Urgent help - parents passport stolen in Athens

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Hmm, this is quite a conundrum. Yes, I could carry my passport on the chance I am stopped and asked for it. Does Italy need the fine money that bad that they will harass tourists who are doing nothing but trying to see sights? 😉

 

Yes, I understand that it's a requirement but it seems like a lot of annoyance for little actual gain. I guess I will go over to the Italy board and check it out <sigh>. It never gets easier, does it? 🙂

 

Who knows if Italy needs the "fine money". When we were taken ill in LA the Ambulance Crew/First Responders said to make sure we had our Passports and Medical Insurance with us. On arrival at the Marina Del Rae Hospital they checked both. Now we may have been allowed in without our Passports but when you are lying on a gurney in considerable discomfort debating whether or not the "Official" requesting to see your Passport actually needs to see it is way down your priority list. 

[Mark_UK]

6 hours ago, TeaBag said:

I would really like to know what happened to the poor folks on their special cruise.  I keep thinking about them.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. 

 

Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. 

 

Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well. 

 

[mayleeman]

20 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I don’t have a passport card. It is worthless for any travel I do.

 

I used it at airport TSA checkpoints but twice the agents had never seen one, so they were surprised when the card reader ok'ed it. Now I just use my DL for flying. (Have only flown domestic.)

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. 

 

Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. 

 

Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well. 

 

Thanks for keeping us up to date.

we had the issue of needing confirmation that we hadn't boarded and Royal refused to do this until the cruise had ended on the basis that *we might board at a later port". We pointed out that the cruise was Transatlantic and there was no "later port" but they still refused.

If nothing else good comes from your parents experience we all will (or should be) checking our travel insurance to see if we would be covered.

[chemmo]

4 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. 

 

Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. 

 

Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well. 

 

Hi there, 

 

So kind of you to update us…You and your parents have been very much in our thoughts.

 

We arrived in Turkey for a stay in an AI resort yesterday and I have never been so glad to get the passports in the room safe. Until your post I had no idea that passports had a ‘monetary value’ to thieves and, much as we have always kept them fairly secure, like your parents, I would have felt comfortable leaving them in a bag in my hotel room….

 

I am so pleased that Celebrity are going to help out and that your parents are keen to cruise still. 🤞 all goes well for them.

 

37 minutes ago, the penguins said:

 

If nothing else good comes from your parents experience we all will (or should be) checking our travel insurance to see if we would be covered.

 

Absolutely! I will very much be small print checking before our next cruise.
 

I still find it almost impossible to believe that you pay out so much for travel insurance and yet the insurance company has a ‘get out of jail free’ card when someone is the victim of a crime…

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the update, glad they are safely home.

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for the update @Mark_UK, I'm so sorry that your parents weren't able to travel and also that they weren't covered by their travel insurance. I'll be checking mine more carefully in future. 

[micruiser2002]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Hi there, 

 

So kind of you to update us…You and your parents have been very much in our thoughts.

 

We arrived in Turkey for a stay in an AI resort yesterday and I have never been so glad to get the passports in the room safe. Until your post I had no idea that passports had a ‘monetary value’ to thieves and, much as we have always kept them fairly secure, like your parents, I would have felt comfortable leaving them in a bag in my hotel room….

 

I am so pleased that Celebrity are going to help out and that your parents are keen to cruise still. 🤞 all goes well for them.

 

 

Absolutely! I will very much be small print checking before our next cruise.
 

I still find it almost impossible to believe that you pay out so much for travel insurance and yet the insurance company has a ‘get out of jail free’ card when someone is the victim of a crime…

Hopefully you have one of these on you when you are out and about.  There are a lot of countries that required people to have their passport on them at all times.  This is from the website below.  

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/safety-and-security#:~:text=It is illegal not to,on main roads across Turkey.

 

[Charles4515]

17 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

Hopefully you have one of these on you when you are out and about.  There are a lot of countries that required people to have their passport on them at all times.  This is from the website below.  

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/safety-and-security#:~:text=It is illegal not to,on main roads across Turkey.

 

For Istanbul they give you a transit thru pass. You carry that and your DL. .  You can’t carry your passport because the cruise line takes it and holds at embarkation and does not return it until after Turkey. 

[micruiser2002]

7 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

For Istanbul they give you a transit thru pass. You carry that and your DL. .  You can’t carry your passport because the cruise line takes it and holds at embarkation and does not return it until after Turkey. 

I believe the person who posted is there before a cruise on land.   The cruise lines must have a separate agreement.  The majority of the cruises I have taken have never held my PP.  The point is some countries do have legal requirements that you must have your PP on you at all times.  People need to just be aware of what the laws are.

[chemmo]

42 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

Hopefully you have one of these on you when you are out and about.  There are a lot of countries that required people to have their passport on them at all times.  This is from the website below.  

