Passports

[bestis]

Will I need to bring passport off the ship or can I leave it in safe?

 

 

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[sanger727]

Up to you. Some people like to bring it off the ship in the event they miss the ship. Some people like to leave it in the safe so it doesn't get stolen. Once you board you don't need it again until you disembark. Your ship card and any government issued id are all that's needed in port.

 

 

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[bakersdozen12]

If you miss the ship, it won't do you good sitting in the safe. I know some people will say that the ship's personnel will retrieve it and leave it with the port workers, but I, personally, wouldn't take the chance of that happening. My husband and I take our with us.

 

 

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[amydresh]

I was wondering the same thing before our first cruise last month and reading everyone's opinion on here and what they do, we decided to leave ours in the safe. We didn't want to chance it getting stolen because that was the more likely scenario than missing the ship. We were back at the ship a good 2-3 hours before sail away at all 3 ports.

[A&Jfamily]

We have passports for their safety feature - which is the ability to come home if you somehow miss the ship. On a closed loop cruise, a passport has no other "value" as you can cruise with a license and birth certificate. So, when we go ashore not in the US we take our passports (we just take our licenses in San Juan, St. Thomas etc). My husband carries them in a secure location - and we have waterproof bags that strap around our waste, so that they are never left vulnerable when we snorkel.

 

I have never understood the purpose, for closed loop US cruising, of having a passport and NOT taking it ashore.

[fuddrules]

[quote name=A&Jfamily;52247328

 

I have never understood the purpose' date=' for closed loop US cruising, of having a passport and NOT taking it ashore.[/quote]

 

So you don't understand it might get stolen or lost?

[tonit964]

We never take our passports off the ship, well, unless we are on an Alaska cruise and going into Canada.

 

If you were to miss the ship, and had to fly home, they could retrieve your passport info but it would take a bit of time.

You will not be stranded forever, with no way to get to your home country ever again.

[mexicobob]

Depends on where you are going. In some countries you need to have a passport with you, especially, if you are venturing far from the port. In a place like Cozumel, probably does not matter.

[Budget Queen]

My. passport is always with me. My habit. The risk of theft is small, I am cautious and well traveled.

[summersigh]

We leave our passport in the safe. In port we carry our ship card and liscence in a deep pocket.

 

If you miss the ship they page you .... then if you're a no show an officer cleans out your safe and leaves the stuff with the port agent and away the ship goes.

 

We watched this live and in person :) in Nassau last May.

[easyboy]

We leave our passport in the cabin safe. I don't feel comfortable having it with me on a beach.

[sparks1093]

In the Caribbean you do not need to take it off the ship unless you want to. It all comes down to what you feel comfortable doing.

[A&Jfamily]

So you don't understand it might get stolen or lost?

 

I understand that people are worried about it being lost or stolen. My point is that you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise and it does you no good in the safe or somewhere else in your cabin if you are ashore. So why to people get one, or travel with their existing one, in the first place if they aren't going to take it ashore?

 

And, some ports require a photo ID to re-enter, some the ships card will suffice. Are people worried that their driver's license will be stolen?

 

I just can't follow the logic....

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

 

I just can't follow the logic....

 

Welcome to CC where logic and common sense are often hard to find.

[jimbo5544]

I understand that people are worried about it being lost or stolen. My point is that you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise and it does you no good in the safe or somewhere else in your cabin if you are ashore. So why to people get one, or travel with their existing one, in the first place if they aren't going to take it ashore?

 

And, some ports require a photo ID to re-enter, some the ships card will suffice. Are people worried that their driver's license will be stolen?

 

I just can't follow the logic....

 

Several arguments all wrapped together here..... The argument to have one (beyond what the requirement is) is that if something were to happen to you or a family member while cruising and you needed to leave the ship and fly home from another country, it sure is 99% easier with a passport. The argument for leaving it on the ship is that it won't get stolen while you are sitting on the beach,. If you (not you but the person who would do this) miss the ship, they will leave your passport behind with the local agent, making your return to the US (if that was the last stop), way way more easy. I don't really have a dog in the fight so to say, but wanted to post the other side for readers to see.

[Geebee8]

We leave our passports in the safe on the ship but I have them scanned and saved in a folder in my email so I can at least pull up the copies if necessary as long as I have access to the internet. I have had my identity stolen in the past and I am very paranoid about leaving things unattended. Sign and sail, drivers licenses, credit cards all stay with me at all times, even while in the water.

[amyh13]

If I am on a Carnival sponsored excursion I usually don't sweat it. If I am on a private excursion, I take copies.

[sparks1093]

I understand that people are worried about it being lost or stolen. My point is that you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise and it does you no good in the safe or somewhere else in your cabin if you are ashore. So why to people get one, or travel with their existing one, in the first place if they aren't going to take it ashore?

