Passports and St Thomas

[Belle102498]

Hi everyone! I'm relatively new to the boards and the whole cruising thing, so please bear with me if this question has been asked and answered :) My husband and I will be going n a Royal Caribbean cruise in May. We opted to do a "Lovely Island and Beach Tour" excursion on St Thomas! :) My questions are these: 1. Since St Thomas is a U.S. territory, do we take the passports on the island with us, or can we leave them on the boat? 2. If we don't need to take the passports with us, do we need our state I.D's (drivers licenses) for return to the ship? 3. If we don't need either the passport or the i.d.what do we take on the island excursion? 4. If we do need either a passport, or an I.D. what do we do with them when we are on the beach? I don't feel comfortable just leaving them when my husband and I decide to take a dip in the water. Thanks for any answers! Everything is greatly appreciated since I really don't know how this works :)

[WisconsinFan]

You will need a photo ID (drivers license or passport) and your sail & sign card to re-board the ship. I carry a beach bag or a draw string bag to carry things while in port. We cover them up with towels if we all end up in the water at the same time. You can also get a little waterproof "neck safe" if you are only taking the plastic cards and a bit of cash, you can google this and see what I am talking about.

[cb at sea]

You should always have ID on you, no matter where you are! Take your DL, as it's the same size as your seapass.

[taglovestocruise]

It's never a good idea to use the word never, but that being said.. Never take your passport off the ship..

[toberman]

It's never a good idea to use the word never, but that being said.. Never take your passport off the ship..

 

And hope and prey that you NEVER miss the ship and have to fly to the next port !!

[Belle102498]

Thanks so much everyone! I really do appreciate all the information...especially since I am new to cruising. I just want to make sure I don't do anything wrong :)

[UATLB]

i never take my passport off the ship. however i do carry my license and a copy of my passport just incase

[OCruisers]

Please do not take your passport book but a copy of it is fine for your photo ID.

In addition to your cruise card and photo ID, take a copy of the ship's daily bulletin so you'll have the contact information for the ship's port agent if you are delayed, injured, etc. while in port.

Have a great time on your cruise! :)

LuLu

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Edited April 8, 2014 by OCruisers

[Bonnie J.]

Again, NEVER take your passport off the ship!!!! Thieves love stealing passports. They make a LOT of $$$ selling them. Don't know if they still do but ships used to take the passports of all who were not US citizens. They wouldn't get them back until the last night.

When we go swimming my husband has his IDs in his Velcro pocket in his bathing suit. I just leave mine in my shorts pocket maybe along with my digital camera but we always get a throw-a-way underwater camera to take in the water with us.

We have been cruising since 1985, at least one cruise a year, (up to 13 in 2012!), and have never had a problem leaving our stuff on the beach. We just stick our stuff in our beach bag with the thermos of water I always take whenever we leave the ship.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Bonnie J.

[taglovestocruise]

And hope and prey that you NEVER miss the ship and have to fly to the next port !!

 

If you miss the ship your passport has been removed from your safe and left with the port agent, as well as any money or charge cards also found in the safe. Have your passport lost or stolen while in port you will be up the creek without a paddle.

[LA_CA_GAL]

And hope and prey that you NEVER miss the ship and have to fly to the next port !!

 

I do not hope. I do not pray.

 

I just arrange to get back to the ship one hour before boarding time.

 

And my passport stays in the safe.

[OCruisers]

If you miss the ship your passport has been removed from your safe and left with the port agent, as well as any money or charge cards also found in the safe. Have your passport lost or stolen while in port you will be up the creek without a paddle.

 

Absolutely! Leave your passport in the safe and be sure to take along the contact info for your port agent!

LuLu

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[sherilyn70]

I do not hope. I do not pray.

 

I just arrange to get back to the ship one hour before boarding time.

 

And my passport stays in the safe.

 

Until you end up in an emergency room and can't get back to the ship no matter how much you planned on it.

 

I would recommend your license unless you have plans that require it. We once scheduled a tour through carnival that went to the baths in Virgin Gorda where it was required since we were leaving the US territory and entering the UKs.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[jcl410]

Just a FYI -

 

While in St. Thomas, if you take a excursion to the British Virgin Islands, (Tprtola, Virgin Gorda (the Baths), Jost van Dyke) you will *need* to take your passport with you to clear BVI Immigration.

 

Aloha,

 

John

[dread_pirate]

As a US resident in St. Thomas, you do not need your passport at any time (if you remain on St. Thomas or St. Croix), even if you miss the ship, any more than you need one in Miami. You can fly from the USVI or Puerto Rico to any of 50 states without a passport.