Take passport off ship or use safe?

[sloopsailor]

And in some countries, you could be stopped and questioned by law enforcement, just because.

 

Must be the way you look. :D

 

To each his own. Replacing a passport is not that hard.

 

Imagine how much that "not that hard" would matter when you arrive back at the ship, find out your passport is missing, and now miss the ship's departure because you must now go through the steps of replacing your passport. It may not be hard, but it sure would be a major problem if you miss the ship in the process.

 

You do it your way, and I will do it mine.

 

And in over 25 years of doing a lot of international travel, to 138 countries right now (140 by the end of the year), I have never lost my passport or had it stolen.

 

Yes, you do it your way, and I'll do it my way. Neither is right or wrong. You worry about being detained by law enforcement "just because". I worry about the hassle of having to replace something I did not need to have with me to lose. Just different areas of paranoia. ;p

 

BTW: I am jealous of you for having visited so many countries. Seeing the world is one of the best ways to spend our time. Enjoy #s 139 and 140. (y)

[Keith1010]

We only take our passport with us when it is required and that is an exception. We've had to take it in Israel and Japan and a handful of other places.

 

We consider the risk of a stolen or lost passport to be far greater then the benefits of carrying it with us.

 

Keith

[lisiamc]

And in some countries, you could be stopped and questioned by law enforcement, just because. I would rather have my US passport with me to request calling the Embassy.

 

To each his own. Replacing a passport is not that hard.

 

You do it your way, and I will do it mine.

 

And in over 25 years of doing a lot of international travel, to 138 countries right now (140 by the end of the year), I have never lost my passport or had it stolen.

 

Out of curiosity, in your 25 years and 138 countries, how many times have you been stopped and questioned by law enforcement “just because”? Also curious which countries this has happened in and when. TIA.

[wowzz]

We only take our passport with us when it is required and that is an exception. We've had to take it in Israel and Japan and a handful of other places.

 

We consider the risk of a stolen or lost passport to be far greater then the benefits of carrying it with us.

 

Keith

Exactly - why risk losing your passport for no rational reason. In all my years of travelling, I have never once been stopped and asked to produce my passport, and I would suggest that applies to 99.99% of travellers.

 

Sent from my SM-T700 using Forums mobile app

[dsrdsrdsr]

What did you carry as id in place of the passport?

ID isn't usually necessary. I know who I am; my ship's pass will let anyone else know who I am if I can't tell them. And if I've been arrested, I doubt that being able to prove photographically who I am would make any difference - they still won't let me go.

[dsrdsrdsr]

In France, carried the passport for the rest of the day - would need to go through passport control again when returning to the ship.

 

In England, I had my driver's license - as a just in case. We were on a ship's excursion, so all that was needed was the ship's id card. I'm assuming that if returning to the port independently, there would be the need of some sort of photo ID to confirm a match for the ship's ID card [no access to the shipboard photo database]

Not usually, not on any line I have used anyway. Certainly not in Europe. There aren't many ports scrutinise everybody's passport so far as I know, and they know the ship doesn't let random strangers board.

[cruisemom42]

And in some countries, you could be stopped and questioned by law enforcement, just because. I would rather have my US passport with me to request calling the Embassy.

 

To each his own. Replacing a passport is not that hard.

 

You do it your way, and I will do it mine.

 

And in over 25 years of doing a lot of international travel, to 138 countries right now (140 by the end of the year), I have never lost my passport or had it stolen.

 

I've also been traveling internationally for about 30 years (longer if you count teenage trips abroad) -- I don't count countries but I'm sure the total is north of 100.

 

I have never once been randomly stopped by law enforcement or anyone in an official capacity and asked to show my passport. There have been non-random times it was needed, e.g., to access the port on certain cruises where it was well advertised in advance that one must carry one's passport. The only other situation I can think of not related specifically to border crossings when I've needed it has been when checking into a hotel. (I don't rent vehicles when traveling abroad.)

 

In addition, our own US State Department recommends leaving one's passport secured in one's hotel or lodging, as preferable to carrying it on your person unless it is required.

 

This seems sensible, logical and safe, and it's what I do. If I thought there was a specific need to have my passport on me, I'd carry it. (But it would be very carefully concealed.) Absent that need, I certainly wouldn't carry it due to a fear of being randomly stopped by law enforcement. Even if they did stop me, if the passport was required to be on my person (as in Japan), I'd have it. If it wasn't required to be on my person, then I'm not doing anything wrong.

