Passport needed when leaving and reboarding on port days?

[cruisingguy007]

20 minutes ago, bguppies said:

First thing I thought about when the Griner story broke.

When we moved to Turkey when I was 11,  the State Department sat all incoming passengers down in a side room before we left the airport and told us if we made any infractions while living or viisiting there, we would be held and tried under Turkish authority and there was little to nothing they could do to help.

So I haven't felt at all bad about an entitled athlete who felt the rules didn't apply to them, spending so much time in a Russian jail cell.

 

Hopefully the OP is smart enough to not follow the bad advice of a loudmouth. (crusinguy007)

 

A passport is a good idea in ANY foreign port, but NOT required.

If the OP is the kind of person to do the bare minimum at all times, all that is usually required is a photo ID in most ports.

But they will let you know on the ship if more is required.

 

Hope the OP has a wonderful cruise.

 

 A picture on your phone is a good idea, carrying the actual documents, not so much. Plenty of potential for them to be lost/stolen or damaged by water (depending on excursions). If people want to carry them, more power to them, I've never needed them and have never been asked. You are already admitted into a country when the ship docks and you are let off, that technical process satisfies immigration and you are just like any other visitor. Identity documents are too valuable to risk losing while gallivanting around, I'd rather eliminate or reduce that risk to a minimum whenever possible. If that makes me a "loudmouth" so be it. I've been called worse. 🙂

[cruisingguy007]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

I've only ever taken mine off the ship once. We were in Belize City, and I had a plan to fly to Caye Caulker on my own from the Belize municipal airport. I got up extremely early to catch the very first tender to shore, then caught a taxi to the airport. My flight was uneventful, and I spent the day "going slow" on the unpaved streets of the island. At the end of the day, I caught a flight back, and ended up catching the very last tender back to the ship... Yes, I knew all along that I was taking a risk, but sometimes in life you just have do crazy stuff just to really feel alive.........

 

That's ballsey! I would be a nervous wreck and couldn't enjoy myself. Definitely want travel insurance for stunts like this. 

[BlerkOne]

30 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

She's being used as a political pawn, nothing more. The Bahamas are far from being Russia, besides, this about ID, not vape cartridges. 

The Bahamas are far from being America, too. Their country, their rules. The US is one of a few countries without a national id.

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

Even if you're on a closed-loop sailing, certain islands in the Caribbean – Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, Barbados and others — require a passport for entry. It's your responsibility (not your cruise line's) to learn the requirements of each of the destinations you're visiting before you go.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/need-passport-cruise/

Apr 1, 2022

Is this a recent change for Barbados? We went there right before the pandamic. There was no mention of a passport when we went.

[Schoifmom]

10 minutes ago, PetalumaCruiser said:

I have never heard of a ship notification to bring your passport with you when exiting a ship in Port.  If you got left behind, I could see a need.

That's because there isn't.  What you are told is to make sure you have your S&S card and a photo ID if 16 or older.

[BlerkOne]

I'm not talking about getting left behind. I also don't know (or care) which ports currently require. But some certainly have and some might still. Like I said, cruiser beware - check the port requirements before booking a cruise. Trust but verify anything you read on the internet including here.

[Moviela]

1 hour ago, PetalumaCruiser said:

Just make a copy and put it in a pocket. If Ford some reason you miss the ship, it would help

Sorry, but copies will not fly with foreign authorities. Any one who accepts a copy of a passport is as foolish has the one who made the copy. If you miss the boat you will not be on an airplane that day with a picture of your passport.

[BlerkOne]

9 minutes ago, Moviela said:

Sorry, but copies will not fly with foreign authorities. Any one who accepts a copy of a passport is as foolish has the one who made the copy. If you miss the boat you will not be on an airplane that day with a picture of your passport.

St Petersburg required both. The entertainment staff was kept busy copying all the passports.

[Schoifmom]

22 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

St Petersburg required both. The entertainment staff was kept busy copying all the passports.

