Where put the passport while you are snorkeling?

[Hollyfromtampa]

This is a real Firsttimecruiserquestion, sorry for that, but do you have any advise what to do with your passport or cellphone or creditcards while we go for swimming or snorkeling. We didnt book a excursion, but we want to go swimming on a beach and shopping and barhopping? :cool:

 

Thanks Holly

[6rugrats]

Why would you take your passport off the ship? Leave it in the safe. There are many, many threads discussing this same issue. Here's some with lots of suggestions:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1061895&highlight=valuables+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=745074&highlight=valuables+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=693791&highlight=valuables+beach

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=948790&highlight=valuables+beach

[Putterdude]

I leave my passport in the safe in our cabin...it isn't necessary to take ashore in most ports you visit. I take my cruise card, DL, credit card and a little cash in a Witz box which on a lanyard around my neck.

[hubofhockey]

Agree with others on the passport. Leave it on the ship. As for the cruise card, you can get one of those waterproof containers that you can wear around your neck if you need to keep it with you. You can buy them on the ship for $5 or at Target for less.

[Hollyfromtampa]

Thank you for quick respond, I tried to check the whole board, but I always get lost with reading all the good post.:o Sorry. The operator for the cruise said, we should take our passports if something happend(accident or what ever) and we didnt get back to the ship in time and than we cant come back to the us.......:rolleyes:

Holly

[hubofhockey]

Thank you for quick respond, I tried to check the whole board, but I always get lost with reading all the good post.:o Sorry. The operator for the cruise said, we should take our passports if something happend(accident or what ever) and we didnt get back to the ship in time and than we cant come back to the us.......:rolleyes:

Holly

 

What ship, what cruiseline, what itinerary? I'm interested.

 

If you don't get back to the ship on most lines, the ship will retrieve your passport for you (keep it in the safe) and give it to the port agent for you.

 

We were on a Med cruise this summer and the ship actually took our passports on the first day and didn't return them to us until the second to last day of a 12-day cruise.

[6rugrats]

Cruise is in the Caribbean.

[Keith1010]

Always leave your passport on the ship no matter what you are doing in port. The chance of it getting stolen or lost is greater than any benefits of having it with you.

 

Keith

[Keksie]

If you feel you must bring your passport there are larger water cases available to keep them dry and with you while you swim.

 

Personally we only bring our id, ship card, one credit card, little bit of cash and a waterproof camera when we go.

[Keith1010]

Don't bring the passport. I can't stress that enough.

 

Keith

[6rugrats]

Don't bring the passport. I can't stress that enough.

 

Keith

Keith, tell us how you really feel about taking your passport off the ship.

 

Agree; stolen US passports are worth a lot of money on the black market. Don't risk having it, and your other things stolen. Bring a copy if you feel you must have something with you.

[shyvioletisme]

Don't bring the passport. I can't stress that enough.

 

Keith

 

 

Ok I gotta ask then...what's the point of getting a passport if you aren't going to carry it with you? I've always heard people stress TO take it off the boat with you. It doesn't do you a fat lot of good in your stateroom safe if you need when something happens in port. If you get hurt/something else happens, it's not like the cruise ship will know right away and you might need to have your passport immediately to show. Now I've never been on a cruise, so maybe that's naive thinking and everything I've heard is wrong, but just help me understand why I would pay all that money to get a passport to not even carry with me in port???:confused::confused:

[6rugrats]

Ok I gotta ask then...what's the point of getting a passport if you aren't going to carry it with you? I've always heard people stress TO take it off the boat with you. It doesn't do you a fat lot of good in your stateroom safe if you need when something happens in port. If you get hurt/something else happens, it's not like the cruise ship will know right away and you might need to have your passport immediately to show. Now I've never been on a cruise, so maybe that's naive thinking and everything I've heard is wrong, but just help me understand why I would pay all that money to get a passport to not even carry with me in port???:confused::confused:

Do what you feel comfortable with. You need a passport to enter and exit countries; that's why I have one.

 

Why would you need your "passport immediately to show" if you were hurt? Who would you show it to? And for what reason?

