do we leave our passports on the ship?

[BIG_Steve]

Do you have personal knowledge of this? If so can you relate it please.

 

I simply find it very difficult to believe that ship personnel would enter a cabin, open a locked safe and remove some of its contents all without explicit permission or, quite frankly, reasonable cause (just because someone doesn't answer a page doesn't mean that they are not aboard).

 

And what would the ship do in the event that one of the cabin's passengers was aboard, but not in the cabin? Would the ship have to locate that person and get them to open the safe so that the passport could be removed?

 

The way they know that you have not returned is via your sign and sail card. You swiped when you left, the database knows you're off the ship. If you don't re-swipe it to get back on, the database still thinks you're not on the ship. 1970's technology.

[BIG_Steve]

From the numerous posts I've seen since I've been on CC, I do not believe that every cruise line will open your safe and leave the PP with the port agent.

 

Therefore, I would think if anyone is not sure if their line does that or not, they should check with the purser on their ship when they board.

 

 

 

 

This had been a public service announcement from the Big_Steve institute.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always leave our passports in the cabin's safe -- I do take a copy of them with me in my purse.

[SheriAZ]

I've been wondering about leaving or taking our passports. No one has mentioned keeping their passport in a money belt or one of those under the shirt type holders. Has anyone used either of these "security" items?

 

I thought I had it figured out. I have a passport card and a regular passport. I thought I could take the card and leave the other on the ship. I found out the card is only good if you aren't flying.

[BruceMuzz]

Do you have personal knowledge of this? If so can you relate it please.

 

I simply find it very difficult to believe that ship personnel would enter a cabin, open a locked safe and remove some of its contents all without explicit permission or, quite frankly, reasonable cause (just because someone doesn't answer a page doesn't mean that they are not aboard).

 

And what would the ship do in the event that one of the cabin's passengers was aboard, but not in the cabin? Would the ship have to locate that person and get them to open the safe so that the passport could be removed?

 

On my ship (a large mass market vessel) my staff starts the countdown of people off the ship (passengers and crew) about 3 hours before departure. They group them by stateroom, tour group, family group, and couples.

 

90 minutes before departure, we start looking seriously at any crew that are showing ashore in our computer. We telephone and visit their cabins, speak to cabin mates and supervisors about where they might be, and make PA announcements for them in crew areas

.

60 minutes before departure, if any crew are missing, we prepare the paperwork for the port agent, combine it with their passports, and stand by to hand it all over to the agent if the crew do not make it back to the ship.

 

45 minutes before departure, we are closely watching the gangway computer system that gives us real time results on who is onboard and who is ashore. We compare these names with the shore excursion lists to determine if the pax are still on tour or not. The shorex manager is in close contact with us from the gangway and updates when each tour returns.

 

30 minutes before departure we have deternined any family groups which may be ashore together, and any minors who appear to be ashore alone. My staff prints their photos from our booking computer, telephones their cabins as well as the cabins of relatives or friends traveling with them. We start making PA announcements for them in public areas of the ship. We check the point of sale computers to see where and when the last charge was made on their key cards. We contact the dining rooms and buffets to ask the staff there if these missing people might have been seen there.

We check the pax folios to determine if they have given us a mobile telephone number. If so, we try to telephone them to see where they are.

 

If the missing pax are discovered onboard, no further action is necessary.

 

20 minutes before departure we send security to the cabins of any missing pax to try to find their passports; the safe is opened by our security manager and the cabin is searched.

The passport is usually in the safe.

We bundle the passport with all relevant paperwork and have the port agent sign for all these items.

 

The port agent immediately goes ashore and starts contacting the police, hospitals, airlines, and hotels to see if the missing pax have made contact with any of them. The port agent also contacts local immigration officials to inform that the missing pax are about to be illegal aliens, and arranges to process the paperwork to keep them out of jail.

 

The port agent - or one of his staff - stay on the pier (with photos of the missing) after we have departed in case the missing pax return there first.

 

I have been doing this every week for about 20 years. It generally works very well.

[BIG_Steve]

Thanks for the informative post. Can I ask a couple of questions?

 

 

30 minutes before departure we have deternined any family groups which may be ashore together, and any minors who appear to be ashore alone. My staff prints their photos from our booking computer, telephones their cabins as well as the cabins of relatives or friends traveling with them. We start making PA announcements for them in public areas of the ship. We check the point of sale computers to see where and when the last charge was made on their key cards. We contact the dining rooms and buffets to ask the staff there if these missing people might have been seen there.

 

 

How often is a passenger actually found on the ship when the computer shows them in port?

