port, so we are extra careful. Fortunately it wasn't passports.[/quote]

That's interesting that you had to have them in Croatia. Our cruise that stopped for a day in both Dubrovnik and Hvar was one where the ship kept the passports. So when we were ashore in Croatia we had onlly our photocopies with us. But that is all we usually carry, along with photo I.D. and ship's card) so that was fine with us.

[aaerobear]

I have been an airline crew member for more than 40 years and i can say that it is definitely possible to fly home without a passport. It isn't easy or fast, but it can be done. The passenger must be able to give details of his/her passport (ie. number, etc) and has to fill out an affidavit, the information will be given to the purser of the flight to the US in an envelope and the passenger will be met upon arrival in the US by an Immigration official and they will be escorted to an office for further processing. (having a photocopy definitely helps in this process)

It is very time consuming and a real pain but it can be done. I have had to be responsible for many of these type of passengers over the years.

When we are on cruises or in a foreign city, we never take our passports with us (just as a matter of habit) but we do carry a color photocopy that is laminated.

We have ever had a problem and keep our fingers crossed that we won't in the future.