Missing ship in a foreign port with no passport

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Someone will help you. 

The consulate isn't a hotel and isn't going to advance you cash.    Other countries' citizens (who have passports) aren't sympathetic to cruisers who create their own problems.   

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

You are absolutely right All you have to do is find the right Someone,  when it is not his day off, and convince him to help you, and then, of course, that “Someone will help you”.

If you have the cash or card to pay for their services....

 

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

The consulate isn't a hotel and isn't going to advance you cash.    Other countries' citizens (who have passports) aren't sympathetic to cruisers who create their own problems.   

If you miss the ship you likely have those expenses anyway since on many islands flights are limited and even if there is a flight there is no guarantee you'll have a seat on it and having a passport isn't going to assist with those expenses (although a travel insurance policy might depending on the circumstances). And actually the State Department does have the ability to advance US citizens cash under certain circumstances.

[navybankerteacher]

23 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

..

 

. And actually the State Department does have the ability to advance US citizens cash under certain circumstances.

Those “certain circumstances” are EXTREMELY rare. What a consulate or embassy will ordinarily do is help you contact a bank, or friend, or family at home so they can send you funds.   

[capriccio]

13 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

 And actually the State Department does have the ability to advance US citizens cash under certain circumstances.

A lost or stolen passport is not one of those very, very limited circumstances (my DH was stationed at 4 different US embassies most in cities with a high volume of US tourists).  The funding for destitute US citizens has been historically very small. The State Department website (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/emergency-financial-assistance.html) has an extensive list of options for getting funds from home.  I don’t think anyone traveling on a cruise ship would be considered truly destitute.

[K32682]

Scenario 1:  My passport is lost or stolen

I go back to the ship, have a cocktail and a snack, and spend the remaining days of the cruise sorting out the issue.  If necessary I can arrange a meeting at the nearest Canadian embassy along the route or if landing in the U.S. return to Canada using my Nexus card.   

 

Scenario 2:  I miss the ship but don't have my passport

I hope the crew left my passport with the port agent.  I hope I can get back to the port and am not dealing with an injured companion, in hospital myself or detained by authorities.  If I get to the port I hope I can find the port agent as they might not work 24/7/365.  Even if it goes smoothly I then have to figure out how to get home.  
 

In first scenario all I need to do is get back to the ship.  In the later scenario I have to hope the crew lives up to its commitment, hope I can get back to the port and hope I can find the port agent.  Which scenario do you prefer? 

 

Most cruisers will never face either scenario but if they do the outcome is much easier if you securely carry your passport while ashore.   

 

  

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I think that he used port authority meaning port agent. Port agent is a person, port authority is an organization.

 

Ok I think I am starting to see where I was confused. I thought port authority was people employed by the government to manage the port whereas the port agent was an employee of the cruise line who is there to assist cruise line passengers when ship is in dock. 

 

Is there information on what level of assistance the port agent is required to do in helping people who miss the ship? Will they help you find accommodation? Take you to the embassy? Or do they normally just give you a list of contact numbers and leave you on your own?

 

[SantaFeFan]

14 minutes ago, K32682 said:

Scenario 1:  My passport is lost or stolen

I go back to the ship, have a cocktail and a snack, and spend the remaining days of the cruise sorting out the issue.  If necessary I can arrange a meeting at the nearest Canadian embassy along the route or if landing in the U.S. return to Canada using my Nexus card.   

 

Scenario 2:  I miss the ship but don't have my passport

I hope the crew left my passport with the port agent.  I hope I can get back to the port and am not dealing with an injured companion, in hospital myself or detained by authorities.  If I get to the port I hope I can find the port agent as they might not work 24/7/365.  Even if it goes smoothly I then have to figure out how to get home.  
 

In first scenario all I need to do is get back to the ship.  In the later scenario I have to hope the crew lives up to its commitment, hope I can get back to the port and hope I can find the port agent.  Which scenario do you prefer? 

 

Most cruisers will never face either scenario but if they do the outcome is much easier if you securely carry your passport while ashore.   

 

  

 

I chose #2. But I will re-word it with much less overly dramatic, sensationalist wording that you have used to embellish your point:

 

"I miss the ship but don't have my passport.