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/safety-and-security#:~:text=It is illegal not to,on main roads across Turkey.

 

After travelling all over Europe for many years whilst the documents for several countries state ‘passport’ I genuinely think the police would rather tourists left as many valuables in the safe as possible. Pickpocketing is rife…We befriended a local detective in Lisbon and his big gripe with tourists was how often they stroll the streets with all their credit cards and cash on their person then just loose concentration for a moment…

Also there is a big difference between how we are vacationing and if I was backpacking. I can see authorities boarding a cross country bus and asking for ID I can not see them stopping an obvious tourist bus, needless to say my backpacking days are over! 

 

 

When I am out and about I will have a minimal number of € and my photocopy and my DL…

Edited October 1, 2023 by chemmo

[micruiser2002]

3 minutes ago, chemmo said:

After travelling all over Europe for many years whilst the documents for several countries state ‘passport’ I genuinely think the police would rather tourists left as many valuables in the safe as possible. Pickpocketing is rife…We befriended a local detective in Lisbon and his big gripe with tourists was how often they stroll the streets with all their credit cards and cash on their person then just loose concentration for a moment…

Also there is a big difference between how we are vacationing and if I was backpacking. I can see authorities boarding a cross country bus and asking for ID I can not see them stopping an obvious tourist bus, needless to say my backpacking days are over! 

 

 

When I am out and about I will have a minimal number of € and my photocopy and my DL…

Sorry I am just pointing out what is legally required.  I find it amazing that so many people have an issue with this.  They want to see a PP for specific reasons, illegal entry, no VISA if required, or even terrorism. They can check for a PP at many places such as museum's, large shopping centers, Mosques. 

[the penguins]

7 minutes ago, chemmo said:

After travelling all over Europe for many years whilst the documents for several countries state ‘passport’ I genuinely think the police would rather tourists left as many valuables in the safe as possible. Pickpocketing is rife…We befriended a local detective in Lisbon and his big gripe with tourists was how often they stroll the streets with all their credit cards and cash on their person then just loose concentration for a moment…

Also there is a big difference between how we are vacationing and if I was backpacking. I can see authorities boarding a cross country bus and asking for ID I can not see them stopping an obvious tourist bus, needless to say my backpacking days are over! 

 

 

When I am out and about I will have a minimal number of € and my photocopy and my DL…

My biggest concern is you decide not to carry your passport and there is an “issue”. You will then be faced by an official, probably a police officer, who’s first language is not English and who is expecting to see a passport. You will also probably have a time concern knowing that the ship will sail. For all these reasons when the country says “passports” that’s what we carry.

On a lighter note we went to our grandson’s school in Dallas to register so we could collect him. The school asked for a Drivers Licence which my wife didn’t have. They were very reluctant to accept a Passport until the Principal confirmed that was OK 

[65Mommy]

On 9/24/2023 at 4:38 PM, REEtired said:

Hopefully they have a photocopy of their passports to show the people at the Embassy.  We always travel with copies. 

We always take multiple copies as I am always worried my long time hubby will forget where he puts them when we travel! 

[paulh84]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

I still find it almost impossible to believe that you pay out so much for travel insurance and yet the insurance company has a ‘get out of jail free’ card when someone is the victim of a crime…

 

In reading many of these types of posts over the years it's unfortunately the norm. People signifcantly over-estimate what credit card insurance and paid travel policies will cover. The biggest one being that cancel for any reason is truly cancel for any reason any time and you simply get all of your money back. 

[jsn55]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

Hi there, 

 

So kind of you to update us…You and your parents have been very much in our thoughts.

 

We arrived in Turkey for a stay in an AI resort yesterday and I have never been so glad to get the passports in the room safe. Until your post I had no idea that passports had a ‘monetary value’ to thieves and, much as we have always kept them fairly secure, like your parents, I would have felt comfortable leaving them in a bag in my hotel room….

 

I am so pleased that Celebrity are going to help out and that your parents are keen to cruise still. 🤞 all goes well for them.

 

 

Absolutely! I will very much be small print checking before our next cruise.
 

I still find it almost impossible to believe that you pay out so much for travel insurance and yet the insurance company has a ‘get out of jail free’ card when someone is the victim of a crime…

I'm thinking about 'trip interruption' coverage ... they were 'in the middle of their trip' when the PPs were stolen.  All I know for sure is that insurance people go to work every morning to see how many claims they can deny ... that's their job.  OUR job is to carefully study each and every policy; but I know very few people who have the ability to read more than a page or two.  What a racket.  

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, micruiser2002 said:

Sorry I am just pointing out what is legally required.  I find it amazing that so many people have an issue with this.  They want to see a PP for specific reasons, illegal entry, no VISA if required, or even terrorism. They can check for a PP at many places such as museum's, large shopping centers, Mosques. 

