Passport stolen on the way to the cruise port

[RocCruisers]

@Silent Penguin Thank you so much for sharing your story.  Im thinking what a different situation it would have been in a city without the transportation and embassy nearby.  
Oh the questions I have…. 

Without going through your posts, about how old are you and dh?  How long have you been married to trust this plan?  Does your family know what kind of super hero you are?

What kind of phone and what service do you have? 
Did you have an external charger or at least a cable?

Maybe I missed this point, but did you have a carry on with a change of clothes and/or essentials?  
So, you recommend an extra set of Passport photos, just in case?

And, who is going to play you in the movie version?

[CGinMTL]

We all have to be a little more paranoid about safety. ( Even at home)

 

When I travel, I have a money belt under my Fanny pack

Always keep a few dollars in there as decoy. If the thief's get that, it is ok with me.

On a shore ex in Florence , we had to go through a metal detector to go into a museum 

I was freaking out.

I enlisted the help of the other members to ensure somebody that had cleared ahead would grap my stuff

 

Rick Steves has great advice on staying safe in Europe 

[Silent Penguin]

9 hours ago, RocCruisers said:

@Silent Penguin Thank you so much for sharing your story.  Im thinking what a different situation it would have been in a city without the transportation and embassy nearby.  
Oh the questions I have…. 

Without going through your posts, about how old are you and dh?  How long have you been married to trust this plan?  Does your family know what kind of super hero you are?

What kind of phone and what service do you have? 
Did you have an external charger or at least a cable?

Maybe I missed this point, but did you have a carry on with a change of clothes and/or essentials?  
So, you recommend an extra set of Passport photos, just in case?

And, who is going to play you in the movie version?

 

Hi, RocCruisers,

I'm laughing right now because I'd be asking some of the same questions if I was reading my story. There are definitely contextual details I left out. 

 

Before answering the questions, I want to acknowledge your point about how my story would be different if we hadn't been in port city where the culture, language, and means of transportation hadn't been amicable to solo travel.  And, while you didn't say it I will.  There are obviously port cities where it would have been super dangerous for a solo female, even one who grew up in the big, bad city and who has traveled solo on occasion for decades.

 

Answers to your questions

 

• I am 57, and my husband if 59.  Neither of us have health issues yet. 
• Dh and I have been married 34 years.  (Yes, we have a track record) 
• I get the impression I am respected by my family but don't have super hero status. (Thank you for the compliment though.)
• I have a cheap  OnePlus Nord I bought at Walmart last year and T-Mobile service.  
• I had both an already fully charged external charger and a cable. Those I always keep on me and not in my checked luggage.  If, for some reason I didn't have either or both of them on me, the trip to the police station would have dropped to second on my to-do list and finding a store that sold external chargers and cords would have been first. 
• My backpack (carry-on) was pretty much ready for action. Like most cruisers, my carry-on always contains what I think I'll need if my checked luggage goes missing for a day or two. The only change I made was to lighten the bag by dumping what I didn't need, like a bottle of wine, a swimsuit and flipflops, and some little stuff that wouldn't fit in my suitcase.  Those became dh's problem. I also removed a few things that are extremely expensive or difficult to procure on a ship (in the event of lost luggage) but easy and cheap to get if I needed to buy them while I was in Rome. 
• If there's a downside to carrying recent (6 months or less) passport photos when you leave the country, I don't see it. Personally, though, I don't think I will since most US embassies and consulates have a photo booth, and even if it's broken or the they don't have one, there's bound to be one nearby where they are sending everyone.  That being said, if I or anyone in my family had mobility issues, then yes, I would bring photos.   

 

P.S. Readers of this thread,  I don't want to insult anyone's intelligence with this unsolicited advice, but since it didn't occur to me, maybe it hasn't occurred to others.  Before you leave your home country, at the very least, familiarize yourself with the emergency passport process.  It's as easy as visiting your country's embassy website. The website will not only educate you on the procedure but will also have the downloadable forms you will need to complete. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ollienbertsmum]

7 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

 

 

 

P.S. Readers of this thread,  I don't want to insult anyone's intelligence with this unsolicited advice, but since it didn't occur to me, maybe it hasn't occurred to others.  Before you leave your home country, at the very least, familiarize yourself with the emergency passport process.  It's as easy as visiting your country's embassy website. The website will not only educate you on the procedure but will also have the downloadable forms you will need to complete. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, you are not insulting my intelligence.  I am from Europe and have traveled to Asia, Africa and North America - but I don’t know the process of replacing a lost passport.   I will be looking it up before my next trip. 

