Does Celebrity take your Passports?

[PattyMichael]

We will be on the Century 9/2 to Europe. Does the ship hold your passport?

[iandjm]

Hi,

 

Celebrity never have held a passport on any of the cruises I have been on

 

Happy cruising

 

 

Ian:D

[TheHappyWanderer]

Is it possible to get passport stamps in the various countries you visit on an European cruise? And if the ship doesn't hold my American passport, how do I get clearance at each different country?

[iandjm]

Hi,

 

The cruis eline organise clearance for all passenger sin each country. its all done for you, so by the time you are allowed ashore there is no paperwork or showing of passports to be done

 

Good eh

 

Ian :D

[Irishwhiskey]

Celebrity held on to our passports when we went to Europe a month after 9/11.With all the confusion with security back then we just made sure that we had copies of our passports with us at all times when on land.

[GaryfmCol]

On our recent Atlantic crossing and, Baltic Sea/Russia cruise

CELEBRITY did NOT hold our passports. We visited, France, England,

Poland, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Germany, Denmark and, a

return to England. We had to show our passports in both Poland, and, Russia only. At both of those ports of call, Immigration

stamped our passports. In Russia each time you departed the ship you needed not only your passport, but a ticket for the tour you were

going on, unless you had a visa for Russia. :)

(When embarking in Newark NJ for the cruise, we naturally had to show

our passports too, where they were run through a

Department of Immigration Control "passport reader", presumably,

to see if you were a "wanted person"...?!?!?!?!?!?!?!) ;)

[cruiselover20]

On all three of our South America cruises, our passports were held, and returned the night before the end of the cruise.

[hajekfam]

Celebrity held on to our passports when we went to Europe a month after 9/11.With all the confusion with security back then we just made sure that we had copies of our passports with us at all times when on land.

That's odd. We did the Millie trans sailing 9/30/01 and we kept our passports. I remember having to bring them up to the lounge on the day we arrived in St. Thomas. I believe they kept the passports of non-US citizens.

[Hebe]

The answer is -- it depends on where you cruise with Celebrity.

 

For example, when we went into Russia we needed copies of our passport which were collected as we embarked. Celebrity took our passport and make the copies for us and returned the passport a few days after we sailed.

 

As said by Cruiselover20, in South America, Celebrity will retain your passport the entire cruise and return it at the end of the cruise. When you look at it -- it had been stamped with immigration in the countries we visited.

 

In the daily newsletter, they normally will tell you if you need to bring passport or immigration forms with you are you leave the ship.

 

In all cases -- remember it is important to get color copies made of your passport which you should keep with you at all times on shore.

[GaryfmCol]

 

In all cases -- remember it is important to get color copies made of your passport which you should keep with you at all times on shore.

 

I really hate to tell you this...but, it is not legal to have color

copies of one passports. ~ Sorta like using the copier to take

color copies of money, and, currencies.

 

Prior to our cruise to Russia on the CONSTELLATION, I went to

an Office Max to make a couple of copies. They refused to do

it, and, informed me that it is not allowed. So, I went to the library

and, made my own color copies for Russia...

However..

One only needs one black & white copy for the Russian officials.

(I do have tucked away our COLOR copies, however.) ;)

[Shirley C]

Celebrity will hold your passport if you are going to Greece on the mediterenean cruise. We have been twice and both times they held it. They will make a copy for you.

[BaltiGator]

I really hate to tell you this...but, it is not legal to have color

copies of one passports. ~ Sorta like using the copier to take

color copies of money, and, currencies.

 

Prior to our cruise to Russia on the CONSTELLATION, I went to

an Office Max to make a couple of copies. They refused to do

it, and, informed me that it is not allowed. So, I went to the library

and, made my own color copies for Russia...

However..

One only needs one black & white copy for the Russian officials.

(I do have tucked away our COLOR copies, however.) ;)

 

I'm not sure this information is correct.

 

I searched the US State Department web site, where passports are discussed extensively, and then searched the federal passport laws over at the US Government web site. I couldn't find anything prohibiting a person from making photocopies of the face page of their own passport, and no mention of B&W versus color. In fact, the State Department web site recommends having a copy of your passport face page to present to embassy officials in case your original is lost or stolen, and in that recommendation they don't say it has to be B&W.

 

I did find, on the other hand, a law against any and all attempts to knowingly falsify, modify, or duplicate a passport. In context, however, the law appears to refer to "duplicate" as meaning "create a usable copy of the whole passport," rather than referring to whether a person can make a photocopy of their own face page for their own use.

 

Now, Office Max and other such places may have policies against making color copies of passports in order to reduce their liability, should it turn out that a customer used those copies to forge a passport. They may even tell their employees it's illegal just to simplify things (fewer arguments with customers). But I don't think it actually is illegal. I dont think the US government cares whether your face page copy is B&W or color. Whether the Russian authorities care I don't know. Can someone who has cruised to Russia comment on this?

 

Bottom line, though, is that there probably isn't any advantage to a color copy anyway. It looks nicer, yes, but I believe it isn't one bit more useful than a B&W copy.

[GaryfmCol]

Now, Office Max and other such places may have policies against making color copies of passports in order to reduce their liability, should it turn out that a customer used those copies to forge a passport. They may even tell their employees it's illegal just to simplify things (fewer arguments with customers). But I don't think it actually is illegal. I dont think the US government cares whether your face page copy is B&W or color. Whether the Russian authorities care I don't know. Can someone who has cruised to Russia comment on this?

 

Bottom line, though, is that there probably isn't any advantage to a color copy anyway. It looks nicer, yes, but I believe it isn't one bit more useful than a B&W copy.

