Surrendering passports?

[roaming_kiwi58]

Just now, Mr Luxury said:

That's what has happened for nearly every cruise that i have ever taken

Yes, agree for us too. Always surrendered passports on every cruise.

I was wondering why someone was targeting Canada as requiring passports required ashore. It certainly hasn't been the case this last couple of weeks!

[A Tucson Guy]

2 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

I didn't have any problem in Portofino on Saturday.

Out of, I think, six stops in Italy, I was only requested  by the police once to show the passport.

[ronrick1943]

I’ve never felt my Passport wasn’t safe when SS took them, we also carry a copy with us…just never has been a big deal.

[david63]

3 hours ago, A Tucson Guy said:

Out of, I think, six stops in Italy, I was only requested  by the police once to show the passport.

That is one of the areas of confusion - the country say that you should carry your passport but very rarely does anyone ask for it, but you can bet your last dollar that the one time that you don't have your passport with you that you wil be asked for it.

 

3 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

I’ve never felt my Passport wasn’t safe when SS took them

Would have to disagree on that - once my passport leaves my posession I always have an uneasy feeling that it will go astray as the more hands that it passes through then the more chances are that something will happen.

[pavementends]

8 hours ago, roaming_kiwi58 said:

I was wondering why someone was targeting Canada as requiring passports required ashore. It certainly hasn't been the case this last couple of weeks!

 

At one of the stops in Alaska I took a tour that went a few miles into Canada. They were careful to tell us to get our passports and take them with us.

 

This was a bus tour on a very lightly traveled road up into the mountains. No, there were no Canadian Mounties checking passports. But I was ready.

[Texas Tillie]

3 hours ago, pavementends said:

 

At one of the stops in Alaska I took a tour that went a few miles into Canada. They were careful to tell us to get our passports and take them with us.

 

This was a bus tour on a very lightly traveled road up into the mountains. No, there were no Canadian Mounties checking passports. But I was ready.

 

When I've taken the ride on the White Pass Railroad out of Skagway they did check passports at the stop in British Columbia.

[rpfarris]

I had my passport stolen in Malaga, Spain.  The ship (Shadow) was leaving that night for Morocco, so the captain kicked me off the ship as I was about to become an illegal alien as we changed International location.  I had to catch a train to Madrid (closest American Embassy) and get a replacement passport and then catch another train to pick the ship back up in Valencia a few days later.

I'd never been to Madrid, so that was a thing.  The finance officer on the Shadow was the "troubleshooter" for the ship, and he maintained contact with me throughout my "land trip."  He made reservations at a hotel near the American embassy and made sure that I could check in without a passport. !!  It took me less than 4 hours to get the replacement passport, so one night in Madrid and the next morning I got my new passport and headed for Valencia.

 

It was kind of a pain to deal with losing a passport, but it wasn't the end of the world.  It took (except for travel time) less than a day to replace my passport.  The time in the embassy was quick and simple.

[gnome12]

3 minutes ago, rpfarris said:

I had my passport stolen in Malaga, Spain.  The ship (Shadow) was leaving that night for Morocco, so the captain kicked me off the ship as I was about to become an illegal alien as we changed International location.  I had to catch a train to Madrid (closest American Embassy) and get a replacement passport and then catch another train to pick the ship back up in Valencia a few days later.

I'd never been to Madrid, so that was a thing.  The finance officer on the Shadow was the "troubleshooter" for the ship, and he maintained contact with me throughout my "land trip."  He made reservations at a hotel near the American embassy and made sure that I could check in without a passport. !!  It took me less than 4 hours to get the replacement passport, so one night in Madrid and the next morning I got my new passport and headed for Valencia.

 

It was kind of a pain to deal with losing a passport, but it wasn't the end of the world.  It took (except for travel time) less than a day to replace my passport.  The time in the embassy was quick and simple.

My experience with losing a Canadian Passport in London was also not too bad, although I lost the passport on a Friday and I was flying home on the Sunday. It very much helps to have the details of your passport when you report it stolen.

[rpfarris]

8 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

It very much helps to have the details of your passport when you report it stolen.

Yeah, I think one of the tricks was that I went to the "tourist" police station in Malaga and got a police report so that I could show people along the way that my passport was stolen and that I'd reported it.  And that I was on my way to the embassy.

[commodoredave]

On 9/5/2023 at 11:02 AM, david63 said:

There are various items available to minimise loosing your passport. I have, out of necessity, carried my passport around on my person for over five weeks when touring and not had any problems - then again I do my utmost to avoid areas where there is a possibility of being mugged.

At the end of the day if it is a country's rules that you carry your passport then that is what you have to do,

One needs to decide which risk is worth taking -- carrying a passport ashore and having it stolen, or going ashore with just a copy in the hopes if stopped by police they may be forgiving. I have also chosen the latter and have never had an issue. But it's a decision each person needs to make for themselves with full knowledge of the consequences of one's choice.

[jpalbny]

12 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

One needs to decide which risk is worth taking... But it's a decision each person needs to make for themselves with full knowledge of the consequences of one's choice.

 

Agree!

 

But you've left out the most critical part.

 

After making your decision, you must go on the internet and argue with strangers to prove that your decision is the only right one! 😉 

[A Tucson Guy]

Based on this thread, I just bought the over the neck passport holder that I can wear under my shirt, which I have never done before. Hopefully, that will avoid pickpockets but not necessarily a mugging!!

[david63]

One valid reason for carrying your passport when ashore is that if there was some incident that prevented you getting back on the ship and you were stranded in a foreign country.

 

I have known of incidents where through no fault of their own passengers have been delayed getting back to the ship and the ship has sailed resulting in the passengers having to get to the next port which if it happens to be in another country necessitates having a passport.

 

Also if you were to be involved in an accident and were taken to hospital there may be a requirement to repatriate you.

 

I know that these scenarios are few and far between then so is being mugged.

[Daveywavey70]

52 minutes ago, david63 said:

One valid reason for carrying your passport when ashore is that if there was some incident that prevented you getting back on the ship and you were stranded in a foreign country.

 

I have known of incidents where through no fault of their own passengers have been delayed getting back to the ship and the ship has sailed resulting in the passengers having to get to the next port which if it happens to be in another country necessitates having a passport.

 

Also if you were to be involved in an accident and were taken to hospital there may be a requirement to repatriate you.

 

I know that these scenarios are few and far between then so is being mugged.

I Thought in situations like that the passports were left with the Port Agent? 

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

I Thought in situations like that the passports were left with the Port Agent? 

 

They are. The ship's agents have far more experience dealing with passports than we do.

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said:

I Thought in situations like that the passports were left with the Port Agent? 

Always

[highplanesdrifters]

On a recent trip to Australia, Cairns was our first stop. We were required to have our passports to exit the ship.  I requested that someone from Silversea be there to take our passports back to the ship for safekeeping after we exited Cairns makeshift immigration. Silversea obliged.