Passports and ID Question in Caribbean

[Cruise Leprechaun]

I apologize if this has been asked before but we will be doing the Getaway to St Maartens, St Thomas and Nassau in about 10 days... I was just wondering with passports, we use them to get on the boat for the first time in Miami and then just put them away in our safe until we disembark? Or do we need them to get on and off the boat at the Caribbean stops? We have made copies of our passports so would it make sense to bring those with us on the island but leave the originals on the ship? Obviously we'll have a ship card with our picture on it but do we need to bring our drivers licenses with us when we get off the boat? I've been on like 8 cruises so I should know the answers but I forget. Thanks for your help if you remember.

[TravelDiva88]

You will need a government issued photo ID to get back on the ship. Whether or not that is your passport is up to you. Honestly, what good is a passport if you don't have it with you? If you get left behind, you're going to be at a huge disadvantage if you don't have the passport in hand. A photocopy won't get you on a plane immediately- it will only make your wait at the consulate a bit shorter.

 

My personal preference is to leave my driver's license AND certified copy of my birth certificate (or Enhanced Driver's License only) in my safe, and to take my passport ashore. That way if I'm left behind I can hop a plane and catch up with the ship, and if, God forbid, my passport is stolen, I still have proper identification in my cabin that will allow speedy re-entry into the US

Edited May 27, 2014 by TravelDiva88

[dwjoe]

Photo ID may be required at some Caribbean ports, but the only one I've been to that has asked for it was San Juan. It does not have to be a passport.

 

As for whether to take the passport ashore - my reasoning is that the risk of theft/loss/damage is several times higher than the chance of missing the ship, so I leave the passport in the safe and take my passport card ashore.

 

It has been reported that if you are going to miss the ship, that ship's security will open your cabin safe and leave your passport with the port agent, so that can mitigate the risk of missing the ship with your passport still on board.

 

Either way, it is a good idea to take a credit card with a reasonably high credit limit ashore - if you get stuck, it will come in very handy.

Edited May 27, 2014 by dwjoe

[FreestyleNovice]

Photo ID may be required at some Caribbean ports, but the only one I've been to that has asked for it was San Juan. It does not have to be a passport.

 

Ditto. Only St. Thomas here.

[garycarla]

The argument/dicsussion over taking or not taking a passport ashore will get resolved the same time we solve the abortion argument, gay rights and gun control. HINT - never - so don't get it started.

 

Anyways, you will always need your ship id and often another government ID which could be your DL or passport. In practice, they usually do not ask for the government ID, only the ships card.

 

By the way, the ships card does NOT have your picture on it, but when you scan it, your picture will come up on the computer.

[Medtech2]

We have been asked to show a photo ID and ship card at every port we have ever been to. We use our driver's licenses and leave the passports in the safe.

 

I have also learned to take the port agent's phone number with us.

 

I also carry one credit card and only enough cash tht I think I will need.

[sparks1093]

At both Port Canaveral and Nassau we needed to show a picture ID and our cabin card to make it through security to the pier.

[mpk218]

We leave the passports in the safe and take ship card, credit card and a DL ..

No problems yet;)

[Jenjer]

The only one of those ports that look at any id for us is Nassau.

 

We bring our copies and DL ashore and leave passport in safe. If they steal my DL and copies I can still get on the plane home.

[3shar]

What about kids under 18. Do they just need the card from the ship?

[PCLMassachusetts]

What about kids under 18. Do they just need the card from the ship?

yes

[sparks1093]

yes

 

Depends on the port- Port Canveral only wanted ID's for 18 or over, Nassau wanted them for 16 or over.

[rbrugler]

We were on a Carnival ship two years ago and our next to last port was St. Thomas. One person from each cabin had to take passports to the auditorium to be checked. It didnt take long. We only had to take dl and ship cards on shore.

[njhorseman]

We were on a Carnival ship two years ago and our next to last port was St. Thomas. One person from each cabin had to take passports to the auditorium to be checked. It didnt take long. We only had to take dl and ship cards on shore.

 

I assume your immediately prior port was in a foreign country...hence the passport check in St Thomas. DHS has changed procedures and if you're coming from most foreign ports ( i.e. the typical Caribbean islands visited by cruise ships) they don't conduct a passport check in St. Thomas and instead wait until your ship returns to its home port in the US. They will check passports if your itinerary included certain countries (as far as I remember, Colombia is an example).

[garycarla]

Good luck trying to figure out what they do.

 

Just did Tampa to Boston (via Aruba,St Maarten, St Thomas) and we never showed passports in St Thomas (last stop before Boston) or in Boston. Only place they looked at them were when we originally boarded.

 

As to customs, there were 2-3 guys collecting the forms as fast as they could without hardly looking at them as we entered the terminal.