[mizLORInj]

The point of getting a passport is to get back into the United States, and prove your citizenship in other countries. You have established your citizenship when you checked in with the cruise line, and you do not need to carry a passport while on a cruise or visiting any of its ports. I have made a COLOR copy of the info page in my ppt and carried that sometimes. Should I need the ppt due to some extreme or rare occurrence while in another country/island, that paper would suffice.

We do not ever carry our passport off the ship and we've cruised the Caribbean, Mexico, and central America.

For photo ID I carry my driver's license. I do not want to risk the loss of my passport which is much more valuable and difficult to replace than a driver's license.

 

On excursions we leave our belongings on the boat/sailboat/etc. Have not had any problems doing that. If on a beach we usually leave one person guarding and take turns.

[Travelcat2]

Strongly agree with those who say to keep your passport on the ship. Take a copy of it and keep it with you. I would not leave anything of value on the beach . . . . but, if you are taking a snorkel tour on a boat, it is generally safe to leave your camera, and a few items. The best thing is to carry a waterproof case for anything you must take off the ship with you. You really cannot leave anything unattended on the beach.

[Keksie]

Ok I gotta ask then...what's the point of getting a passport if you aren't going to carry it with you? I've always heard people stress TO take it off the boat with you. It doesn't do you a fat lot of good in your stateroom safe if you need when something happens in port. If you get hurt/something else happens, it's not like the cruise ship will know right away and you might need to have your passport immediately to show. Now I've never been on a cruise, so maybe that's naive thinking and everything I've heard is wrong, but just help me understand why I would pay all that money to get a passport to not even carry with me in port???:confused::confused:

 

The point of having a passport is to use that instead of your birth certificate to embark on the cruise and when you disembark at your final port. To use it when you fly to other destinations, to enter other countries etc. Not all my vacations are cruises. You pay all that money (not really that much when you consider how long they are valid) to be able to drop everything and fly to Paris tomorrow if you so choose. I don't consider my passport something I have to carry with me at all times to get my money's worth out of.

[WeBeGone]

The point of getting a passport is to get back into the United States, and prove your citizenship in other countries. You have established your citizenship when you checked in with the cruise line, and you do not need to carry a passport while on a cruise or visiting any of its ports. I have made a COLOR copy of the info page in my ppt and carried that sometimes. Should I need the ppt due to some extreme or rare occurrence while in another country/island, that paper would suffice.

 

We do not ever carry our passport off the ship and we've cruised the Caribbean, Mexico, and central America.

 

For photo ID I carry my driver's license. I do not want to risk the loss of my passport which is much more valuable and difficult to replace than a driver's license.

 

On excursions we leave our belongings on the boat/sailboat/etc. Have not had any problems doing that. If on a beach we usually leave one person guarding and take turns.

 

 

The above is absolutely on the mark.

Leave the passport in the safe. Take your cruise card, drivers license, cash and one credit card ashore.

 

You need to listen and heed the advice of the experienced cruisers/travelers.

[Court's DH]

Ok I gotta ask then...what's the point of getting a passport if you aren't going to carry it with you?

 

Excellent question! :)

 

Guess there are different schools of thought, depending on how you go about your vacation.

 

Scenario 1. I've sometimes wondered about missing the boat (quite literally) after a shore excursion - always felt comfortable catching up in the next port of call. Chances are I couldn't board the plane and enter the next country without proper ID (and a credit card...) I could instead be stuck for several days or longer, which might be kind of a bummer on a vacation.

 

Scenario 2. It may well be that a stolen passport is worth a lot of money to criminals. However, IF I were to get mugged, they'd only find out whether or not I carry mine after whacking me in the head. Bruised and battered either way, it doesn't seem like I'd be saving myself a lot of trouble leaving my passport on the ship.

 

The way I vacation, scenario 2 is even less likely than scenario 1 anyway. I may run late, but I'm pretty good about avoiding shady neighborhoods. Other peoples' mileage may vary, of course. ;)

[Gunther1]

Give one to a trusted friend back at home.

 

If you feel the need to keep one on your person at all times, laminate one and put in your undies :)

 

Keep the original in your safe on the ship.