[erby2283]

Thank you for sharing your story and so sorry that happened to you.  I took my first trip to Europe (Spain, Italy, France) in 2019 and I was told by friends to just be "aware" of my surroundings but I still was on high alert.  I bought a travelon bag that had locks and bought my bf a little pouch the hangs from his belt on the inside of his pants.  It was a pain every time he needed to get money or something out of it but at least we felt safe.

 

Heading back to Rome for a cruise in Sept and we planned on taking the train from Rome to the port as it's the cheapest way to go but maybe it's not the best option when you realize the risk you could be taking.  Maybe private transport, while more expensive is the way to go? We'll all have a carry-on AND a suitcase and maybe a backpack too....we don't travel light.  lol

[marazul]

46 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

Maybe private transport, while more expensive is the way to go? We'll all have a carry-on AND a suitcase and maybe a backpack too....we don't travel light.

Look into a shared shuttle. The price is in between a train and a private transfer.  And a lot easier with all the luggage. 

[Silent Penguin]

15 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

 

Heading back to Rome for a cruise in Sept and we planned on taking the train from Rome to the port as it's the cheapest way to go but maybe it's not the best option when you realize the risk you could be taking.  Maybe private transport, while more expensive is the way to go? We'll all have a carry-on AND a suitcase and maybe a backpack too....we don't travel light.  lol

 

I'm with you.  There was a time when the cheapest option trumped every other consideration but not anymore.  For 7 of us to share a private van cost us each 32 euros.  It would have been the safest way to go if we were picked up at our Airbinb or if we had taken an Uber to where the others were staying.  Live and learn. 

[euro cruiser]

I am in inveterate user of public transportation, at home and when I travel.  Even so, when luggage is involved, I do think twice about it.  It's so easy to be distracted by your stuff, and distraction is what pickpockets feed on.

 

I don't avoid trains, but for short distances I will take a cab as opposed to the metro or buses.  Of course there are pickpockets on trains but it's not as much of an issue as it is on metros and buses because it's harder to get away after the act, which is a key part of how they get away with it.

 

Sometimes the decision is purely practical, like after an overnight flight.  I often think about a flight years ago when my best friend and I went to Paris to visit her daughter/my goddaughter who was studying in France that year.   The child gave us directions to her place from the airport which we followed without thinking about it.  The trip required a train, two metros, then a half mile walk uphill on cobblestones.  At some point along the way I looked at my friend and asked "do you have any idea how much money I make?".  When she looked blankly at me I explained that we could have easily afforded a cab from the airport, why were we taking directions from an impoverished student?

 

 

[IRMO12HD]

18 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Thanks, you are not insulting my intelligence.  I am from Europe and have traveled to Asia, Africa and North America - but I don’t know the process of replacing a lost passport.   I will be looking it up before my next trip. 

Me, three!

[Silent Penguin]

I mentioned that I would update when my travel insurance claim was settled. I just got a check today.  It  didn't cover as much as I thought it would but that's on me.  I misunderstood the difference between Trip Delay daily max and total max.  They paid me the max for all three days.  Too bad it fell short by 158.00.  Good thing my delay was off-season.   Another lesson learned.  Possibly, next time, I will go with a policy with higher limits.  

[Host Bonjour]

Thanks so much for sharing your passport loss and recovery story. Not only is it a helpful account of the steps to take after the theft of a passport, each step was well described from start to finish.

 

Most helpful of all was that by acknowledging that yes, this is unpleasant, you were then able to move on to problem solving. Part of being able to take the necessary steps comes from being prepared before we arrive (pre-travel stage): read about what, where, how to do stuff when things do go wrong.

 

Trip insurance can help with unexpected costs or losses, but that's gotten even more complicated in recent years, especially post–pandemic, policies/terms have changed. Cruise Critic brings in Trip Insurance experts from time to time to help untangle some of the complexity through Q&As on our forum.

 

So so happy that this had the best possible outcome, but it was largely down to your exceptional efforts! And again, it's not easy to trouble shoot in a country/language that's not your own, I've done it, many of us have, to varying degrees of success for any given reason (especially these days when ID is so critical). 

 

Please accept our thanks for sharing your account and update, along with a fancy Cruise Critic badge for your member profile! 🎉 

 

 

 

[bennybear]

Thanks for your great description. It can and does happen to anyone,  they are experts at distraction.  We once saw an expert on pickpocketing onboard and he demonstrated and was able to remove watches, belts and even eyeglasses.  
 

