Passports
 

Is it necessary to carry your passport with you on shore excursions in northern European ports, or can you leave it safely onboard the ship and carry just a copy with you?

carry just the copy.

I have never taken my passport( or copy )when I left the ship for a day tour.

Percy

I've done about 7 or 8 cruises and the only time I ever took my passport ashore was in Egypt, as it was required by Egyptian law. If your room has a safe, leave it there.

They will tell you if you need anything special in a particular port, but your cabin card has all your info for getting off & back on the ship.

Typically the ship keeps your passport as they need it for immigration since you are going from country to country. Our last cruise in May, the ship kept it the whole 14 days. We were only given it back once for immigration in a country that required a face to face immigration transit.

The ship kept our passports during our Med. cruise. During small ship trips, which remain within a country, we've kept our passports. We keep the passports in the safe and carry a photocopy with us.

Ditto. I left mine in the safe in our cabin. I took a copy of my passport in my bag for identification. Your card from the ship is fine but I carry nothing with a photo id except my passport copy while in Europe.