What documentation to take off the ship?

[derksta]

Going to Jamaica and Grand Cayman in Oct. and am wondering what to take off the ship with me. Not wise to take your passport with you but then again what if something were to happen...is a copy really sufficient? I was told to just make a copy of it and leave my passport on the ship but I'm not sure, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again,

Derk

[Sandi149]

Going to Jamaica and Grand Cayman in Oct. and am wondering what to take off the ship with me. Not wise to take your passport with you but then again what if something were to happen...is a copy really sufficient? I was told to just make a copy of it and leave my passport on the ship but I'm not sure, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks again,

Derk

 

That's what we did when we went to Tortola....we had a copy of our passports and left the actual passport in the safe in the cabin.

[eh2zed]

Take a copy of your passport and a piece of photo ID like a drivers licence. And of course your ships ID.

[derksta]

Take a copy of your passport and a piece of photo ID like a drivers licence. And of course your ships ID.

 

 

What do you mean you "ships ID?" And do the cabins have safe's in them?

[clackey]

What do you mean you "ships ID?" And do the cabins have safe's in them?

I can't say this for all ships but the 3 different cruiselines that we have sailed with take your picture and issue you a plastic ID card. When you embark and disembark in the ports you clock in and out with your ID card. It also is the key to your cabin, your safe, and your credit card for ship purchases.

 

These cards have a magnetic so be careful about getting them near a magnectic field. It will erase your card and you will need to go to the Pursers Desk and have them reload it for you. My SIL had a magnetic clasp on her purse that erased her card twice. :rolleyes: She was locked out of her cabin and safe.

[katier825]

I can't say this for all ships but the 3 different cruiselines that we have sailed with take your picture and issue you a plastic ID card. When you embark and disembark in the ports you clock in and out with your ID card. It also is the key to your cabin, your safe, and your credit card for ship purchases.

 

These cards have a magnetic so be careful about getting them near a magnectic field. It will erase your card and you will need to go to the Pursers Desk and have them reload it for you. My SIL had a magnetic clasp on her purse that erased her card twice. :rolleyes: She was locked out of her cabin and safe.

 

On the topic of safes...I'd avoid using your cruise card for your safe. You're better off using something else...even an old supermarket discount card will do. Anything with a magnetic strip. The reason is that if you lose your cruise card, not only can someone access your room, they could access your safe too.

 

Princess uses a numeric passcode that you select. I prefer that because I don't have to carry the extra card around.

[cb at sea]

All we ever take off the ship is our seapass (cabin key/ ID) and our driver's license. That's all you need in the Caribbean.

[Scorpiorose]

What do you mean no safe to take your passport off with you. I'd never leave the ship in a different country, one I could possibly be left in if there were an injury or we miss the boat. I sure wouldn't want to be in a different county with a "copy" of my pass port. I think it's not safe to NOT take it with you. It's our passage back, our ID! I've traveled all over and I always take my passport. Of course, don't leave it laying on the beach, unattended! Keep the "copy" in the ships safe and if it is lost you can have it reported and replaced! Word to the wise!

[gnparend]

Taking your PP and Crusie ID with you is just as safe as taking your money. Chances are you won't lose either one of them. It is smart to make a copy of the PP and leave it in you suitcase. Much easier to get a Temp PP if you did lose your PP on shore or anywhere else.

 

The safes on the ships are either keypad or magnetic strip. Today even some Dr Lic have Mag strips. So any card with a Mag strip will work.

[megr1125]

On the topic of safes...I'd avoid using your cruise card for your safe. You're better off using something else...even an old supermarket discount card will do. Anything with a magnetic strip. The reason is that if you lose your cruise card, not only can someone access your room, they could access your safe too.

 

Princess uses a numeric passcode that you select. I prefer that because I don't have to carry the extra card around.

 

thanks...i thought i read someplace that any mag strip would work....i must have a billion old hotel key cards!

[JHCALLAHAN]

To each his own, but we took our real passports. That's why we got them. If something were to happen and you had to fly home I wouldn't trust a copy.

 

My 2 cents,

JHC (happy cruising!)

[Sugar*Magnolia]

hmmmmm.....

will be discussing this tonight with DH. As far as I am aware we leave our passports in the cabin safe...Id never think I would miss the ship, hoping i"m a responsible enough adult to make every effort to plan according to time limitations. Yes, unforeseen things do happen, but how often? If something unfortunate or health related happened I would most probably not be alone and be able to have someone get my/our passports from the ship. We dont usually venture hours away from where we dock.

I have the type of luck where our passports would disappear on a beach! :eek:

 

Thanks for the thoughts to ponder though!

Great topic over dinner later~! lol

[Scorpiorose]

Best laid plans......as the saying goes......we were on an excusion booked through RCCL and you would have thought that they would get us back in time......well....while in Belize road work, detours....to make a long story short we made the ship by 10 min and that was only because they had 8 others held up as well, otherwise they wouldn't have waited. Believe me, we had arranged plenty of time, it wasn't that long of an excursion....but....after traveling the world I've decided that the PP and my body will not be parted! I can't imagine being left there without a PP.

 

Buy a water resist. pouch and just simply carry it on your person the whole time. A copy of a passport isn't anything really except it does give you the number for a replacement but it wont act like a passport and actually get you over a boarder or back home.

 

Oh, I also lost my pp, check, id, and money within 10 min. of landing in England once.....not a fun thing to be with out all of that and a replacement for your pp isn't all that easy to get ya know. It was actually left on the plane as it turned out but I went for 5 hours trying to replace stuff and got no where fast. Word to the wise.

 

US citizen have a false sence of security, other countries are used to carrying their pp like we do our car license...just be responsible and aware of it.

[CruiseNut7]

To each his own, but we took our real passports. That's why we got them. If something were to happen and you had to fly home I wouldn't trust a copy. My 2 cents, JHC (happy cruising!)

 

I agree - when getting off the ship in a foreign port, we always take our passport with us - NOT a copy - we keep a copy in the safe.

 

Of course, it's mandatory to have your Sign & Sail card with you to get on and off the ship.

 

As far as the passport is concerned, there was a huge debated thread about taking your original. One poster made the best analogy that I now share with others as it changed my perspective: when you get in your car, do you take a COPY of your driver's license with you or the original. We all know the answer to that!

 

If I'm in a foreign country and something unforseen happens, I have my passport with me to either get back home or travel to the next port of call. A copy just won't do!

 

Happy sailing! :)