Do I need to bring original passport on shore excursions

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

Very few stops require you to take the passport with you, for example Havana. The cruise line will tell you many times before the stop. No Schengen port requires this.

I believe there is to much emphasis bring placed on what the port requires as opposed to what "other" officials for example the police may require. I believe the ships advice is usually to carry "government issued ID" without specifically mentioning a passport..In many (most?) countries if were to be stopped by an official for example the  police ( after an accident, robbery etc) they would expect you to be carrying original i.d. not a copy. Copies are a useful back up if you had to replace a passport but should not be relied upon to satisfy an official request to show I.D. Also bear in mind that the request could well come from someone who's first language is not English and who is expecting to see an original document.

We drive regularly in the US and I would certainly not attempt to show a copy of my driving licence at a car rental desk and certainly not to a police officer. Perhaps I am being over cautious but carrying my original driving licence in a secure pocket seems a simple way to ensure peace of mind.

 

[GottaKnowWhen]

18 hours ago, CU64 said:

Try having a medical ER when off the ship, needing police and/or hospital services. Good to have Passsport on you.

I cannot imagine why a hospital or police would need my passport. I would have my driver’s license and health card. Totally sufficient for id purposes just about anyplace. If I am hospitalized and miss the ship, the Ship security personnel will open my safe, extract my passport, and convey it to the port agent to pass on to me.

I do have an additional backup. - my GOES card. But I cannot imagine ever needing 5hat in a foreign port.

Stan

[YodaMum]

We’ve been told by the tour company to bring our original passport for 2 sites in Spain in order to get through Security. 

[perakcruiser]

Top of Mount Teide on Tenerife is a place you cannot enter without passport (and permit). Certainly there are many.

[phoenix_dream]

On 4/19/2023 at 1:54 AM, the penguins said:

A common misconception: the ship does not guarantee to wait if you are on a ship's excursion. What it guarantees is that if it doesn't wait they will get you to the next port.

You are technically correct.  But in all my 70+ Celebrity cruises I have never heard of them leaving a Celebrity shore excursion behind.  Not saying it couldn't happen, but it would be highly unlikely.

[phoenix_dream]

On 4/20/2023 at 2:37 AM, CU64 said:

Try having a medical ER when off the ship, needing police and/or hospital services. Good to have Passsport on you.

And if you really find yourself in a medical emergency and for some reason that would require a passport (can't imagine why), a simple call to your country's Embassy would allow them to help you get what you need.  Alternatively, a simple call to the Celebrity portside staff (whose number is always mentioned on port information) would likely also enable their help in getting your passport out of your safe for a true emergency.  Can't imagine why you would need a passport because you need police?  Anyway.........you'd be in a lot more trouble if you somehow lost your passport or had it stolen in port, needed to board the ship for the next port, and tried to find some way to get a new passport for clearance to return to your original port (or fly home internationally as applicable).  I would never bring my original passport unless required by the port.

[D C]

Passport goes with me 100% of the time in a foreign country.

 

 

[davekathy]

Do what you feel comfortable doing.

[the penguins]

3 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

You are technically correct.  But in all my 70+ Celebrity cruises I have never heard of them leaving a Celebrity shore excursion behind.  Not saying it couldn't happen, but it would be highly unlikely.

I agree I just object to the way X markets it’s tours as if you will never be left behind which is just not the case.

We have also never missed a sailing on any of our numerous private tours most booked through Toursbylocals which has the same guarantee of getting you to the next port.

One ship did sail without the band who all failed to return before the deadline. The crew were taking bets on wether

they would all be sacked and refused boarding at the next port or would the ship be forced to take them back as they were needed for the show on the final night. The band did indeed catch up the next day and performed at that nights show. Regrettably we never got to hear the outcome,

[d9704011]

3 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Do what you feel comfortable doing.

I agree.  We leave ours onboard unless we absolutely need to have it... not a common event.  I'll take my chances on all the disastrous things that might happen to me.

