do you bring passports off the ship

[norcal2]

As has been noted you should have a copy but only for if you lose the original and need all the information it contains to renew it quickly. You usually have to leave the copy in your cabin or hotel safe, not the original. If you end up without the original in many places and the ship is missed, without a real passport you will have a hard time getting to the next port or flying anywhere to get out of that country.

 

As I said, in some countries you can be detained without it. Best thing to do is follow the ship's advice. I wear a neck travel purse that is worn under your top and the great thing is you are hands free and there is room to put your money in it and thieves can't get to them like they can a wallet or a purse. You get used to it and they are cheap. The suggestion for waterproof containers is also a good one for beaches. Search the Internet for the options as there are many types and they are pretty reasonable if the ship states you need the original on you at any stop along the cruise.

[yst347]

Why do you bother taking them then?:confused:

 

They make boarding the ship at embarkation and clearing customs and immigration at debarkation a breeze.

[victoryred]

Best thing to do is follow the ship's advice.

 

Did just that on our last cruise. The CD announced over the loud speaker several times that since our ports were basically beach days to leave our passports in our safe:D

[norcal2]

Did just that on our last cruise. The CD announced over the loud speaker several times that since our ports were basically beach days to leave our passports in our safe:D

 

Those are the kind of stops I LOVE! I've had that as well. You can't go wrong when you find out from the ship because if something goes wrong, we know who will help fix it.

 

The last place we went you needed a passport to breath.

[G'ma]

I can understand taking your passport off the ship with you but why would you even bring your SS card on the cruise. With the ease of identity theft today the last thing you want someone else to get hold of is your SS#.

 

SocSec card is not ID and doesn't mean you are a citizen. Lots of non-citizens have SocSec cards...they may be here on work visa's or may be Resident Aliens...a SocSec card is issued for tax purposes.

 

The only ID that will permit you to fly to/from a foreign port is a Passport.

 

Like many things in life, you don't need it ashore...until you do.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

Did just that on our last cruise. The CD announced over the loud speaker several times that since our ports were basically beach days to leave our passports in our safe:D

 

That's because they know what the ships protocol is and if you miss the ship your passport will be on shore with the port agent. Although most passengers could not tell you who the port agent is for any given port or how to contact them.

 

We leave our passport in the safe and take the port agents information from the "Fun Times" with us.

[RAVI360]

I personally do not. I am sure this will get heated as so many threads on this topic do here. I always plan on being back ON the ship at least a half an hour before they tell us we have to be back on the ship. Well over an hour before we are to set sail again. I think it would be worse for me to lose my passport in port. I know me and how I misplace things. I would be paranoid the entire time constantly checking my bag to make sure they were still there - just like I do the entire drive to port LOL It makes it more difficult to enjoy myself.

 

YES MY GOD IM W/U...... however i do have a photo copy with me at all times......if that not good enought them oh well.....!!!!!!!!!!!

[kr8z]

I go by what the country I visit requires and on a cruise what the ship line dictates.

 

I went to another country recently and I read many posts about the country that recommended to not bring it on the street with you. I about died as it was the exact wrong advice for that country. Anyone listening to the advice of not having to carry it on the street in that country could have been detained at any time.

 

My advice is do not listen to advice one way or the other, always check the requirements at the government websites for where you are going and your own government website and in the case of cruises, the cruise line information.

 

This makes sense to me. I have to be honest though, if I needed my passport to walk the streets when I am clearly a tourist, I doubt I would wander about in that country. I'd enjoy me some water slide fun onboard LOL To each her own ;)

[M&MGirl1]

My sister and I always carry our passports with us, no matter what port we're in or what we're doing. I also always carry our health insurance cards, drivers' licenses, a credit card and the contact information for the travel insurance plan. I've got a small waterproof bag I keep everything in, and saftey pin it on the inside of my swimsuit if we're doing something in the water. Granted, it's probably overkill, but my sister has several health issues and I'd rather have our passports and medical info with us in case something bad happened, than be stuck without it. I don't want to get stuck in an emergency and not be able to get to a good hospital back in the US just because I didn't want to mess with taking our passports with us on a shore excursion. It's just not that much of a hassel and BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!!

[BenjiRodney]

Always take mine and leave my passport card behind so I will at least have something with me and something on the ship. Just my preference.

[Elmer McCurdy]

That's because they know what the ships protocol is and if you miss the ship your passport will be on shore with the port agent. Although most passengers could not tell you who the port agent is for any given port or how to contact them.

 

Really? Where does it state this in CCL's literature?

[nydney1]

We leave our passports in teh shafe on the ship and keep our passport cards with us. We also make sure that we carry our own passport card and S&S card incase we get separated.

