Passports and Eastern Med cruise

[louise44]

A concern regarding passports - we're on the Equinox Oct 31 out of Rome, visiting Santorini, Kusadasi, Athens and Naples.

 

Does Celebrity retain your passport for the duration of the cruise? If so, is it sufficient to simply carry a copy with you while in each of the ports? If they don't keep your passport, is it necessary to carry the passport with you in port, or just a copy??

 

Any information on this would be appreciated.....many thanks!!

[cruisestitch]

the answer differs somewhat on your nationality, so as you get answers be sure that they are relevant to your situation.

 

AFAIK, a photocopy is all that you need to carry in all your ports.

[ghstudio]

In most cases, the reality is you probably won't need or be asked to show either the passport or a copy. On the other hand, if you get into any sort of "situation", you would be well served to have your actual passport in your posession but you won't have it because most likely Celebrity will refuse to give it back to you before you go ashore.

 

It's one of those things that is pretty much out of your control.....and the best advice is to stay out of "situations" while ashore (which is admittedly a rediculous statement unless anyone actually plans to be mugged or caught up in some protest).

 

Just enjoy the trip and go with the flow......it's your only choice.

[softail]

A concern regarding passports - we're on the Equinox Oct 31 out of Rome, visiting Santorini, Kusadasi, Athens and Naples.

 

Does Celebrity retain your passport for the duration of the cruise? If so, is it sufficient to simply carry a copy with you while in each of the ports? If they don't keep your passport, is it necessary to carry the passport with you in port, or just a copy??

 

Any information on this would be appreciated.....many thanks!!

 

Ive been on two med cruises in the last 3 yrs one on RCCL and one on CCL and the only time we surrendered our passport was in Egypt and we got it back just before we re boarded the ship.

[ghstudio]

Ive been on two med cruises in the last 3 yrs one on RCCL and one on CCL and the only time we surrendered our passport was in Egypt and we got it back just before we re boarded the ship.

 

We were asked to part with our passports in Barcelona for a Celebrity med cruise....and it wasn't optional.

[Pushka]

I just wonder what happens if you dont have your passport and you have a fall or something and end up in hospital and the cruise leaves without you. We scan our passports and save them as a jpg on our phones.

[Hollywood Traveler]

We just returned from a Med cruise on the Solstice out of Barcelona. Hit all the ports the OP asked about. We kept our passport in our cabin safe and carried a copy with us into ports. Never had a problem. Nobody ever asked to see it. Nobody ever asked us to surrender it.

[Christine Frances]

I think the ship takes it if you go to a non EU port - Egypt, Turkey etc.

[texancruzer]

When visiting Turkey, the ship will take your passport at embarkation. You will get it back after you port in Turkey. This is Turkeys policy. No matter what nationality you are. Don't know about Egypt, we did a land tour there, not a cruise stop.

 

We always have a copy of our passport with us.

 

We always take the front page of the ship daily news which has the cruise lines port contact in case you have a problem in port or miss the ship. I have even heard people calling them if they were stuck in traffic and were going to be late back to the ship. Doesn't mean the ship will wait, but have seen them wait once, in St Lucia.

[The Viking]

I just wonder what happens if you dont have your passport and you have a fall or something and end up in hospital and the cruise leaves without you. We scan our passports and save them as a jpg on our phones.

 

Bring your passsport with you in port in such a case. You need it to fly home in cse you have to do that and in case you have to catch up with your ship outside a Schengen country, you need your passport. http://www.axa-schengen.com/en/schengen-countries

 

I believe you with your Canadian passport can travel freely between the Schengen countries. Someone may be able to dispute this or confirm this.

[Turtles06]

We were asked to part with our passports in Barcelona for a Celebrity med cruise....and it wasn't optional.

 

Same thing happened to us on an NCL Med cruise leaving from Barcelona and then going to Civitavecchia, Athens, Izmir, Alexandria, and Malta (and back to BCN). We had to give in our passports upon boarding; they were given back to us before we disembarked in Egypt.

 

Whenever you go ashore, be sure to take the name and contact info for the port agent (it should be in the ship's daily). I've been told that if the ship has your passport (or you've locked it in your cabin safe), and you can't make it back to the ship, they will leave your passport with the port agent. I hope never to have to find out if that really happens!

[deba_web]

A concern regarding passports - we're on the Equinox Oct 31 out of Rome, visiting Santorini, Kusadasi, Athens and Naples.

 

Does Celebrity retain your passport for the duration of the cruise? If so, is it sufficient to simply carry a copy with you while in each of the ports? If they don't keep your passport, is it necessary to carry the passport with you in port, or just a copy??

 

Any information on this would be appreciated.....many thanks!!

 

We just returned From Equinox 11 days...Rome, Santorini, Athens, Istanbul (overnight) Kusadasi, Mykonos and Naples. We had to give our passports up when we checked in on the ship. We were given a receipt for the passports. I had taken a colour photo copy of our passports before we left and we carried them with us in every port. ( they will also make a copy for you at guest services if you request one.)