[Hlitner]

Thank you for quick respond, I tried to check the whole board, but I always get lost with reading all the good post.:o Sorry. The operator for the cruise said, we should take our passports if something happend(accident or what ever) and we didnt get back to the ship in time and than we cant come back to the us.......:rolleyes:

Holly

 

Very interesting story. We have been on far more then 50 cruises in and out of 6 continents on 12 different cruise lines and (with one exception explained later) never heard of any cruise ship (or operator) who told passengers to take their passports ashore. Quite the contrary, most lines will recommending keeping your passport in a safe and some lines will even collect all the passports and hold them for most of a cruise (this happens because of certain immigration requirements imposed by some ports in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.) As to what happens if you can't get back to the ship in time, the recommended procedure is to immediately telephone the ships agent (always disclosed in the daily ships program or the port information) and explain your situation. If you are in a place where you must have your passport the purser can get the passport out of your safe and turn it over to the agent (you later meet the agent and get your passport). By the way, the one situation where we were "required" to carry our passport off a ship was a few years ago when in Italy where the city of Rome had this requirement (no longer the case). Many experienced international travelers will make a photocopy of their main passport page and keep this with them ashore.

 

Hank

[Keith1010]

Adding to what Hank said many of the cruise lines that we now sail with hold our passport the entire time. We don't see it until either the evening before disembarkation or the morning of embarkation.

 

We have only had a few instances where we were required to carry our passport off the shp and that was due to the local authorities.

 

We do carry a copy.

 

And we are quite happy not to carry the original.

 

Keith

[Sargent_Schultz]

I never, ever take my passport off the ship unless required by law (like St Petersburg, Russia).

 

If the ship leaves you, they first try to locate your passport in your cabin, opening the safe if necessary. They will leave with the local port agent. At least that is what some cruise lines do.

 

I take a photo id, a credit card (not all of them), and some cash (not much).

 

I have a small waterproof bag they fit in, and my swim shorts have a security pocket that has both a zipper and a velcro flap on top of that. No fish can pick my pocket.

[kitty9]

Ok I gotta ask then...what's the point of getting a passport if you aren't going to carry it with you? I've always heard people stress TO take it off the boat with you. It doesn't do you a fat lot of good in your stateroom safe if you need when something happens in port. If you get hurt/something else happens, it's not like the cruise ship will know right away and you might need to have your passport immediately to show. Now I've never been on a cruise, so maybe that's naive thinking and everything I've heard is wrong, but just help me understand why I would pay all that money to get a passport to not even carry with me in port???:confused::confused:

 

There's no need to use it in any port. They never ask to see a passport in the Caribbean. The reason you need it is to get back to the USA after the cruise. Plus, if you take a cruise in Europe, you need the passport to fly. Heck, you need the passport to fly to Canada or Mexico now. I've asked numerous US Immigration officials about taking passports off the ship and every single one of them have said never take the passport off the ship, just take a color copy if that makes you comfortable.

[kitty9]

Thank you for quick respond, I tried to check the whole board, but I always get lost with reading all the good post.:o Sorry. The operator for the cruise said, we should take our passports if something happend(accident or what ever) and we didnt get back to the ship in time and than we cant come back to the us.......:rolleyes:

Holly

 

Holly, if you're taking an independent excursion, and the operator tells you to bring the passport because you might not get back to the ship, in all honesty, I would rethink using that operator. This doesn't sound on the up and up to me. Like Hank, I've taken many, many cruises (64), all over the world and the only place I've taken my passport off the ship was in Russia, where it's required.

[mikewrit]

We took our passports off the ship twice. In St. Petersburg the tour company warned us the Russian authorities would demand to see the whole passport as well as a copy, which they kept. When we anchored at Nynashaum Sweden several days later, there was a general announcement that Swedish authorities were going to check the passport of every passenger and crew member, either at the tender dock or aboard just before sailing. The warning was retracted about 10 minutes after we left the tender dock area. It was summer soltice day, and I supposed it was some kind of local joke as most every official in the country was taking the day off.