 

In case of Emergecy someone can always get the passport from the ship, but we do have some ID

[PaulMedik]

We lock ours in the safe when leaving ship. We bring credit cards, some cash and a COPY of passport when visiting ports of call. This way, there's no possibility of loosing passport. If the actual one is needed, the port agent/purser can retrieve from safe.

 

Why take a chance on loosing the "real thing". IMHO, you don't need it on land.

 

 

I have copies of my passport along with those of my family available online and I can access them from anywhere that has internet access. Our originals travel with us.

 

Granted you do not need it on land, but to get back to your homeland, they sure are handy to have.

 

 

I too have worried about this and so I did some research and others have mentioned having a copy of your passport so that all of your information is with you "just in case". So, I went and made a full copy of the inside cover and 1st page of our passports, had them downsized so that it would be no larger than a business card and then laminated. You can see and read all of the information to verify your passport.

I was informed by homeland security that this will NOT pass as a passport, but in most cases it can be verified with drivers license or state id and you will be able to obtain a "duplicate" passport in an emergency.

With this being done, we can leave our passports on the ship while off in port and take our laminated copy, with drivers license and S & S card and not have to worry about losing our passports. Yeah, if we lose them, or something happens to them, our information is out there, but they don't have the original ones.

 

 

Copies are indeed nice to have in emergencies, but there's NO delay if you are carrying your original.

 

Do you take a copy of your driver's license? A copy of the S&S card? A copy of your credit card? A copy of your cash? Of course not because only the real thing works. Why would you be more likely to lose a passport than any of the above? It's purpose is to be with you and not in a safe.

 

 

kicia,

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

If copies were acceptable and I had no copies available, I could set down at just about any computer and make myself a new passport. Granted it would just appear to be a copy, but it that's all it takes.....:eek::D

 

 

CLICK HERE for a google search of US passport images.

 

Here's the first page of results on Google for US Passport;

 

 

How easy would it be for me to change a name, add my picture, change the number to my number, and then print? :cool:

[PaulMedik]

That's because they know what the ships protocol is and if you miss the ship your passport will be on shore with the port agent. Although most passengers could not tell you who the port agent is for any given port or how to contact them.

 

We leave our passport in the safe and take the port agents information from the "Fun Times" with us.

 

 

 

CruzVinnieCruz,

 

Great advice. I always take the port agent info as well.

 

I'm sure you have enjoyed watching the runners at least a few times?

One thing I've never seen is ship's personnel appear to leave the ship with anything belonging to passengers. I've heard a lot of names called and watched people just barely make the gangway and even seen them extend the gangway a few times to let stragglers back on. If they did leave passports like you suggest, then those people I've seen the gangway extended for would then be without their passports. Correct?

[kerrytens]

This makes sense to me. I have to be honest though, if I needed my passport to walk the streets when I am clearly a tourist, I doubt I would wander about in that country. I'd enjoy me some water slide fun onboard LOL To each her own ;)

Bree, please remember to be a traveler, not a tourist;)

[texsailor]

I don't take the passport with me on shore, but I haven't been to really exotic places. I have visited several Mexican ports, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Spain, France, and Italy, and none of these places ever asked for a passport. I do have a passport card that I carry with me that is really all you need for Mexico and the caribbean, and good identification in other places. But I have also travelled extensively to other places not on a cruise ship, where the passport was necessary to enter the country. In some places, Europe for instance, you need a passport to check into a hotel or to buy a cell phone. They keep track of these things.

[Tbay-eh]

We always take our passports when going ashore. People always say "What if I lose my passport" so what happens if you lose your SS card, DL, BC etc you are still screwed. Just be careful and keep safe as you would any other ID. Taking a copy only makes it easier to obtain a replacement passport but will not get you out of the country in question.

[victoryred]

We always take our passports when going ashore. People always say "What if I lose my passport" so what happens if you lose your SS card, DL, BC etc you are still screwed. Just be careful and keep safe as you would any other ID. Taking a copy only makes it easier to obtain a replacement passport but will not get you out of the country in question.

 

:confused:How do you figure:confused: And why would anyone bring their birth cert on shore with them?

[LRene]

If my feet are on soil in another country, my passport will be on me. Otherwise, I may as well have left it at home on the kitchen table (to quote a previous poster a long time ago).

 

I have friends who traveled with a copy of their passport and then had to wait in Europe for 4 days when they no longer had access to their real passports and tried to be a TRAVELER with that copy. It did them no good whatsoever to speed up the process...they weren't going anywhere without a replacement.

 

You can not get home with a copy of your passport.

[CupKayke]

I think you should do what makes you comfortable. :)

 

Our international travels (via cruise) have not been extensive however, we did leave our passports onboard while on our Mediterranean journey in 2009 ~ and kept copies on us along with the ship's information/phone numbers. We plan to do the same later this year when we are cruising again.

