who here carries thier passport with them

[csoud]

this is very interesting to see peoples comments. i will continue to leave mine on the ship and take a drivers license off. I would rather lose a license and be able to say my passport was on the ship then lose a passport and say my license was aboard.

 

Like someone said earlier. If a cruiseline confiscates passports when you are aboard then there is no dire need to carry it with you and risk it dissapearing.

[timeoutforcruisin]

I make 3 copies of the front and back of any credit card I am taking as well as the front and back of my drivers' license and the inside of my passport. I leave one copy with friends/family at home (a phone call away), pack one copy in a seperate place from where I carry my originals while in transit and upon arrival on the ship I leave that copy in the safe with my passport.

 

When I am ready to leave the ship on an excursion, I leave one set of copies in the safe, carry the originals where I can easily access them with my sign and sail card, then carry the last set of copies in another location. I also divide my cash and leave some in the safe, carry the cash I plan to use on the excursion in two different locations (backpack - in locker if on beach, fanny pack or underclothing waist pouch, or waterproof container-if swimming.

 

If there should be an emergency and I cannot get back to the ship then I have my passport and credit card info as well as my drivers license if I need to rent a car, etc. I can then pay for what I need and/or fly using my passport. If someone steals one set of the info or the originals, then I have the abiltiy to stop payment on the card, still have the bulk of my cash in the safe and can work on replacing the passport while on the ship. The copies of the DL and Passport have my picture them so in an emergency they might serve as at least a temporary picture ID to get me back on the ship if the originals are stolen.

[disneylover89]

What about children? Do they need a photo ID in some of the ports? My husband and I have our DL but our kids only have their school ID's.

[adventureseekinmomma]

I take mine with me to each of the ports and I actually have them stamped at each of the ports I visit, it's nice to look back through the years and remember all the places you visited, I also have it done for my children.

[mexicobob]

A copy of a passport is worthless anywhere. If you are in a foreign country you need to have an original passport with you. You are not in Kansas anymore and they will be glad to point that out to you, wherever you are.

I personally would not go on a ship that would take my passport away.

 

MexicoBob

[lillian marie]

Take your passport with you anytime you are in a foreign country. If you were in an accident, arrested or missed the ship you would desperately need it. Keep a copy of the passport in your ship's cabin safe so that if it was lost or stolen you could get another one issued by the State Dept. or Am. consulate in your next port of call. My husband has worked alot in other countries in his carreer. Americans expect other countries to have the same rights as the U.S. for them and the legal system is far different in most Carribean countries.

[hubofhockey]

We just got off the Ruby Princess 12 day cruise to the Grand Med. They took or passports on day 1 and did not return them to us until near the end of the cruise. Many people made copies of their passport and carried the copies, drivers licenses, along with their cruise cards to ports. So we didn't have them for Greece, Turkey, and much of Italy. The cruiseline will explain why they do this. At first, I was uncomfortable. But I am okay with them doing that.

[flyingb]

i just read the most horrific story imagineable about someone getting pick pocketted and losing thier id AND passport. the cruis ship wouldnt let them back on the ship and they were in a foriegn country. :eek:

 

What am i missing here, in this story? I never ever have taken my passport off the ship..i take my sail pass, drivers license, a credit card and some cash. that is all. This guy made it sound liike he needed his passport to get back on the ship. what is that all about?

 

If i lose everything, i still have my passport, and most of my cash onboard. i then would just have to call my bank. what that guy posted was the nightmare of all nightmares.

 

Never needed it, but made copy of passport and we carry that ashore. May not be worth the paper it's printed on but I feel more secure with it with me in a foreign country. :) Would not consider carrying my real one.

Luv's Crusin'

[CruzVinnieCruz]

I like the way my favorite line handles this. All passengers surrender their passports at embarkation and they are returned at disembarkation. You have no choice.

 

Clearly there is no real need to take passports ashore other than for peace of mind. In fact with this line there is no need for ID because they take the effort add you picture to you ship card (not embedded in the code, actually printed) and it takes no longer to get your card than it does on Carnival.