 

Could be...I just know what I was told at the COPY MAX store

(which is part of Office Max). They are in that business to copy things and, I went there specifically because I wanted COLOR copies of our passports.

They refused to do it, giving the reasons previously stated.

 

But, we did just return from the Baltic/Russia cruise and, all that

IS REQUIRED is a black and, white copy of ones passport when

dis-embarking in St. Petersburg. I researched this queston out before we did our cruise, because I THOUGHT they had to be color copies

for the Russian officials....I was wrong..just the b/w copies the FIRST

time you get off the ship...I thought we needed them EACH time..

but, only once.

 

Again, we do have color copies of our passports but,

we made them ourselves at the public library, on their color

copiers.

[msiowa]

When we took the Baltic Cruise on Constellation 3 summers ago, Celebrity did not take our passports at any time. When we passed through Immigration in St. Petersburg we gave the Russian Immigration officer our passports to stamp (along with our Red October Tour tickets).

 

Happy sailing.

Jonie

[Joanne G.]

Celebrity will hold your passport if you are going to Greece on the mediterenean cruise. We have been twice and both times they held it. They will make a copy for you.

 

Celebrity did not hold ours last summer when we visited Mykonos and Santorini on the Galaxy. It seems like one can't know for sure what will happen with the passports on any particular cruise.

[chasetf]

Celebrity did not hold ours last summer when we visited Mykonos and Santorini on the Galaxy. It seems like one can't know for sure what will happen with the passports on any particular cruise.

It is a requirement of the country(s) being visited. So it depends on which ports (countries) are visited. We were on a Tahitian B2B. Cook Islands required the collection for their immigration. We had the Cook stop cancelled due to a tropical storm, and our Passports were returned immediately. Next leg of B2B did not include Cook, and passports were not collected.

[crz4ever]

We sailed last July 4th from Rome on the Galaxy which did include Mykonos and Santorini. Our passports were held by Celebrity for the entire cruise and we had to go and pick them up at the Bank on the last night of the cruise. We were given black and white copies that I did take ashore with me.

[TomMMD]

I am supriised about your statement that it is illegal to make a color copy of a passport. I do not think that's true. Indeed I am certain I have seen official hints suggesting that people keep a copy of their passport info page in a safe place.

 

Several years ago, our son had his passport stolen in Madrid and in order to expedite the issuance of a new one we faxed the copy we had of it to the American Embassy in Madrid. (at the embassy's suggestion)

 

 

I really hate to tell you this...but, it is not legal to have color

copies of one passports. ~ Sorta like using the copier to take

color copies of money, and, currencies.

 

Prior to our cruise to Russia on the CONSTELLATION, I went to

an Office Max to make a couple of copies. They refused to do

it, and, informed me that it is not allowed. So, I went to the library

and, made my own color copies for Russia...

However..

One only needs one black & white copy for the Russian officials.

(I do have tucked away our COLOR copies, however.) ;)

[Sky Sweet]

When we took the Baltic Cruise on Constellation 3 summers ago, Celebrity did not take our passports at any time. When we passed through Immigration in St. Petersburg we gave the Russian Immigration officer our passports to stamp (along with our Red October Tour tickets).

 

Happy sailing.

Jonie

 

Russian Immigration now requires a copy of your passport, which they do not return, in addition to seeing your passport, which they stamp. They also give you a visitors card each time you get off the ship, which needs to be returned to them at the pier.

 

When you first board the ship, Celebrity checks to make sure you have a copy of your passport. If you don't, Celebrity will ask for your passport so they can make a copy for you, but return it with a copy before the ship arrives in St Petersburg. Since I made a copy of my passport before I left home, Celebrity never took my passport.

[greatam]

I really hate to tell you this...but, it is not legal to have color

copies of one passports. ~ Sorta like using the copier to take

color copies of money, and, currencies.

 

 

Since the State Dept now allows COLOR photos (they used to be black and white like a mug shot), color copies are preferred. It makes it easier to identify you-brown hair is truly brown, not semi-black. Office Max/Office Depot, etc. will not make color copies of a lot of stuff (SS, DL)-too much liability if there is identity theft.

 

Along with your color copy, PLEASE take extra passport photos. Sometimes needed for visas and will definitely be needed if you need to expedite a passport in a foreign country.

 

Another way to guarantee that you have access to your passport info page: scan, then email to yourself. Accessable any place in the world you have internet email access.

[Vancouver Cruiser]

We just returned last week from an 11 day Eastern Med on the Galaxy. Embarkation was Rome, with stops in Greek Islands, Turkey and back to Italy. All passports were collected upon check-in and photocopies were provided to each cabin before arrival in the first port (Mykonos). Everyone collected their passports on the second last day of the cruise.

 

It appears that it does depend on the itinerary. I always travel with a photocopy of our passports in the events that ours should be lost or stolen while abroad.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

That's odd. We did the Millie trans sailing 9/30/01 and we kept our passports. I remember having to bring them up to the lounge on the day we arrived in St. Thomas. I believe they kept the passports of non-US citizens.

 

Certainly every RCI and Celebrity cruise that starts or finishes in the US, they take the passports and hold them for Non-US Citizens, they have done this on all 12 transatlantic cruises we have done. When I have questioned/queried as to why this is, all they can tell me at check-in or when you go to collect them at the end of the cruise onboard is we don't really know but thats what RCI/Celebrity ask us to do!!

Anyone know the ACTUAL reason???

[BurBunny]

Because of the Turkish visa, I think the 11-night Galaxy sailings have the passports held, but the 10-nighters don't. Was on the June 2 Galaxy (10-night Med) last month and no passport holds for US citizens.