Do we take our passports with us in ports?

[nxtdoor]

Or keep them in the safe in the room? I don't know. I'm afraid something will happen to them. Should I make copies of birth certificates an passports and just take the copies? thanks

[bguppies]

You don't have to.

 

Usually you just need some form of picture id to show to get back into port area in most places.

 

Now personally, I grew up a military brat, and was used to being responsible for my passport from age 10 on, so I NEVER set foot off the ship in a foreign country without one. (plus I am a bit of a spaz, so if anybody might get injured and rushed to the hospital and miss the ship, it would be me. ;) )

 

After visiting Belize once, I would never consider leaving the ship without one there.

If I missed the ship, I would want to get the heck out of there as fast as possible. (why it is the only port I would book a ship excursion over and independant one, EVERYTIME.)

 

But if you are responsible and understand the time differences between ship time and Belize time and are doing a ship's tour, you can definitely just use your driver's license.

 

Just depends on how much of a gambling personality you are...

 

Bill

[skittl1321]

We always do. We keep them in a waterproof bag in a waist belt when swimming.

 

Figure if the whole reason to have them is in case we get stuck in another country, it makes sense to have them with us.

[lovemylab]

Whether to take a passport with you comes down to personal preference. You are not required to take it with you. I usually keep mine on the ship and instead carry copies with me. I also have scanned copies sent to my gmail account as a backup.

 

I figure the chances of my passport being lost, stolen, destroyed are greater than me missing the ship so for that reason I don't take it with. Most excursions I book have me back to the ship several hours before sailaway.

 

There is no right or wrong answer. Do what you're most comfortable with.

[nxtdoor]

Is Belize that bad? I'm now worried about our families safety.

[Izzybeff]

I was in Belize in January and it was fine. Just take a tour and don't wander around by yourself and it will be great.

 

As far as the passport. I never understand the people who take a passport on the cruise and then leave it in the safe. The whole point of having it is if you get stranded for some reason and need to fly home. Medical emergency, miss the ship, etc. etc.

 

We always take our's off the boat with us.

[bguppies]

Is Belize that bad? I'm now worried about our families safety.

 

It is just not a walk around on your own in town place.(like Nassau, Cozumel, or Grand Cayman are.)

 

The entire cruise complex is behind tall barbed wire fences with soldiers with machine guns at the exits. (you see lots of armed police/soldiers in Roatan and some Mexican ports also.)

 

Belize and Roatan are VERY poor countries.

 

In Belize you are just better off booking a ship excursion, that gets you out away from the city areas.

[OCruisers]

All you are required to take off the ship with you in Belize are your cruise card and a government issued photo ID. Some take their drivers license. A copy of your passport is also fine.

 

LuLu

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[lovemylab]

I was in Belize in January and it was fine. Just take a tour and don't wander around by yourself and it will be great.

 

As far as the passport. I never understand the people who take a passport on the cruise and then leave it in the safe. The whole point of having it is if you get stranded for some reason and need to fly home. Medical emergency, miss the ship, etc. etc.

 

We always take our's off the boat with us.

 

As I said above, it's a personal choice.

 

In my case, the primary reason for having the passport is not incase I get stranded. I am required to have it in order to fly to my cruise, board the ship and to fly home.

 

I've been on some cruises where the ship kept the passports so taking it off the ship wasn't even an option.

 

I take copies of the passport off the ship, along with photo ID and my health insurance information. I also take with the name and phone number of the port agent. This is enough to assist in the event of a medical emergency. If you know you're going to miss the ship you can contact the port agent and they will assist with getting your passport from the ship.

[pdmlynek]

This question comes up quite frequently. There are passionate people on both sides of the debate.

 

I am more in the camp to take the passport with you. Not only because of being able to fly if I miss the ship, but if I need to get money from a bank, it is useful to have an ID.

 

Also if I, as a foreigner, am stopped by a cop, and do not have any proof on me that I have the right to be in the country legally, I am not sure what the police procedures are for handling undocumented aliens. If in the US it takes 2 to 4 weeks of detention for an undocumented alien to see an immigration judge, then how long does it take in Central America?

[pdmlynek]

Is Belize that bad? I'm now worried about our families safety.

 

I love Belize. It is a wonderful country. The nature, the cultural mix of people, the diving, the Mayan ruins, the islands, etc. are simply spectacular. My family and I, like so many other Americans, enjoy it very much. I’ve never had a problem in Belize, whether backpacking through Belize, and sleeping in a hostel in Belize City when I was a college student, or taking my kids on a vacation through Belize two years ago, including leaving our car full of our luggage in BLZ for 2 nights.

 

Having said that, you need to realize that Belize is a Third World country. Corruption, drugs trafficking, poverty, and crime are rampant. Especially the last one. The country Belize has one of the highest crime rates in the world (4th or 5th; see for example ex-pat’s discussion on this at http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=214004&page=1 ). Yes, the murder rates in Belize are about 10 times greater than Syria, or Afghanistan, or other countries that make the nightly news.

 

But not the entire country is crime-prone. Some places in Belize are safer. And some places in Belize are more dangerous. Belize City falls into the second category. The majority of ex-pats, or visitors who are familiar with Belize tell newbies to avoid Belize City unless there is something that they really need to see. And there is not much to see in Belize City (“Well, there is the Swing Bridge, and …. the Swing Bridge, and …. oh yeah, the Swing Bridge! Did I mention the Swing Bridge?”)

 

If you want to look around Belize City, by all means go ahead, but you do need to know what you are doing. I would not recommend wearing touristy clothes, flip-flops, wearing fanny packs, wearing SLRs around the neck, just wondering aimlessly around. Know how to walk, know how to dress, know what you want to see, know how to spot trouble, know how to spot scams, know if you should or should not call the police if you get into trouble, etc. (In most places in Belize if you call the cops, the cop on the line will ask you to come and pick him up so that he can help you -- a lot of police do not have cars, because Belize is a poor country so they can’t afford them, and because any police cars that a police department has are generally unavailable for police work because the cars are used by the police chief’s wife/brother/cousin for various other reasons. And unless you have the cops on the payroll, there is not much that the cops would be willing to do for you. Why would they help you if you are in trouble? What’s in it for them? And you have to pay off the right cops; just ask what happened to Mr. McAfee when he happened to have the wrong police faction on his payroll).

 

Belize is beautiful, but just know what you are getting yourself into.

 

Good luck!

[OCruisers]

I also take with the name and phone number of the port agent. This is enough to assist in the event of a medical emergency. If you know you're going to miss the ship you can contact the port agent and they will assist with getting your passport from the ship.

 

Agree! Very important to always take the name & phone number of the port agent! :)

 

LuLu

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