Urgent help - parents passport stolen in Athens

[Cruise till you drop]

36 minutes ago, 1Virgo said:

in Canada it is illegal to have any government document photocopied in colour.    

There is also a rule where you can’t remove the tags from a mattress.  Who are they to tell me what I can and can’t do 😂 

 

But seriously, I am certain it’s not illegal to copy or scan a passport and in fact, is what you should do.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[cruisemom42]

35 minutes ago, AlaskaNewbie68 said:

I thought this too. Not being a thief, I guess I can't imagine what someone can do with another person's passport???

 

 

Really????

 

It's been reported for years how valuable stolen passports are on the black market. They can be altered, despite efforts to make that more difficult.

 

Think of terrorists, illegal immigration, human trafficking, smuggling...

 

[1Virgo]

9 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

There is also a rule where you can’t remove the tags from a mattress.  Who are they to tell me what I can and can’t do 😂 

 

But seriously, I am certain it’s not illegal to copy or scan a passport and in fact, is what you should do.

I never said you couldn’t.  You can make a photocopy.    What t I said was we were told not in colour.    
 

[Georgia_Peaches]

41 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

Is it possible they just didn't get them back from the hotel when they were checking in?  I have to agree with the others that it does seem odd that they would have been stolen.  I am sure they are very distraught and maybe they could ask someone to help them search their room again?  Also could they have been accidentally picked up with housekeeping?  Hopefully they have asked the hotel management if anything was found.

If they were stolen (and not misplaced) then what does that say for the staff at the hotel?  Because it would have to be someone with a key to access the room, right?  Such a shame.  I sincerely pray the OP's parents get this sorted out.  

[jsn55]

I pray they've found the passports by now.  If nothing else was stolen out of the room, it's surely possible the PPs are there somewhere.  One gets so distracted travelling, you do things that make complete sense at the time but no sense later.  As for using a hotel safe, it's perhaps a minor deterrent, but they're not very secure.  I read about a hotel room safe in a cabinet, and the thieves made off with the whole cabinet. 

 

I'm quite confident with valuables in an inside zipped front pocket of my travel vest.  I'm also super aware everywhere, ready to scream STOP at the slightest provocation.  

[Jim_Iain]

33 minutes ago, 1Virgo said:

I never said you couldn’t.  You can make a photocopy.    What t I said was we were told not in colour.    
 

Curious if taking a picture in color on an iPhone would also be a violation.   I recently applied for a Indonesia Visa and was required to upload a picture of my passport,  thus I took a picture on my iphone and uploaded.

 

In addition to a hard copy I have always kept a photo on my phone.

[hcat]

24 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

If they were stolen (and not misplaced) then what does that say for the staff at the hotel?  Because it would have to be someone with a key to access the room, right?  Such a shame.  I sincerely pray the OP's parents get this sorted out.  

very common,  they often go for money/ wallets .. esp at resorts! 

 

We keep stuff on our person under clothing  in secure packs..and for my money..the bank of bra!

[hcat]

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Really????

 

It's been reported for years how valuable stolen passports are on the black market. They can be altered, despite efforts to make that more difficult.

 

Think of terrorists, illegal immigration, human trafficking, smuggling...

 

you can get most anything on the web.. fake IDs, driving licenses, birth certifs,  etc..but a real passport would be of great value.

[jelayne]

28 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

If they were stolen (and not misplaced) then what does that say for the staff at the hotel?  Because it would have to be someone with a key to access the room, right?  Such a shame.  I sincerely pray the OP's parents get this sorted out.  

Thieves don’t need keys. 

[nijh]

1 hour ago, micruiser2002 said:

Is it possible they just didn't get them back from the hotel when they were checking in?

Used to be quite common for a hotel in Europe to hang on to a passport for 24 hours after checking in, shouldn’t be a requirement these days but definitely worth checking.

[micruiser2002]

3 minutes ago, nijh said:

Used to be quite common for a hotel in Europe to hang on to a passport for 24 hours after checking in, shouldn’t be a requirement these days but definitely worth checking.

I know most hotels outside of the US take a picture of every guests passport at check in.  I was just wondering if maybe they just forgot to get them back.  

[dock]

Sorry this happened to them. I’m sure it’s very stressful.

Did I miss which hotel this was at? 
 

[lostchild]

27 minutes ago, nijh said:

Used to be quite common for a hotel in Europe to hang on to a passport for 24 hours after checking in, shouldn’t be a requirement these days but definitely worth checking.

They don't do that anymore.  They did ask for it at check in but handed them back during check in process.   Maybe a smaller hotel would keep them longer but not sure.   

