Transatlantic cruise and Schengen info

1) While no one looked at our passports at any given cruise ship port in either direction (spring and fall cruises), on the advice of the German consulate (another story), we counted each and every one of them. So yes, our Schengen count began with our stop in Ponta Delgada. Those here advise better safe than sorry.

2) When we traveled by plane between France and England, our passports were stamped by both countries, thus making it obvious when we were and were not in the Schengen area. The stamp from passport control in London paused our Schengen counter. When we left London for Venice, our passports were stamped by both countries, thus restarting our Schengen count. No one stamped our passports when we left Barcelona on our return cruise, but they were stamped in Port Canaveral upon our return. Again, better safe than sorry, we did count all the ports of call on the return voyage as well.

Curiously, at the end of our spring cruise, when we disembarked in Rotterdam, with permission to disembark early (the cruise ended in Hamburg but we were headed for Keukenhof), there was no one to stamp our passports. Wanting to be legal, we actually had to request that it be done.

I found this calculator helpful, as it confirmed what I counted on paper (and in my sleep regularly). http://www.schengen-calculator.com/visits

Bon voyage!

Donna

So the days aboard ship from first docking in the Azores until disembarking in England all count as Schengen zone time?

Or do you just count each day actually in port, and not the days at sea?

If you don't go through immigration at your port stops and have your passport checked how can that count toward your Schengen days? My instinct is to say that they don't but I could be wrong.

The question is how passports are handled for one day stops in ports. On many cruises we have had our passports taken by the ship company prior to the port stops and return afterwards. Have no idea what happens to the passport during that time but we not seeing any additional stamps. It is possible that the passports are electronically read but don't know that for a fact. To be safe I would make the assumption that those days count but nor would I run my stay in the Schengen zone so close that those days are critical. BUT ----- be absolutely certain when traveling on your own that you get both entry and exit stamps and know where those stamps are in your passport. After a problem last year I now mark those stamps with a sticky note to assist the immigration officer in finding the correct stamps.

"After a problem last year I now mark those stamps with a sticky note to assist the immigration officer in finding the correct stamps."

Frank, that's a great idea!

Once you are stamped into Schengen, you are in Schengen. Unless you are stamped out, or can show arrival into a non-Schengen country (England), you are in Schengen.

You could technically argue you were at sea but it would still be up to the immigration officers to make a ruling.

Safe bet, count the days between the first arrival in Schengen and your docking in England--unless stamped out of Schengen--towards your 90 days.

I counted days on land, not those in international waters. That meant Ponta Delgada, Le Havre, and Zeebrugge, which means I started my 180 day count on the day in Ponta Delgada. Do I know if that was completely correct? No. But it was the best guess I could make, as I did a rather thorough search and could find no definitive information. As I'd likely get all flustered and tongue-tied and say something stupid, I also carried a printed copy of our itinerary and a copy of the Schengen work sheet I had used for planning. Would that have served any useful purpose if challenged? I don't know, but it made me feel safer. ;-)

The OP should contact the cruise line for information on how and when and where passports are stamped. Surely the cruise director has the answer.

On our Transatlantic in 2016 nobody took our passports and we didn't need to show them (and get them stamped) until disembarkation at Barcelona. We had four port days in Europe before that.

I'd be suspect of any information provided by the cruise line. Have you checked with the folks on Cruise Critic? They aren't on the whole "RS travelers", but this is the kind of info they excel with.

We took a Holland America repositioning cruise 4/2017. No one checked our passports going into the Azores or the Spanish ports. But we did have to give the cruise lines our passports for a day.
I would just count the day you hit the Azores as day #1. The penalties can get expensive.
It is a long way from London to Italy, and worthy of a flight on EasyJet out of Gatwick for usually car less than $100. It is too far by train.