Regarding passports.....

[billie5]

It is actually a legal requirement in countries such as France to have your passport or identity card with you.

 

This is simply false. Under French law you must carry some form of identification, but nowhere is it specified what the form of ID needs to be, or even if a picture ID is required. It is clear that a driving license (U.S., for example) is always adequate, and what we use (and we have lived in France). More precisely:

 

The law (Art. 78-1 to 78-6 of the French Code of criminal procedure (Code de procédure pénale)) mentions only that during a ID check performed by police, gendarmerie or customs, one can prove his identity "by any means", the validity of which is left to the judgment of the law enforcement official. Though not stated explicitly in the law, an ID card, a driving license, a passport, a visa, a Carte de Séjour, a voting card are sufficient according to jurisprudency. The decision to accept other documents, with or without the bearer's photograph, like a Social Security card, a travel card or a bank card, is left to the discretion of the law enforcement officer.

 

The fact is that in most cruise ports you are asked to carry a picture ID with you, even in the Caribbean, so the situation in France and other Schengen countries will not really be much different. However, given that the French police have a degree of freedom, I would not use a credit card (with a picture) in France; I would always be safe with a license, though.

 

As for our practice in general, we almost always leave our passport in the safe. The exception is countries which are likely to be suspicious of Americans. For example, in our upcoming cruise we were scheduled to visit a port city in Syria. Obviously, that is now cancelled. However, if Syria had remained peaceful, we would certainly have taken our passports.

 

One should be aware that if you do lose your passport ashore, and you notify the ship upon return, as you are supposed to, it is likely the ship will not allow you to board. This has happened even to passengers who were in Schengen countries, with the ship's next destination another Schengen country (for example, losing your passport in Barcelona -- alas, not so uncommon -- with the next port being Marseille). This may seem unreasonable, since one could actually travel overland to the next port without a passport, but you will not be allowed to travel there by ship. The reason is that, whether or not the ship is traveling just between Schengen countries, which means that passports will not be re-checked, the ship needs to assure port officials in every port that everyone is properly documented. And if it "knows" this is not the case, then it can not give such an assurance.

 

Bill

[Jo and Rob]

What do you plan to do if you miss the ship? :confused:

I know no one intends to miss the ship but there are enough you tube videos of poor souls who have!

 

Don't you think that your passport would be more useful to you (in any country) than in the ship's safe! I don't understand why people think they only need their passport to return to the USA. I know when cruising the Caribbean you don't need it but in Europe it is a different question.

 

We always carry our passports to all ports.

[billie5]

Missing the ship would be painful, I certainly agree. So would losing your passport. You have to choose which danger to accept (or stay in the U.S. and be safe!) That is why these threads, which are run all the time, never come to a resolution -- some people choose one strategy, some the other. Both camps, so to speak, are correct. The only people who are wrong are the ones who believe only their strategy makes sense. :)

 

Bill

[shayelle]

as one poster pointed out, he sailed the same cruise we are sailing, same ship and they took the passports for the duration of the cruise. So, even if we wanted to (which we don't) we would not be able to carry our original passports into port. We will make copies though to make things a little easier if we need to get replacements for any reason.

 

Thanks for all the feedback though.

[CathyCruises]

What do you plan to do if you miss the ship? :confused:

quote]

 

For this exact reason, I always take the name of the ship's port agent with me when I go ashore. If I should ever be running late (and think about it, probably every person who has ever missed a ship has publicized it, versus the millions who do not ever miss a ship that you never hear about) I would phone the ship's agent who will go aboard and retrive my passports and hold them for me until I can retrieve them.

 

However, in 15+ cruises, almost all of them touring on own own, we have never even gotten close to missing the ship.

 

It is obviously a matter of personal preference, I just will not take the risk of losing mine ashore. I believe that is a much more likely possibility than missing the ship. . .

[Dorset Cruiser]

I always thought that if you were a no show when the time came for the ship to leave, then someone from the purser's office would access your cabin and safe to see if you passport was in there and they would leave it with the port agent - I am sure I read that somewhere on these boards.