 

Do you know if all lines do this? I ask because I've read accounts here where folks claim they missed the ship, and there were no PP waiting, and that the cruise line acted like leaving the PP was unheard of.

[BruceMuzz]

Thanks for the informative post. Can I ask a couple of questions?

 

 

 

How often is a passenger actually found on the ship when the computer shows them in port?

 

Do you know if all lines do this? I ask because I've read accounts here where folks claim they missed the ship, and there were no PP waiting, and that the cruise line acted like leaving the PP was unheard of.

 

Excellent questions.

More than 50% of the time, the passenger that the computer told us was ashore was actually onboard. The card readers at the gangway are notoriously unreliable.

 

Not all lines do this - but the number is increasing. More and more ports will not allow the ship to depart until all passengers and passports are accounted for.

[BIG_Steve]

Excellent questions.

More than 50% of the time, the passenger that the computer told us was ashore was actually onboard. The card readers at the gangway are notoriously unreliable.

 

I never would have guessed that. I figured if the card reads, the data goes into the computer, and done deal. And if it won't read, I assume the attendant must have a procedure to follow to manually re-embark the cruiser.

[broberts]

BruceMuzz thank you so much for the information.

[BruceMuzz]

I never would have guessed that. I figured if the card reads, the data goes into the computer, and done deal. And if it won't read, I assume the attendant must have a procedure to follow to manually re-embark the cruiser.

 

That would be the logical assumption.

 

The reality is that the cruise lines are making every attempt to cut corners and keep your cruise fare as low as possible. An effective place to do that is with magnetic key cards. A cruise line purchase millions of them evey year. Saving a few pennies on each card - by purchasing the "not so good" ones - translates to enormous cost savings for the company.

 

Unfortunately these not so good ones are easily de-magnetized, resulting in many trips to the front desk to get them replaced. But even though these demagnetized cards will not open your cabin door, they will still allow you to go through the gangway computer without registering your movement.

This happens far more often than the cruise lines will admit.

 

Just before the ship departs a port, you usually hear any number of public announcements, requesting that passengers telephone the front desk. Most of these people are onboard, but the computer shows them ashore.

In a sense it's just like the TSA in America;

--many uniformed officials very busy

--everybody waiting in line

--many expensive machines with flashing lights and bells

--but no real security

 

It's just smoke and mirrors to decieve and relieve a spooked public.

[Gablin]

"...keeping their passport in a money belt or one of those under the shirt type holders. Has anyone used either of these "security" items?"

 

As I mentioned above, I wear a nylon security wallet around my waist, next to my skin. It is reasonably comfortable and holds rather a large amount of money, passport, tickets, credit cards, etc.

 

I reiterate: If anyone would be able to get into my security wallet, way worse things have happened to get to that point. I've travelled Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, numerous cruises, many US cities, Turkey, China, Norway, etc., and no one has gotten into my security wallet. I've also had a $50 bill lifted from my tiny over-the-shoulder handbag in Charlotte Amalie and found small children searching my skirt pockets in Odessa.

 

I usually wear a hat ashore that has a pocket inside. Usually, not always, I have $20 to $50 worth of local currency in my hat. That's indicative of my obsession with being prepared.

 

While ashore (or walking about in any place) I try to enjoy the place and not think about all of my security precautions. They are like insurance - get them and then, forget them.

[BIG_Steve]

That would be the logical assumption.

 

The reality is that the cruise lines are making every attempt to cut corners and keep your cruise fare as low as possible. An effective place to do that is with magnetic key cards. A cruise line purchase millions of them evey year. Saving a few pennies on each card - by purchasing the "not so good" ones - translates to enormous cost savings for the company.

 

Unfortunately these not so good ones are easily de-magnetized, resulting in many trips to the front desk to get them replaced. But even though these demagnetized cards will not open your cabin door, they will still allow you to go through the gangway computer without registering your movement.

This happens far more often than the cruise lines will admit.

 

Just before the ship departs a port, you usually hear any number of public announcements, requesting that passengers telephone the front desk. Most of these people are onboard, but the computer shows them ashore.

In a sense it's just like the TSA in America;

--many uniformed officials very busy

--everybody waiting in line

--many expensive machines with flashing lights and bells

--but no real security

 

It's just smoke and mirrors to decieve and relieve a spooked public.

 

I'll take your word for it, but it doesn't make sense. On returning, I swipe my card, and the attendant looks at the computer screen. If it reads wrong, the reader would reject it, and nothing would come up on the screen, well, perhaps an error message. Now, if the attendant ignored it and let me pass anyway, that's different.