Do we have to give up our passports on our European Cruise??

[Hootsie]

Geez, I hope not. We're taking a 2-3 hour bus ride to Paris on our last port and if something (God forbid) happens and we miss the ship, we'd be without passports. I do not want to be that far away from the ship without mine. In fact, when I step foot out of the country I want my passport.

[Kathie44]

We did the Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords on Jewel of the Seas in june '06 and didn't have to turn over our passports. I can't remember if we took ours or left them in the safe on our excursions, but never had any problems.

[SailAway78]

I last cruised in Europe in 2004 so more recent travelers will hopefully help with current passport info. I'm sure there were some ports where we were required to carry it which I did in a money belt not my purse.

 

I photocopy our passports and put extra copies inside each piece of luggage. From a tip I learned on the boards but don't recall the OP to give credit: Set your photocopier to 63% reduction to make a credit size copy of your passport which you can laminate to carry in your wallet. (My husband and I also carried a copy of each other's on our recent Panama Canal cruise.) On that trip we used it onboard for the tour of the Bridge which requires a picture ID. The small passport fit perfectly with a stateroom card in the Celebrity holder. We did not need to show ID returning to the ship from shore excursions but we always had the small PP with us.

 

 

Bonnie

[Hootsie]

Actually, you can't use a photocopied passport as a legal ID. I learned that when living in Japan. You can copy them and keep them in another place (away from the other in case you lose it) and that will help in applying for another but that's it. Good idea to keep copies in each piece of luggage tho in case your suitcases get lost.

[Jim_Iain]

From my experience the cruise line does not take you passport.

 

On an Alaska cruise from San Francisco two of our relatives traveling on British Passports had to surrender them on the day of boarding but they were returned to them the next day which was a sea day.

[Lsimon]

We did not have to surrender ours on our Mediterranean cruise on the Millennium in Sept. '07

[goldminer1951]

We were on the Aug/Sep 2007 sailing of Legend of the Seas from Rome to the eastern Med. They took our U.S. passports at the pier. They were returned to us the day before we got to Egypt, and were taken away after we left Egypt bound for Athens. We had to carry the passports in Egypt. We got them back the day before getting back to Rome. Little "visa" stamps from Greece, Turkey and Egypt appeared in the passports.

 

The same thing happened on our Aug. 2005 cruise on Galaxy in the eastern Med. We never had a problem going ashore with or without the passports.

 

Perhaps the western Med or Baltic nations do not require the "visa" (shore pass) stamps and you can keep your passport, but not having done the western Med or Baltic, I don't really know.

 

'Miner

[joelmarj]

On our Med cruise last month, we had to surrender them for Corsica. We boarded in Barcelona and visited Italy, France, Spain and Gibraltar, but only had to have it turned in the day before and pick it up the day after we docked in Corsica. They apparently are not part of the Schengan Agreement that covers travel through Europe.

[DrKoob]

We were on the Century cruise with JoelMarj last month and had the same experience. A year ago on Galaxy we did two weeks in the Eastern Med and had to turn in our passports only for Romania and the Ukraine. Got them back the day after we left the second port.

[aloanldy]

On our Med Cruise in Oct 07 on Millennium we had to give ours up for a couple days. It's not a big deal. Enjoy your cruise!

[SailAway78]

Actually, you can't use a photocopied passport as a legal ID. I learned that when living in Japan. You can copy them and keep them in another place (away from the other in case you lose it) and that will help in applying for another but that's it. Good idea to keep copies in each piece of luggage tho in case your suitcases get lost.

 

Good point, Hootsie. I should have explained the copies are in case you lose a passport. For the Bridge tour the small copy was OK for the picture ID check.

 

Bonnie

[Denisern2]

Depends are you going into Greece or Turkey? If so then yes

[tom_uk]

It will depend on the cruise. On Galaxy in 2006 we didn't have to surrender passports because we were cruising entirely within the Schengen zone - the cruise visited Italy, Greece and France, and everyone had had their passports examined on arrival in Italy. This year, however, a rather different itinerary included a call at Turkey and passports therefore had to be surrendered. I think we were able to collect them a couple of days after leaving Kusadasi - on the immediately following day the ship would have needed them as we re-rentered the Schengen zone for the ship's call at Rhodes.

[alynn]

This year, however, a rather different itinerary included a call at Turkey and passports therefore had to be surrendered. I think we were able to collect them a couple of days after leaving Kusadasi

 

Tom

 

is there a visa charge on entering turkey as in a land based holiday? last time we were there although not cruising it cost £10 as you went through customs

[Addict]

Good idea to keep copies in each piece of luggage tho in case your suitcases get lost.

 

Not sure I agree with this? I wouldn't want anyone getting hold of a copy of my passport - surely would make cloning easier?? Perhaps I am paranoid about these things and don't know anything about fraudulent activities :eek: but I would rather be safe than sorry!:D

 

I always keep a type written sheet in the suitcase with our names, and postcode (not the full address) and a mobile phone number. That would be enough for the authorities to be able to get hold of us.

 

Happy travels.

 

Sue

[MEcruzr]

Sue... I'd NEVER leave a cope of my passport in my suitcase, either! :eek: I put dh's business card (all of his business contact numbers and a business address since he rarely travels with me... I figure if they call him he can help get my suitcase forwarded to me or home) and a copy of my intinerary with my contact numbers (including my cell, home, hotel and the cruiseline numbers) and home address. But I'd never leave a passport copy, a driver's license copy, a double sided credit card copy (with the code from the back of the card) or a social security card copy where anyone could find it. Identity theft is something we all have to protect ourselves from.

[raymac46]

You won't need a visa to visit Turkey if you are landing and leaving via a cruise ship.

The ship will require you to turn in your passport though so they can:

(a) get an exit stamp from the EU.

(b) present it to the authorities in Turkey if needed.

© get an entry stamp back into the EU.

Then you'll get it back again.

In Turkey you get a little landing card with the ship's name and registry and you put your name on it. You keep this card until you get back on the ship to sail away, then turn it in.

[Hootsie]

Good point about copied passports in the suitcase. Axe that idea. I'll just take a copy and leave it here with a family member in case I need the numbers (for loss).

 

For the record, we are going to a few ports in Scotland, Ireland, Channel Island, Le Havre (Paris). We are leaving from Amsterdam. Any of you guys on these ports and had to give up your passports??

[raymac46]

All of the places you are visiting are in the EU, so once you arrive in Amsterdam you will no longer need your passport nor should you have to surrender it. Lock it away until you are ready to return to North America.

[Addict]

All of the places you are visiting are in the EU, so once you arrive in Amsterdam you will no longer need your passport nor should you have to surrender it. Lock it away until you are ready to return to North America.

 

Hi

 

I have not yet done a European cruise, nor am I American, however I can tell you that as a EU citizen (British), we cannot travel from one EU country to the another without our passports.

 

This may work differently for cruising Europe and this may be how it works for Americans. You certainly shouldn't have to surrender it though!

[theduffys]

This is DH's precaution against a lost passport. He scans them, as an attachment, into his work e-mail. Then all he needs is acess to a computer to retreave them.

[cruise47]

We did not have to surrender our on our Trans Atlantic cruise on the Century in April 2007.