 

We never take our passports ashore unless it is a place where you are specifically told to do so and that is very infrequent. We always take a copy of the daily information sheet which shows the name of the port agent but we also make sure that we are back on the ship well before the cut-off time.

[maadimom]

We've just returned from the Baltics on the Constellation. We were told each day via the announcements to carry our passports with us. Of course we never were asked for them by anyone except in St. Petersburg, but it is required to have it when in many places. We've lived in several countries and we either had to have our passport or an id card from that country on us at all times. American driver's licenses were not acceptable any where we lived as the valid form of id.

[Jo and Rob]

I found this in the terms and conditions when I was booking shore excursions yesterday.

 

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND IDENTIFICATION: As a reminder to our guests, kindly be advised that passport, visa, and inoculation regulations may vary by destination and change from time to time. It is the sole responsibility of the guest to obtain and have available, when necessary, the appropriate valid travel and health documents such as passports, visas, vaccination certificates, etc., that are necessary for air travel, disembarkation at the various ports of call, and re-entry into the appropriate country of origin.

[cafediem]

If there is no reuirement to carry your passport, it's a question of your personal assessment of risk...do you think you're more likely to need it (eg if you miss the boat, or need ID) or have it stolen?

 

I rate my risk of missing the ship as very very low, so generally carry just copies to facilitate travel should I need to (mostly I leave passports in the safe to reduce what I have to carry). However, I don't usually worry about their loss if I do have to take them (eg when we visited Tunisia) - just treat them with the same care as I treat my credit cards and cash.

 

When DH decided to do a DIY excursion on his own, I did suggest he took his passport though, as I decided he was much more likely to miss the boat than me ;)

[Peteymil]

Missing the ship would be painful, I certainly agree. So would losing your passport. You have to choose which danger to accept (or stay in the U.S. and be safe!) That is why these threads, which are run all the time, never come to a resolution -- some people choose one strategy, some the other. Both camps, so to speak, are correct. The only people who are wrong are the ones who believe only their strategy makes sense. :)

 

Bill

 

I agree with you. I can see both sides, and everyone makes a choice. Two years ago on our med cruise, the ship kept our passports, so we had no choice. Unless the ship directed me to take my passport, I would never do so, I would take my copies. I can only worry about so many what ifs. To me the risk of losing it or having it stolen far outweighs the possibility of missing the ship.

[4774Papa]

Last July on the Norwegian Gem we took a 14 cruise that essentially was two back to back 7 day cruises. The first week we didn't go to Turkey and NCL did not ask for our passports, however, the second week, we had a stop in Turkey and they asked for our passports for a few days.

We carried color copies of our passports. Otherwise, we left them in the safe in our cabin.

[2blueyam]

Missing the ship wouldn't necessarily be the only risk. You could get accused of a crime (justly or unjustly). If you don't have your passport on you, that could certainly make things worse for you at the police station. It becomes resident vs. person with no proper ID instead of resident vs. properly ID'd tourist.

 

Generally people don't plan to get in touble with the police while in a foreign port, but all it would take is for you to accidentally bump into someone and you could be facing assult charges, just as one example.

 

I just wanted to put this out there so that people realize that there is more at risk than "missing the ship" if they don't have their passport. With that being said, I have still not decided which is the greater risk.

[Keith1010]

Missing the ship wouldn't necessarily be the only risk. You could get accused of a crime (justly or unjustly). If you don't have your passport on you, that could certainly make things worse for you at the police station. It becomes resident vs. person with no proper ID instead of resident vs. properly ID'd tourist.

 

Generally people don't plan to get in touble with the police while in a foreign port, but all it would take is for you to accidentally bump into someone and you could be facing assult charges, just as one example.

 

I just wanted to put this out there so that people realize that there is more at risk than "missing the ship" if they don't have their passport. With that being said, I have still not decided which is the greater risk.

 

Good points.

 

I still believe there is more risk in you losing or having your passport stolen.

 

Many cruise lines hold the passports now particularly on European Cruises.

