Surrendering of Passports?

[marle7]

We stayed in Paris and in Barcelona in June of last year before our Brilliance med cruise. At both hotels we had to show our passports but we didnt' have to surrender them.

[iancal]

Surrendering a passport is really not a big deal. I do not understand what the fuss is about. Have you ever heard of someone not getting it back? We have not. I would hazard a guess that you hear many more stories about people who get their passports stolen by pickpockets etc. while they are walking around town.

[wander]

We did not need passports to go into the Casio in Monte Carlo last spring.

[Paul&Kathy]

Having experienced the loss of our passports when my handbag was stolen in Singapore last December I will never again complain about a cruiseline "looking after" our passports.

 

Like many posters here it had concerned me slightly in the past, not enough to object, just enough to make me wonder what would happen if they got lost. Anyway, we embarked the Costa Allegra in Hong Kong and duly handed over our passports, but the day before we arrived in Singapore they were returned to us as we had to have our own passport to go through immigration. And of course there, on Sentosa of all places, was where my handbag was taken.

 

After explaining the position at the terminal they eventually called one of the assistant pursers from the ship and also the ship's agent. Singapore immigration first told us that with the purser's permission we could rejoin the ship and sort out passports at the next port (Ho Chi Minh) but it soon became very clear that could not happen. So after much discussion they took us on board and gave us 10 minutes to clear our cabin. Several of Costa's staff came to help and our belongings were stuffed into our suitcases.

 

Once we were on the shore the agent lent us his phone to call the British High Commission. This was on the Saturday afternoon and we were told to report there 9am Monday morning and they would do their best to replace our passports that day.

 

We were then handed over to Singapore immigration who (after a couple of hours) provided us with emergency papers allowing us to stay without being illegal immigrants. The agent appeared from time to time and made a couple of half hearted attempts to charge us astronomical amounts of money for a hotel for the night and a taxi to the police station. He seemed to hang about until we had our paperwork (presumably was responsible for us until then ?) but them disappeared and we never saw him again.

 

After finding a hotel we spent a couple of hours at the police station then started trying to plan our onward journey. Unbelievably, my bag was handed in on the Sunday evening complete with passports, just the cash missing (the least of our worries at that point). So Monday morning we went to the Vietnamse Embassy for visas and managed to get a flight to Ho Chi Minh that afternoon, landing 10 minutes before the ship left. Of course, the ship was not be delayed that day, so we ended up with another flight on to Da Nang and waited 2 days for the ship there.

 

Looking back now we can consider it an experience, but it cost us about £1,500 and a huge amount of stress so I don't recommend it - let the cruiselines take responsibility, and when you have your passports guard them with your life !!

[rochelle_s]

Kathy,

 

What a nightmare you had to endure. What an awful experience to have happen and to take away from the enjoyment of your cruise.out

 

When I am out anywhere with my passport I always keep it and other valuables in a money belt under my clothes. I find this the safest way to carry my important stuff.

 

Rochelle

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

I tend to agree with Dave at least in so far as Italian accomodations goes. We stayed in Italy for ten days last year following a HAL cruise, rented a car, toured through Umbria & Tuscany, etc. At each any every B&B we stayed out we needed to surrender our passports for the night in order to stay.

 

I thought they probably did that so folks wouldn't 'skp' on the bill. Plus they needed to fill out some sort of gov't form that included your passport numbers, length of stay, etc. No biggie really IMO.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[atudorquene]

Dave,

 

I have never heard of a hotel that would hold on to your passport....anywhere. Yes they might want to see your passport when checking in, but to keep it? Where in the world would this be a requirement?

 

Rochelle

 

Before the EU, but it has never happened to me in the UK. I have friends who go to Japan nearly every year and they say that it has happened to them there, but they just give coloured copies of their passports to the hotels, instead of the real ones. the same thing has happened to them in Paris. I, certainly, would feel odd handing over my passport. Guess I will call the passport agency and ask their opinion.

 

Bon Voyage :D

[atudorquene]

Ahoy!

