Passports

Cruising to the Caribbean. Do you need your passport with you when disembarking at each port of call.

No. You leave your passport in your safe and take your room key (sign and sail key) and driver's license.

Are you starting at the US and ending at the US? If not, no to get on and off at each port. You do need to have a driver's license with you, however, to get back on the ship

Usually, just your room card and a photo ID (which may not be checked either). There may be an exception stated at some port, or not. We take ours anyhow in the event something happens to us on shore causing us to miss the boat. And...no....I don't worry about losing them anymore than other possessions I carry on shore.

We have not needed passports in Nassau, Jamaica or Grand Cayman. Passports were required in Cozumel.

Cruising to the Caribbean. Do you need your passport with you when disembarking at each port of call.

I would check by port. I didn't think we needed it for our upcoming cruise....I was wrong.

From travel.state.gov:

All U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport for all air travel, including to and from Sint Maarten. All sea travelers must also now have a passport or passport card. We strongly encourage all U.S. citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport or passport card well in advance of anticipated travel. U.S. citizens can call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

You DO NOT need to carry your passport off the ship with you.

I leave our passports in the safe on the ship. Though I have a copy of our passports on my person just in case we miss the ship or it is needed. Just wait till the service desk on the ship is not too busy and have them make copies of your passports. I have the copies in a zip lock bag and i take it with me every time i disembark.

You need to carry your seapass card and a government issued id into port. They will always check your seapass card to get back into the port area and sometimes your id.

Whether you carry your passport or driver's license is personal choice. I don't usually carry my passport. On our first cruise we carried them in a waterproof container and it leaked and they got wet. Also I'm concerned about theft; if my drivers license gets stolen I can still make it back home .... but if I'm traveling on my passport (no BC), I'm going to have to jump through some hoops to get back through customs at the end of the cruise.

The only real reason people say you NEED your passport in port is if you miss the ship. If it's simply an emergency and you have to fly home you will stop back at ship to your luggage anyway. To me the chance of my passport getting damaged or stolen is much higher than me missing the ship so I leave it in the safe and just carry a copy with me. Had a friend have his passport stolen in France a year ago and you can go to a US embassy for a replacement. Not a run or cheap situation; but missing the boat never is.

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Cruising to the Caribbean. Do you need your passport with you when disembarking at each port of call.

Leave your passport on the ship.

We have not needed passports in Nassau, Jamaica or Grand Cayman. Passports were required in Cozumel.

They aren't required for US citizens in Cozumel, in fact you don't even have to use a passport to cruise to Cozumel.

While passports are not a necessity at many ports and even on many cruises, if you have one then take it on board and lock it in your safe, but carry a photocopy of it with you at all times; just in case the worst happens.

We have not needed passports in Nassau, Jamaica or Grand Cayman. Passports were required in Cozumel.

No, they are not required to get off in Cozumel. You only need a Drivers License for ID.

On a recent Caribbean cruise only the US ports( SAN Juan and Key West )checked the photo ID and a color copy of my passport was accepted. Ship card only everywhere else. Note to self.....Do not forget your drivers license .

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I would check by port. I didn't think we needed it for our upcoming cruise....I was wrong.

From travel.state.gov:

All U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport for all air travel, including to and from Sint Maarten. All sea travelers must also now have a passport or passport card. We strongly encourage all U.S. citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport or passport card well in advance of anticipated travel. U.S. citizens can call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

Not sure what that's about. We visited Saint Martin and rode around the entire island on ATV's last month and didn't have a passport on us and it never came up.

Not sure what that's about. We visited Saint Martin and rode around the entire island on ATV's last month and didn't have a passport on us and it never came up.

That is not about having a passport or carrying it on your person off of a cruise ship if you are on closed loop cruise. You can arrive by sea by other means than a cruise ship. A yacht for example.

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We have passports and passport cards. We leave our passports on the ship but carry our passport cards. Our first trip we used driver's licences but when we renewed our passport we added the cards. Easy and peace of mind. Love them!

Leave your passport on the ship.

 

 

 

They aren't required for US citizens in Cozumel, in fact you don't even have to use a passport to cruise to Cozumel.

That's not the experience we had on the Carnival Conquest in March of 2016. We were told passports were required, so we used them. I would have preferred to keep them in the safe. I'm not arguing with you, just stating what we encountered.

I would check by port. I didn't think we needed it for our upcoming cruise....I was wrong.

From travel.state.gov:

All U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport for all air travel, including to and from Sint Maarten. All sea travelers must also now have a passport or passport card. We strongly encourage all U.S. citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport or passport card well in advance of anticipated travel. U.S. citizens can call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

This refers to when you arrive in St. Maarten on your private yacht from the US. NOT on a cruise ship that has pre-cleared its arrival with the local authorities.

That's not the experience we had on the Carnival Conquest in March of 2016. We were told passports were required, so we used them. I would have preferred to keep them in the safe. I'm not arguing with you, just stating what we encountered.

They are not required. I was in Cozumel this past December 2016 and I left my passport in the safe as usual. Same in December 2015 and December 2014.....

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Scan your passport onto your computer and it will be there IF needed, IF you miss the ship or something happens and you need to be airlifted home and you left it on the ship.

I also minimize my passport while scanning it to credit card size, and laminate it. That I take with me when leaving a port and water can't ruin it.

It's very easy to do and handy to have.

While a passport is not required on closed-loop cruises, every one should do what makes them feel safe.Me and my wife never get on an airplane or ship without our passports, even flying domestic.

While not necessary, we always take our passports off the ship when in foreign countries. It makes me fell safer.