We use money belts under our clothes for valuables and a throwaway wallet with a few euros, enough  to buy a few things but not so much as would ruin a trip.  DH was pickpocketed from his front packet in a crowded elevator,  but he did catch the guy who had already passed it off.   There was enough commotion the accomplice dropped it as DH was not letting the guy go. 
 

I love your clear description of not letting it ruin your trip.   We once lost 600 euros to a nasty aTM followed up by the cancellation of flights the next day that cost another 700 euros to repurchase.   So we rented a Ferrari,  might as well enjoy throwing away your money.    Luckily insurance and the bank made us whole, although it took some time.  
 

I also so agree private transport with luggage is well worth it for ease and peace of. Ind 

Edited January 18 by bennybear

[Girr]

On 1/16/2024 at 5:24 PM, Silent Penguin said:

I mentioned that I would update when my travel insurance claim was settled. I just got a check today.  It  didn't cover as much as I thought it would but that's on me.  I misunderstood the difference between Trip Delay daily max and total max.  They paid me the max for all three days.  Too bad it fell short by 158.00.  Good thing my delay was off-season.   Another lesson learned.  Possibly, next time, I will go with a policy with higher limits.  

Have you checked your credit card coverage?  If you paid for your cruise and/or flight with a card many offer coverage which could make up the balance.

 

I'm so sorry you had to go thru this "adventure", but so thankful you shared with us, and in turn, I'm sharing your story with many more.  Hopefully, your first-hand account will save others from experiencing this situation.

[Silent Penguin]

1 hour ago, Girr said:

Have you checked your credit card coverage?  If you paid for your cruise and/or flight with a card many offer coverage which could make up the balance.

 

I'm so sorry you had to go thru this "adventure", but so thankful you shared with us, and in turn, I'm sharing your story with many more.  Hopefully, your first-hand account will save others from experiencing this situation.

Hi, Girr.  Thank you for the advice.  I'll look into that.  I do have coverage through my credit card, but I thought I had to pick one policy - the one with my card or the one I bought-  or the other.  It didn't occur to me that  one might pick up where the other left off.   

[Silent Penguin]

18 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

Thanks so much for sharing your passport loss and recovery story. Not only is it a helpful account of the steps to take after the theft of a passport, each step was well described from start to finish.

 

Most helpful of all was that by acknowledging that yes, this is unpleasant, you were then able to move on to problem solving. Part of being able to take the necessary steps comes from being prepared before we arrive (pre-travel stage): read about what, where, how to do stuff when things do go wrong.

 

Trip insurance can help with unexpected costs or losses, but that's gotten even more complicated in recent years, especially post–pandemic, policies/terms have changed. Cruise Critic brings in Trip Insurance experts from time to time to help untangle some of the complexity through Q&As on our forum.

 

So so happy that this had the best possible outcome, but it was largely down to your exceptional efforts! And again, it's not easy to trouble shoot in a country/language that's not your own, I've done it, many of us have, to varying degrees of success for any given reason (especially these days when ID is so critical). 

 

Please accept our thanks for sharing your account and update, along with a fancy Cruise Critic badge for your member profile! 🎉 

 

 

 

Thank you for the acknowledgement and badge.  I've learned so much from the Cruise Critic community,  and  I am grateful for the opportunity to give something back. 

[marazul]

3 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

Hi, Girr.  Thank you for the advice.  I'll look into that.  I do have coverage through my credit card, but I thought I had to pick one policy - the one with my card or the one I bought-  or the other.  It didn't occur to me that  one might pick up where the other left off.   

The credit card is usually secondary coverage.  They will pay what other insurance doesn't cover.  You might want to notify them that there may be a possible claim. 

[JavaJana]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I will have a copy of my passport, but you confirmed that losing it would still be a hassle.

I am leaving tomorrow for a cruise with a few additional days in Barcelona, but flying into infamous Rome (solo). I was just on a guided tour through Italy in November and tried to be very prepared for the pickpockets, but they sure are good! Almost 30 years ago my friend and I witnessed a brazen luggage grab off a train in Germany, so I'm wary of all the risks there.  I will be taking the train to Civitavecchia, whereas on my tour we did not use public transport at all. 

 

I used some advice I found on other forums that worked well. I have a Travelon crossbody, but I also used either a soft cottony undergarment pouch ( much more comfortable than a money belt), or an infinity scarf that has a hidden zippered pocket, both from amazon.  I kept my passport, CC and cash in there, and one CC and a handful of euros in the handbag. Which I admittedly was lax about locking the zipper sometimes 🙄. I also have a lanyard for my phone, so it was always attached to me as well (though they can cut that easily enough,  but it also kept me from dropping it 😂).  My backpack didn't have anything valuable inside.  I will definitely make sure I immediately get my passport concealed once I'm allowed at the airport. Thank you again for the reminder!

