Passports and Cruise Cards

[FGJones]

My sister told me that she believes "the cruise ship holds our passports and gives us a plastic ID. So we can swim and get on and off boat at ports"

 

Can anyone speak to this? We're sailing from the USA.

[Peachypooh]

I have only sailed out of US ports. We have sailed NCL, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and the now defunct Home Lines. We have always been able to keep our passports. We have also always been given a plastic card to use instead of cash onboard (when that system came into effect) to get on and off the ship. Never sailed MSC and never sailed to Europe so might be different.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Peachypooh

[Kamloops50]

Only if the country requires to process the passports brfore arriving in port.

[PRH]

You retain custody of your passport. You will receive a plastic card when you check in which serves as your cabin key, your on-board charge card and I’d when you leave and return to the ship in ports. There are a few ports that require you to show your passport when you want to re-board but you will be told this—usually Mexico.

 

 

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[riclop]

My sister told me that she believes "the cruise ship holds our passports and gives us a plastic ID. So we can swim and get on and off boat at ports"

 

Can anyone speak to this? We're sailing from the USA.

Not in the US.

[blordos]

Several ports in the Carabbean require a passport or some ID with photo when you go on shore. Not all ports check this when you go back to the ship. Puerto Rico does enforced this. At the pier entrange they stop anyone without a passport or ID, beside the cruisepass. When I was in the queue there was a person without the papers stopped by the border officier. How did it ends I don't know but over the portofoon I heard some MSC staff has to come to the pier entrange to verify the person.

[sidari]

Puerto Rico as the previous poster said, we were asked for our passport in Nassau and not just the laminated copy of the photo page, the ships hold passports for Asia cruises and also cruises to Jordan, Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

I have also seen on CC posts where North Americans have had their passports held in certain European areas

This enables the customs people to stamp them on the ship instead of each individual going through immigration.

For the middle East countries you are given a visa for the day which you take off the ship with you.