[sanger727]

On 4/18/2023 at 11:05 PM, AmberCascades said:

If you miss the ship there will be someone waiting for you at the pier with your luggage and passport.  When we go ashore we also take the daily with us which has the port agent's info on it.  Just in case we need to contact someone at the pier.

 

I've heard this rumored before, but never confirmed. I have trouble imagining that they are doing last call, calling you around the ship to see if you snuck on; then going to your rumor, rummaging through your stuff and your safe to leave you stuff at the port. What if it turned out you actually were on the ship? What is the port agent to do you if you don't return?

Edited April 21, 2023 by sanger727

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

16 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

You are technically correct.  But in all my 70+ Celebrity cruises I have never heard of them leaving a Celebrity shore excursion behind.  Not saying it couldn't happen, but it would be highly unlikely.

This was not on X, but...

 

When I was on HAL to Alaska in 2014, there was a shore excursions crew member on the whale watching trip I was on (they occasionally send someone on a non-full excursion a) for quality checks and b) so they can better describe it to guests who ask about it) and she said that a couple of cruises before the one I was on, one of the helicopter excursions to a glacier and sled dog camp got stranded on the glacier because fog/weather moved in and the helicopters could not get back to the glacier to pick the people up. There were people from two different HAL ship excursions as well as people from those ships but who booked privately stuck on the glacier. The dog camp employees gave up their beds for the night so that the guests had somewhere to sleep. When they were able to get down the next day, the ship-based excursions had either a smaller boat waiting on them to get them to their ship or were taken to a train station to take a train to meet their ship. Those on private excursions (from the other ship) were having to see how the company was handling getting them back to their ship. She was unclear how that turned out - if the company was able to buy passage for them on the boat or if the company had to come up with their own boat.

 

So yes. It can happen. (I later heard an NPR podcast where they were talking with a girl who did work at one of the sled dog camps one summer and they had passengers stuck. Not sure if it was the same incident or a different one, but it does happen.)

[taglovestocruise]

42 minutes ago, D C said:

Passport goes with me 100% of the time in a foreign country.

 

 

We have been to many foreign countries over the last 30 years of cruising, we have never taken our passport off the ship. Passport goes in the safe and stays there until we debark or if  they do a customs and immigration check  onboard. OOP'S had to hit the edit button. Many years ago we had to take our passport off the ship in Turkey,  as we entered the the terminal everyone had to drop their passport into a cardboard box and then find it when you returned in a sorted group of boxes. 

Edited April 21, 2023 by taglovestocruise

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for reminding me that I need to make copies of our newly issued passports. 😉  We carry copies hidden in our carry-on suitcases, and copies in my shoulder bag.  Normally, the passports are kept in the safe in the stateroom, but I have been known to carry the passports with us if we took a lengthy excursion that was not booked with the cruiseline.   

 

I have never taken a current DL with me on a cruise. 😐  I have an old expired DL that I keep in my cruise wallet.

[D C]

42 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

We have been to many foreign countries over the last 30 years of cruising, we have never taken our passport off the ship. Passport goes in the safe and stays there until we debark or if  they do a customs and immigration check  onboard. OOP'S had to hit the edit button. Many years ago we had to take our passport off the ship in Turkey,  as we entered the the terminal everyone had to drop their passport into a cardboard box and then find it when you returned in a sorted group of boxes. 

Visit St Barths from St Maarten and you'll need a passport.

 

Personally, I see no reason to leave it behind.  

[phoenix_dream]

2 hours ago, D C said:

Visit St Barths from St Maarten and you'll need a passport.

 

Personally, I see no reason to leave it behind.  

My reason? A concern about it getting lost or stolen. Would present a lot of difficulty upon returning to home port, and if the US getting a replacement copy could take months. But an individual decision.

[D C]

4 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

My reason? A concern about it getting lost or stolen. Would present a lot of difficulty upon returning to home port, and if the US getting a replacement copy could take months. But an individual decision.

