Question about passports

[can'twaittocruise]

Is it true that you must leave your passport with the purser or other attendant when you check in? When do they give it back? Also, I've read on other posts that it is a good idea to make copies of your driver's license and passports and bring them with you to the ports. Will a copy of your passport be accepted? Just want to make sure I have this right. Thanks so much for any input!

[choochella]

We have never had to leave our passports at the purser's office. We always kept them in our stateroom. Once you start sailing, depending on where you are going, all you should need to depart and return to the ship is your room key card. It may be different on sailings other than the Caribbean.

[LHT28]

I make a copy of the front page (picture page) of my passport and keep it with me ahsore.
In the Caribbean you get to keep your passport usually but on European cruises they keep them upon check in.
The only time we had to have them was in Russia and you can pick them up from the Purser.
You will get them back the last night of the cruise.

[Cruise Fanatic]

I just went on a Baltic cruise. Non US citizens passports were held. They only held US citizens passports to make copies of it for the Russian authorities. It was given back the next day. If you had already made copies of your passport yourself you didn't need to surrender it. In the Caribbean they do not hold US citizen passports.

[Sandy]

I was on a Windstar cruise in the Caribbean 10 years ago. They did, in fact, collect everyone's passport when we boarded the ship, and gave them back to us the last night of the cruise.

Sandy

[Dwayne]

can'twaittocruise,

For US based cruises to the caribbean I have never seen them collect the passports. You don't even need a passport if a US Citizen untill 1-08-07. Once you do check in you can stow it away. Your ID and boarding card is all is needed to come and go.

Is to the best of my knowledge, please correct me if I am wrong, as I am here to learn too

[wesnlin]

And when you get off at each port is it best to keep your passport locked away in the room safe? Someone said that they like to have theirs stamped in each port they visit. Has anyone heard of that? If you do have it stamped, does that mean that you will be carrying it around the whole time you are off the ship?

Thank you for helping someone who has never cruised before

Linda

[Dave]

Linda,

A smart thing to do is make a color copy of your ID portion of the passport and carry it with you when going ashore. Leave the actual passport on the ship.

At least in the Caribbean, I think you'd have to go hunting and waste a lot of time trying to find someone who would stamp your passport.