I don't think that St. Petersburg requirements will be an issue for a while LOL

[Essiesmom]

1 hour ago, PetalumaCruiser said:

I have never heard of a ship notification to bring your passport with you when exiting a ship in Port.  If you got left behind, I could see a need.

This happens in some European ports, as you move in and out of the Schengen countries.  Maybe in South America too, but I don’t remember (1999).  EM

[LHT28]

5 hours ago, flamingo1562 said:

On port days do you need to have your passport to leave and return to the ship.

If so can you take a paper copy instead? Or have a picture of it on your phone?

 

It will depend on the Country  some require  just photo I.D & your sail card  others may require passports & sail card

 The ship will usually post  in their daily  newsletter what is required

 

We usually use DL  & I carry  a photo of the passport  anyway  unless the Country required the real passport it stays on the ship

 

 

[wcook]

3 hours ago, bguppies said:

When we moved to Turkey when I was 11,  the State Department sat all incoming passengers down in a side room before we left the airport and told us if we made any infractions while living or viisiting there, we would be held and tried under Turkish authority and there was little to nothing they could do to help.

 
My nephew, who tends to ignore rules he deems to be stupid, was spending a summer in Turkey. I made him sit down and watch Midnight Express before he left 

[wcook]

To the OP: You have stumbled into one of the great cruise critic debate subjects. Congratulations. First, there are a limited number of ports that require you to have your passport to get on/off the ship. Every single time I’ve visited such a port this has been clearly stated in the daily guide and again from the crew before leaving the ship.
 

The much more fun situation is the ports that either don’t require you to have a passport,  or technically require it but never check. There are a number of cruise critic posters who have very strong opinions on this subject and love to tell people they are idiots if they do/don’t carry their passport. No matter what you choose to do half of these people will chastise you. Enjoy 
 

The only absolute IMO is that if you go out passportless, leave your passport in your room safe. That’s where the crew will look if they need to get ahold of it. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by wcook

[Charles4515]

5 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Meh, I highly doubt it's that big of a problem. Your sign and sail proves you're a passenger (plus I won't be mistaken for a Bahamian anytime soon), they aren't going to hold you hostage. I'm sure plenty of folks only get off with their sign and sail cards. It's like the vaccine card nonsense, no, I'm not carrying it around anywhere either. Sign and sail around the neck and some cash, that's all I'm taking. I'll avoid cruises that have ridiculous policies. 

 

One of our group did not follow the  instruction thta was in the daily, announced and also posted on the gangway to take Photo ID off the ship in Nassau. It was a problem. Maybe not a big problem but it was a problem, They called the ship and verified she was on the manifest. She had to wait 20 minutes to reboard the ship. 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

Even if you're on a closed-loop sailing, certain islands in the Caribbean – Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, Barbados and others — require a passport for entry. It's your responsibility (not your cruise line's) to learn the requirements of each of the destinations you're visiting before you go.

 

 

 

Apr 1, 2022

 

2 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Is this a recent change for Barbados? We went there right before the pandamic. There was no mention of a passport when we went.

The Points Guy is most definitely not a source of official information and is wrong about Barbados.

The State Department says no passport is required for US citizens on a closed loop cruise and you may use a WHTI compliant document:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Barbados.html

 

"NOTE: Generally, all U.S. citizens are required to present a valid U.S. passport when traveling to Barbados, as well as proof of anticipated departure from Barbados. This includes travelers arriving by airplane and by private sea-going vessel. Those traveling to Barbados on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document. However, we strongly recommend visitors obtain a passport before travel in case of an unforeseen emergency that requires a cruise passenger to disembark and return by air."

[K32682]

In a foreign country I carry my passport or when in the U.S. my Nexus card. I have needed my passport to exchange money, enter a casino, visit a game preserve, rent a vehicle, stay at a hotel and to clear roadside police check points and a military roadblock. A passport is the only internationally-recognized means of identification and I carry mine securely. Loss or theft are less of a concern than not having it when I need it. 