 

Keith

[pspercy]

I always take the name of the ship's port agent with me when I go ashore.

 

Good idea, where does one find this info in advance ?

[Keith1010]

I always take the name of the ship's port agent with me when I go ashore.

 

Good idea, where does one find this info in advance ?

 

It is normally listed in the ships daily program.

 

Yes, it is a smart idea to have this information in hand.

 

Keith

[Lsimon]

I always take the name of the ship's port agent with me when I go ashore.

 

Good idea, where does one find this info in advance ?

 

It will be listed in the port info sheet and shopping guide that is included with the Celebrity Today daily bulletin.

 

Good points.

 

I still believe there is more risk in you losing or having your passport stolen.

 

Many cruise lines hold the passports now particularly on European Cruises.

 

Keith

 

We've never had our passports held by the cruise line and have had one Europe Cruise in each of the past 4 years. I read that they only do this if one or more countries has requested they be available for inspection as part of their clearing process when the ship arrives in port. I don't know if there are certain countries that do this or if it is more of a random request (but made in advance) but it does seem to occur on a few cruises but not all.

[Cruise Junky]

It will be listed in the port info sheet and shopping guide that is included with the Celebrity Today daily bulletin.

 

 

 

We've never had our passports held by the cruise line and have had one Europe Cruise in each of the past 4 years. I read that they only do this if one or more countries has requested they be available for inspection as part of their clearing process when the ship arrives in port. I don't know if there are certain countries that do this or if it is more of a random request (but made in advance) but it does seem to occur on a few cruises but not all.

 

Millennium held ours in 2005 and then Princess did in 2008. I know the reason Princess did was Turkey and we got them back within a day or two, no idea on Millennium.

[Keith1010]

It will be listed in the port info sheet and shopping guide that is included with the Celebrity Today daily bulletin.

 

 

 

We've never had our passports held by the cruise line and have had one Europe Cruise in each of the past 4 years. I read that they only do this if one or more countries has requested they be available for inspection as part of their clearing process when the ship arrives in port. I don't know if there are certain countries that do this or if it is more of a random request (but made in advance) but it does seem to occur on a few cruises but not all.

 

I know this is a Celebrity thread but many cruise lines do hold them. Examples include Princess, Crystal, Seabourn just to name a few.

 

Again, all of this is a personal decision but I feel that there is more risk of one losing or having their passport stolen versus the benefits of taking them off the ship.

 

Keith

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We always carry our passports with us at Europe ports. I carry our passports, extra cash and a backup credit card in a hidden wallet/money belt. You can find lots of styles of these on Amazon or websites that sell travel accessories. I picked out one that is comfortable and worn under my clothing. As a side issue this also means I only carry basic spending cash, and maybe one credit card, in my travel wallet limiting any damage a lost or stolen wallet will cause.

 

While a copy of a passport might suffice in some minor situations it will not get you through anything difficult and will not get you on an airplane or across boarders if something happens and you miss the ship or have an emergency off the ship. If we had an accident or otherwise missed the ship I'd hate to have to wait for the next day and spend it at the US Embassy working on getting some sort of replacement passport or alternate travel documents while precious time was wasting away.

 

I also keep a color copy of our passport in our cabin safe and small copies in our wallets when we travel. This is in case something happens to the original or if for some reason the ship needs to hold our originals. While I realize this might a bit technical for some I also scan our passports and the backs of our credit cards with the card company contact information and put these in a password protected file that I both email to myself and keep on my iPhone.

 

i will say that in the Caribbean we do not carry our passports - this is largely due to the fact that we're usually doing some sort of water based activity so there is no good way to keep them dry. We do carry a copy in the bag we use to carry our towels and things and have the electronic backup described above.

 

I'm with you, Larry. Just off a two-week Baltic cruise, and took my passport ashore every time. Wore it in a money belt. We were actually required to produce our passports to come and go through Russian immigration every time.

