What ID do you need to carry onshore in the Caribbean

[chrisandbrian]

We are getting ready to cruise in 3 days 16 hours and 12 minutes :D and we're a little excited ;) A couple of last minute questions. 1. what kind of ID do we need to carry when in port and 2. what are the first 5 things you do once on board? We want to do UBD and chef's table - at least once each ;) and I've read (thanks CC) that both these should be booked as soon as you are on board. What do you do?

[Musky Ike]

We are getting ready to cruise in 3 days 16 hours and 12 minutes :D and we're a little excited ;) A couple of last minute questions. 1. what kind of ID do we need to carry when in port and 2. what are the first 5 things you do once on board? We want to do UBD and chef's table - at least once each ;) and I've read (thanks CC) that both these should be booked as soon as you are on board. What do you do?

 

 

1.You will need your cruise card to get off and back on the ship. Sometimes port authorities will ask for a photo ID. DL or passport works. This might also be requested for Cerdit Purchases.

 

2. 1st I eat, then I unpakck if the luggage has arrived, then I eat again:D, then I sit back with a drink and laugh at all those passengers walking around with the little ship maps talking to themselves, then muster drill and up on deck for sailaway.

[duck addict]

On my cruises I carried my DL, ship ID(room key) .

[CruisinFinsUp]

Passport. Original, not a copy.

 

If for any reason you get stuck on the island you cannot fly anywhere without it. If its a medical emergency, you may not have time to wait for the consulate / embassy to issue a new one.

 

Its inconvenient no doubt, but for us anyways, we've decided its worth the hassle because the "maybe / if" is worse.

[PatriciaF]

We were advised to bring picture ID and our Boarding Pass (room key). We were only asked for the picture ID in St. Thomas. The remainder of the ports we only needed to show the boarding pass at port security, if any.

 

You will definitely need your boarding pass to get off and back on the ship. Also--when returning, note that the gangway closest to where you return to the ship may not be the fastest. We have walked the additional 100 feet to avoid standing in line with 100 people ahead of us.

 

First thing I do aboard ship is read the informational material and mark up everything I plan to do, but won't!

[skellis]

I bring my boarding pass and usually bring a photocopy of my passport and leave my originals in the safe. I would not take my driver's license with me. They are hard to replace and I would never drive in the islands, I can barely watch the drivers on the islands.

I always bring a copy of that day's Princess Patter which has the time you must be on board and the name of the port agent and the phone number for them in case of emergency. If you miss the ship the Port Agent will help you connect at the next port. Also take some small bills for tips, and some water, sun block and a shopping bag for incidentals.

[paul929207]

Most of the time you do not need any ID other than your cruise card when you go ashore. For emergencies, we carry copies of our passport. Som ebanks required it to convert money.

[MGAfhc]

I always take passports. Mostly in case the worst happened on an excursion and we missed the boat. Also, I lost my cruise card once in St. Thomas and it was not that easy getting back into the secure area at the port without it.

[highflyingrealtor]

Cruise card, credit card, photocopy of passport.

[Toto2Kansas]

Most of the time you do not need any ID other than your cruise card when you go ashore. For emergencies, we carry copies of our passport. Som ebanks required it to convert money.

 

I agree with Paul. If you need anything more, it will be printed in the Princess Patter. We have found usually in St. Thomas we need a photo ID, and also in Hawaii we need to take our DL, to gain entrance to the dock/pier area. Along with your cruise card.

[silvercruiser]

I wear my cruise card on a lanyard around my neck and for going ashore slipped my drivers' license (real or copy) into a plastic holder with a clip and just clip it onto the lanyard. This gives me a hands-free solution and I'm not in danger of dropping any of it or wasting time getting it out from a pocket or purse. I do the same thing with my coffee card, only not encased in plastic.

[cruiseron36]

What goof are copies of your passport other than photo ID. I don't ubderstand why the fear of carrying your passport with you??

[Minoushka]

A passport is a GREAt temptation for potential thieves .Apparently Canadian ones are prime targets and worth quite a bit ..SOOOOO DO NOT TAKE your passport Carry a photocopy ONLY

I got this from a VERY reliable source from Canada Customs

Let me tell you to replace a passport is a BIG hastle ...thought I had lost my son's ....not easy to get a new one ...lots of running around

[cruiseron36]

A passport is a GREAt temptation for potential thieves .Apparently Canadian ones are prime targets and worth quite a bit ..SOOOOO DO NOT TAKE your passport Carry a photocopy ONLY

I got this from a VERY reliable source from Canada Customs

Let me tell you to replace a passport is a BIG hastle ...thought I had lost my son's ....not easy to get a new one ...lots of running around

 

Please explain! What value does a passport have if you don't look like the picture on it??

[Minoushka]

Please explain! What value does a passport have if you don't look like the picture on it??

 

People change the picture There are experts who do this for a price ..BINGO brand new citizen !!!It takes an EXPert to see it has been tempered with

Be smart Do not carry a passport !!!

+

[cruiseron36]

People change the picture There are experts who do this for a price ..BINGO brand new citizen !!!It takes an EXPert to see it has been tempered with

Be smart Do not carry a passport !!!

+

 

How do you get home if you miss the ship?

[Jasperdo]

The first thing we do is go to the Horizon Court and have lunch. We get to the pier early (around 10am) so we can be among the first on the ship. The Horizon Court can be a madhouse on embarkation day, so getting there early beats the crowd.

 

As far as going ashore, you definitely need your cruise card. The ship's security have a machine that takes your photo when you first get on the ship. At every port they set this machine up, scan your card, and check that the photo in the machine really is you. We also take our Drivers License. Some port security wants to see a photo ID as well. As for passports, we never take them ashore. If fact, many European cruises take your passport on the first day of the cruise, so you can't take them ashore even if you wanted to.

[MGAfhc]

People change the picture There are experts who do this for a price ..BINGO brand new citizen !!!It takes an EXPert to see it has been tempered with

Be smart Do not carry a passport !!!

+

What can you do with a photocopy of a passport? I certainly hope you could not book air passage. I know it would be of some use in expediting a replacement, but that is all. You would still be stuck for a few days.

 

If photo copies were as useful as you seem to think, people wouldn't steal passports, they would just photocopy them.

[chrisandbrian]

Once again CC is invaluable! Thanks alot everyone, we'll stick with the Cruise ID and our DL :)

[Minoushka]

What can you do with a photocopy of a passport? I certainly hope you could not book air passage. I know it would be of some use in expediting a replacement, but that is all. You would still be stuck for a few days.

 

If photo copies were as useful as you seem to think, people wouldn't steal passports, they would just photocopy them.

 

First of all you MAKE sure you are back at the ship early enough not to get in trouble Stuff happens but LOSING a passport is really NO FUN

I carry photocopies in case someone asks for ID

If you do get in trouble you can always call ship rep on shore Hopefully never needing to

 

There really is no win win here its risky either way

[earljr]

We always take our passport card as our picture i.d.

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

[travlnblueberries]

For those of you who take your original passports with you...LISTEN UP!!!

DH and I were robbed on one of our cruises this year. They did take the sign and sail card, as well as the photo ID, oh and the card we used to open the safe on the ship!. Thank God we had the passport in the safe so we could still show proof of who we were. Had we taken our passports, I'm not sure what the outcome would have been.