Having traveled all over the world on land, with my passport along for the ride, I find that the lost/stolen concern is virtually nonexistent. 

 

Are people regularly losing wallets, phones, seapass cards, and other things they routinely carry?  Passports are no different. 

[JBare]

13 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

I've heard this rumored before, but never confirmed. I have trouble imagining that they are doing last call, calling you around the ship to see if you snuck on; then going to your rumor, rummaging through your stuff and your safe to leave you stuff at the port. What if it turned out you actually were on the ship? What is the port agent to do you if you don't return?

It happens. We have witnessed it on several occasions. Passengers are supposed to be on board 30 mins before departure, if they're not several ship wide announcements are made for them to report to guest services just to double check they have not "snuck" on board. The purser will go to theircabin to double check, remove their passports from the safe (if there) and take them to an officer on the gangway. The ship has often waited a short while but if the passengers don't return we have seen the officer hand the passports over to the port agent at the gangway. Not the luggage though.

Edited April 22, 2023 by JBare

[Iamthesea]

12 hours ago, D C said:

Having traveled all over the world on land, with my passport along for the ride, I find that the lost/stolen concern is virtually nonexistent. 

 

Are people regularly losing wallets, phones, seapass cards, and other things they routinely carry?  Passports are no different. 

Yes they are...or items are stolen by a pick-pocketer. 

 

THIS article about losing ID was on MSN this morning.

[ScottC4746]

On 4/18/2023 at 5:46 PM, tusconcam said:

Help please with if I am required to bring my original passport with me on Celebrity cruise shore excursions in Spain, France and Italy.

I had hoped that a photocopy would suffice ; as you can imagine the problems with a potentially lost/stolen original.

The cruise departs from Barcelona May 1st, then visit: Palma de Mallorca, Mersaille, Villefranche, Santa Margherita,  La Spezia, Cagliari, Messina, Naples and finish in Rome.

Ideas, and feedback much appreciated. 

Thanks 

P.s I am Canadian with a valid passport traveling from Toronto 

 

 

Yes as you cannot travel, should you miss your ship, on a photo copy.

[D C]

10 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Yes they are...or items are stolen by a pick-pocketer. 

 

THIS article about losing ID was on MSN this morning.

Careless people do not justify ignoring the good sense of carrying proper ID. 

[GottaKnowWhen]

3 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

Yes as you cannot travel, should you miss your ship, on a photo copy.

As already pointed out earlier, if you miss the ship, the ship’s personnel will make every effort to retrieve your passports from your safe and transfer them to the port agent before departing. It would be useful to have a photocopy and probably an image of the passports on your phone; if you in fact are left without your passport, the photocopy will help you work with your country’s consulate or embassy to get help traveling home.

There may be exceptions, and the cruise line will explicitly warn you that for certain ports and/or sites to be visited that passports are needed. Quite unusual in my experience. If there IS a need for id at a site you are visiting, it may be because you have a special Senior rate or because you shouldn’t qualify for a special rate for local residents…

 

Having survived two pickpocket attempts, I don’t need the extra concern of something as fundamental as my passport, and it stays on board.

 

 Stan

[waterbug123]

this is a topic on which there will never be full agreement by pax.

 

Group 1- believes that since you don't usually need it on shore, best to leave it in the safe and trust the ship's crew to leave it with the port agent if you miss the ship.  they fear losing it if they carry it

 

Group 2- feels better keeping it on their person and trusts themselves not to lose it.  they prefer not to have to rely on ship personnel retrieving it if they miss the ship.  they worry more ab out something happening and ending up in a hospital, for example, without it

 

Neither group has ever succeeded in convincing the other group to change their minds

[GottaKnowWhen]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

this is a topic on which there will never be full agreement by pax….

Neither group has ever succeeded in convincing the other group to change their minds

But that won’t stop us from trying! 🍺

[Mark_T]

After millions of miles of business and vacation air travel around the world, the only place I've had to carry my passport with me was Russia, all others it stayed safe in the hotel/ship.