 

(Anecdotally, I was pickpocketed in Barcelona more than 10 years ago. If I'd had my passport on me, it would have been gone. It was hassle enough getting my debit and credit cards cancelled and reissued. My ex-DH was accosted by gypsies in Rome who surrounded him (a savvy New Yorker) on the Spanish Steps and had his money belt half cut through by the time he could get free of them. It happens.)

[broberts]

ID isn't usually necessary. I know who I am; my ship's pass will let anyone else know who I am if I can't tell them. And if I've been arrested, I doubt that being able to prove photographically who I am would make any difference - they still won't let me go.

 

Do you routinely leave home without a single piece of photo id?

 

Have you never been asked for id when making a large cc purchase in a foreign country?

 

Have you never been carded?

 

In some countries one can be arrested simply because one is not in possession of suitable photo id.

 

If arrested, how are you going to prove to the authorities that you (typically) have a treaty right to contact your embassy?

 

Seems to me that a DL or any other sort of suitable photo id is subject to loss, damage or theft. Replacement is just as difficult.

[smm0218]

So what I'm getting out of all this wonderful discussion:

 

The ship (daily) will tell you if you have to take your passport

If you decide to leave your passport on board, leave it in the safe with anything you might need (meds etc) if they have to leave your safe contents with port

If you decide to take the passport with you, make sure it is very well concealed

An option to carrying actual passport might be carrying a copy of the main page &/or having a digital copy on your smart phone

Drivers license or some other form of ID may be needed / wanted

Carry a copy of the daily with port info in case you have trouble getting back to ship (take a picture and have it on your phone). This will be different info for different ports, so multiple pictures

 

Always carry your ship's card / Medallion (Princess) you can't get on (easily if at all) without it

 

This has been such a helpful discussion, viewpoints and reasons for those viewpoints have helped me decide what we will do.

[new_cruiser]

I've also been traveling internationally for about 30 years (longer if you count teenage trips abroad) -- I don't count countries but I'm sure the total is north of 100.

 

I have never once been randomly stopped by law enforcement or anyone in an official capacity and asked to show my passport. There have been non-random times it was needed, e.g., to access the port on certain cruises where it was well advertised in advance that one must carry one's passport. The only other situation I can think of not related specifically to border crossings when I've needed it has been when checking into a hotel. (I don't rent vehicles when traveling abroad.)

 

In addition, our own US State Department recommends leaving one's passport secured in one's hotel or lodging, as preferable to carrying it on your person unless it is required.

 

This seems sensible, logical and safe, and it's what I do. If I thought there was a specific need to have my passport on me, I'd carry it. (But it would be very carefully concealed.) Absent that need, I certainly wouldn't carry it due to a fear of being randomly stopped by law enforcement. Even if they did stop me, if the passport was required to be on my person (as in Japan), I'd have it. If it wasn't required to be on my person, then I'm not doing anything wrong.

 

(Anecdotally, I was pickpocketed in Barcelona more than 10 years ago. If I'd had my passport on me, it would have been gone. It was hassle enough getting my debit and credit cards cancelled and reissued. My ex-DH was accosted by gypsies in Rome who surrounded him (a savvy New Yorker) on the Spanish Steps and had his money belt half cut through by the time he could get free of them. It happens.)

 

I've been traveling internationally for over 30 years - traveling enough that for most of that time I've had passports with extra pages. I've never had my passport or wallet stolen and have never had anyone in official capacity that I needed to show it too other than at boarder crossings and air travel. It used to be needed for exchanging money in many countries (back when one traveled with traveler's checks or cash and exchanged them for local currency) - now I usually get local currency from ATMs. Sometimes it is needed when checking in at hotels.

 

Since I don't carry a purse and women's pants generally don't have very big pockets, it's not convenient to carry around with me when I don't have a daypack. The double pages option makes it even more bulky.

 

I use a front pocket wallet which is a bit more secure from pickpockets. My husband had his wallet taken by a pickpocket in China just after paying for something and replacing the wallet in his pocket. Fortunately he realized it almost as soon as it happened, yelled at the guy and bystanders helped stop the guy and get his wallet back. He has since switched to a front wallet clip like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123VTAY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use a leather front pocket wallet so I can go through TSA precheck without taking it out of my pocket. I keep a couple of the metal ones in my daypack holding left over foreign currency and some metro cards for places I'm likely to return too.

