Do you take your passport off the ship at either Nassau or castaway cay?

Normally We take it just in case so we can fly home in an emergency. I don't know that that makes sense though for their private island? Does anyone take their passport with them?

No. Especially at Castaway, there is no need. I keep it in the safe, which is what DCL says to do. I do take a copy of the Navigator if I get off in a non-DCL port. The Navigator lists the "Ship's Agent" which is the number you call if you have an emergency. They will contact the ship for you and the ship will get your passports out of your safe and delivered to you.

There are a few ports where you are required to carry your passport. You are not going to any of them. Otherwise, I do as DCL says and leave it in the safe.

Heaven"s NO!!! Castaway is an extension of the ship....and none of the Caribbean countries require a passport from cruise passengers.

If you were to miss the ship, they will leave your stuff on shore.

Perfect. Much appreciated!

Normally We take it just in case so we can fly home in an emergency. I don't know that that makes sense though for their private island? Does anyone take their passport with them?

For both those ports (Bahamas) you will need your KTTW card and a photo ID (for adults) to access the port area. This is a fairly recent change at Castaway Cay.

We typically just use our driver's license for the photo ID, no need to carry your passport.

Hang on - You think if you miss the ship in say Nassau, you can phone the ship agent and get your passport out of a locked safe in your cabin, whilst at sea and get it back to you in Nassau so that you can fly home? Think again.

I always take my passport with me when on shore (other than Castaway - I shouldn't be able to miss the ship there) and I am pretty sure that this is what DCL recommend (although I'd need to refresh my memory to be absolutely certain).

I not going to try and convince you either way though, I just know that if i miss the boat, I want my passport in my hand....

That is what my husband would say! And does every time we sail. The private island is different though

Hang on - You think if you miss the ship in say Nassau, you can phone the ship agent and get your passport out of a locked safe in your cabin, whilst at sea and get it back to you in Nassau so that you can fly home? Think again.

 

I always take my passport with me when on shore (other than Castaway - I shouldn't be able to miss the ship there) and I am pretty sure that this is what DCL recommend (although I'd need to refresh my memory to be absolutely certain).

 

I not going to try and convince you either way though, I just know that if i miss the boat, I want my passport in my hand....

No, the procedure is - if your KTTW card has not been swiped, then they know you have not reboarded. They will wait as long as they can, and then will access your room, and open the safe to see if you've left your passport in there. Note - only the safe will be searched, your room will not be, so keeping your passport in the safe is key.

Then the passport(s) for everyone who has not reboarded will be handed to the port agent (that's why they give you the port agent number before you get off the ship). Then the ship leaves.

When you return, after the ship had cast off, and departed, you collect your passport(s) from the port agent, and find your own way back to the ship, or home.

If you have no passport, well, then you have some work to do before you can leave the Bahamas.

That is what my husband would say! And does every time we sail. The private island is different though

While Castaway Cay is Disney's "private island", it's still in the Bahamas, and subject to the same security restrictions as Nassau. As I said, this is a fairly recent development, but Disney has built a covered facility on Castaway Cay where KTTW cards and photo IDs are now checked prior to allowing you access to the ship.

Hang on - You think if you miss the ship in say Nassau, you can phone the ship agent and get your passport out of a locked safe in your cabin, whilst at sea and get it back to you in Nassau so that you can fly home? Think again.

 

I always take my passport with me when on shore (other than Castaway - I shouldn't be able to miss the ship there) and I am pretty sure that this is what DCL recommend (although I'd need to refresh my memory to be absolutely certain).

 

I not going to try and convince you either way though, I just know that if i miss the boat, I want my passport in my hand....

That's NOT what I said. I made no reference to missing the ship. I said that if you have an emergency--you end up at a hospital or police station, for instance--the ship's agent is the party to call. They will work with the people on the ship to get what you need. Passport, luggage, etc. Normally, a DCL CM will stay with the family in the event of a medical emergency.

No, if a guest is stupid enough to miss the ship, they are on their own. And the ship has no responsibility for them at that point.

Hang on - You think if you miss the ship in say Nassau, you can phone the ship agent and get your passport out of a locked safe in your cabin, whilst at sea and get it back to you in Nassau so that you can fly home? Think again.

 

I always take my passport with me when on shore (other than Castaway - I shouldn't be able to miss the ship there) and I am pretty sure that this is what DCL recommend (although I'd need to refresh my memory to be absolutely certain).

 

I not going to try and convince you either way though, I just know that if i miss the boat, I want my passport in my hand....

You obviously misread or misinterpreted what was written.

Whilst you chose to take your passport ashore with you, some, like I, would think that was risky due to getting wet, stolen, lost, and it is best left in the safe oin your Stateroom for DCL to retrieve should they need to.

Each to their own, and you should do what you are most comfortable with, but hundreds of crew go ashore in port and their passports are kept in the crew office. They cannot take them ashore, and they are DCL's responsibility to deal with should they miss the ship with any fines by the port and immigration officials of that country.