 

I tend to agree with Dave at least in so far as Italian accomodations goes. We stayed in Italy for ten days last year following a HAL cruise, rented a car, toured through Umbria & Tuscany, etc. At each any every B&B we stayed out we needed to surrender our passports for the night in order to stay.

 

I thought they probably did that so folks wouldn't 'skp' on the bill. Plus they needed to fill out some sort of gov't form that included your passport numbers, length of stay, etc. No biggie really IMO.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

 

had to guarantee a room with a credit card, but now they can just charge your card if you 'skip'. If they have to fill out paperwork, they can do it in front of you, and then give you back your passport. Indeed, the passport in the money belt works for me. I plan on keeping a couple of coloured copies with me, - in the room safe, in my luggage, and in my purse - just in case, my real passport goes missing.

[dakrewser]

Guess I will call the passport agency and ask their opinion.

 

Bon Voyage :D

 

their opinion doesn't carry much weight when your trying to check in to the lovely little pension in the countryside. You know, that quaint place where they ask that you turn in the key before you go out for the day? Customs, and laws, vary considerably from place to place. Most hotels are not asking for your passport to keep you from skipping out on the bill, but because their government insists that they do so.

[iancal]

You are absolutely correct Dakrewser. This is how it is in many parts of the world. Not an issue for us. It may also occur on certain ferry routes like some of the Turkey-Greece crossings.

[prescottbob]

had to guarantee a room with a credit card, but now they can just charge your card if you 'skip'. If they have to fill out paperwork, they can do it in front of you, and then give you back your passport. Indeed, the passport in the money belt works for me. I plan on keeping a couple of coloured copies with me, - in the room safe, in my luggage, and in my purse - just in case, my real passport goes missing.

 

Ahoy!

 

Actually several of the B&B's (mom & pop affairs) didn't not require (not Rome but out in the sticks) a cc guarantee nor did some of them have cc processors. Cash only (in Euros), as it were.

 

And in so far as keeping the passports I really didn't mind (we always have a couple of copies about). I figured, "when in Rome...."

 

Be well & may your next cruise or land sojorn be a GREAT ONE!

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[prescottbob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atudorquene

had to guarantee a room with a credit card, but now they can just charge your card if you 'skip'. If they have to fill out paperwork, they can do it in front of you, and then give you back your passport. Indeed, the passport in the money belt works for me. I plan on keeping a couple of coloured copies with me, - in the room safe, in my luggage, and in my purse - just in case, my real passport goes missing.

 

Ahoy!

 

Actually several of the B&B's (mom & pop affairs) didn't not require (not Rome but out in the sticks) a cc guarantee nor did some of them have cc processors. Cash only (in Euros), as it were.

 

And in so far as keeping the passports I really didn't mind (we always have a couple of copies about). I figured, "when in Rome...."

 

Be well & may your next cruise or land sojorn be a GREAT ONE!

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[GatorV]

We keep PP's on our person everytime we leave the ship and have a brand of pants/shorts that have velcro closures on the pockets (not big baggy things either) PP is in the front thigh pocket, on my person, NOT in my purse which can be snatched,along with credit cards and room key...all FLAT and easily stowed..hard to pick pocket a velcored pocket, it would take quite a tug, and its noisy!:D

[NoNoNanette]

I hesitate to re-read this entire thread, as my cruise is still 8 months away. :D

 

BUT: Tell me if I've got this right:

 

Dom and I can give our passports to the Purser's desk upon boarding. :confused:

If so, I'll gladly do that. :) Great thread.

[tinlizzy]

2. If you miss the ship or have any legal problems ashore, the Purser who is holding your passport passes it to the Ship's Agent, who is then legally and financially responsible for you until your situation is sorted out. You couldn't hope for better luck than to have this happen to you. You don't have to worry about finding the Agent; he must worry about finding you. He is responsible for you being in his country illegally until he finds you. If something goes wrong, he pays the price. This also usually results in another free cruise for you.