 

If one is concerned about having the ability to identify oneself as a US citizen and getting help at a US embassy as SRF is and concerned about one's passport being stolen or just finds the book bulky to carry around, there is now a simple solution. Leave the passport book on the ship but carry a passport card.

[lisiamc]

Do you routinely leave home without a single piece of photo id?

 

Have you never been asked for id when making a large cc purchase in a foreign country?

 

Have you never been carded?

 

In some countries one can be arrested simply because one is not in possession of suitable photo id.

 

If arrested, how are you going to prove to the authorities that you (typically) have a treaty right to contact your embassy?

 

Seems to me that a DL or any other sort of suitable photo id is subject to loss, damage or theft. Replacement is just as difficult.

 

In which countries does one risk arrest for not carrying photo ID? I know of a few where the law says it is required, but enforcement is vanishingly rare, and failure to comply does not result in arrest or charges, only inconvenience. Given the exceedingly small possibility of needing my passport in most countries, and the much larger likelihood of having it stolen, I happily take that small risk and leave my passport in the safe, as many sensible sources advise.

 

If I lose my passport or it is stolen, I won’t be allowed to board the ship at initial embarkation, or I will have trouble returning home. If a driving licence is lost, it’s much easier to replace and not a risk to my cruise.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Do you routinely leave home without a single piece of photo id?

 

Have you never been asked for id when making a large cc purchase in a foreign country?

 

Have you never been carded?

 

In some countries one can be arrested simply because one is not in possession of suitable photo id.

 

If arrested, how are you going to prove to the authorities that you (typically) have a treaty right to contact your embassy?

 

Seems to me that a DL or any other sort of suitable photo id is subject to loss, damage or theft. Replacement is just as difficult.

1. Yes, of course. My passport is the only photo ID I've got - and Britain isn't a police state, so I don't need it.

2. Only once, and it was only $20 (US), and when I hadn't got it they sold me the stuff anyway.

3. I had to look this one up. I honestly had no idea that Canada went in for that sort of practice. Soviet Union yes, but not Canada. Fortunately the UK doesn't, you can walk the streets here with little danger that the police will stop you at random and no danger at all that they will arrest you because they can't prove who you are.

4. Not in the UK.

5. I guess I've just been lucky so far. Do most cruise passengers get arrested at some point in their lives? I hadn't thought of it as much of a risk, frankly. Are there a lot of foreign countries where the police capture Englishmen and leave them in the cells for want of a passport? (Canada maybe?) Because if they've got that sort of police, then I have scant faith that a passport would do any good. They'd probably steal the passport instead.

 

You're quite right that replacing a driving licence would be as hard as replacing a passport. Harder, in fact, while I'm on holiday abroad. However, you have to take into consideration the fact that if I don't have a driving licence, I can't drive a hire car; if I don't have a passport, I can't get home. When I'm on a cruise, getting home is more important to me.

[SRF]

Must be the way you look. :D

 

Imagine how much that "not that hard" would matter when you arrive back at the ship, find out your passport is missing, and now miss the ship's departure because you must now go through the steps of replacing your passport. It may not be hard, but it sure would be a major problem if you miss the ship in the process.

 

Yes, you do it your way, and I'll do it my way. Neither is right or wrong. You worry about being detained by law enforcement "just because". I worry about the hassle of having to replace something I did not need to have with me to lose. Just different areas of paranoia. ;p

 

BTW: I am jealous of you for having visited so many countries. Seeing the world is one of the best ways to spend our time. Enjoy #s 139 and 140. (y)

 

Yes, I am not the same color at the local people. And yes, there is racism in ALL directions.

 

If you don't NEED to take your passport on shore (as mentioned by others), then not having it to get back on the ship is not an issue. And if you NEED to take it on shore, you WILL take it on shore. :)

 

Still not that hard to replace. An annoyance, but not difficult. And I just mentioned a couple of things, but there are times you really want to be able to tell people you are a US citizen. And yes, there are times when that is not such a great idea.

 

I always tell people that before you want my job, take a map of the world and a red and a green marker. And mark every country green you want to go or red you may not want to go. And see what the ratio is. :D

 

That said, I have had a good time in most of them, and there are only about 3 I would prefer to not go back to.

[SRF]

Out of curiosity, in your 25 years and 138 countries, how many times have you been stopped and questioned by law enforcement “just because”? Also curious which countries this has happened in and when. TIA.

 

I have only needed to be able to show my passport a couple of times. Some of my colleagues have had it happened more times.

 

It DOES happen.