If they are happy to allow their crew ashore in ports other than CC, even the US ports without a passport, just an I95 seafarers pass, then that should be an indication that they will retrieve your passport from your safe and get it to the port agent should you need it. Be it an accident, medical emergency, stuck in traffic or just wasted in a bar somewhere on an island.

ex techie

As said Castaway Cay now requires ship card and photo ID. Other ports usually a drivers license is fine but we have both Passports and Passport Cards. Take the cards with us at every port and leave DL and regular Passport in the safe.

I would leave passport on the ship.

Keith

Castaway don't bother, they won't leave you on the island.....I've tried. :) Unless you happen to be one of the folks being dropped off to work there, but when you're not a Disney cast member, they aren't leaving without you.

Any place else, I leave my passport in the safe but always take a printed copy of it with me onshore. IF something were to happen, getting a new passport from the information on the copy is much easier than without. I also make copies of any credit cards I take on the cruise (front & back) along with my current ID, just in case something is lost.

We also do not take our passport ashore, as Disney will put gear ashore with the ships agent.

As Mokies Mom suggested we do bring the name of the ships agent. The agent handles all ships business and help passengers. We also take a photo copy of the passport, it will help if your needing to deal with the US Embassy. A rare issue but it does happen.

AKK

Neither the passport card nor a photocopy of the passport has any legal value while in port. However, either one will make it easier to deal with the authorities. My logic is that I do this a couple times a year. DCL does it several times a week. I'm happy to follow their instructions.

Now, if you want to watch...if you hear an announcement made about 5 minutes after "all aboard" time that says something like "Will a member of the Smith family from deck 6 please contact Guest Services immediately," head to the nearest location with a view of the dock. The views can be quite interesting or totally boring. Or just do an on line search for videos of people missing XYZ ship.

My husband insisted on bringing our passports to Nassau to get them stamped. It made me beyond nervous. The customs building was very sketchy and I could not wait to get out. I would never take my passport ashore again.

My husband insisted on bringing our passports to Nassau to get them stamped. It made me beyond nervous. The customs building was very sketchy and I could not wait to get out. I would never take my passport ashore again.

If your only reason for wanting to take the passport off the ship is to get it stamped, you can take it to Guest Services. They will issue you a receipt for it and take them as a batch to the local immigration officials to be stamped when they officially clear the ship. The officials do sometimes refuse, but DCL will ask.

Like others have stated I would never take my passport off the ship unless there is a specific requirement. We just did the norway cruise in June and I didn't take it off once except for m grandson who is 13 and that is his only photo Id. I keep copies of our passports in all of our bags when we travel just in case.

Like others have stated I would never take my passport off the ship unless there is a specific requirement. We just did the norway cruise in June and I didn't take it off once except for m grandson who is 13 and that is his only photo Id. I keep copies of our passports in all of our bags when we travel just in case.

Unless it was a port requirement, under 18 doesn't need a photo ID to reboard a Disney ship.

Unless it was a port requirement, under 18 doesn't need a photo ID to reboard a Disney ship.

Correct except that the age for a government issued photo ID is 16, not 18. TSA requires it at 18, Disney requires it at 16.

If a 16 year old does not yet have a driver's license or learner's permit, they can get a "non driver" ID from their local license bureau.

Correct except that the age for a government issued photo ID is 16' date=' not 18. TSA requires it at 18, Disney requires it at 16.

 

If a 16 year old does not yet have a driver's license or learner's permit, they can get a "non driver" ID from their local license bureau.[/quote']

 

The Navigator says:

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That's where I got the "18" from.

 

The "16 and over" thing is the requirement for returning to the US (State Department). If traveling on those cruises that don't require a passport, the minimum requirement for returning to the US is a birth certificate plus (for those 16 and over) a government issued photo ID.

Neither the passport card nor a photocopy of the passport has any legal value while in port. However' date=' either one will make it easier to deal with the authorities. My logic is that I do this a couple times a year. DCL does it several times a week. I'm happy to follow their instructions.

 

Now, if you want to watch...if you hear an announcement made about 5 minutes after "all aboard" time that says something like "Will a member of the Smith family from deck 6 please contact Guest Services immediately," head to the nearest location with a view of the dock. The views can be quite interesting or totally boring. Or just do an on line search for videos of people missing XYZ ship.[/quote']

 

The passport card counts as a photo ID just like a drivers license. Thats all I take it for because if I lose my DL in a port its a pain to get it replaced.

We have been to over 100 ports around the world. We have only taken our passports with us once (in Russia). We always take photocopies with us (on paper and pix on our phones).

I just got off the ship. We took our room key (keys to the world card they call it) and our drivers license and I took photos of all of our passports just in case. Left passports in the safe. You did have to have the photo ID for both Nassau and castaway cay (that one I figured just the room key but they said both)