Passport on excursions

[Softservekid1]

Do you take your passports and Driver's license to the beach when you go on excursions? I've heard make copies to take on shore.

[staceyglow]

Do NOT take your passport onshore.  It is not required and you risk having them lost or stolen.

 

I have been on over 30 cruises in North America and Europe and have never needed my passport on an excursion.

 

You will need a government ID, so I bring my driver's license.

Edited September 10 by staceyglow

[Elaine5715]

41 minutes ago, Softservekid1 said:

Do you take your passports and Driver's license to the beach when you go on excursions? I've heard make copies to take on shore.

Copies are always useless as ID.  The only exception to taking your passport is specific Alaskan cruise excursion that cross into Canada.  Those excursions will note in BOLD that a passport is required.

[Mike45LC]

Except for the Alaska railroad, I never bring my passport on excursions.  I always bring a high credit limit credit card, my drivers license and a photocopy of my passport.  

[sparks1093]

OP, the general rule is to leave your passport in the cabin safe unless you need to take it ashore for some reason. Some excursions will require a passport since crossing a border is involved (such as the train that goes from Alaska into Canada) and sometimes you will be in a port where it is required by local authorities. Having a copy (on your phone or a paper copy) may have some limited use for some types of emergency, but chances are it won't be needed.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Except for the Alaska railroad, I never bring my passport on excursions.  I always bring a high credit limit credit card, my drivers license and a photocopy of my passport.  

We also brought our passports for that Alaska railroad excursion. The only other time we brougt them was in St. Petersburg where Russia required them.

[sanger727]

You will definitely want to take some ID to the shore.  We generally take our driver's licenses and keep them on us in a waterproof pouch. I don't take our passport to shore unless there is a reason to.

[five.]

9 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Copies are always useless as ID.

I've seen someone post 9/11 drive across the Canadian border with a paper copy, with limited hassle. And in that same car was a LEO that did not check their firearm like they were supposed to, so it created some drama. I am sure it wouldn't have worked if we were flying. I was shocked that it did at all.

[bguppies]

If I'm ever in another country (Bahamas, Mexico, any of the other island nations) I always take my passport.

If not, why do you have it?

If for some reason you miss the boat (broken down excursion bus/cab or injured sitting in a hospital, etc.) your passport will sail on and you'll be stuck in a foreign country with a piece of paper with a picture of your passport (or a picture on your phone) which is good for nothing. (except maybe speeding up some help getting a new passport at the closest US Embassy.)

If you are not worried about losing your driver's license or phone, why would your passport be any different?

[V_V]

We always take our passport off the ship with us. It stays on my body, the entire time. I either wear a crossbody bag while out an about, or if we are snorkeling, then I use a waterproof bag.

[sparks1093]

47 minutes ago, bguppies said:

If I'm ever in another country (Bahamas, Mexico, any of the other island nations) I always take my passport.

If not, why do you have it?

If for some reason you miss the boat (broken down excursion bus/cab or injured sitting in a hospital, etc.) your passport will sail on and you'll be stuck in a foreign country with a piece of paper with a picture of your passport (or a picture on your phone) which is good for nothing. (except maybe speeding up some help getting a new passport at the closest US Embassy.)

If you are not worried about losing your driver's license or phone, why would your passport be any different?

I was just up in Canada, no passport. I've traveled to many countries in my lifetime without a passport (including in Europe), so to me it isn't a big deal at all. Anyway, each person is going to do what they feel most comfortable doing and there isn't a cut and dried answer other than "do what you are comfortable doing". For us it's more of a matter of not wanting to carry things around that don't need to be carried around, so if we don't need to carry our passports we don't, then it is that we are afraid of having it lost or stolen.

 

As for why we have it in the first place it's because we needed to get them to fly to Europe. We bring them on the cruise because we have them (all of our cruises have been closed loop to the Caribbean) and since we have them we will use them. We aren't worried about the ship sailing away without us, but if it does we are confident that the crew will get our passports out of the safe and turn them over to the port agent for us. 

[klfrodo]

OP, I've been on this board since it was an AOL only chat room.

Your question is a question that will never have a consensus. 

Do what YOU want to do.

 

Some are adamant and will die on the hill that THEY are right and everyone else is wrong.

 

Myself, Anytime I step on foreign soil, I have my passport with me. If others don't, that's okay by me .

[DeniseTr]

11 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Except for the Alaska railroad, I never bring my passport on excursions.  I always bring a high credit limit credit card, my drivers license and a photocopy of my passport.  

