patinho

OP, why don’t you just put in a quick trip to LAX and get the luggage? Flights ARN-LAX-ARN can be had starting from $400... Granted, it’ll take quite some time but you’ll have it in hand eventually.

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Well, as a someone with intimate knowledge of ship’s clearance procedures, having been to Kotor numerous times and being on quite friendly terms with numerous port agents in the Med, I can say that no, Princess as a company could not have done more. The crew of that particular ship though, especially the Administration Officer under whose responsibility these cases should come, could have done more. But I’m not sure how buried under work that position is these days, he might have had too much on his plate to be able to deal with this efficiently.

Also, if this couple only reported their case shortly before sailing the crew would have quickly run out of options. What kind of amuses me though is the complaint that the ship wouldn’t wait. Royal carries thousands of people who all managed to come back with their valuables and on time. Sorry to say, but their issue, as inconvenient and stressful it is on a personal level, isn’t worth delaying the other 4 - 5000 people.

Additionally, Montenegro doesn’t require you to carry your passport when going ashore. Admittedly that’s not always 100% clear to pax and asking guest services might yield conflicting information. Nevertheless a quick internet search or inquiry in Kotor’s really nice cruise terminal would have cleared that up.

I don’t know the itinerary the ship was on but it looks like an Athens to Athens round trip; so likely they stopped at Corfu on the way back, or any other Greek port, it doesn’t matter. What does matter here is that the Greeks stamp every single non EU passport back into Schengen if the ship arrives from outside the Schengen area and, as someone already pointed out, Montenegro is not part of it. The ship would have brought a non EU citizen without proper ID; none of the Mediterranean border forces are a big fan of that.

However, a simple phone call to the next port agent, explaining the situation and asking if the ship could bring them if they do nothing else than going straight to the consulate or embassy could have worked under certain circumstances. Especially the Greek agents are well connected with their respective Immigration Officers and can make things happen.

I also know for a fact that it is possible to go to Podgorica, obtain an emergency passport and return to the ship but obviously time is of the essence here; if it was already late in the day that wouldn’t have been an option.

I take an issue though with the statement that the agent was some 20 year old kid; he / she surely wasn’t working a ship that size alone and he / she would have had an entire office in the background to work for him / her and help the couple. The port agency I know there is super efficient and friendly. Obviously the couple has to work with them though. Passports just don’t magically appear (although they sometimes magically disappear...)

Long story short: when going ashore make sure you find out what you need to bring in terms of ID. If it isn’t clear, ask for the Administration Officer, Clearance Officer or the like (they go by different titles on different lines) but each ship has one and that person will know the right answer. Whenever possible do not carry your original passport. Many people don’t seem to grasp how valuable and important this document is.

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