If I was touring Turkey or even independently doing trips I would consider taking my passport with me…The fact I am staying at an AI resort and any trips will be arranged and run by the tour company does, I think, make a difference. I am also wearing my AI wristband which I think pretty well marks me out as a genuine tourist to both the authorities and (unfortunately) to pickpockets who may see an older and petite tourist as easy. Another reason not to take my passport with me!

 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

My biggest concern is you decide not to carry your passport and there is an “issue”. You will then be faced by an official, probably a police officer, whose first language is not English and who is expecting to see a passport. 

But they will see my copy and picture ID…Again, if I was going off the beaten track it would be a different matter…

 

To come back to my original post…I was simply commenting that while ‘officially’ in many countries you should have your passport with you in reality it is not usually an enforced law…

Edited October 1, 2023 by chemmo

[Oceangoer2]

8 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. 

 

Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. 

 

Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well. 

 

Will their Visa card cover any of the cruise cost?

[micruiser2002]

3 minutes ago, chemmo said:

To come back to my original post…I was simply commenting that while ‘officially’ in many countries you should have your passport with you in reality it is not usually an enforced law…

Just because you have never been stopped does not mean it is not enforced.  Sorry I would rather not take my chances with the Authorities.  I have no problem keeping my belongings safe and would prefer to avoid any issues/delays that could occur from not having my PP when asked.

[hcat]

9 hours ago, Mark_UK said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. 

 

Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. 

 

Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well. 

 

thank you for the update.

 

.very disappointing outcome so far, as to ins not covering.

 

maybe  parents should scrap this trip and ask for a fcc ...then plan a new dream cruise..the bad memories will be hard to overcome  unless they get a reak suite deal!

 

Thieves are everywhere..travelers are easy targets.  Many yrs ago  in the mid 80s,  we went to a land based hotel in Antigua with our young dtr..She carried her 2 fav Cabbage Patch Dolls with her..The hotel clerk insisted the dolls be kept in the hotel  safe b/c thieves would do anything they could to get at them...Nice!

[the penguins]

51 minutes ago, chemmo said:

If I was touring Turkey or even independently doing trips I would consider taking my passport with me…The fact I am staying at an AI resort and any trips will be arranged and run by the tour company does, I think, make a difference. I am also wearing my AI wristband which I think pretty well marks me out as a genuine tourist to both the authorities and (unfortunately) to pickpockets who may see an older and petite tourist as easy. Another reason not to take my passport with me!

 

But they will see my copy and picture ID…Again, if I was going off the beaten track it would be a different matter…

 

To come back to my original post…I was simply commenting that while ‘officially’ in many countries you should have your passport with you in reality it is not usually an enforced law…

You choose to rely on "not usually". 

I choose to have the required documents to avoid a potentially serious problem when I am in no position to argue the point.

We all have to decide what risks we are prepared take.

[KEN31VA]

A few years ago I had my passport stolen in Costa Rica.  It took 3 days over the weekend for the US Embassy to issue a new one for me.  Due to the manor that my passport was stolen and the quick arrival of the police, it was suggested that the police were involved with the robbery.  When I asked at the embassy why there is such a demand for US passports (there were about 40 of us being processed the same day) especially when it would be of little use at a border crossing, I was told that it was all about the banking laws and laundering money.  Apparently they use the passport as identification to open bogus bank accounts to transfer drug money.  They banks know that it is a stolen passport but do it to meet the legal banking regulations.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, jsn55 said:

I know for sure is that insurance people go to work every morning to see how many claims they can deny

No kidding and yet they claim that 90% of claims processed are approved. Why they're not politicians I'll never understand. 😆 

[JFontaine]

@Mark_UK

In the US if your parents had cruised Celebrity before and played in the casino they might be eligible for  a reduced price or free cruise (based on prior play), with offers getting more generous closer to sailing. Would a call to the Blue Chip Club desk be useful? Maybe someone from the UK could respond if the program is available there. Here they would be able to apply the future cruise certificate to a casino rate, I believe. They often don't need a lot of casino play to qualify - often a few minutes at the slots is enough. 

[Guera53]

37 minutes ago, KEN31VA said:

A few years ago I had my passport stolen in Costa Rica.  It took 3 days over the weekend for the US Embassy to issue a new one for me.  Due to the manor that my passport was stolen and the quick arrival of the police, it was suggested that the police were involved with the robbery.  When I asked at the embassy why there is such a demand for US passports (there were about 40 of us being processed the same day) especially when it would be of little use at a border crossing, I was told that it was all about the banking laws and laundering money.  Apparently they use the passport as identification to open bogus bank accounts to transfer drug money.  They banks know that it is a stolen passport but do it to meet the legal banking regulations.

Great I’m going to a conference in Costa Rica. I’ll be super vigilant. Eye opening thread.