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

There is also a rule where you can’t remove the tags from a mattress.

Take another look at that tag and tell us what it really says.

[cruisestitch]

3 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

There is also a rule where you can’t remove the tags from a mattress.  Who are they to tell me what I can and can’t do 😂 

 

But seriously, I am certain it’s not illegal to copy or scan a passport and in fact, is what you should do.

Unless you are the seller of the mattress, the tag doesn’t apply to you, so don’t worry, “they” aren’t trying to tell you what to do.

 

and since you don’t live in Canada, you might not know what is illegal to do there.

[gold1953]

4 hours ago, 1Virgo said:

in Canada it is illegal to have any government document photocopied in colour.    

as a Canadian I just checked on this and found no evidence on government websites. Actually read to make a colour copy

[1Virgo]

2 hours ago, gold1953 said:

as a Canadian I just checked on this and found no evidence on government websites. Actually read to make a colour copy

interesting.   we were told at the passport office black and white (not that long ago).   well….things change. Good to know.  Thanks.   

[Mark_UK]

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. 

 

So they have abandoned the cruise and are collecting an emergency passport in the morning from the British Embassy and then flying home on Wednesday. They will therefore miss Apex when she sails tomorrow and have been advised they can ask for a "no show'" letter once the sailing is over. 

 

We are speaking to Celebrity about getting their booking transferred onto the same cruise in 2 weeks in the same category of cabin (ocean view) and identical itinerary, but Celebrity are trying to charge £4000 (~$5000) for that (the original fare was £2500), along with losing their promotional onboard credit. I've emailed the CEOs office to ask if they can help. 

 

The passports were in a pouch that they had been wearing all day whilst travelling with cash inside also, which is now missing so quite certain that they have been stolen and not misplaced. 

 

The hotel was the well reviewed P&T Athens Manor Houses, which is "outstanding" on Hotels.com but recent reviews on trustpilot mention stolen valuables and passports. The room next door to them had the same thing happen that evening. Seems like an inside job as there was no sign of forced entry.

 

Sigh. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Mark_UK

[Georgia_Peaches]

50 minutes ago, Mark_UK said:

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. 

 

So they have abandoned the cruise and are collecting an emergency passport in the morning from the British Embassy and then flying home on Wednesday. They will therefore miss Apex when she sails tomorrow and have been advised they can ask for a "no show'" letter once the sailing is over. 

 

We are speaking to Celebrity about getting their booking transferred onto the same cruise in 2 weeks in the same category of cabin (ocean view) and identical itinerary, but Celebrity are trying to charge £4000 (~$5000) for that (the original fare was £2500), along with losing their promotional onboard credit. I've emailed the CEOs office to ask if they can help. 

 

The passports were in a pouch that they had been wearing all day whilst travelling with cash inside also, which is now missing so quite certain that they have been stolen and not misplaced. 

 

The hotel was the well reviewed P&T Athens Manor Houses, which is "outstanding" on Hotels.com but recent reviews on trustpilot mention stolen valuables and passports. The room next door to them had the same thing happen that evening. Seems like an inside job as there was no sign of forced entry.

 

Sigh. 

Thank you for the update.  I'm so sorry to learn of this outcome and do hope they can reschedule.  It's unfortunate that the new fare is so much more.  Please keep us posted on what, if any concessions Celebrity are willing to make for this terrible situation. 

[Mark_UK]

I should also add they have copies of their passports on them which have proven to be of no use at all. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Mark_UK

[LouChamp]

Aloha. So sorry to hear of their plight and the frustration and disappointment that came along with it. Appreciate you taking time to keep us informed and please update if you can if they are able to take the next cruise and how things worked out. Wishing you all good health.

[Lastdance]

Hopefully, Celebrity will work with your parents on this frustrating situation; however, no matter the outcome they need to put this behind them and move forward.  Things could be so much worse, but they(parents) are fine and progress is being made.  Once they can board Apex, in a couple of weeks, the cruise will make up for what happened in the past and they can enjoy their trip of a lifetime!  The best of luck to them.  You are a wonderful and caring son!

Edited September 25, 2023 by Lastdance

[hcat]

Heartbreaking..hope X does the right thing!

[helen haywood]

Thank you for the update.  Didn’t want to “like” your post.  I’m so terribly sorry for your parents going through this difficult situation…and I know how upsetting it was not being there and trying your best to help.

[JFontaine]

Please let your parents know that people from all over were rooting for them to have a positive outcome. We look forward to hearing that they get on a ship someday soon. Best wishes to them from NY.