Passport Question

[jakzak]

We will be traveling on the Constellation this July on a Baltic cruise. Being a new traveller to Europe (but not cruising) I have a passport question. Do you carry your actual passport with you in each country? Do you make a copy of the information page and carry that but keep the orginal locked in the safe? Since we are taking a private tour in St. Petersberg, what do you do if the cruise line askes you to leave your passport with them? Any other helpful information would be appreciated.

 

Alan

[CA traveler]

When traveling by ship - Always have at least a copy of your passport - or at least name, number, date of issue - with you. that way if something goes wrong and you miss the ship, you have the details of your passport.

[eileen & jay]

Hi Alan: Looking forward to meeting you and your family on our July 2nd Baltic Cruise. Having travelled in Europe, passports are checked/scanned at airline check-in, airport immigration/security points, hotels and on overnight trains from one county to another. Otherwise, no one will ask to see or check your passport. We make copies and have extra passport photos ready just in case we need to get to a US Embassy (stolen passports.) Our passports stay in the room safe. Since this will be our first European cruise and we are travelling to several countries, we will follow suit with our same procedure. I believe the ship presents a manifest of passengers and passport info to immigration officials in each country as we dock. I hope this helps.

 

Maybe you should ask this question on our roll call. I think we have a few "seasoned" European cruisers.

[jakzak]

Eileen and CA,

 

Thanks for the speedy reply. Eileen I think I will take the advise and post on our board also. hard to believe it is almost here. Looking forward to that first drink with everyone.

 

Alan

[stanj]

Russia is a little different when it comes to passports. A copy will do fine in most cases, the actual passport is used for identication for many different functions. In the US we got used to displaying drivers licenses and credit cards as proof of idenity but in Russia, everyone has a domestic passport that is used everyday for purchases, setting schedules, buying tickets and so forth. I remember the view people has in the US when hearing that Soviet and Russian people had to have an internal passport but after experiencing it everyday it makes a lot more sense than what I found in the US with multiple forms of ID which revealed a great deal more information about the person.

In the case of internal Russian passports, it has a photo, usually very outdated, official address of residence, also outdated most often, marital status and very little other information. As a result of using the passport everyday, people naturally assume visitors do the same thing so when a visitor exchanges currency at the exchange bank, buy tickets to the ballet or buys a train ticket, they must present their original passport. Buying major items, even for cash, you will need your passport also. So although carrying only a photocopy gives peice of mind for lost or stolen passports, it might cause problems. If you do not need to interact with the local commercial or governmental resources, than leave the passport in the safe and carry a photocopy of your passport info page, your visa if you have one and your migration card. If you have no visa, carry a photocopy of your ship documents.

A passport is not a target for theft, so keep in it a inside jacket pocket or other place that does not need to be fully accessable and there is little risk. Carrying a wallet in a rear pocket,something only tourists do, is the prime pickpocket target. You need almost nothing that you carry in your wallet normally. So leave drivers license, SS card, extra credit cards and everything else you normally carry back at the ship safe. Card one or two credit cards, preferably from different clearing houses, passport photocopies/passport and your ship document and some local currency and that is about you can use or need. I had my wallet taken in a crowded metro about 18 month ago and never bothered with a wallet again simply because everything I lost was needed in the US and not in Russia. For a Russian, going out without a passport is the same as going out without a drivers license in the US. It just is not done, and both feel half dressed without it.

[eileen & jay]

bump!

[JodiBB]

The last time we traveled to Europe, we kept our passports on us. We used an around-the-neck pouch to keep it in and tucked it into our pants underneath our shirts to prevent pickpocketing. We also kept our Visa cards and money in these pouches...so it left our hands free and our jean pockets empty...

[japiscopo]

You will need your passport when you go thru passport control when leaving the ship in St. Petersburg. Any remember, cabin safes are not always reliable. I just read an article on this subject in our Sunday Travel Section.

Have a great trip.

 

Mary Lou