I trust that security will do as they promised and leave my passport with the port agent - after all, I trust them to do so many other things to make my cruise safe and enjoyable, so they certainly can be trusted with this simple task as well. When I finally arrive at the port, I approach the port agent and retrieve my passport and ask for any assistance in re-joining the ship. If I am dealing with an injured companion, in hospital myself, or detained by authorities (since I do not partake in activities that may get me detained, this is unlikely), the port agent will still have possession of my passport when I, or a representative I have contacted, is able to retrieve my passport. If I get to the port I call the port agent at the number listed in the daily newsletter to make arrangements to meet him since it was so easy to have his phone number with me for such emergencies. Even if it goes smoothly I then have to figure out how to get home."  

 

In the first scenario, the situation you describe is impracticable. Why ruin a trip by spending vacation time and even more money dealing with a lost passport when it was so easy to leave it in the safe if not required by local laws, a secure place where it is always available? 

 

[sparks1093]

5 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Those “certain circumstances” are EXTREMELY rare. What a consulate or embassy will ordinarily do is help you contact a bank, or friend, or family at home so they can send you funds.   

 

5 hours ago, capriccio said:

A lost or stolen passport is not one of those very, very limited circumstances (my DH was stationed at 4 different US embassies most in cities with a high volume of US tourists).  The funding for destitute US citizens has been historically very small. The State Department website (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/emergency-financial-assistance.html) has an extensive list of options for getting funds from home.  I don’t think anyone traveling on a cruise ship would be considered truly destitute.

Yes, it is rare, but it does happen. They most certainly make the traveler exhaust every other means of obtaining funds, including taking out loans from a bank.

[SantaFeFan]

11 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

Ok I think I am starting to see where I was confused. I thought port authority was people employed by the government to manage the port whereas the port agent was an employee of the cruise line who is there to assist cruise line passengers when ship is in dock. 

 

Is there information on what level of assistance the port agent is required to do in helping people who miss the ship? Will they help you find accommodation? Take you to the embassy? Or do they normally just give you a list of contact numbers and leave you on your own?

 

 

The port agent is a contracted service that is also responsible for all arrangements needed for the ship to be docked in that port, including assisting late passengers as necessary. Their responsibility is quite extensive, and they have a wide range of contacts that could prove helpful in the case of a missed ship. How much assistance they may provide a late passenger is not well defined. Passenger assistance is a minor responsibility compared to what must be done to accommodate the ship at the dock, such as arranging supplies or provisions when necessary, arranging for minor repairs that can't be handled by ship's staff, and managing docking permits from local authorities, to name a few. 

Edited September 19, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[navybankerteacher]

36 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

 

Yes, it is rare, but it does happen. They most certainly make the traveler exhaust every other means of obtaining funds, including taking out loans from a bank.

On a site like this: people who can afford to cruise talking with other people who can afford to cruise —- - I think it is absurd to discuss someone who missed his cruise ship getting funds advanced from US diplomatic service —— unless, of course you can demonstrate that “...it does happen.”  by citing an example. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

On a site like this: people who can afford to cruise talking with other people who can afford to cruise —- - I think it is absurd to discuss someone who missed his cruise ship getting funds advanced from US diplomatic service —— unless, of course you can demonstrate that “...it does happen.”  by citing an example. 

I’m missing your point.  People, cruisers, have been mugged in Jamaica,  they have not heard early departure whistles when ships have been forced out of port in San Juan, and a variety of other things do happen on overland tours connected to cruises.  While many may recover because of their tour being a cruise line tour it is important to know what your options are should you be stranded for a variety of reasons.  My stepmother’s first husband died suddenly in the port of Barbados.  She spent some time frustrated with the Consulate, the cruise line and just the natural responses to a death of a loved one.   

 

If your point is that those who can afford a cruise can afford a better watch though, I might have to agree that is absurd to count on the Consulate to help! 

Edited September 19, 2019 by Benthayer Gonbak

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

...

 

If your point is that those who can afford a cruise can afford a better watch though, I might have to agree that is absurd to count on the Consulate to help! 

Yes, essentially.

 

And I’m inclined to think consulate staff would agree. We are talking about people who have missed the ship on this thread - not mugging victims or the suddenly bereaved.   Any poster who wants to make others believe you can just go to the consulate and get an advance is not doing anyone a favor.  If people believe it, they might be less likely to take reasonable precautions before going ashore —- like bringing some money, some credit card, a means of knowing when to head back, and some understanding of how bad the creek he will be up if he does miss the ship.

 

 

[sparks1093]

7 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

On a site like this: people who can afford to cruise talking with other people who can afford to cruise —- - I think it is absurd to discuss someone who missed his cruise ship getting funds advanced from US diplomatic service —— unless, of course you can demonstrate that “...it does happen.”  by citing an example. 

