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Photo ID?


Sea and Me
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I have always carried my drivers license and my seapass card for ID when going off a ship. This July we will have family members with us. The teens range from 18-15 and will have passports, our grandson has his drivers license. I am wondering if the seapass card is enough ID or will they need another form of ID to get on the ship once they go to a port. I don’t like the idea of carrying passports around however maybe they could make copies of them.

 

What do others do if you had a similar situation?? Thanks for the information and have a good day.:)

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Don’t they have Drivers Licenses, School IDs, etc.?

If they are over 16 I believe they may need a photo ID to get back on. It depends on the port, however, they always say to bring it. You could also have them get a State issued ID card or Passport Card.

 

My Passport also stays in the safe. Be prepared to hear how you should “never step foot on foreign soil without one” and all that. However Carnival will leave it with the Port Agent if you miss the ship pending it’s kept in the safe. If you stash it under your underwear then you’re out of luck lol! You don’t need a Passport to cruise on most cruises, therefore, you aren’t required or even requested to keep it on you. It’s safer on the ship where it won’t get lost or stolen. And yes, people lose things all the time. Just because one thinks it will never or could never happen to them doesn’t mean it won’t.

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We have always taken our passports with us. I like the security “just in case” we miss the ship for any reason. Never come close to happening fortunately. We have passport holders that go under our clothes that we use on international land vacations. If at the beach they stay with the credit cards or cash in a locker or with whoever is watching our stuff.

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16 and older must have a photo ID...be it State ID, License or Passport. Those under 16 do not.....even a BC is all the ID they need if they do not have a Passport. AS for the ports ....they say to take your SS Card and a ID. Again...the 15 year old should be fine without. Many times the port authority security just wants to see your SS card only. Everyone has a certain level of "worry"....But we always just take our license and SS Card...Leave everything else behind.

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In US ports we just take our driver's licenses ashore. In foreign ports we take passports in the event we get separated from the ship. Others will disagree because if you miss the ship it is reported they will go to your room and retrieve your passports. I am not one to rely on that.

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In US ports we just take our driver's licenses ashore. In foreign ports we take passports in the event we get separated from the ship. Others will disagree because if you miss the ship it is reported they will go to your room and retrieve your passports. I am not one to rely on that.

 

As long as you are doing what you are comfortable doing who cares if anyone else disagrees?

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OP most ports require the S&S and a photo ID for everyone 16 and older to reenter the pier area. This can be a school ID, a learners permit, a state issued ID card etc. The passport will also work of course. A photocopy of the passport will probably not work, but then again it might (in Freeport a couple of weeks ago the security guy just started to waive several hundred passengers through because final boarding time had arrived and we all needed to get onboard, so he stopped checking ID's).

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We don't take our passports ashore. We take only our S&S cards and our DLs. If there is any question as to who you are, the port authority can walk you to the ship and check that you and the picture associated with your S&S card match. American passports are very valuable overseas in the wrong hands, and we don't take the chance of losing them. We have two kids, ages 8 and 7, and all they need are their S&S cards.

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“never step foot on foreign soil without one”

I have said this before, but not referring to shore excursions. Our passports are always in the safe. True, I would not leave U.S. soil without a passport. Stuff happens and is you need to fly home you will need a passport. On January 12 we were leaving for 2 weeks on the Miracle. That morning we received a call that my wife's dad died. If we were in a foreign country it would have been a huge P.I.A. to fly home.

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“never step foot on foreign soil without one”

I have said this before, but not referring to shore excursions. Our passports are always in the safe. True, I would not leave U.S. soil without a passport. Stuff happens and is you need to fly home you will need a passport. On January 12 we were leaving for 2 weeks on the Miracle. That morning we received a call that my wife's dad died. If we were in a foreign country it would have been a huge P.I.A. to fly home.

 

I am of the same mindset. I have one even when not needed such as most Caribbean cruises, however, it stays in the safe when on shore on a cruise.

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As long as you are doing what you are comfortable doing who cares if anyone else disagrees?

 

I could care less if anyone else disagrees. Was just responding to the OP and trying to prevent those unnecessary inevitable war of words on this topic and giving both sides of the coin.

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We almost always have to show IDs (drivers license) along with S&S card to get back into port controlled area. Cozumel, St Thomas, Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay in particular have security guards at the gates. As a rule we take our DR license with us on every tour.

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Why is this so complicated! Depending on the port, you need a picture ID that matches your face, and your name on the ships card.

 

1. Port security can not see you picture on the ships card

 

2. Port security is there to make sure no gets into the secured area.

 

3. Most 15 - 18 year olds have a picture ID. DL or school ID.

 

4. There is some great fear about your passport. Mine is in my pocket. Don't you carry a DL? Money? Credit Cards? All these things can be stolen but the Passport for some reason is talked about relentlessly on these boards.

 

5. Many places require a picture ID. Such as Airports, train stations, military basis, to name a few. This is not some new concept.

 

For the poster, make sure they have what they have. If all else fails, you have the most recognizable ID in their possession, their passport.

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Sea and Me- We are in Ohio. Although we had passports for each of our three kids, we went to our local BMV (bureau of motor Vehicles) or license bureau and got each a photo ID. I believe that it was advice that I saw on Cruise Critic. Each was only a matter of about $10. we were happy to have them with

us and not carry to actual passports, although I always

carried a copy of each. I do not believe there was a minimum age here but each state will vary I'm sure.

 

Sent from my C6606 using Forums mobile app

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I am not an American citizen and I leave my passport on the ship in the safe as well. I do however carry a colour photocopy of my birth certificate drivers license and passport and put it in a ziplock bag and carry it in my shore bag in a zippered compartment. I also carry off the ship my driver's licence and S&S card.

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I stopped watching after about 40 seconds. You do not need to “ride out the cruise” if something should happen and you need to get back home. You can get off and jump though additional hoops to get back to the US without one.

 

The question was never if you need a Passport to go on a cruise. OP and family have one already.

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