Original passport or copies

[AMUSE71]

This is the first time I have cruised with a passport so I need to know if it is recommended to take your original passport in port (we are going to Nassau, St. Maarten and St. Thomas) or just take a copy of the passport and leave the original in the safe.

 

Less than 5 days til sailaway :D

[PrettyBree]

This is the first time I have cruised with a passport so I need to know if it is recommended to take your original passport in port (we are going to Nassau, St. Maarten and St. Thomas) or just take a copy of the passport and leave the original in the safe.

 

Less than 5 days til sailaway :D

 

 

ok i dont know if this will help you any.... but i called royal and asked them if we needed passports... they said that if we are porting out of a US port and coming back into a US port we dont need passports, just our original birth certificate. not the one they give you at the hospital the one that is stamped with the counties official stamp.

[CaptData]

Just use DL in port and leave Passport in safe.If you need the passports to fly home for some reason at least you know where they are and can get them quickly.

[debshomespun]

Our passports go in the safe when we board the ship and stay there until time to disembark the cruise. That way, we know where it is. If we are in port, and miss the ship, the ship would notify the port agent, and I bet they would also get our passports and leave with the port agent. This is one thing I hope I will never have to find out on my own, lol. :eek: :eek:

[beachnative]

We leave our passports in the safe and carry our passport cards with us when we go ashore. Having the passport card ensures that I can easily travel back into the US if we missed the ship. It's not necessary but it gives us great peace of mind.

[flag fan]

I have read of this issue on other threads and there is a difference of opinion, but I always leave my passport in the safe and take a copy with me. I have been on some cruise lines that take them at the beginning of the cruise and return them at the end, so I assume it is relatively safe to not have it with you while in port. I would take a copy, though.

[AMUSE71]

Thanks Flag Fan.....will take your advice!

[Cruise-A-Hoy]

ok i dont know if this will help you any.... but i called royal and asked them if we needed passports... they said that if we are porting out of a US port and coming back into a US port we dont need passports, just our original birth certificate. not the one they give you at the hospital the one that is stamped with the counties official stamp.

 

Check state department web site. Royal Caribbean is correct except if for any reason you do not come back with the ship you better have a passport and not a copy but the original. This happens more often than you think

Why would you not come back with the ship,

Emergency at home must leave early flying back from port. better have a passport.

You get hurt on the ship or in port and must stay at hospital one night or more. Better have passport to fly home.

Get messed up in port with traffic, vehicle breakdown or many other reasons, but miss ship, better have a passport

 

If you read confirmation from Royal Caribbean, they strongly recommend getting a passport.

 

Before leaving home make 2 copies of your passport, give one to a family member or friend. Take second with you along with original but keep them seperate. If your passport is lost or stolen the copy will help expedite getting another from the American Embassy. If copy is lost then the one left with family or friend can be faxed to you or Embassy.

 

I am on my third passport and have seen many cases where people got stuck at the airport. Usually in the U.S. as airline will not allow you to leave without a valid (non copy) passport. In fact many countries will not accept a passport that expires with 6-months of entry to their country.

 

Take your original passport and keep it in your cabin safe

[Charles4515]

We leave our passports in the safe and carry our passport cards with us when we go ashore. Having the passport card ensures that I can easily travel back into the US if we missed the ship. It's not necessary but it gives us great peace of mind.

 

Passport cards can not be used to fly back to the US if you miss the ship. Your peace of mind is misplaced. A copy of your passport would be just as good (or bad). I always leave my passport in the safe and carry a copy of my passport with me.

[fdthird]

Cruse-A-Hoy...you say: "Get messed up in port with traffic, vehicle breakdown or many other reasons, but miss ship, better have a passport" but then at the end of your post your comment is: "Take your original passport and keep it in your cabin safe" .

 

Wouldn't your passport be sailing away with the ship?

[Cruise-A-Hoy]

Cruse-A-Hoy...you say: "Get messed up in port with traffic, vehicle breakdown or many other reasons, but miss ship, better have a passport" but then at the end of your post your comment is: "Take your original passport and keep it in your cabin safe" .

 

Wouldn't your passport be sailing away with the ship?

 

I stand corrected, take your orifginal passport. A copy MIGHT or might not work with a lot of crying and explaining, but it will be a hassle and take time. The point is you should have a passport not just a picture ID and birth certificate. I always take my original passport when in port. Locked in safe while on the ship.

[Cruise-A-Hoy]

Passport cards can not be used to fly back to the US if you miss the ship. Your peace of mind is misplaced. A copy of your passport would be just as good (or bad). I always leave my passport in the safe and carry a copy of my passport with me.

 

Your are 100% correct

 

From government web site

 

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

VALIDITY AND COST