 

6 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Yes, essentially.

 

And I’m inclined to think consulate staff would agree. We are talking about people who have missed the ship on this thread - not mugging victims or the suddenly bereaved.   Any poster who wants to make others believe you can just go to the consulate and get an advance is not doing anyone a favor.  If people believe it, they might be less likely to take reasonable precautions before going ashore —- like bringing some money, some credit card, a means of knowing when to head back, and some understanding of how bad the creek he will be up if he does miss the ship.

 

 

I thought we were talking about missing the ship for any number of reasons, not just through inadvertence on the part of the passenger. This particular sidebar was started because of an off statement someone made that I responded to. Will the typical cruiser who misses the ship because of a medical emergency have funds advanced by the State Department? Probably not. Can I conceive of a circumstance when it could happen? Yes, I can. Would I personally rely on it? No. But as stated it is good to know what options are available, just in case.

[K32682]

12 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

I chose #2. But I will re-word it with much less overly dramatic, sensationalist wording that you have used to embellish your point:

 

"I miss the ship but don't have my passport.

I trust that security will do as they promised and leave my passport with the port agent - after all, I trust them to do so many other things to make my cruise safe and enjoyable, so they certainly can be trusted with this simple task as well. When I finally arrive at the port, I approach the port agent and retrieve my passport and ask for any assistance in re-joining the ship. If I am dealing with an injured companion, in hospital myself, or detained by authorities (since I do not partake in activities that may get me detained, this is unlikely), the port agent will still have possession of my passport when I, or a representative I have contacted, is able to retrieve my passport. If I get to the port I call the port agent at the number listed in the daily newsletter to make arrangements to meet him since it was so easy to have his phone number with me for such emergencies. Even if it goes smoothly I then have to figure out how to get home."  

 

In the first scenario, the situation you describe is impracticable. Why ruin a trip by spending vacation time and even more money dealing with a lost passport when it was so easy to leave it in the safe if not required by local laws, a secure place where it is always available? 

 

The difference between you and me is that you place your trust in the crew and the port agent who may or may not perform the tasks necessary to help you in a critical situation. Meanwhile, I have greater faith in myself and prefer not to rely on the kindness of strangers because my crisis is of little consequence to them.  Should the crew fail to leave your passport with the port agent they face no repercussions while the immediate consequences for you may be quite severe. 

 

Everyone gets to make the choice.  I've made mine because relying on others less tends to result in fewer disappointments.  

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

The difference between you and me is that you place your trust in the crew and the port agent who may or may not perform the tasks necessary to help you in a critical situation. Meanwhile, I have greater faith in myself and prefer not to rely on the kindness of strangers because my crisis is of little consequence to them.  Should the crew fail to leave your passport with the port agent they face no repercussions while the immediate consequences for you may be quite severe. 

 

Everyone gets to make the choice.  I've made mine because relying on others less tends to result in fewer disappointments.  

 

Repercussions would be no different than if you had been robbed and were forced to give them your passport, a risk that is just as real as the perceived risks you continue to harp upon. 🙄

 

I don't know why you distrust people so much. You must have been horribly let down sometime in your life. In all of my travels over 50 years I can't think of a single person who promised something important and then not delivered on that promise. Faith in other people is a blessing, and everyone of us does it every day of our lives. Distrust in people is a curse, forcing oneself to constantly judge everyone around you as to their intentions or their ability to follow up on promises. 

 

But, as you said - being suspicious of people is a choice each of us can choose or not choose. 

 

And one more thing - the difference between you and me has nothing to do with trusting or not trusting the crew to do as they promised. The difference is how much of a control freak we each are. If I don't need to carry my passport I am much more comfortable with leaving it in the safe than with carrying an unneeded item around with me all the time. I trust that my intelligence and planning abilities will get me back to the ship on time, while you are betting that yours won't.

Edited September 19, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[SRF]

On 9/18/2019 at 11:21 AM, mom says said:

I don't believe the port authority ( the operators of the port) have any responsibility to assist stranded passengers. That duty falls to the cruise line's port agent. And their duties do not extend as far as the kindness extended to the man in that story. That agent went above and beyond his required level of care.

 

Correct.

 

It is the Port AGENT that will help you.   To the extent that they can.