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I've only ever taken mine off the ship once. We were in Belize City, and I had a plan to fly to Caye Caulker on my own from the Belize municipal airport. I got up extremely early to catch the very first tender to shore, then caught a taxi to the airport. My flight was uneventful, and I spent the day "going slow" on the unpaved streets of the island. At the end of the day, I caught a flight back, and ended up catching the very last tender back to the ship... Yes, I knew all along that I was taking a risk, but sometimes in life you just have do crazy stuff just to really feel alive.........

 

How long did it take to fly? How long to get to the airport?  I took a boat from the Belize port and it took about 30 minutes. We also had  snorkel stop on the way. Some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean. I think I prefer the way I got there and back. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by Charles4515

[BlerkOne]

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

The Points Guy is most definitely not a source of official information and is wrong about Barbados.

Certainly not official. I'm not sure the state department is either, for foreign nations. As far as the US is concerned, no passport is required for closed loop cruises, but that doesn't mean the ports of call don't have their own requirements.

 

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Schoifmom said:

I don't think that St. Petersburg requirements will be an issue for a while LOL

No. But we were going to visit St Petersburg again on Pride until some meglomaniac screwed up most of the world. Now I have no desire to go back, ever.

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, BlerkOne said:

Certainly not official. I'm not sure the state department is either, for foreign nations. As far as the US is concerned, no passport is required for closed loop cruises, but that doesn't mean the ports of call don't have their own requirements.

Not only does the State Department disagree, but I checked the requirements of one cruise line, NCL, that makes port calls in Barbados and they do not mention it as an exception requiring a passport. NCL isn't "official" either, but I'd sooner trust a cruise line and the State Department than someone writing for a website.

Not to mention my own personal experience of being on a closed loop cruise that called on Barbados and the cruise line not requiring a passport for it. (Note: I don't travel without a passport but my point is that others on the cruise were not required to have one.)

[sid_9169]

30 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

How long did it take to fly? How long to get to the airport?  I took a boat from the Belize port and it took about 30 minutes. We also had  snorkel stop on the way. Some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean. I think I prefer the way I got there and back. 

Flight is about twenty minutes or so... The one I took actually landed at Ambergris Caye to drop off passengers, then took off again to Caye Caulker... The "airport" on both islands is basically an aluminum shed...

[mom says]

1 minute ago, PetalumaCruiser said:

But you go to an embassy.  Lighten up

And if the place you are stranded in doesn't have an embassy? What then? Do you think your country has an embassy in every port the world over?

 

(That was a rhetorical question.)

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

 

The Points Guy is most definitely not a source of official information and is wrong about Barbados.

The State Department says no passport is required for US citizens on a closed loop cruise and you may use a WHTI compliant document:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Barbados.html

 

"NOTE: Generally, all U.S. citizens are required to present a valid U.S. passport when traveling to Barbados, as well as proof of anticipated departure from Barbados. This includes travelers arriving by airplane and by private sea-going vessel. Those traveling to Barbados on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document. However, we strongly recommend visitors obtain a passport before travel in case of an unforeseen emergency that requires a cruise passenger to disembark and return by air."

Thank you. We were on (dare I say it on this forum) Royal when we went there. As I said we were never told anything that you needed a passport to get off the ship in Barbados.

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 minutes ago, mom says said:

And if the place you are stranded in doesn't have an embassy? What then? Do you think your country has an embassy in every port the world over?

 

(That was a rhetorical question.)

Sounds like you’d have to live there for the rest of your life.🤪

[Charles4515]

15 minutes ago, mom says said:

And if the place you are stranded in doesn't have an embassy? What then? Do you think your country has an embassy in every port the world over?

 

(That was a rhetorical question.)

Then you find a consulate. 😀 Of course don’t miss the ship is the best course. I know a few people who had their passport pickpocketed when they did not leave it at their hotel or they were in transit. Seems like American tourists are easy marks in Italy and Spain. If you carry it off the ship that is when you are most likely to be heading for an embassy for an emergency passport. 

 

If have never taken my passport off the ship except Russia. If you miss the ship they will look in your cabin and search for it, open the safe etc. and hand it off to the port agent. I have seen them handing it off a couple of times. On several cruises in Europe the cruise line collected our passports so carrying it off was not even an option.