[alserrod]

Hello

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It is something that we can all face at some point and we have to know how to react as best as possible. I'm surprised at how well you handled it and how you dealt with everything.

I have taken note of some things you say as practices so some questions have arisen.
For example, what do you carry that you say is always more expensive on the boat?

My family and I have never been robbed, but my wife has almost been robbed twice. The last time, on the Paris metro, they had opened her bag but had not yet put their hand inside it. She noticed it by chance and they ran away. There was one detail... we were on the escalator and they went to rob the one behind the group knowing that the rest of us wouldn't look that way (but would look ahead).

I have reviewed what you have mentioned and thought about what I would have to do if it happened to me. I'm going on a cruise in a few months and I've reviewed the situation. Some things the same, other things change.

I am going to write my reflection hoping that it can be useful to others, and may even contribute. I think it is something that, as you very well define, you have to be prepared and know how to act. I hope we never act, but if we have to, in the most efficient way.

First of all, and to clarify. I have Spanish nationality, I live in Spain and my next cruise leaves from Barcelona visiting only countries in the Schengen zone.
This changes the customs and consulate issue a bit.

There is one thing that I see as very important and that is that if you are going to take a cruise, the key moment for not being robbed is from the moment you arrive in the city of origin until you pass the control of the ship. If you are robbed once you have arrived at the ship you have the cruise card. They can make a duplicate, etc. The biggest problem would be that you may not be able to get off at a port but you will be able to take the cruise and reach your destination.
Point to learn: watch the documentation very carefully until you reach the boat. There the passport is very important, more than ever.

Be careful.... even in my case the situation is the same. I only have the port of Barcelona 90 minutes away by train (and then a taxi from the station to the port check-in) but if my documentation is stolen at some point I will not enter the ship.

Of course, if I am robbed before getting on the boat I can get a duplicate at any police station (it is not so easy because you have to make an appointment but certainly easier than being in another country).

From there, in case my documentation is stolen in another country, or if my departure was in another country.

- I can go to the consulate and ask for documentation. They issue provisional passports (they are valid for 12 months only). I have to check under what conditions they issue it but they do. What I have read is that these passports do not have biometric data. Could that be why they wouldn't be accepted in France?

- however, the most frequently issued document is a "safe conduct". A document that requests all countries to collaborate in the repatriation of the interested party. The "safe conduct" is only for immediate use. That is, if you go on vacation and lose your passport, it will not help you stay where you are, but it will help you return. Of course, on the boat you are really coming home. It may not help you in some port but it will help you return without problems

and something that may be useful to more than one reader of this forum.
All citizens of any country in the European Union can go to any consulate of any EU country to complete this procedure when they are outside the EU.
There are several procedures that must be provided by any consulate to the citizens of these countries without distinction and they point out that safe passage is the procedure most frequently carried out for other citizens by far.

Explained another way, if a German citizen (to give an example from Germany) is in the United States and needs this procedure, it can be done at any consulate. Not only German consulates but those of any EU country.

[alserrod]

another issue

 

If I had been you (and providing there's a flight from Rome to Nice) I would have gone to Nice to take the ship there.

 

You wouldn't have had any problem with the passport.

Why?. Passport is not for entry into France but for entry into Schengen area treaty.

 

How does it run?

 

For customs and passport control purposes there aren't international borders but "outer Schengen borders", as well as "inner Schengen borders" are just administrative.

 

This is, border between Italy and France are inner Schengen borders, just administrative.

 

Documentation is requested just before entering first outer border. After that passport control you can move for free within all countries without any passport control.

 

I invite all of you to go to google maps, choose street view and check if you can find any booth in a border between Italy and France. There aren't. You can move for free.

 

Along all these countries they do not exist "national and international flights" but "Schengen area and non-Schengen area flights". In that way, a Rome-Nice flight is considered as a domestic flight.

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, alserrod said:

I invite all of you to go to google maps, choose street view and check if you can find any booth in a border between Italy and France. There aren't. You can move for free.

 

Along all these countries they do not exist "national and international flights" but "Schengen area and non-Schengen area flights". In that way, a Rome-Nice flight is considered as a domestic flight.

 

I understand what you are suggesting, but doesn't the airline require SOME type of official documentation to prove one's identity?  This is something I've wondered about. I know in the US, one cannot board a flight to another place in the US without showing an approved ID of some type (often a state driver's license).  In the US, we do not have any sort of national identity card.