 

For me, it is easier to take a copy to the ports because frankly, I don't trust myself to not to set my bag down and forget it or possibly have it stolen. I get excited about a new adventure and forget to be careful. I become distracted looking at a beautiful building, taking pictures, etc. I once left my entire travel-folder-wallet with my boarding pass, itinerary, credit cards, cash, id, EVERYTHING laying on top of a stainless steel toilet paper roll holder in an airport. A good ten minutes later I returned to find it still there!!

 

My in-laws have visited 74 countries (30-some cruises plus land travels) and she is the one that recommended the copy idea. We make sure we get back to the boat at least one hour before the designated return time. However, if somethhing happens and we have to stay in a foreign country for a few days waiting for a new passport... well, what a fun adventure that may be! Having the copy won't hurt us and may help. Also, our travels have yet to be anywhere unsafe, IMHO.

 

We also leave a copy of our passports at our home with a travel itinerary for our housesitter and send copies of each to the in-laws, my parents, and with my sister. It never hurts.

 

I like some of the ideas on this thread and I've realized we have a scanner, a color copier, and a laminator so I think I'm going to make mini passport ids and keep those copies on us when we are off the boat. Again, it can't hurt!

[pyropatty]

CruzVinnie - I'm with you. Know where you are, where you're going, how to get back. Passports are a huge commodity on the black market. I expect security on the ship, not on me in a country where I don't require showing my passport to get on and off the ship. I've been on a cruise where people were left behind because they didn't mind the time.. their i.d. was taken off and left with cruise personnel in the port for them to use to get back to the U.S. at their own expense.

[PaulMedik]

.............. their i.d. was taken off and left with cruise personnel in the port for them to use to get back to the U.S. at their own expense.

 

 

 

 

pyropatty,

 

Really?

 

Are you guessing or do you know this to be the case? I know I've read about how they do that, but my eyes have seen too many instances of people running for the ship and being let on to believe it.

 

Here's one for you. We were sailing on Destiny and they had pulled the gangway back onto the ship and we untied and pulled away;

 

 

At this point, given that we had pulled away from the dock, one would have to assume that all missing passenger's cabins had been searched and their passports or ID had been passed off to shoreside personnel;

 

 

We then pulled back into the dock, extended the gangway and allowed Mom, Dad, and toddler to board;

 

 

At this point as Dad was climbing the gangway, the gangway was rolling back and forth because we were not tied off;

 

 

That Dad was the last person to board the ship and NOBODY got off nor did they throw anything back onto the ship to indicate passports or ID had been retrieved from shoreside since they made it.

 

 

I guess it's possible that shoreside personnel handed them their passports as they approached the ship, but I've watched these 'runners' too many times and I've never noticed anybody hand them anything.

 

Again, like you I have read about what is done for people who miss the ship, but I've enjoyed the running show too many times to believe that it actually happens. If it does happen, then this Mom, Dad, and toddler would be without whatever documents they left on the ship as would all the other stragglers I've watched over the years. How would they be allowed back in the US if their documents were in some port agent's hands?

 

You go through the effort and expense to obtain a document that entitles you to enter the US as proof that you are a US citizen. If you lose it on foreign soil through no fault of your own, the US government will not hold it against you. Granted they'll make you pay for a replacement, but they won't blame you if someone tries to use or uses your passport to gain entry. It's not your passport; it belongs to the US government.

[mcwebber]

Just wondering if u bring your passport off the ship when in port?

I have before because I worry about missing the ship

 

I think I did once in Mexico, but not in Caribbean islands. Actually left my DL in the cabin safe and the guard in Nassau looked at me and my S&S card a couple of times and told me don't forget my photo ID next time.

[Thoth]

Both sides make compelling arguments...

leave it on the ship= that's why they call the room safe....a "safe" because the passport will be safe. When you return to the USA I doubt that the border officers will be very understanding when you tell them...." I HAD a passport but I lost it while snorkeling in Puerto Descargar de Alcantarilla ." They may just say ..."well then return to Puerto Descargar de Alcantarilla and FIND your passport". Just make a copy of the passport just in case you need to prove that passport exist and be back on time. If the ship departs at 1700, be back at 1600.

OR

Take it with you = Dude you are in some place called Puerto Descargar de Alcantarilla ! This is a third world country, so why would you wish to be without your proof of citizenship ? If that rickety bus breaks down and you miss that ship, then how are you going to get home ? You can't fly home without a passport ! So now you are stuck in some third world cesspool without a passport...what are you going to do ? I'll give you a hint...it has to do with bananas and conscription.

 

You see I have mixed feeling about this...either way the glass is half empty.

So I've inquired from the shore excursion desk and was told that they recommend leaving the passport in a safe place ( on the ship ) and printing a copy of it.

[mcwebber]

This is a third world country, so why would you wish to be without your proof of citizenship ? If that rickety bus breaks down and you miss that ship, then how are you going to get home ?

 

That's why you book through the cruise ship in those locales.