 

My experience with the RCI Port Agent (I know he also covered NCL from our conversation), was he went well above and beyond what he had to do.

[SRF]

12 hours ago, Benthayer Gonbak said:

I’m missing your point.  People, cruisers, have been mugged in Jamaica,  they have not heard early departure whistles when ships have been forced out of port in San Juan, and a variety of other things do happen on overland tours connected to cruises.  While many may recover because of their tour being a cruise line tour it is important to know what your options are should you be stranded for a variety of reasons.  My stepmother’s first husband died suddenly in the port of Barbados.  She spent some time frustrated with the Consulate, the cruise line and just the natural responses to a death of a loved one.   

 

If your point is that those who can afford a cruise can afford a better watch though, I might have to agree that is absurd to count on the Consulate to help! 

 

And there is even only so much the cruise line can do if you are on a cruise tour and it misses the ship.  And the next port is in a different country.  And no passports.

 

BTW, if you were dealing with US facility in Barbados, it is an Embassy, with a Consular section.

[SRF]

22 hours ago, ducklite said:

TSA has no idea if someone is on a r/t ticket or one way or whatever.  

 

Yes they do.

 

In the past, my work booked most of our trips as separate one ways.  There was a savings booking the return in a foreign market.

 

EVERY time I flew, I got enhanced screening, due to international travel on a one way ticket.

[K32682]

50 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Repercussions would be no different than if you had been robbed and were forced to give them your passport, a risk that is just as real as the perceived risks you continue to harp upon. 🙄

 

I don't know why you distrust people so much. You must have been horribly let down sometime in your life. In all of my travels over 50 years I can't think of a single person who promised something important and then not delivered on that promise. Faith in other people is a blessing, and everyone of us does it every day of our lives. Distrust in people is a curse, forcing oneself to constantly judge everyone around you as to their intentions or their ability to follow up on promises. 

 

But, as you said - being suspicious of people is a choice each of us can choose or not choose. 

 

And one more thing - the difference between you and me has nothing to do with trusting or not trusting the crew to do as they promised. The difference is how much of a control freak we each are. If I don't need to carry my passport I am much more comfortable with leaving it in the safe than with carrying an unneeded item around with me all the time. I trust that my intelligence and planning abilities will get me back to the ship on time, while you are betting that yours won't.

 

I am rarely let down by people because I prefer to depend on myself as much as possible.  I'll take self-reliance over blind faith in complete strangers every time.  Fewer disappointments that way. YMMV.   

[ducklite]

40 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Yes they do.

 

In the past, my work booked most of our trips as separate one ways.  There was a savings booking the return in a foreign market.

 

EVERY time I flew, I got enhanced screening, due to international travel on a one way ticket.

With a very few exceptions, TSA DOESN'T DO SCREENINGS IN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS.

 

Want to try again?

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

With a very few exceptions, TSA DOESN'T DO SCREENINGS IN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS.

 

Want to try again?

I'm certain SRF's reference was to enhanced screenings in US airports, not in international airports...but even if I'm wrong I'd like to add that I'm almost always subjected to enhanced screenings in international airports but not in the US. Somehow..and I think I know why it happens based on an incident in Argentina many years ago,  I must  be identified as a high risk individual in some international database, but not by the TSA.

Edited September 19, 2019 by njhorseman

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ducklite said:

With a very few exceptions, TSA DOESN'T DO SCREENINGS IN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS.

 

Want to try again?

Except for international airports in the US.

[ducklite]

17 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Except for international airports in the US.

I interpreted the comment as when they were on the return in the foreign airport.

 

Either way, it's moot as my SIL was flying domestic. 

 

I've flown numerous times domestic on one way tickets--have four flights ticketed that way in the next month--and have never been chosen for secondary screening on any of them. 

 

Personally I'd think it was fair to assume that SRF has been singled out more for their previous travel destinations than for the type of ticket they are flying on.   

[sparks1093]

19 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

I am rarely let down by people because I prefer to depend on myself as much as possible.  I'll take self-reliance over blind faith in complete strangers every time.  Fewer disappointments that way. YMMV.   

I'm also self-reliant and leave my passport on board for the simple reason that I don't like carrying things with me that I don't have to. So the self-reliance piece comes in by having the number to the port agent/ship and calling them if I know that I'm going to miss the ship with the request that they retrieve my passport and give it to the port agent. Even if I had my passport with me my first contact would be with the port agent since he or she is the expert on what needs to happen next and can advise the cruise line what my plans are.