 

So if you enter the airport in Rome to board a flight to Nice, what would you have to show them before being allowed to clear security?

 

[alserrod]

23 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I understand what you are suggesting, but doesn't the airline require SOME type of official documentation to prove one's identity?  This is something I've wondered about. I know in the US, one cannot board a flight to another place in the US without showing an approved ID of some type (often a state driver's license).  In the US, we do not have any sort of national identity card.

 

So if you enter the airport in Rome to board a flight to Nice, what would you have to show them before being allowed to clear security?

 

 

 

Hi

 

for an inner-Schengen flight, authorities will not ask your passport. This is, even in Rome, even in Nice you will have to show your passport.

It is just a company policies issue to ask the passport. There are someones where you go, you scan your boarding card and you flight. Other check your boarding pass with your documentation (not necessary passport, just official documentation). In this case, that kind of passport delivered in the embassy will be enough.

 

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, alserrod said:

Other check your boarding pass with your documentation (not necessary passport, just official documentation). In this case, that kind of passport delivered in the embassy will be enough.

 

Ahhhh, I see. I misunderstood what you were suggesting in your previous post -- I thought you were saying that you didn't need any sort of "official" identification to fly within Schengen boundaries. 

 

But as a follow-up question, if an EU citizen had their passport were stolen and had not yet obtained a replacement or temporary one, would any other ID be sufficient to fly within this area, e.g., from Rome to Nice, and THEN get the replacement?  And would it be the same for an US citizen, given that we do not have another officially-accepted form of national ID?

[alserrod]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Ahhhh, I see. I misunderstood what you were suggesting in your previous post -- I thought you were saying that you didn't need any sort of "official" identification to fly within Schengen boundaries. 

 

But as a follow-up question, if an EU citizen had their passport were stolen and had not yet obtained a replacement or temporary one, would any other ID be sufficient to fly within this area, e.g., from Rome to Nice, and THEN get the replacement?  And would it be the same for an US citizen, given that we do not have another officially-accepted form of national ID?

 

OK, I see it from this point of view

 

In an airport you may have two kind of passport controls

- police control

- airplane company control

 

Police control is a custom control... but as said, there's no control in an inner-Schengen flight

airplane control is done because several reasons. Main one is to avoid problems returning people (if you flight without valid documentation, you are returned on THEIR costs). This one doesn't apply because there's no control on destination (in other words, in a Rome-Venice you will find same controls than in a Rome-Nice). So, next issue are just company policies. They usually ask for ID to know you are who boarding card says. But for these purposes, any official ID is accepted.

 

So... what should it had happened if you had bought a ticket to Nice?

 

Option 1. You are accepted in the plane. You travel and you do your check-in for the cruise in France. You save an extra hotel room.

 

Option 2. You are refused to get into the plane. You have to pay that hotel room plus another ticket to Spain.

 

There's no option 3 about you are accepted in the plane but refused in France by police 'cos.... there's no control on arrival!!!

 

If I had to bet I would have tried it.

 

There's one clear thing... one company accepted your new passport to travel from Italy to France.

I am sure another company would have accepted it to go to France

 

But as said, worst option would have been being refused before boarding

 

 

 

[Silent Penguin]

On 1/23/2024 at 3:55 PM, alserrod said:

 

I have taken note of some things you say as practices so some questions have arisen.
For example, what do you carry that you say is always more expensive on the boat?

 

Hello! Thank you for your valuable contribution as a person from a different country from me.  In regards to your question,  every single thing in my carry-on bag is drastically more expensive to replace if I buy it on the ship as apposed to on land.  If I flew to just about anywhere in Europe, and the airline temporarily lost my luggage, I wouldn't be concerned about finding normally or even cheaply priced  over-the-counter medications like pain relievers, toiletries, clothing or a phone charger once I left the airport. On the other hand, if the cruise line temporarily lost my luggage, the only place I could shop would be the ship's stores which charge nearly 2x as much for the same items. Furthermore the variety of items available onboard is small and some things are not stocked at all. Certain clothing items most ladies would want are simply not available to buy onboard, and  regardless of gender, you can't buy cold medicine in the ship's store. Only the medical center has it, and it's shockingly costly. 

[nini]

@Silent Penguin

Thank you so much for your detailed post! I would not have found it if I hadn't decided to visit the Italy forum today. I think that this would be a very valuable education for all of the cruise line pages.

@Host Bonjour keeps a steady eye here and maybe has some thoughts regarding that possibility and the form it may take.