Hadn't thought about the high credit limit thing, but yea, even if you have insurance, may need credit card to get treated at hospital if anything happens.

Edited September 10 by DeniseTr
Sp

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We also brought our passports for that Alaska railroad excursion. The only other time we brougt them was in St. Petersburg where Russia required them.

I thought of another time we took passports, though not an excursion, rather a do it yourself. We were on a cruise that collected our passports, but there was one port that they returned them if you were going off the ship because they were needed. Not 100% sure, but IIRC the port was Dubrovnik, Croatia.

[Elaine5715]

4 hours ago, five. said:

I've seen someone post 9/11 drive across the Canadian border with a paper copy, with limited hassle. And in that same car was a LEO that did not check their firearm like they were supposed to, so it created some drama. I am sure it wouldn't have worked if we were flying. I was shocked that it did at all.

There is a different when a US citizen presents themselves at the actual US border to return.  The person may have also possessed a concealed carry permit which includes a background check.  

[sparks1093]

1 minute ago, Elaine5715 said:

There is a different when a US citizen presents themselves at the actual US border to return.  The person may have also possessed a concealed carry permit which includes a background check.  

One doesn't need a background check to enter the US, one needs something showing that they are a US citizen. Under the right circumstances a copy of a passport would provide that. 

[Oletruckdude]

6 hours ago, bguppies said:

If I'm ever in another country (Bahamas, Mexico, any of the other island nations) I always take my passport.

If not, why do you have it?

If for some reason you miss the boat (broken down excursion bus/cab or injured sitting in a hospital, etc.) your passport will sail on and you'll be stuck in a foreign country with a piece of paper with a picture of your passport (or a picture on your phone) which is good for nothing. (except maybe speeding up some help getting a new passport at the closest US Embassy.)

If you are not worried about losing your driver's license or phone, why would your passport be any different?

THIS!!!

20+ cruises and our passports are always on us in foreign ports.

[staceyglow]

7 hours ago, bguppies said:

If I'm ever in another country (Bahamas, Mexico, any of the other island nations) I always take my passport.

If not, why do you have it?

If for some reason you miss the boat (broken down excursion bus/cab or injured sitting in a hospital, etc.) your passport will sail on and you'll be stuck in a foreign country with a piece of paper with a picture of your passport (or a picture on your phone) which is good for nothing. (except maybe speeding up some help getting a new passport at the closest US Embassy.)

If you are not worried about losing your driver's license or phone, why would your passport be any different?

If you miss the boat, they will retrieve your passport from you room and leave it with the authorities on the dock.  You are much more likely to lose your passport (or have it stolen) than to be stuck in a foreign port without it,

Edited September 10 by staceyglow

[klfrodo]

28 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

.  You are much more likely to lose your passport (or have it stolen) than to be stuck in a foreign port without it,

Opinion? or documented fact? 

If documented fact, please provide a link. Otherwise, I'll have to assume an opinion. Which is okay and I respect your opinion. I just feel that those of us who do decide to carry should be respected also

Edited September 10 by klfrodo

[Elaine5715]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

One doesn't need a background check to enter the US, one needs something showing that they are a US citizen. Under the right circumstances a copy of a passport would provide that. 

Where did I state a background check was required?

[sparks1093]

6 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Where did I state a background check was required?

Why mention it at all?

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

Opinion? or documented fact? 

If documented fact, please provide a link. Otherwise, I'll have to assume an opinion. Which is okay and I respect your opinion. I just feel that those of us who do decide to carry should be respected also

TBH, I don't know if there are statistics or not.

 

However, I know at least 2 people who have had their passports stolen while sightseeing.  I don't know anyone who got left at a port without their passport.

[klfrodo]

5 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

TBH, I don't know if there are statistics or not.

 

However, I know at least 2 people who have had their passports stolen while sightseeing.  I don't know anyone who got left at a port without their passport.

I know someone who got it stolen also. I also know 100 who have never had an issue with it being pickpocketed or stolen. I know of a couple who lost theirs inside the house somewhere. Basically, all I'm hearing is "i heard it from a friend whooo, heard it from a friend, whoo, heard it from another...."

 

Bottom line is SO WHAT?  If you want to keep your passport in the safe, cool. If someone else wants to carry theirs, cool. There is no reason to disparage or intimidate people who don't do as you desire.

[Elaine5715]

25 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Why mention it at all?

A concealed weapons permit can be used as a secondary form of identification

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

A concealed weapons permit can be used as a secondary form of identification

Ok but it doesn't prove citizenship, which is generally what is required at the border (but as the previous poster noted exceptions are made).