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Do you take your passport with you when you go ashore?

Bollycats

By Bollycats,
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Bollycats

Bollycats

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I always do, I feel safer with it in case of an emergency. Also, I'm always in search of those elusive passport stamps! (just got them in St.John and Peggy's Cove on my Regal Princess cruise 2 weeks ago)

 

But now I'm thinking I shouldn't carry it with me in case my bag gets stolen or it falls out while shuffling through everything in there, might be better to leave it in the safe.

 

Just wondering what others do......

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NMLady

NMLady

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I leave them in the cabin safe and just bring my cruise card and gov’t issued photo ID.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

That is what I do as well.

 

I am not worried about missing the ship since I always make sure I am aboard at least an hour before All Aboard.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

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You are going to get answers for both options and neither answer is inherently right or wrong since it is a personal decision based on how one looks at the risks and how risk tolerant someone is. Unless we have a reason to carry them we leave them in the safe since the risk of needing them is low and the risk of them being damaged or lost/stolen is a little higher then that.

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Shorex

Shorex

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Many leave passports in the safe, many take them ashore. Both groups have their reasons and will not be persuaded to change their practice. What anyone else does is irrelevant to your decision based on your reasoning.

 

Every week or two this question is revived. I have yet to read of anyone doing a head slap and exclaiming "by George, I have to do the opposite of what I've been doing!" Maybe this will be a first. Not.

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sloopsailor

sloopsailor

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We never carry our passports unless required to. As a document, it is much too valuable to risk losing it. Yes, it may only cost a few dollars to replace. But the time and effort needed to replace it while on vacation, with all the disruption to an otherwise great vacation, is not worth it for us.

 

Plus, the lasting repercussions that may arise due to your missing passport being used for nefarious purposes by someone who purchased it on the black market is not something I would ever want to deal with. I had a co-worker who lost his passport while on a business trip. It took several days to replace his passport so he could fly back home. The cost was not insignificant, considering extra hotel stays, re-booking flight fees, etc. Then three years later he was contacted by a government official and had to come into their headquarters to answer questions about his whereabouts and activities for those years. It turned out his passport was found in the backpack belonging to someone who killed another person during a crime.

 

This is not the kind of thing I ever want to go through.

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Gold Mine Gal

Gold Mine Gal

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I carry it in a little passport wallet around my neck under my clothing along with credit card and larger money bills. I am not trusting that someone on the ship will get it from the safe to me especially if I am hurt or am unconscious and no one knows who I am. Just the way I feel. Others feel differently. To each his own.

 

 

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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On most cruise lines we sail they hold our passports for us.

 

My belief is that the risk of having your passport stolen or lost is far greater then any benefits.

 

The only time we take our passport with us is when we are required to in some selected locations around the world or checking into a hotel for an overnight or flying as part of an overland program.

 

Keith

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voyager70

voyager70

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Only twice have I carried my passport off the ship with me, and that was only because I had to. Once in Skagway, AK where we did an excursion that entered into Canada, and the other in St. Petersburg, Russia where you have to go through immigration each time you get off the ship (and back on). Twice my passport was held on embarkation (once in the Med and once in the Middle East) in order to obtain the required visas handled through the cruise line. All other times it goes in the safe as soon as I enter the room and doesn't come out until I'm ready to get off the ship. Too much risk of having it stolen or lost. Also a good idea to bring a color photo copy.

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SRF

SRF

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So how many people have had their passport lost or stolen?

 

And for those who lose them, what else do the lose?

 

I ask, because I travel a lot internationally for work, and normally carry my passport whenever I leave my hotel room (well maybe not to breakfast :D ).

 

And in doing this for almost 20 years, plus a bit of international travel before, I have never had my passport lost or stolen, and only know, personally, of one person who had theirs stolen, but returned.

 

As has been said, it is a personal decision. I also take into account what country I am in, and whether it would be really helpful to identify myself immediately as a US citizen. Also, I am in primarily a tourist area or not. Sometimes you will be asked for ID to change money or use a credit card. And outside tourist areas, they may not accept a DL.

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onespots

onespots

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We always keep our passports in the safe on the ship unless required at a port for immigration. We do have a photo-copy of the passport we carry with us at all times & keep one in the safe. Hopefully this copy would help us if this document was lost or stolen. Fortunately we have not encountered any problems in over 25 years of foreign travel.

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voyager70

voyager70

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So how many people have had their passport lost or stolen?

 

And for those who lose them, what else do the lose?

 

I ask, because I travel a lot internationally for work, and normally carry my passport whenever I leave my hotel room (well maybe not to breakfast :D ).

 

And in doing this for almost 20 years, plus a bit of international travel before, I have never had my passport lost or stolen, and only know, personally, of one person who had theirs stolen, but returned.

 

As has been said, it is a personal decision. I also take into account what country I am in, and whether it would be really helpful to identify myself immediately as a US citizen. Also, I am in primarily a tourist area or not. Sometimes you will be asked for ID to change money or use a credit card. And outside tourist areas, they may not accept a DL.

 

I've never had my passport stolen, but two friends of mine had theirs stolen (from a handbag) while waiting for a train in Italy. They were eventually able to get replacements and make it home, but it obviously caused a lot of stress and upset and pretty much ruined their vacation. These are well traveled people who are not foolish. There are just some people, in every part of the world, who are professional thieves & criminals and know how to commit crimes.

 

 

If you are comfortable carrying your passport on your person while abroad that's fine. I'm not (unless I have to).

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

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Once we are on the ship, our passports go right into the safe.

Should something happen to one of us (like an accident), security can get into your safe and get your passports to you.

In Europe, some ports require that you hand in your passports to the front office for the local officials to look at.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

Posted
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So how many people have had their passport lost or stolen?

 

And for those who lose them, what else do the lose?

 

I ask, because I travel a lot internationally for work, and normally carry my passport whenever I leave my hotel room (well maybe not to breakfast :D ).

 

And in doing this for almost 20 years, plus a bit of international travel before, I have never had my passport lost or stolen, and only know, personally, of one person who had theirs stolen, but returned.

 

As has been said, it is a personal decision. I also take into account what country I am in, and whether it would be really helpful to identify myself immediately as a US citizen. Also, I am in primarily a tourist area or not. Sometimes you will be asked for ID to change money or use a credit card. And outside tourist areas, they may not accept a DL.

 

It's not that they are lost or stolen it's the potential for being lost or stolen (or damaged). I have almost zero percent risk of anything happening to it in the safe, so if I don't have to carry it with me I don't (and I also don't like carrying around things that I don't need to carry around). Should anything happen the ship will give it to the port agent.

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Flatbush Flyer

Flatbush Flyer

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I always do, I feel safer with it in case of an emergency. Also, I'm always in search of those elusive passport stamps! (just got them in St.John and Peggy's Cove on my Regal Princess cruise 2 weeks ago)

 

 

 

But now I'm thinking I shouldn't carry it with me in case my bag gets stolen or it falls out while shuffling through everything in there, might be better to leave it in the safe.

 

 

 

Just wondering what others do......

 

 

 

This is a tired question repeated at least weekly on CC. But here's the answer:

No well traveled individual would ever carry a passport ashore (unless required by law).

Next time you're on a cruise, query a few officers regarding whether they'd ever do that. Everyone of them will say no.

If carrying a passport ashore is such a good idea, why does pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line almost always require passengers to surrender their passports to the purser at embarkation?

 

 

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