Passports when leaving the ship?

We just renewed our passport books and thought that maybe we should get the passport "card" as well since it is easier to carry around. That said, I can't remember if we needed to take them with us when in port to get back on the ship? If so, I just got the book for my brother and not the card....will a copy of his passport book be sufficient? I hate to take the book off the ship in case I lose it, I'd like to keep all our passport books in the safe. We are doing the Western Caribbean itinerary. Thanks.

Just did western on the Jade. Never picked up our passports until it was time to disembark. [emoji3]

 

 

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The card should generally be sufficient to reboard, but NOT if for some reason you get stuck on the island and need to fly home.

 

I do the opposite, keep the card in safe as a backup and carry the book on shore.

The only time I have had to show my passport on all of the cruises I have sailed is when I checked in before boarding the ship and as I was leaving the ship on the final day. All of my cruises left and returned from US ports. When I got off of the ships for excursions, I only needed my ship card and my driver's license. Sometimes they asked to see both when I boarded the ship and sometimes I only needed to show the ship's card. I kept my passport in the room safe the entire time I was on the cruises.

After having been through security and check in, I take a pic of the first PP page with my iPhone and lock the PPs into the safe. Keep some small bills and Driver's Licence on me when we leave the ship in port, and of course the room key. During our dozen or so TAs never had to show PP.

We leave our Passport BOOKS in our cabin safes and take our Passport CARDS with us on port stops. :)

Well..thanks everyone. I now have a good idea of how to go about this. I think I will leave books in safe, take copies of all of the books with us, and just take the cards with drivers licence. Sounds like a plan! I appreciate all the comments!

I'm just not at all comfortable with getting off the ship in a foreign country and not having my passport--in the event that something happens, there's an accident, we miss the ship, who knows...... so we carry our books with us and leave photocopies in the safe. Might have to look into getting passport cards.

Well..thanks everyone. I now have a good idea of how to go about this. I think I will leave books in safe, take copies of all of the books with us, and just take the cards with drivers licence. Sounds like a plan! I appreciate all the comments!

Usually you don't even need any of these things, just your key card and in SOME ports you need a photo ID (I know in Nassau you need the ID and a driver's license is sufficient).

 

 

Why would you want to carry more crap than you actually need? Make it easy on yourself and just take the bare minimum.

My passport is always with me, been so for many years. Ideal for ID, since there's no address on it. I just don't get the claim thinking a passport is more valuable than my money, license, credit cards etc. Like it is gold. :) I don't "loose" any of those items, they are part of my habits. BUT, you sure read reports of people, who forget where they placed the passport, forgot it in the safe etc.

 

All it will take is one incident where you need it, and the thinking would be different.

 

I travel half the year, multiple times, so works just fine for me

I'm just not at all comfortable with getting off the ship in a foreign country and not having my passport--in the event that something happens, there's an accident, we miss the ship, who knows...... so we carry our books with us and leave photocopies in the safe. Might have to look into getting passport cards.

When we went to get our renewed passport books, the lady who waited on us said that the passbook "Cards" are not acceptable for flying. I have no idea why but they are only good for "land and sea" entrance into the US. Have to have a passport "book" to fly into the US from anywhere outside the US. I hate thinking about worse case scenario's but I guess we should......that said, I figure if one of us got hurt at a port and we are delayed and have to fly....one of us can go to ship and get our passports or at the very least contact NCL to have someone get them out of the safe and have them sent to us at that port. I really don't like the idea of taking them with us in case we lose them or they are stolen. Yikes....I sound paranoid but I am not really like that here at home. LOL

My passport is always with me, been so for many years. Ideal for ID, since there's no address on it. I just don't get the claim thinking a passport is more valuable than my money, license, credit cards etc. Like it is gold. :) I don't "loose" any of those items, they are part of my habits. BUT, you sure read reports of people, who forget where they placed the passport, forgot it in the safe etc.

 

All it will take is one incident where you need it, and the thinking would be different.

 

I travel half the year, multiple times, so works just fine for me

Good points......except in my 68 years I have lost my wallet and my purse several times....all with my money, licence and credit cards in them.....so I don't trust myself. Once I left my purse in the shopping cart at Kmart. I went to put everything in my car, took the cart back to the holding bin and walked away. :eek: ugh! I got home and realized what I did. I raced back to the store and by some miracle no one stole it out of the cart. It was still there. OMG! After that, I've really been careful, but I don't trust my old brain anymore. I forget things quite a bit. It sucks getting old.

We just renewed our passport books and thought that maybe we should get the passport "card" as well since it is easier to carry around. That said, I can't remember if we needed to take them with us when in port to get back on the ship? If so, I just got the book for my brother and not the card....will a copy of his passport book be sufficient? I hate to take the book off the ship in case I lose it, I'd like to keep all our passport books in the safe. We are doing the Western Caribbean itinerary. Thanks.

 

People over the age of 16 sometimes need a photo ID go get back in the secure area. A drivers license works just fine for that purpose. There is no need to take a passport off ice ship unless it makes you feel more comfortable.

The cruise line almost begs you not to take your passports ashore. Too may people lose them or have them pickpocketed. Take their advice. Leave your passports on the ship. Don't need a photocopy. Don't need a passport card (which is totally useless except crossing the candadian and mexican boarder by foot/car). Take your room key and driver's license.

Note that photocopies or images of passports are only useful for emergency replacements and are about as good as having your passport number and expiration date in a text file. They cannot be used as any form of ID for any entry.