 

And yes, if you did not have your passport, it might have been fine. But having the passport handy made it VERY easy.

[SRF]

I've also been traveling internationally for about 30 years (longer if you count teenage trips abroad) -- I don't count countries but I'm sure the total is north of 100.

 

I have never once been randomly stopped by law enforcement or anyone in an official capacity and asked to show my passport. There have been non-random times it was needed, e.g., to access the port on certain cruises where it was well advertised in advance that one must carry one's passport. The only other situation I can think of not related specifically to border crossings when I've needed it has been when checking into a hotel. (I don't rent vehicles when traveling abroad.)

 

In addition, our own US State Department recommends leaving one's passport secured in one's hotel or lodging, as preferable to carrying it on your person unless it is required.

 

Where do you see this recommendation?

 

What I see on their pages now is

To help prevent theft, do not carry your passport in your back pocket, and keep it separate from your money.

[SRF]

Do you routinely leave home without a single piece of photo id?

 

Have you never been asked for id when making a large cc purchase in a foreign country?

 

Have you never been carded?

 

In some countries one can be arrested simply because one is not in possession of suitable photo id.

 

If arrested, how are you going to prove to the authorities that you (typically) have a treaty right to contact your embassy?

 

Seems to me that a DL or any other sort of suitable photo id is subject to loss, damage or theft. Replacement is just as difficult.

 

DL may be harder to replace. Someone I know, their mother lost her driver's license. She had to go through MANY hoops to get it replaced.

[SRF]

So what I'm getting out of all this wonderful discussion:

 

The ship (daily) will tell you if you have to take your passport

If you decide to leave your passport on board, leave it in the safe with anything you might need (meds etc) if they have to leave your safe contents with port

If you decide to take the passport with you, make sure it is very well concealed

An option to carrying actual passport might be carrying a copy of the main page &/or having a digital copy on your smart phone

Drivers license or some other form of ID may be needed / wanted

Carry a copy of the daily with port info in case you have trouble getting back to ship (take a picture and have it on your phone). This will be different info for different ports, so multiple pictures

 

Always carry your ship's card / Medallion (Princess) you can't get on (easily if at all) without it

 

This has been such a helpful discussion, viewpoints and reasons for those viewpoints have helped me decide what we will do.

 

Good synopsis.

[new_cruiser]

1. Yes, of course. My passport is the only photo ID I've got - and Britain isn't a police state, so I don't need it.

2. Only once, and it was only $20 (US), and when I hadn't got it they sold me the stuff anyway.

3. I had to look this one up. I honestly had no idea that Canada went in for that sort of practice. Soviet Union yes, but not Canada. Fortunately the UK doesn't, you can walk the streets here with little danger that the police will stop you at random and no danger at all that they will arrest you because they can't prove who you are.

4. Not in the UK.

5. I guess I've just been lucky so far. Do most cruise passengers get arrested at some point in their lives? I hadn't thought of it as much of a risk, frankly. Are there a lot of foreign countries where the police capture Englishmen and leave them in the cells for want of a passport? (Canada maybe?) Because if they've got that sort of police, then I have scant faith that a passport would do any good. They'd probably steal the passport instead.

 

You're quite right that replacing a driving licence would be as hard as replacing a passport. Harder, in fact, while I'm on holiday abroad. However, you have to take into consideration the fact that if I don't have a driving licence, I can't drive a hire car; if I don't have a passport, I can't get home. When I'm on a cruise, getting home is more important to me.

 

"Carded" in the US usually refers to someone asking for your driver's license or ID to check that you are over 21 before serving or selling you alcohol. On occasion when traveling in the US, I run into a place that has a policy to card everyone, even grandmother's like me who any fool could tell is over 21 (more than 3 times 21).

 

Does a UK driver's license not have a picture on it?

[new_cruiser]

Where do you see this recommendation?

 

What I see on their pages now is [/font][/color]

Interesting, I expect many people carrying a passport card carry it with their money.

[sloopsailor]

Interesting, I expect many people carrying a passport card carry it with their money.

 

And if you get robbed, you will be forced to hand over any hidden pouches you may be carrying, which will of course have your money AND your passport in it if you have it with you. Bye bye money AND passport.