We were given a card to fill out when we got off ship in Istanbul..just a few questions like your name, name of ship and your citizenship. We were to keep it with us in Istanbul and then hand it back in when we got back on the ship. No one ever asked to see it while in Istanbul so not sure why we needed to fill it out. The second last day of the cruise we were given a time to pick up our passports, it took a few minutes to get the passports back as it was very organized.

Hope this helps

Debbie

[unixgeek]

When visiting Turkey, the ship will take your passport at embarkation. You will get it back after you port in Turkey. This is Turkeys policy. No matter what nationality you are.

 

Technically speaking, it's probably international law, not Turkey's policy, as you've left the EU.

 

For instance, if I look at my Visa stamps for my Med cruise, it's:

 

2010-09-30 Entry to EU @ Barcelona via Air

2010-10-07 Exit from EU @ Mikonos via Ship

2010-10-09 Entry to EU @ Pireas via Ship

2010-10-14 Exit from EU @ Barcelona via Air

 

2010-10-08? The day we're in Turkey. Now, Turkey has elected for whatever reason NOT to entry/exit stamp the Visa into the passport, but at the end of the day, we couldn't get our passports back, logistically, until the final stamp after re-entry at Pireas. Maybe they only stamp some 'random samplings' of passports they do? Or whatever. Don't know. But I'd bet dollars to doughnuts, the EU would demand a passport stamp on re-entry to the EU regardless of what Turkey's policy was.

[texancruzer]

Technically speaking, it's probably international law, not Turkey's policy, as you've left the EU.

 

For instance, if I look at my Visa stamps for my Med cruise, it's:

 

2010-09-30 Entry to EU @ Barcelona via Air

2010-10-07 Exit from EU @ Mikonos via Ship

2010-10-09 Entry to EU @ Pireas via Ship

2010-10-14 Exit from EU @ Barcelona via Air

 

2010-10-08? The day we're in Turkey. Now, Turkey has elected for whatever reason NOT to entry/exit stamp the Visa into the passport, but at the end of the day, we couldn't get our passports back, logistically, until the final stamp after re-entry at Pireas. Maybe they only stamp some 'random samplings' of passports they do? Or whatever. Don't know. But I'd bet dollars to doughnuts, the EU would demand a passport stamp on re-entry to the EU regardless of what Turkey's policy was.

 

I asked about that. I was told, not sure how valid this is, that Turkey (among other Muslim countries) do not stamp your passport in case you are going to Israel etc..... as they will not let you off the ship if you were in one of those countries prior to visiting their country.

 

We visited Istanbul, Kusadasi and then had a sea day which is when we got our passports back. Then to Athens. So your theory is mute.

[cruisemom42]

I asked about that. I was told, not sure how valid this is, that Turkey (among other Muslim countries) do not stamp your passport in case you are going to Israel etc..... as they will not let you off the ship if you were in one of those countries prior to visiting their country.

 

 

What they told you isn't true. Israel doesn't care if you have stamps from other Middle East countries in your passport. It's the other way around -- some ME countries will not let you in with an Israeli stamp in your passport.

 

Trust me, I went to Israel on a land trip last March -- and although the El Al security staff did ask me a few questions, they didn't have any issue with my passport, which has stamps from Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon.

 

In Israel, if you ask them they will not stamp your passport but instead will provide you with a special piece of paper (you fill out the pertinent info, they stamp it instead of your passport, and you are required to keep it together with your passport until you leave the country).

[texancruzer]

What they told you isn't true. Israel doesn't care if you have stamps from other Middle East countries in your passport. It's the other way around -- some ME countries will not let you in with an Israeli stamp in your passport.

 

Trust me, I went to Israel on a land trip last March -- and although the El Al security staff did ask me a few questions, they didn't have any issue with my passport, which has stamps from Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon.

 

In Israel, if you ask them they will not stamp your passport but instead will provide you with a special piece of paper (you fill out the pertinent info, they stamp it instead of your passport, and you are required to keep it together with your passport until you leave the country).

 

Yep, you're right....I got it backwards :o

[dzcruisers]

Going from Amsterdam to Istanbul (12 days) last month, they took our passports at check in in Amsterdam. They returned them as we were leaving the ship in Istanbul.

[jcrandle]

If you try to apply logic to governmental policies, you will only be frustrated. The real reason to "Why my passport is/is not taken" is based on the rules and interpretations of the countries that the ship visits. In some cases, the cruise lines are given the choice of having all pax passports available for official inspection prior to the ship being cleared for entry, or to require selected passengers to show up at 6 AM and present themselves and passports prior to the ship being cleared.

 

I'll bet that most cruisers would prefer to have the ship handle the passports and clearance process. If you've ever had to line up to clear immigration at an US port at 7 AM, you might appreciate the more relaxed process that allows the ship to maintain control of the passports and handle the clearing process behind the scenes.