The cruise line almost begs you not to take your passports ashore. Too may people lose them or have them pickpocketed. Take their advice. Leave your passports on the ship. Don't need a photocopy. Don't need a passport card (which is totally useless except crossing the canadian and mexican boarder by foot/car). Take your room key and driver's license.

OK...that sounds logical and simple enough. And, I am all for leaving my documents on the ship safely in the safe. But I have to ask....if one of us gets hurt on an excursion etc...and has to go to the hospital. ( stuff happens ), and that incident causes us to miss the ship for some reason....how do we fly to the next port or back home without a passport? You cannot fly to the US without one. Hmmm. I think I am actually answering my own original question. LOL Cause and effect so to speak. ha!

Note that photocopies or images of passports are only useful for emergency replacements and are about as good as having your passport number and expiration date in a text file. They cannot be used as any form of ID for any entry.

Good to know, although i have read a few post where the photocopy helped a few people in a jam....but I guess I don't want to rely on that. Thanks.

On our Eastern Caribbean cruise, we didn't need passports on land at all. The islands make it VERY easy for cruisers to visit and spend money. ;)

 

OTOH, for our upcoming Alaska cruise, one shore excursion that crosses the Canadian border says bluntly that passports are required.

On our Eastern Caribbean cruise, we didn't need passports on land at all. The islands make it VERY easy for cruisers to visit and spend money. ;)

 

OTOH, for our upcoming Alaska cruise, one shore excursion that crosses the Canadian border says bluntly that passports are required.

Yes....am aware of the Canadian requirements. I guess it is good to always do your research when traveling. That's what I love about these boards.

On our Eastern Caribbean cruise, we didn't need passports on land at all. The islands make it VERY easy for cruisers to visit and spend money. ;)

 

OTOH, for our upcoming Alaska cruise, one shore excursion that crosses the Canadian border says bluntly that passports are required.

 

That SX is the WPYRR train to the top of the Canadian Border summit - where you never get off the train and

the engines are reversed on a siding to return the train back to the port of Skagway. Never have been asked

for a passport for the few times I have done this. Technically Yes you cross the border only to reverse the

train movement on a Canadian siding. No one gets off the train or is permitted to do so !

 

There are SX WPYRR trains that do cross the border and continue into the interior of Canada (Fraser Carcross

and Whitehorse) these require the passport but as I understand it is never is asked for only assumed that you

have it on your person since for the most part these are NCL organized SX's. Generally your ship's Key card and

photo ID works fine ! BUT in an emergency having the Passport present help expedite the ID process hands down !

Best to comply with the NCL and CBI orders keeping the restless authorities complacent don't ruffled their feathers ! LOL !

That SX is the WPYRR train to the top of the Canadian Border summit - where you never get off the train and

the engines are reversed on a siding to return the train back to the port of Skagway. Never have been asked

for a passport for the few times I have done this. Technically Yes you cross the border only to reverse the

train movement on a Canadian siding. No one gets off the train or is permitted to do so !

 

There are SX WPYRR trains that do cross the border and continue into the interior of Canada (Fraser Carcross

and Whitehorse) these require the passport but as I understand it is never is asked for only assumed that you

have it on your person since for the most part these are NCL organized SX's. Generally your ship's Key card and

photo ID works fine ! BUT in an emergency having the Passport present help expedite the ID process hands down !

Best to comply with the NCL and CBI orders keeping the restless authorities complacent don't ruffled their feathers ! LOL !

 

We once did a tour which left by vehicle in the am from the port and then delivered us to the White Pass Train for return to the port in the afternoon. And we did indeed have to show our passports at some point on the train itself.

Yes....am aware of the Canadian requirements. I guess it is good to always do your research when traveling. That's what I love about these boards.

When we did the Med in 2015 one had to hand in one's passport ahead of time to get off the ship in Turkey and Greece, got them back on the sea day after leaving Greece, headed to Naples. They gave us a photo copy of said passport, reminding us it was basically useless, better get back on the ship in time. Those who refused to get off the ship without their passports were not allowed off the ship.

Before I leave to go out of the country by plane or ship I make a copy of my passport page with all the information on it and give it to at least two people here in the US. Just in case I lose the passport or it gets stolen. I know that someone else has the information. I also put a copy in the safe.

OK...that sounds logical and simple enough. And, I am all for leaving my documents on the ship safely in the safe. But I have to ask....if one of us gets hurt on an excursion etc...and has to go to the hospital. ( stuff happens ), and that incident causes us to miss the ship for some reason....how do we fly to the next port or back home without a passport? You cannot fly to the US without one. Hmmm. I think I am actually answering my own original question. LOL Cause and effect so to speak. ha!

 

We are firmly in the camp for leaving the passports in the cabin safe. The chance that we will miss the ship, extremely small. The chance that we will lose it off the ship, or have it stolen, much more likely. And if that happens, you are in the same boat you would be in if you missed the ship with it in your safe.

 

But, crap happens. So we usually have our passport numbers with us in port. And we always note the ships number and the number for the Port Agent and have it in a pocket. It is always listed on the bottom of the Freestyle Daily for each port. In a worst case scenario, we will call the ship and/or Port Agent, advise them and request assistance getting our passports. If there is no time to get them, then we are pretty confident that we will not be required to remain in some foriegn country for the remainder of our natural lives.;). Whether left in a safe, or lost or stolen in port, there will be some hoops to jump through, but identities and the existence of passports will be confirmed and we will board a plane for the US. There are others who have confirmed this.

So you may be ok just taking your room card and a license off the ship to get back on but what happens if you're not back in time and miss the boat! There's no one there to go back on and get those passports locked in the safe! Then you're stuck without them trying to get home:o