 

In case people doubt the robbery situation, at least once a year on CruiseCritic News it is reported that a bus load of tourists somewhere get robbed. It is bad enough getting robbed of your money, phone and credit cards, but add your passport to that and you have an even bigger headache to deal with. :eek:

 

Although not due to a robbery, when we visited St. Petersburg Russia several years ago, on our ship alone there were over a dozen people on a single ship's tour who got pick-pocketed. In that case, each of them were required to have their passport on them at all times. They were not allowed to re-board the ship by the Russian authorities, so they had to be left behind when we departed. The cruise line's port representative had to assist them in getting replacement passports and help them make travel arrangements to catch the ship the next day. Fortunately there was an American Consulate General there at that time which helped expedite the replacement passports in a timely manner. If the nearest source of replacement passports was several hundred miles away from the port city, as in some countries, it could have taken several days, a whole lot of stress, and much expense, to obtain replacements.

 

This unfortunate situation was the main topic of discussion on the ship for days.

 

No one should go through that on a vacation.

Edited October 10, 2017 by sloopsailor

[sparks1093]

At the end of the day each traveler must do what he or she is most comfortable doing and what someone else does really doesn't impact that decision or matter one way or the other.

[stacymay30]

Clearly there are differing opinions on this topic. As a first time cruiser last month we were in Greece and concerned that NCL was holding our passports. The ship was under the Bahamas flag and Greece needed to check out passports. It made me uncomfortable. What if we missed our ship? We didn’t have good copies of our passports and I wanted to be able to use our CC. The front desk was very kind and made good color copies for us. I was a little unsettled but all was fine. This cruise wasn’t a beach cruise for us. But I imagine that we will not take them off the boat if we were going to the beach.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[lisiamc]

"Carded" in the US usually refers to someone asking for your driver's license or ID to check that you are over 21 before serving or selling you alcohol. On occasion when traveling in the US, I run into a place that has a policy to card everyone, even grandmother's like me who any fool could tell is over 21 (more than 3 times 21).

 

Does a UK driver's license not have a picture on it?

 

Many/most do now. If a person has the old-style paper driving licence, issued before the cards came in, they won’t have a photo on theirs, and those don’t expire until the owner’s 70th birthday. The old-style licences are still valid, but as people change address, get married and change name, etc., the paper licences are being replaced. All new drivers get a plastic card with photo.

[new_cruiser]

Clearly there are differing opinions on this topic. As a first time cruiser last month we were in Greece and concerned that NCL was holding our passports. The ship was under the Bahamas flag and Greece needed to check out passports. It made me uncomfortable. What if we missed our ship? We didn’t have good copies of our passports and I wanted to be able to use our CC. The front desk was very kind and made good color copies for us. I was a little unsettled but all was fine. This cruise wasn’t a beach cruise for us. But I imagine that we will not take them off the boat if we were going to the beach.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I don't recall ever being asked for ID when using my credit card in Europe or in Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore). Perhaps that also applies to Canada, certainly it is not common there to ask for ID. Asking for ID to use a CC is more common in the US.

 

Occasionally there are places where they weren't able to take a credit card without a PIN. Chip and sign credit cards are accepted most places. If your card has a pin, make sure you know it because if it has that ability, they may not take it without the PIN.

 

On our ship, they told us that if someone missed the ship, their passport would be left with the port agent. That's one of the reasons why people here have mentioned that one should take the ship daily with them or at least that information from the daily. If you are left behind by the ship, the port agent is your link to the ship.

[ronandannette]

We took our new passport off the ship in Bermuda to have them stamped @ custom's office during the America's cup.;p

We did something similar when we ported in Monaco because we wanted a souvenir stamp from Monte Carlo. We then promptly lost them! Although it's much more mundane than having them stolen, I'm pretty sure they were just dropped from our bag somewhere along the way. Port stops on the remainder of our Mediterranean itinerary weren't an issue but getting them replaced from abroad so we could travel home certainly was. We will NEVER take them ashore again ever - unless we are required to do so.

 

" Foolhardy to carry something so Valuable " ??:confused:

 

How much do you pay for your's.

Mine was like $100.

I carry more cash than that.

Don't you carry a cell phone of an value.

The actual cost of replacing Passports is nominal but the expense incurred in a delay to travel can be substantial. We found out the hard way. 3 extra nights in a foreign city and forfeiting our return plane tickets, then having to buy new ones day-of at the airport was SUBSTANTIAL and completely unexpected. Our travel insurance policy only covered $300/day for the two of us, and the difference in price between the original plane tickets and our new ones even though the airline did not credit the entire amount - not even close. Our OOP was over $1,000 even after the insurance settlement. Not an insignificant chunk of change for most people.

Edited October 10, 2017 by ronandannette