Passport Collection

[Watha]

I would like to know the policy of Oceania regarding passports. Are they held by the ship for the duration of the cruise or are they returned to passengers after scanning? Thank you for any information on this matter .

[orchestrapal]

Depends wher you are and where you are going. We had ours returned for American ports and then taken for others. It varies. You should carry copies with you.

Edited June 14, 2014 by orchestrapal

[JimandStan]

LOL, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about Shore Excursions?? :D

[seasoned]

I wish Cruise Critic had a *Like* button.

 

Thanks, JimandStan.

 

-Sukey-

[PaulMCO]

LOL, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about Shore Excursions?? :D

 

 

Me +1 :D

 

Then after reading -- golly another passport collection thread...

[LHT28]

It depends on where you are sailing

 

In our experience as NON US citizens our passports are usually held

 

That said... our recent cruise in January to the southern Caribbean they were returned at check in

 

In Northern Europe some ports require you to have your passports with you so ours were in our possession for those ports then collected for others

 

 

Lyn

[Bowie MeMe]

LOL, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about Shore Excursions?? :D

 

Caught me because that is what I am thinking of today! :D

[CintiPam]

lol, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about shore excursions?? :d

 

+2! :)

[Kinkajou]

Got me, too. Prefer private excursions, but wondered if anyone had an experience where Oceania's package made sense.

 

As far as a cruise line holding onto passports, it usually makes it faster and easier on the passengers to let the cruise line handle clearing customs in a port for the day.

 

I did get off a day early in France,and took the cruise line tour (Princess) from Le Havre into Paris (the trains were already booked), and it was tense waiting to get my passport back. The cruise line first promised to get it back an hour after the tour was supposed to leave. :eek:

[SellaVee]

LOL, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about Shore Excursions?? :D

 

That's exactly what I thought.

[Bowie MeMe]

Passport collection and checking of the passports seems to be a country by country thing. I have waited many a long hour as official type people came on the ship and went through the passports one by one. At least one country had us line up in the halls and we had to hand our passport personally to the official (LONNNNNNG time as that was a 3000 ship!:( ). I think they decide on each of the stops what the regulations are and how it has to be done. Usually the first step is for the officials to have a wonderful breakfast! I have also seen them close down a public area for the officials to do their thing (wedding chapel/port authority) and the officials actually were on the ship overnight. When they hand your passport back to you, most often your cabin steward will bring it to you and HAND it to you (not left lying around) Many ways to skin this cat and not unusual to have different procedures for different countries.

[Watha]

Sorry to cause confusion with the title of this thread. Thank you to the folk who gave advice re passports. We are cruising the Baltic and we will need our passports for our St Petersburg tour. I am hoping they are released to us as we are not doing a ship's excursion.

[LHT28]

Sorry to cause confusion with the title of this thread. Thank you to the folk who gave advice re passports. We are cruising the Baltic and we will need our passports for our St Petersburg tour. I am hoping they are released to us as we are not doing a ship's excursion.[/QUOTe]

 

Of course they will be given to you

[JimandStan]

Sorry to cause confusion with the title of this thread. Thank you to the folk who gave advice re passports. We are cruising the Baltic and we will need our passports for our St Petersburg tour. I am hoping they are released to us as we are not doing a ship's excursion.

 

I don't know where you got your information, but we have only ever done Private Touring in St Petersburg and never needed our Passports once (though we do always carry a color photocopy, just in case).

 

Are you certain that your guide is well known and has a proven check-able track record?

 

I don't want to scare you, but it is SO important to be careful.

[GeorgesGal]

LOL, who else clicked on this thread imagining that it was going to be about Shore Excursions?? :D

 

ME!:o

[LHT28]

I don't know where you got your information, but we have only ever done Private Touring in St Petersburg and never needed our Passports once (though we do always carry a color photocopy, just in case).

 

 

For Russia it is required to have your passports when you are disembarking the ship along with the form from the Russian authorities & your tour guide paperwork (for private tours)

 

Lyn

Edited June 16, 2014 by LHT28

[Paulchili]

For Russia it is required to have your passports when you are disembarking the ship along with the form from the Russian authorities & your tour guide paperwork (for private tours)

 

Lyn

 

That is how I remember it as well, although 2006 was a long time ago :D

If so, I suspect they will distribute the passports the day before to avoid the mad rush upon arrival to SPB.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Paulchili

[tanny18]

I don't know where you got your information, but we have only ever done Private Touring in St Petersburg and never needed our Passports once (though we do always carry a color photocopy, just in case).

 

Are you certain that your guide is well known and has a proven check-able track record?

 

I don't want to scare you, but it is SO important to be careful.

 

We were in St. Petersburg in August 2012 and had a very reliable tour company taking us on our excursions AND WE DID NEED our passports to go thru immigration. It's the visa you don't have to get if you are with a reliable tour company, but you definitely need your passports in that part of Russia. A copy is fine, but Russian immigration will not accept that!! I think my information is right up to date! Arlene:rolleyes:

[LHT28]

That is how I remember it as well, although 2006 was a long time ago :D

If so, I suspect they will distribute the passports the day before to avoid the mad rush upon arrival to SPB.

 

In Murmansk we had ours checked by the officials ...then we got them handed to us then they were checked again getting off the ship ...3hrs later :mad:

That was 2012 ..

But that may be different than SPB where they seem to be more organized :D

[Cliff-FLL]

We were in St. Petersburg in August 2012 and had a very reliable tour company taking us on our excursions AND WE DID NEED our passports to go thru immigration. It's the visa you don't have to get if you are with a reliable tour company, but you definitely need your passports in that part of Russia. A copy is fine, but Russian immigration will not accept that!! I think my information is right up to date! Arlene:rolleyes:

 

Ditto. Everyone had to present a valid passport to Immigration but, because the entry was for less than 3 days AND we disembarking with an official (albeit non-Oceania) tour provider, we were exempt from the normal visa requirements.

 

Also, if I remember correctly, we've always held our own passports but, as we prepared to enter EU space, we provided them to O the night before. The following evening, the butler returned them to us.

[Hambagahle]

When we went to St Petersburg we had a private tour and so had to get Russian visas. I can't remember if our passports were given back to us at embarkation OR if they were given to us before we docked in St P. But anyway we had to show them every time we left the ship. The first time off an entry stamp was put in them. And from then on we just showed them to the Immigration person as we got off. Whatever happened it was the same for a US passport holder and a non US one because that is what we are... husband American, me Swiss.