[DiamondDiva]

On our just-finished Eastern Med Equinox tour, there was no port agent or contact info listed on the daily newsletter during the 11 days on ship. Being used to carrying this info just in case of an injury, late return, complication, etc. I inquired at Guest Relations and was told that they had never listed this on an Equinox newsletter. I have had this info in the newsletters on almost all of the 14 cruises we taken with Celebrity, HAL, Princess and RCL, despite what they told me. I was finally able to get a ship's contact card- a regular ship business card-to carry with me.

 

While we have never needed to use this info (fortunately) yet, we have been on ships where people have fallen and broken limbs on tours, had heart attacks, missed the ship, or had a late private tour. Those who had ship's contact /port agent info were very happy they had carried that with them.

 

So if it is not in your daily newsletter, ask for a contact card at Guest Relations and hope you never need to use it.

[Jo and Rob]

On our just-finished Eastern Med Equinox tour, there was no port agent or contact info listed on the daily newsletter during the 11 days on ship. Being used to carrying this info just in case of an injury, late return, complication, etc. I inquired at Guest Relations and was told that they had never listed this on an Equinox newsletter. I have had this info in the newsletters on almost all of the 14 cruises we taken with Celebrity, HAL, Princess and RCL, despite what they told me. I was finally able to get a ship's contact card- a regular ship business card-to carry with me.

 

While we have never needed to use this info (fortunately) yet, we have been on ships where people have fallen and broken limbs on tours, had heart attacks, missed the ship, or had a late private tour. Those who had ship's contact /port agent info were very happy they had carried that with them.

 

So if it is not in your daily newsletter, ask for a contact card at Guest Relations and hope you never need to use it.

 

Thanks for the head's up!

[billie5]

We've lived in several countries and we either had to have our passport or an id card from that country on us at all times. American driver's licenses were not acceptable any where we lived as the valid form of id.

We've lived for a year or more in each of France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Panama. Never required to have passport or national ID on one's person.

 

On the other hand, with passport in hand I had the beginnings of lots of problems with the police in Turkmenistan (but at literally the very last moment was saved by deus ex machina, just like in any Greek drama). The point is that misbehaving or poorly paid police can always make trouble, despite what the law may say. I do take that into account in assessing whether a passport should be carried (although, if I recall my geography correctly, Turkmenistan does not have a cruise port, so no concern there for CCers.:confused:)

 

Bill

[jcrandle]

enforcement officer.

 

CLIP................

 

One should be aware that if you do lose your passport ashore, and you notify the ship upon return, as you are supposed to, it is likely the ship will not allow you to board. This has happened even to passengers who were in Schengen countries, with the ship's next destination another Schengen country (for example, losing your passport in Barcelona -- alas, not so uncommon -- with the next port being Marseille). This may seem unreasonable, since one could actually travel overland to the next port without a passport, but you will not be allowed to travel there by ship. The reason is that, whether or not the ship is traveling just between Schengen countries, which means that passports will not be re-checked, the ship needs to assure port officials in every port that everyone is properly documented. And if it "knows" this is not the case, then it can not give such an assurance.

 

CLIP......

 

Bill

 

I have clipped out to highlight your comments about travel between countries that are Schengen signatories. While the Schengen agreement allow travel between residents of member countries without passport (however a state issued identity card IS required), it in no way permits travelers from a non-Schengen country, such as the USA, that same privilege. So the cruise line would be prohibited from accepting passengers for transport who did not have the required documentation, as they are subject to fines for violations.

[billie5]

Thanks. Actually, that was exactly my point. If traveling by land, the passport is not checked, thus in effect a moot issue. The ship, however, is required to state that all passengers are properly documented, even though the passenger will not be checked as an individual.

 

Since I do not want to encourage improper behavior, I will not state what I personally would do if I were on a cruise traveling only between Schengen countries, as for example on a western Med cruise, and my passport were stolen.:rolleyes:

 

Bill

[Aloha 1]

If you have a scanner, just scan the information page on to your computer and mail it to yourself. Then just get that mail message on the ipad.

 

I always put a copy of my passport under the lining of my suitcase as well (look for a zipper)...just in case.

 

Duh! :-) Thanks