Should we carry our passports with us when we're in ports?

I have personally seen it happen.

You were there? You missed the ship too? Because that's the only way I can see you seeing this personally

In the Caribbean we just leave it in the safe and hope we don't need it. We tend to do water excursions or go snorkeling and don't want to have to worry where to store it. Now on a recent cruise out of Spain did take them with us as they said it was the law that you have official government ID if asked for it. We also wasn't doing anything in the water or I'm not sure what we would have done.

We did talk to a ships officers in April on the Jewell and he said not to take passports off as too many get them stolen! He also said they would get passports out of the safe and leave with port agency. Not sure if they would really do that or not as I thankfully haven't had that happen!

You were there? You missed the ship too? Because that's the only way I can see you seeing this personally

I like to hang over the rail and watch for latecomers. On Navigator two years I ago I was doing this on the promenade deck,and the gangway was one deck below me. I could clearly hear the ships' officers discussing two passengers who were not back on board, (the same names and cabin number that had been announced several times) and giving the order to go look for their passports.

A little while later, a crew member appeared with two passports, which were given to the port agent. At the last possible second, the two missing people turned up. The agent gave their passports back to them, and they ran up the gangway.

So that is how I saw this personally. I can't speak for anyone else, but what I saw and heard was very clear.

You were there? You missed the ship too? Because that's the only way I can see you seeing this personally

If you must know it was directly below our balcony and I watched thru my 1,000.00 binoculars (that will spot a .22 hole in a target at 100 yards) a ships officer hand two passports to someone from the port. It's a fact.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Not long after that the ship left the dock and saw two people running for the ship. They missed it.

Leave original passport in safe and take copy of the page with your pix off ship. Take a pix with your camera. Good to go.

Have a great cruise.

We did talk to a ships officers in April on the Jewell and he said not to take passports off as too many get them stolen! He also said they would get passports out of the safe and leave with port agency. Not sure if they would really do that or not as I thankfully haven't had that happen!

We have also been told by the head of security on both Princess and HAL ships the same.

Bottom Line: They can not tell pax not to take their passports with them in ports but so wish they would not.

LuLu

...You did not specify where you are traveling but we did not have to relinquish ours or present it at all last year except when landing in Paris since Croatia is now part of the EU...

If I understand correctly, you flew into Paris from the US and were duly admitted to Schengen there. If you then went on a cruise that started and ended in Schengen, Croatia may (I'm not positive, but I think this is what happened) treat you as an in-transit cruise passenger and not stamp you in and out.

Even though Croatia is in the EU, if you go to Croatia other than in-transist from Schengen, it is necessary to obtain a Schengen exit stamp and then a Schengen entrance stamp if you return to Schengen. Note that if you do not have a valid entrance stamp into Schengen, by law you are there illegally. Some Schengen emigration exit officers (particularly true in Germany) will get quite upset if you can not prove legal entry, and you can be subject to a substantial fine. Similarly if you do not get your Schengen entry officially closed by an exit stamp, you can be considered to have overstayed, and could again get fine the next time you attempt to go there. Some southern Schengen immigration officers (especially Italy and Spain) are pretty lackadaisical about stamping people's passports - it is YOUR responsibility to make sure that your passport is in order.

Thom

Never heard of a single instance that this has happened. Comes time for the ship to leave, I have a hard time believing that someone rummages through your safe to see if there is a passport in there.

Look here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2118638

The guy did not have a passport, but they did open his safe to check, so it does happen.

That all sounds a bit complicated, not quite sure. Our cruise started and ended in Barcelona. Our group was a total of 10 plus coming and going through different entry locations, all orginating in the US. Maybe i was not clear just stating the facts from our experience

According to the Dept of State page- http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/emergencies/lost-or-stolen-passports-abroad.html

 

It IS a good idea to have a photocopy of the passport.

 

 

The photocopy can be used as evidence of US citizenship. So the port required ID + the seapass card + the copy looks to be enough to get a replacement in case of emergency.

And as the person you were replying to stated, a photocopy may make it easier to get a replacement passport, but the copy is not an official document. You can't fly home with a photocopy of your passport.

Leave it in your in-room safe.

 

Your chances of being delayed on the island are very slight...

However your chances of being pickpocked are pretty good..... You have little control over whether someone picks you as the target of his next crime.

You are making a lot of assumptions which are really just your opinion. There are lots of reasons one could be delayed.... illness, injury, traffic jam, cab gets in an accident, etc. As for being pick-pocketed, I've been on 20+ cruises and a zillion other trips to foreign countries and large cities in the US and have yet to be pick pocketed. Not saying it couldn't happen, but you make it sound like you're almost certain to get pick pocketed, yet there's no risk of missing the ship. Neither are true.

