Passport Stamps?

HI everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has ever received stamps in their passports for the countries we visit on a cruise?

My husband asks every year why we don't get stamps and I dont have an answer. This year's cruise is a complete surprise for his 30th bday and I'd love to finally get him some stamps (or at least an explanation!)

I don't mind going out of my way for this either!

Thanks!

Melissa

We have never gotten one during a cruise, but then you do use you passport on most of the islands. We have only used ours one for any islands during our cruises. That was for St. Thomas, because we had gone to Nassau after leaving Miami. From what our TA told us the other day most countries don't stamp them anymore.

I don't request stamps myself. In the past I have had to have pages sewn into my passport, which just makes it more difficult to carry, so for me less is better.

However, I think I can answer the intent of your question. There are two ways to go about getting stamps. You can ask the purser if you can leave your passport with the purser's desk specifically to get immigration stamps. On some ships they will do this as a courtesy.

Alternatively, you will need to seek out customs or immigration offices (in Caribbean nations frequently just sheds) inside the port. This is just a matter of asking around. If you can find one, they are likely to be cooperative about stamping your passport.

Good luck.

Bill

HI everyone,

 

I was wondering if anyone has ever received stamps in their passports for the countries we visit on a cruise?

 

My husband asks every year why we don't get stamps and I dont have an answer. This year's cruise is a complete surprise for his 30th bday and I'd love to finally get him some stamps (or at least an explanation!)

 

I don't mind going out of my way for this either!

 

Thanks!

Melissa

I got 4 last year when I went on the legend most of them are right there when you get off the ship just ask one of the port guards for directions!! You can also find were they are if you go to the port of calls board!! I have a victory cruise coming up and I plan to get as many more as possible!!

We've done stamps twice.

We make photocopies of our passports and bring the photocopies off the boat with us.

On the day we embark, we bring our passports to the pursar and ask them to stamp them for us at each port. We pick them up on the last sea day with a nice and free souvenir of the trip.

I've found the easiest way is to take your passports to the purser's desk before the ship makes it's first stop and ask them to have your passport stamped in the ports the ship will be calling on. Then, after the last port, you stop by the purser's desk and pick up your passport. This almost always works and I have gotten many stamps this way with very little effort.

My wife had always wondered about this b/c she was disappointed when she didn't get any stamps on our first cruise. But, then again we didn't know about CC when we went(hard to believe, huh?). Now we can get our passports stamped and have a cool little free souvenior(sp)!

Thanks for the info

We've done stamps twice.

 

We make photocopies of our passports and bring the photocopies off the boat with us.

 

On the day we embark, we bring our passports to the pursar and ask them to stamp them for us at each port. We pick them up on the last sea day with a nice and free souvenir of the trip.

First, I am glad I searched before posting my question...and second I am glad to read this, because I am not comfortable taking my passport off the ship and keeping it with me all day, usually just keep a copy with me, but I did want to get stamps...I can just imagine someone seeing me "seeking" out and asking about where to get my passport stamped then KNOWING I had it with me...I do hope the pursar on my cruise will be able to get the stamps. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Take NOT getting stamps as a blessing. If they stamped a visa on every port and you take 3 or 4 cruises you could easily fill up your visa pages. Then YOU have PAY FOR ADDITIONAL pages.

We got stamped on our med cruise (Turkey I think actually stamps each passport) but most of the time we did not get stamped.

Take NOT getting stamps as a blessing. If they stamped a visa on every port and you take 3 or 4 cruises you could easily fill up your visa pages. Then YOU have PAY FOR ADDITIONAL pages.

 

We got stamped on our med cruise (Turkey I think actually stamps each passport) but most of the time we did not get stamped.

It will be BF's first time out of the country with his new passport so I think just for the sake of breaking it in....but I can see not doing it for every cruise.

We just get ours stamped ourselves at each port when we disembark.

(still need to get one in Cozumel though)

We tried to ask the Purser's desk on our Freedom and Inspiration cruises and were told they did not do that anymore.

All were located within a few yards of the pier or tender dock.

Bill

Many people don't take their passports with them to get stamps. There is a little table that I saw where you could get them if you want them. HOWEVER...these days I'd probably blow that off because if you run out of room and you're someplace that NEEDS to stamp your passport....You'd have to BUY extra pages for your passport books now (it used to be free). It ridiculous.

I too am going to take and have mine stamped, I paid a lot of money for that book and I want the stamps to be in there, after all that's what they are for.

Getting our passports stamped has become an activity we look forward to on every cruise. Sometimes it is a mini-adventure in and of itself. Just ask any local official at the pier and most places are within walking distance. Grand Cayman, Bermuda, St. Maarten and Nassau we're easy ones. Cozumel was like a scavenger hunt, but we eventually got it. Grand Cayman has the best stamp in my opinion. Great souveniers and they don't cost a thing!

My parents used to live in Europe while my father was in the Navy and they traveled extensively but because of a military sticker (not sure what type) they usually were just waved through. It's my mother's one regret from her travels. She's been all over Europe without a single stamp to show for it.

If you've got a passport stamp it. You'll be able to look back on your travels and show the kids. :)

Where is the one in Cozumel?

Where is the one in Cozumel?

Yeah that is the only one I haven't gotten yet either. (always in too big of a hurry to get to Nachi Cocum. :D)

Bill

The most difficult one for me was Roatan. We ended up having to go to the airport and someone took them back there to get them stamped. Couldn't find anything at the port to do it, and we were on a Victor Bodden excursion and he took us to the airport.

One of our adventures for sure. Not sure I'd want to do it again though. :)

the reason is because you leave from the us, why i am not sure i was also told because it is the port even though we go thru customs

We actually got our passports stamped at a post office in the downtown shopping district. Didn't really look like much of a post office and the passport stamp wasn't that great.

the reason is because you leave from the us, why i am not sure i was also told because it is the port even though we go thru customs

Maybe i'm not drunk enuf yet, but this post really makes no sense to me. And I have tried for hours to figure it out.

We are going on the Glory in Dec. and I hope we can still leave our passports at the pursers desk. This is my sons first time out of the country and I am sure he, and I for that matter, would like to look back on our travels so I am going to get the stamps. :D

Maybe someone that is getting ready to go on the Glory can check this out for me?? :cool:

If you leave it on the ship do they remind you they have it? Being a first cruise I would more then likely forget the thing especially if it is not needed to a degree.

Also does anyone/can anyone scan a stamp from Grand Turk or Freeport... or can you get "stamps" there?

My only stamp from all of my cruises is the one I got in Guatemala. They stamp it just after you leave the ship and enter into the area where they have all the shopping. I will leave mine with the pursers desk on my next cruise since we hit 7 islands in 7 days.

I've always wondered why they've never stamped my passport during a cruise, but every time I've traveled by air I've gotten stamped, both in the foreign country and also when I come back to the US. It must be an air vs. land/sea travel thing, because I've never gotten a stamp when I've driven up to Canada either.

I'll be on the Liberty on 8/21 and I'm wondering if it's even worth trying to get stamps since two of the ports (San Juan & St. Thomas) are US stops. Has anyone gotten stamps on this itinerary? (HMC, St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk).