Keeping passports

Hi Bonnie,

We are due to go on the 19th January cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore and wondered if we would be able to keep our passports. On a number of cruises, Azamara has kept passports until the end of the cruise. I have been arranging private tours and particularly in Vietnam they ask us to bring original Passports not photocopies.

Would you clarify if we are able to keep our passports with us please.

Gillian

Related question: in Australia, one apparently requires passport + visa (the ETA form) in order to purchase an in-country SIM card for cellphones. If Azamara does collect and retain passports at embarkation (on Singapore to Sydney cruise), can they be retrieved when going ashore at the first Australia port stop?

I'll be sure to have a copy of passport + ETA, but I don't know how picky the SIM vendors are about verifying personal ID.

Related question: in Australia, one apparently requires passport + visa (the ETA form) in order to purchase an in-country SIM card for cellphones. If Azamara does collect and retain passports at embarkation (on Singapore to Sydney cruise), can they be retrieved when going ashore at the first Australia port stop?

 

I'll be sure to have a copy of passport + ETA, but I don't know how picky the SIM vendors are about verifying personal ID.

The ETA visa is usually an electronic document tied to your passport number.

Hi Bonnie,

 

We are due to go on the 19th January cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore and wondered if we would be able to keep our passports. On a number of cruises, Azamara has kept passports until the end of the cruise. I have been arranging private tours and particularly in Vietnam they ask us to bring original Passports not photocopies.

Would you clarify if we are able to keep our passports with us please.

 

Gillian

The keeping v.v. not keeping of the Guests' passports is decided on-board the ships.

But I'm sure if they do keep your passport, and if you need it for a private shore tour, the Pursers Office will check it back to you once the ship has cleared customs for that particular port.

The keeping v.v. not keeping of the Guests' passports is decided on-board the ships.

But I'm sure if they do keep your passport, and if you need it for a private shore tour, the Pursers Office will check it back to you once the ship has cleared customs for that particular port.

We were on the Quest TA and were told to take our Passports ashore with us at EVERY port, but we were never asked to produce them, cruise cards were all that was needed to get back on to the ship.

I just wonder why it is necessary to take passports ashore with us!

We were on the Quest TA and were told to take our Passports ashore with us at EVERY port, but we were never asked to produce them, cruise cards were all that was needed to get back on to the ship.

I just wonder why it is necessary to take passports ashore with us!

One good reason might be that if you miss the ship, you can still travel internationally with the original Passport in hand. They don't accept photocopies.

In our experience, passports have only been taken off us at those ports where either they need to be inspected by immigration before clearance for the ship is given, or where Azamara are obtaining local visa's. sometimes we have had photocopies with special landing cards given to us, other times we are told to take photo I D on shore, which invariably means a passport for U.K. Citizens as we don't have a national ID system, (although we do have photo driving licences, not everyone has one).

We always carry either our passports, or a colour photocopy when going ashore.