 

 

Like many cruise lines your favorite cruise line will get the passport to the port agent if you not get back on the ship.

 

I see no need to take the passport with me when in a port. It is standard procedure that if a passenger does not get back on board that ships security will open the cabin safe and take control of the passengers passports. They turn them over to the ships port agent and it is their responsibility to assist the passenger. That's why many times when the ship is getting ready to leave a port you will hear certain passengers from cabin whatever being announced over and over.

 

We do too many water activities to worry about securing passports. As always if you feel more comfortable carrying your passport by all means do.

[pjhootch]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've had a passport for 30 years and I carry it with me everywhere when I travel. I just don't lose it and it has never been stolen. I have the passport number written down so I can try to replace it should it be stolen. I grew up going in and out of England and Ireland and all my Irish and English cousins carry their passport with them constantly while here in the States. I agree that Americans in general freak about about leaving their home country more than other nationalaties do and we tend to obsess about things that other folks got used to a long time ago.

[Cindy]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've had a passport for 30 years and I carry it with me everywhere when I travel. I just don't lose it and it has never been stolen. I have the passport number written down so I can try to replace it should it be stolen. I grew up going in and out of England and Ireland and all my Irish and English cousins carry their passport with them constantly while here in the States. I agree that Americans in general freak about about leaving their home country more than other nationalaties do and we tend to obsess about things that other folks got used to a long time ago.

 

I lived overseas for a few years when I was growing up, so I sort of feel the same way about passports. Even when they were not required, I've always travelled with one and would never have considered cruising without one. There's just not a better form of identification.

My issue with taking passports off the ship stems from the activities we're doing. We're usually in the water, and that makes it difficult to keep a passport on your person. That's why I also got the passport cards with our renewals.

[salty dingo]

As a cruiser, you are FAR more likely to be robbed or just misplace your passport when you go ashore than you are to miss the boat.

 

Think about it - you cannot miss the boat if you are a responsible person. It only happens to people who are irresponsible - those who get drunk or who go on shady excursions.

 

If you had a medical emergency and ended up in the hospital, unable to continue your cruise, you could call the port agent (listed in the daily newsletter) and have the passport retrieved from the safe in your cabin and delivered to you along with your bags.

 

Even if you could imagine a situation where the ship sails away with your passport (I can't) you can still arrange to get an emergency replacement. But that should never be necessary for a responsible cruise passenger.

 

So, it is pretty foolish to carry a passport with you, yet there are unreasonable people who ignore the risks and do it anyway. Maybe they are the same people who are irresponsible and get drunk and miss the ship:)

[evandbob]

I carry a photo copy of my passport when in port, along with my DL & credit card & some folding $$$. I usually keep this stuff in one of those plastic "sealed" wallets, but sometimes there's a little bit of leakage when snorkeling. So I just googled "waterproof passport holders" and there's a few products specific to passprts that claim to stayed sealed down to 15' of water, which could be suitable for most water activities.

[pjhootch]

As a cruiser, you are FAR more likely to be robbed or just misplace your passport when you go ashore than you are to miss the boat.

 

So, it is pretty foolish to carry a passport with you, yet there are unreasonable people who ignore the risks and do it anyway. Maybe they are the same people who are irresponsible and get drunk and miss the ship:)

 

ROFL. I guess I'm unreasonable, foolish and irresponsible then. Bring all the name calling on that you wish. I don't make a habit of getting drunk and missing the ship :D. By the way, I'm far more likely to be robbed going to and from my job than I am running around cruise ports with a tour operator. If the worst risk I'm taking is having to stay in a foreign port on an extended vacation while I get my passport replaced, I'll live with that risk, no problem.

[Stevesan]

A reasonable solution for the Caribbean and border states is a wallet size passport card. It's far better than an unofficial photo copy. $30 well spent.

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

 

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

[disneylover89]

What about children? Do they need a photo ID in some of the ports? My husband and I have our DL but our kids only have their school ID's.

 

 

Going to ask again since no one has replied.

