Passports needed on excursions?

[alsalfalu3]

Will be sailing with kids and leaving from Venice: Ports are Kotor, Montenegro -- Corfu, Greece -- Santorini, Greece-- Mykonos, Greece -- Argostali, Greece -- Dubrovnik, Croatia. 

 

Do we need to take the passports with us on the excursions? or is it best to leave it in the stateroom? I keep seeing conflicting information and some say it depends on the location. Some say a photocopy would suffice, and others say a drivers license. 

 

Any advice would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks!

[KeithJenner]

You don’t need to take them at those ports, but some people like to carry them with them.

 

Personally, we always keep our passports in the safe unless we are specifically told that we have to take them (which has happened maybe 2 or 3 times in our entire cruising experience). I always have my driving licence with me as very occasionally they do request photo ID at the port entrance (although not at any of those ports, from memory).

[Nola26]

If you want an immigration stamp at any port you will want to bring them. On our Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona we will go to Monaco on our Cannes day and will bring them that day.

 

I am so concerned about pickpockets in Barcelona that we won't carry them there on our pre cruise stop as I don't want to risk any issues with boarding the ship.

 

[BirdTravels]

You only need a passport if the excursion explicitly requires it. Otherwise, leave it in your cabin. A photocopy has zero legal value. Only another opportunity to have your personal information pickpocketed. 

[Son of a son of a ...]

Like KJ noted .... some people like to carry them ... that’s me.  If everything goes sideways, at least I would have a credit card and passport.  Not very many people rob you for your passport.  However, it’s a personal choice.

[CookieShip]

If you don't make it back to the ship on time, passport would make it easier to fly home?

[fondtravel]

I also think it would make things easier to have one’s passport on hand if one missed getting back on the ship. But hopefully that’s no too common an occurrence. I expect it’s more common to lose things on shore— either by leaving them behind by accident or by getting pickpocketed. If it were me, I think my chances of finding myself without my passport would be greater if I carried it around with me than if I stored it in my cabin when I went ashore. So I think I’d prefer to carry a photocopy with me instead. But others may be more confident that they won’t misplace their belongings.

[tempus137]

We did this cruise on the Star 2 years ago. They collected the passports at check-in & kept them until after we left the last port in Greece. Before Dubrovnik, they announced that you could pick them up. So except for the last port, we didn't even have possession of the passports.

[Son of a son of a ...]

9 minutes ago, tempus137 said:

We did this cruise on the Star 2 years ago. They collected the passports at check-in & kept them until after we left the last port in Greece. Before Dubrovnik, they announced that you could pick them up. So except for the last port, we didn't even have possession of the passports.

 

They did not do that in October of 2018.

[sparks1093]

17 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You only need a passport if the excursion explicitly requires it. Otherwise, leave it in your cabin. A photocopy has zero legal value. Only another opportunity to have your personal information pickpocketed. 

If your passport is lost or stolen the State Department will need proof of citizenship before issuing a replacement and they say on their website that a photocopy of your passport meets that requirement. Rather than carry an extra piece of paper I prefer to have a picture on my phone that could be printed out as needed.

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, CookieShip said:

If you don't make it back to the ship on time, passport would make it easier to fly home?

The cruise line should retrieve your passport and leave it with the port agent.

[CookieShip]

5 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

The cruise line should retrieve your passport and leave it with the port agent.

Hope I never miss my ship departing, but how would they even know if the passport is in your room/safe? Would it be standard procedure for them to check your stateroom if you don't make it back? 

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, CookieShip said:

Hope I never miss my ship departing, but how would they even know if the passport is in your room/safe? Would it be standard procedure for them to check your stateroom if you don't make it back? 

That's my understanding. Of course if it's not in the safe they don't look for it elsewhere in the cabin. 

[alsalfalu3]

Thank you everyone for your input!!! @KeithJenner @Nola26 @BirdTravels @Son of a son of a ... @CookieShip @fondtravel @tempus137 @sparks1093 

[IrieBajan54]

It is odd that the cruise line can't get the information straight. I just got off the Pearl transatlantic. For France, UK and Republic of Ireland, only a photo ID was listed in the FreeStyle paper as required to be taken ashore. However, for Belgium, NCL stated in BOLD letters that the passport was required. Furthermore, upon leaving the ship, the security cabin card scanner asked if I had my passport which I did. All that was needed to re-board was to flash the cabin card to the Belgium officer. I was glad no one picked my pocket.

[sparks1093]

16 hours ago, IrieBajan54 said:

It is odd that the cruise line can't get the information straight. I just got off the Pearl transatlantic. For France, UK and Republic of Ireland, only a photo ID was listed in the FreeStyle paper as required to be taken ashore. However, for Belgium, NCL stated in BOLD letters that the passport was required. Furthermore, upon leaving the ship, the security cabin card scanner asked if I had my passport which I did. All that was needed to re-board was to flash the cabin card to the Belgium officer. I was glad no one picked my pocket.

Sometimes when you re-board matters. I've re-boarded shortly before the all aboard time and with hundreds of passengers waiting to get back on the ship the security personnel weren't looking at anyone's documentation. And sometimes a passport could be required because local law requires it, so if law enforcement asked you for it and you didn't have it then you'd be in trouble just for that. Always best to follow the cruise line's stated requirement.