Never heard of a single instance that this has happened. Comes time for the ship to leave, I have a hard time believing that someone rummages through your safe to see if there is a passport in there.

There are numerous anecdotal reports of this happening. That said, there are also reports of times when it didn't happen, so personally I would never assume my passport would end up with the port agent if I missed the ship.

Leave original passport in safe and take copy of the page with your pix off ship. Take a pix with your camera. Good to go.

Good to go? For what? Ease in getting a replacement? Sure. Ease in catching a flight home? Not so much.

Here's the bottom line: There seems to be 2 schools of thought on this topic, and neither side ever seems to convince the other side, so you have to consider the facts, as well as your own comfort level, and do what's you think is best for you.

One school of thought is to always leave your passport onboard. This group is convinced that:

--the risk of missing the ship is so slight as to not worry about having a passport with them to use to board a flight to catch up to the ship.

--if they DO miss the ship, the ship security officers will absolutely get the passport from the safe in their room and give it to the port agent.

--if they take their passport ashore, it will probably be lost or stolen

The other school of thought is to always take your passport ashore with you. This group is convinced that:

--things beyond their control could cause them to miss the ship, and they want to be able to go straight to the airport without worrying about the time and effort involved in getting a replacement passport

--if they miss the ship, there is no guarantee that the ship security officers will get the passport from the safe in their room and give it to the port agent

--if they take their passport ashore, they can keep up with it and not lose it or have it stolen

--if it is lost/stolen, they can back on the ship and will worry about getting a replacement when they get home after the cruise

Personally, I'm in the latter group. I trust myself not to lose my passport and not to let it get stolen. If it still manages to get lost or stolen despite my efforts, I figure it's no big deal. I'll worry about it when I get home. Meanwhile, I've seen and/or experienced assorted close calls with getting back to the ship, and so I don't discount the very possible fact that I could miss the ship due to forces beyond my control. If that happens, the last thing I want to worry about is "OMG, how will I get my passport? Will the port agent have it? If they don't, where is the embassy and how will I get there and will they be open right now?" No. I want to be able to simply hail a cab to the airport and book a flight without giving it a second thought.

YMMV

Here's the bottom line: There seems to be 2 schools of thought on this topic, and neither side ever seems to convince the other side, so you have to consider the facts, as well as your own comfort level, and do what's you think is best for you.

 

One school of thought is to always leave your passport onboard. This group is convinced that:

--the risk of missing the ship is so slight as to not worry about having a passport with them to use to board a flight to catch up to the ship.

--if they DO miss the ship, the ship security officers will absolutely get the passport from the safe in their room and give it to the port agent.

--if they take their passport ashore, it will probably be lost or stolen

 

The other school of thought is to always take your passport ashore with you. This group is convinced that:

--things beyond their control could cause them to miss the ship, and they want to be able to go straight to the airport without worrying about the time and effort involved in getting a replacement passport

--if they miss the ship, there is no guarantee that the ship security officers will get the passport from the safe in their room and give it to the port agent

--if they take their passport ashore, they can keep up with it and not lose it or have it stolen

--if it is lost/stolen, they can back on the ship and will worry about getting a replacement when they get home after the cruise

 

Personally, I'm in the latter group. I trust myself not to lose my passport and not to let it get stolen. If it still manages to get lost or stolen despite my efforts, I figure it's no big deal. I'll worry about it when I get home. Meanwhile, I've seen and/or experienced assorted close calls with getting back to the ship, and so I don't discount the very possible fact that I could miss the ship due to forces beyond my control. If that happens, the last thing I want to worry about is "OMG, how will I get my passport? Will the port agent have it? If they don't, where is the embassy and how will I get there and will they be open right now?" No. I want to be able to simply hail a cab to the airport and book a flight without giving it a second thought.

YMMV

Personally, I'm in the former group. I have known several people who have had their bags (purses) stolen with their passports, and, knowing how anal I am about getting back to the ship on time, I think odds are that losing the passport is more likely.

Both "groups " have to do what they are comfortable with, there is no right or wrong way.

Sherri:)

We have a copy on our I-Phones. Would think that would be of more use to us in our US debarkation port than in a foreign port. Thinking worst case in either scenario, would rather be without it in Galveston than Falmouth.

Never heard of a single instance that this has happened. Comes time for the ship to leave, I have a hard time believing that someone rummages through your safe to see if there is a passport in there.