 

And, some ports require a photo ID to re-enter, some the ships card will suffice. Are people worried that their driver's license will be stolen?

 

I just can't follow the logic....

 

It all comes down to where the perceived risks are and how someone reacts to those perceptions (which may or may not have any basis in reality).

[Smithkids5521]

We leave our passport in the cabin safe. I don't feel comfortable having it with me on a beach.

 

I agree! I leave our passports in the safe because it would be my luck to lose it while in port :(

 

I think the logical thing to do if you are unsure would be to take a pic of the passport with your phone. Leave the actual passport in the cabin safe and then once safely back onboard delete the pic.

[Jobeth66]

If I am in a foreign country, I am carrying my passport. It provides ID and proof of citizenship. It does nothing in a safe where I can't access it.

 

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[CeleBrat]

If I am in a foreign country, I am carrying my passport. It provides ID and proof of citizenship. It does nothing in a safe where I can't access it.

 

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Yes! This!

 

Also, when we were last in Curacao, we got held-up because we didn't have our passports, and my son had dropped his sail/sign card somewhere while on land. The port agent gave me a stern talking to about needing to take photo ID with us for my son while he was on land (adults had driver's licenses), and made me run back to the ship to retrieve the passport for my son, while he stood awkwardly outside the gate by himself. He was only 14. Not cool.

 

CeleBrat

[bestis]

Yes! This!

 

 

 

Also, when we were last in Curacao, we got held-up because we didn't have our passports, and my son had dropped his sail/sign card somewhere while on land. The port agent gave me a stern talking to about needing to take photo ID with us for my son while he was on land (adults had driver's licenses), and made me run back to the ship to retrieve the passport for my son, while he stood awkwardly outside the gate by himself. He was only 14. Not cool.

 

 

 

CeleBrat

 

 

So do our children need their sale and sign and a photo ID to renter the ship at port?

 

 

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[summersigh]

I understand that people are worried about it being lost or stolen. My point is that you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise and it does you no good in the safe or somewhere else in your cabin if you are ashore. So why to people get one, or travel with their existing one, in the first place if they aren't going to take it ashore?

 

And, some ports require a photo ID to re-enter, some the ships card will suffice. Are people worried that their driver's license will be stolen?

 

I just can't follow the logic....

We travel internationally as well as closed loop Caribbean cruises. We must have a passport for those so as long as we have one it's just as easy to use the PP for cruising identification as not.

A license when going ashore is easier to carry in a pocket than a Passport so we leave the passports in the cabin safe and take our ship card and license with us into port.

 

Also ... we're retired .... as folks get older their birth certificates become more fragile - I prefer to leave them at home in the safe and use the passport on trips.:D

[sparks1093]

So do our children need their sale and sign and a photo ID to renter the ship at port?

 

 

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It's always been my understanding that only 16 years and older need photo IDs to enter the port area, the younger ones only need the cabin card.

[sanger727]

I understand that people are worried about it being lost or stolen. My point is that you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise and it does you no good in the safe or somewhere else in your cabin if you are ashore. So why to people get one, or travel with their existing one, in the first place if they aren't going to take it ashore?

 

 

 

And, some ports require a photo ID to re-enter, some the ships card will suffice. Are people worried that their driver's license will be stolen?

 

 

 

I just can't follow the logic....

 

 

I usually leave my passport in the safe. But carry a copy with me. And here's why

 

1. I have a passport because I travel internationally every year to every other year (including Europe and air travel so I HAVE to have a passport)

 

2. Since I have a passport its rather silly to take my birth certificate and drivers license to cruise. My birth certificate is old (original) and it's easier to damage a piece of paper than a passport that is in a laminated cover

 

3. I have to bring proof of citizenship on a cruise and like I said, since I have a passport would just as soon take that. The bonus is it gives me the ability to fly. There are 2 reasons that could happen.

 

A. I miss the ship - this is very unlikely because I get back to the ship in plenty of time. If it did happen, that's a bad and expensive situation anyway. You are stranded without your stuff trying to make last minute air tickets. Having a passport would make this bad situation slightly easier, but since I have a passport and a number I can go to the US embassy for an emergency replacement; so no huge deal. I would only be guessing here but think that would be a lot more difficult if you have never had a passport.

 

B. I have an emergency and need to fly home in which case I'll be returning to the ship anyway to gather my things.

 

3. Why do I not worry about my drivers license being stolen? It's not so much that. But by having 1 ID on me and 1 ID on the ship, I have a backup if one is stolen. I prefer to keep the more important backup ID (in this case the passport) in the safe. If I'm on shore and my wallet is stolen I can still get home using only my passport. If my passport is stolen I'll have to jump through some hoops to get home.

 

 

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