[chipmaster]

5 cruises and to many other country travels, NEVER

 

Always left in the safe of my hotel or my cabin. All one needs when out is a CC, photoid, and cruisecard or hotel room card.

 

People who are paranoid and worry about getting arrested, in the hospital should remember that between the cruisecard/hotel card and photo id you have everything you need for the authorities to help you. I also always have copy of passport with me and spare cc and cash in the hotel/cabin safe.

 

Get your passport stolen with everything, well you really are up a creek.

 

Horrible story, BTW.

 

i just read the most horrific story imagineable about someone getting pick pocketted and losing thier id AND passport. the cruis ship wouldnt let them back on the ship and they were in a foriegn country. :eek:

 

What am i missing here, in this story? I never ever have taken my passport off the ship..i take my sail pass, drivers license, a credit card and some cash. that is all. This guy made it sound liike he needed his passport to get back on the ship. what is that all about?

 

If i lose everything, i still have my passport, and most of my cash onboard. i then would just have to call my bank. what that guy posted was the nightmare of all nightmares.

[Kurbanfan]

Take your passport with you anytime you are in a foreign country. If you were in an accident, arrested or missed the ship you would desperately need it. Keep a copy of the passport in your ship's cabin safe so that if it was lost or stolen you could get another one issued by the State Dept. or Am. consulate in your next port of call. My husband has worked alot in other countries in his carreer. Americans expect other countries to have the same rights as the U.S. for them and the legal system is far different in most Carribean countries.

 

What in the world:confused: Because some of us Americans choose not to bring our passport to port with us:confused:

When we were on the elation our Australian cruise director made a point to eveyone over the loud speaker to leave our passports on the ship in Cabo due to it being mainly a beach port and it could easily be stolen........he must have been an enabler:p

[Kurbanfan]

Going to ask again since no one has replied.

 

I believe they might require id's for 16 and older? Someone?

 

Found it.........

 

CRUISE TRAVEL

 

U.S. Citizens

 

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin & end in the same U.S. port, travelling with a passport enhances your disembarkation experience, as delays may be expected upon your return to the U.S. if you do not have one. Additionally, passports make it easier for you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

 

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) allows U.S. citizens (including children) sailing on cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port to travel with one of the following WHTI compliant document:

 

Valid U.S. Passport

Original or suitable quality copy of a Birth Certificate

Certificate of Naturalization

Passport Card

Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)

Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card, e.g., Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card

A government-issued photo ID is also required for all guests, including children 16 and over. For more information, a complete list of WHTI-compliant documents or to obtain a passport application, visit http://www.travel.state.gov.

 

To debark for more than 24 hours in Mexico, guests must have obtained a Mexican Tourist Card from either a travel agent or a Mexican consulate prior to their departure.

[RWolver672]

This is another one of those subjects that brings on great debate. You either take them ashore or leave them on the ship. It just depends on how you feel about them. Personally, I wouldn't have bought one just to leave it in the safe. I bought it for ID and will carry it with me for that reason. I've had a driver's license for 46 years and a Social Security Card for more than that and I've never had either of them stolen because I guard them, just as I do my passport.

 

If a medical emergency happened while ashore and we missed the ship, the last thing I need to be thinking about is contacting the ship to get my passport back. It can take my clothes to Timbucktoo but I want that passport in my little hands!

[gogetter]

OK OP...

 

try this...get stuck in a foreign country without your passport, credit cards or cash.

 

Just make a copy of your passport and take it with you. leave the original on the ship! If the copy gets stolen, big deal, right?

[5o'clocksomewhere]

OK OP...

 

try this...get stuck in a foreign country without your passport, credit cards or cash.

 

Just make a copy of your passport and take it with you. leave the original on the ship! If the copy gets stolen, big deal, right?

 

Why would anyone steal a photo copy of a passport:confused:

[zqvol]

Going to ask again since no one has replied.

 

 

Children under the age of 16 are not required to have a photo ID as long as they are with an adult.

[halos]

edited :)

[LHP]

We leave our Passports in the safe....we take our "Passport Card" with us into port.

 

I just love these new cards...the size of a driver's license and so convenient!!