Some cruise lines that require all passengers on all itineraries to carry a passport also require that you surrender them to the ship's purser at embarkation. - his/her safe is the best place for them. Though there may be occasional exceptions, when required for entry at a port, purser already has them and no one has to be woken up. If they are needed for govt. review ashore, purser will provide them to you. If you miss the ship, she/he already has it for transfer to the local agent. Carry a picture of your passport and some other ID.

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Keep it with you when you get off and leave a copy in the safe. You did not specify where you are traveling but we did not have to relinquish ours or present it at all last year except when landing in Paris since Croatia is now part of the EU. A bit off subject and lesson learned from a small scare . Make sure that you travel and carry at least one different credit card than your spouse / traveling companion. While in Florence we thought for a short time that my husbands wallet had been pick pocketed. We normally only use one CC but he had an extra one in his wallet that I did not have with me. If we had to have cancelled it, it would have made the remainder of our day and the next (overnight in Rome) allot more difficult.

Good information! I don't think I would have thought of this. We will certainly do this when next we travel. Glad your husband found his wallet.

Personally, I'm in the former group. I have known several people who have had their bags (purses) stolen with their passports, and, knowing how anal I am about getting back to the ship on time, I think odds are that losing the passport is more likely.

 

Both "groups " have to do what they are comfortable with, there is no right or wrong way.

Yes, I think that's what I said. ;)

Again though, if your passport is stolen you can always replace it when you get home so it's not the end of the world. And it doesn't really matter how anal you are about getting back to the ship on time; things can happen that are beyond your control. If you're comfortable believing that's not true, leave your passport on the ship. :)

That all sounds a bit complicated, not quite sure. Our cruise started and ended in Barcelona. Our group was a total of 10 plus coming and going through different entry locations, all orginating in the US. Maybe i was not clear just stating the facts from our experience

For a different scenario, it is my experience that Turkey (neither EU nor Schengen, but is in the EU Customs Union - like I said complicated) requires visas for land stays, but not for port visits by cruise passengers, HOWEVER Turkey is not treating you as in-transit, and does require your passport to be presented and stamped. This means that you should have had a Schengen exit stamp before Turkey, and then should get a Schengen entry stamp upon re-entering Schengen. In this case usually passports are held by the ship, and they obtain the stamps; many passengers are upset at the ship holding their passports, but the other option is to deal with immigration officers three different times, some of which will be at 5am.

It gets more than a little complicated:eek:

Thom

Yes, I think that's what I said. ;)

 

Again though, if your passport is stolen you can always replace it when you get home so it's not the end of the world. And it doesn't really matter how anal you are about getting back to the ship on time; things can happen that are beyond your control. If you're comfortable believing that's not true, leave your passport on the ship. :)

You do realize that "when you get home" will be significantly delayed and quite costly if you're flying internationally and have had your passport lost or stolen.

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I wouldn't recommend taking your passport ashore with you. If you lose it you're in trouble. You're much better off making a xerox copy of it and taking that around with you. We've done this before and it works great and easier to keep in your wallet or purse.

 

Jonathan

Agreed, lose it and you're screwed!:D

I'd love to see the percentage of how many people have had their IDs (passport or other) lost/stolen vs. how many have missed/nearly missed the ship, for whatever reason.

I'm willing to bet the second scenario happens more frequently.

I'd love to see the percentage of how many people have had their IDs (passport or other) lost/stolen vs. how many have missed/nearly missed the ship, for whatever reason.

 

I'm willing to bet the second scenario happens more frequently.

Agree but all you'll likely ever get is anecdotal information like what you read here on this board - no reliable statistics. ;)

I'd love to see the percentage of how many people have had their IDs (passport or other) lost/stolen vs. how many have missed/nearly missed the ship, for whatever reason.

I'm willing to bet the second scenario happens more frequently.

HOWEVER, unlike some people, I am off the ship early, never over indulge ashore (note, I said ashore:rolleyes:), know that there can be a difference between ship time and local time and have ALWAYS been back to the ship with at least an hour to spare. For people like me, I think theft is much more likely.

Thom

I personally would leave my passport on the ship. I would be scared to lose it , espically at some of the excursion places we go to. I remember seeing a guy take his passport up the dun river falls and his passport was soaked, I wnder how he ever got home with it in that condition

Typically I do not bring my passport with me off the ship. The one exception was on our Alaska cruise last year, we did the Chilkoot Pass excursion where you drive into Canada to board the train, and we were specifically told when booking it that we would need our passports to go over the border.