 

3. Some Immigration authorities love to make surprise passport inspections very early in the morning or late at night. The purpose is to find irregularities in the paperwork so they can fine the cruise line. They have the choice to get the Purser out of bed at 5am to look at all the passports in his safe - or they can get all the passengers out of bed at 5am and have them all line up with their passports for a full inspection. The safe inspection takes 30 minutes. The full passenger inspection can take 3 hours. The ship gets cleared after the inspection is finished. Which would you prefer????

 

4. If you lock your passport in your cabin safe and miss the ship - you are really out of luck. Most countries - including the Caribbean - issue blanket visas to visitors on cruise ships. In effect your cabin key card is your legal visa to visit that country. But that "visa" expires as soon as your ship leaves port. If your passport is in your cabin and you are ashore when the ship departs - you are an illegal alien in that country. Cruise lines normally will not open a cabin safe if the passenger is not present. You will be illegally in one country and your passport will be in another. Good luck.

 

5. If you take your passport ashore with you and you are robbed, you should pray that they don't take your passport. If they do, you are really out of luck. The Cruise Line has no responsibility to help you replace it, and the Agent has no legal requirement to be responsible for you. You are an illegal alien who cannot leave the country until your Embassy bails you out. I have tried to assist Americans passengers who lost their passports in Mexico and Belize. It took weeks for the American Government to get them out of the country and back home. They paid thousands in Hotel Bills and Airplane Tickets.

 

6. If you lose your passport ashore, it can be equally bad. Depending on where you are, the ship may not be able to take you back onboard without your passport. Hope you didn't also lose your credit cards, because you are going to need plenty of money (and time) to get this sorted out.

 

Moral of the story: If the cruise line wants to hold your passport - give it to them and hope they lose it. You will have the time of your life if they do.

 

2) So if they have held my passport they are now required to wait for me or become financially responsible for me?

[Bill S]

tinlizzy: no, the ship will not wait for you. The Port Agent will try to find you, as he or she will have your passport(s), if HAL had required you to surrender it.

Reading Bruce Muzz' post again, it appears that from para 1, which you did not include in the qouted portion, that if HAL loses your passport, then it assumes financial responsibility for you. I'm just not sure if that is the case if the Port Agent has your passport and get's it to you.

If you missed the ship due to your fault, and they get you your passport, and further assuming that having your passport renders you "legal" to be in that nation, I would be surprised if HAL would assume financial responsibility to provide free lodging and/or get you back to the ship. If it was otherwise, I'm sure that some people would try take advantage of that policy.

I have read several threads on CC stating that when people missed their ship during a port call due their own fault, they had to make their own hotel, food, clothing and transportation arrangements to meet the ship at the next port, at their own expense.

Maybe Bruce Muzz will post again, to clarify this issue.

[dakrewser]

If you missed the ship due to your fault, and they get you your passport, and further assuming that having your passport renders you "legal" to be in that nation, I would be surprised if HAL would assume financial responsibility to provide free lodging and/or get you back to the ship. If it was otherwise, I'm sure that some people would try take advantage of that policy.

 

No, they won't take "financial responsibility". We've known people in this situation. The port agent will wait for you at the pier, return your passport to you, assist you in making arrangements to re-join the ship at the next port, provide information on where to find things (such as an ATM, a train station, etc.) but financially you're on your own.

[Tampa Girl]

We recently disembarked from HAL's Historical WWII cruise, and we had to submit our passports at embarkation in Auckland. They were returned to us when we returned to U.S. soil in Guam and surrendered again after Saipan. (I think I have the sequence right.) The reason is less HAL's policy and more the requirements of the foreign nation. By surrendering the passports, it provides the foreign immigration officials time to pre-clear the passengers without wasting additional time at the rather perfunctory immigration process aboard ship. For instance, when we docked in Naha, we went through an immigration line and received our passports back, but the Japanese authorities also required the passengers to be fingerprinted and photographed. Presumably, the immigration officials had already cleared the passengers. My fellow travelers, please correct me if I have the sequence wrong.

 

Virginia