Passport question

[rhlaw]

Just wondering do you take your passport with you when you go off the ship?

What do you take when you go off the ship? I never did take it but I saw somewhere where it told you to take it. We will be in the Caribbean on our upcoming cruise.

[Ships R Great]

And, when people say "take a copy of your passport" what should be copied? Just the picture page, or more?

[trabeler]

If you do a search, you'll see arguments for both options.

 

I think it's better to leave it onboard in the cabin safe and take a copy on shore. The only exception is if you're in a country that requires you to have the original with you.

 

The odds of losing it (or getting it stolen) while ashore are far greater than the risk of missing the ship. And if you do miss the ship, common opinion is that ship security will open your safe and leave your passport with the port agent.

[Phxazzcruisers]

I agree with traveler. We always leave our passports in the room in the safe. You do not need to Cary your passport with you anywhere in the Caribbean. It is safest locked in the safe. Happy travels

[midwestchick]

I agree with leaving it in the safe. We only take our driver's license with us...did the same thing in Europe.

[stellarose]

Bermuda??

[skylight]

We always take our drivers licence to:)

[ghstudio]

Carry your driver's license and a copy of the information page in your passport...with your name, address, picture and passport number. Leave your real passport in the safe. If the authorities need your real passport, they will figure out how to get it. If you have an accident/etc...you have identification on you...the same information that you would have if you had your real passport.

[rhlaw]

Thank you. We never took ours before, but I just saw somewhere where they said to take it and I feel it is safer in the safe.

[DiamondDiva]

In almost all cases, the copy of the first 2 pages will be just fine. If your passport itself is stolen while off the ship, you will have to stay there to get all that taken care of, as you need it to come back to the US. This can take several days, tho having a copy with the number, place of issue, etc helps speed that up.

 

On one cruise we took to the British Isles, the ship had to gather up all our passports for the 3 days/3 ports we were in Scotland and keep them for the Scottish officials in each port. The stated reason was that Prince Charles was in Edinburgh while we were there (our first Scottish port). Not sure that made sense, but that is what happened. We were each then given a time on the sea day afterwards to come get them and sign for them.

 

In the last 2 years we have had to carry a photo ID, often a drivers license, as well as our ship card, to enter the harbor/port area in almost every port. If you do not have a license or other photo ID, just the passport, I guess you would have to take that. But I am much happier leaving it in the safe.

 

Was on a land tour with someone who had her pocket picked and lost her passport-5 days and 3 trips to a bigger city to get a new one.

[footer6]

Just wondering do you take your passport with you when you go off the ship?

What do you take when you go off the ship? I never did take it but I saw somewhere where it told you to take it. We will be in the Caribbean on our upcoming cruise.

 

In the Caribbean I would keep the passport in the cabin safe. If anything carry the copy. This is not a debate on the Mediterranean itineraries because your passport is taken at check-in and returned the day before disembarcation. That's when the copies are invaluable.

[cafediem2]

This is not a debate on the Mediterranean itineraries because your passport is taken at check-in and returned the day before disembarcation. That's when the copies are invaluable.

 

In EU ports, only non-EU citizens relinquish their passports I think; only had to hand mine over in the Med for ports outside the EU.

[midwestchick]

In the Caribbean I would keep the passport in the cabin safe. If anything carry the copy. This is not a debate on the Mediterranean itineraries because your passport is taken at check-in and returned the day before disembarcation. That's when the copies are invaluable.

 

We did not have to give up our passports last year on our European cruise.

One lady did because she was involved with the entertainment....when time came for her to get ready for disembarkation, Azamara had lost her passport :eek:...I don't think you can leave the country without a passport. I've read a copy will not work.

When I did some shopping in Positano last year, the lady at the shop asked for my passport number but I didn't have it with me. She wanted it because I had money coming back to me when I left Europe. I believe I got my tax back..it was like 10% of my purchase. :D I collected this at my last connection in Germany.

[dwjoe]

The debate over whether to take your passport ashore or leave it in your safe comes up from time to time on CC. It comes down to two competing risks: the risk of theft/loss/damage of the passport, vs the the risk of missing the ship and needing the passport to get on a plane.

 

The latter risk is partly mitigated by the fact that ship staff might open your safe and leave your passport ashore if they know you're going to miss the ship.

 

Also relevant is what backup ID you have and whether it is enough to get you home. Last cruise I took my passport book on St Maarten b/c I was going to Pinel Island far from the cruise port. I had a passport card in the safe as backup which would suffice to get me home if the book was stolen. Other ports I felt the risk of theft/loss/damage was greater and took my passport card ashore and left the book in the safe. Either way it is worth taking a credit card with a high enough limit to buy plane tickets in the event.

 

If you need to board an international flight to get home from the embarkation port, then my calculation changes. Since you are certain to need the PP book to get home, I'd only bring it ashore if required by law

[Tenn4ever]

Carry your driver's license and a copy of the information page in your passport...with your name, address, picture and passport number. Leave your real passport in the safe. If the authorities need your real passport, they will figure out how to get it. If you have an accident/etc...you have identification on you...the same information that you would have if you had your real passport.

 

This is what we do. Plus, we make a copy of our passport (information page) and leave it at home with our contact (our daughter) as an extra measure.

[noblepa]

The debate over whether to take your passport ashore or leave it in your safe comes up from time to time on CC. It comes down to two competing risks: the risk of theft/loss/damage of the passport, vs the the risk of missing the ship and needing the passport to get on a plane.

 

The latter risk is partly mitigated by the fact that ship staff might open your safe and leave your passport ashore if they know you're going to miss the ship.

 

Also relevant is what backup ID you have and whether it is enough to get you home. Last cruise I took my passport book on St Maarten b/c I was going to Pinel Island far from the cruise port. I had a passport card in the safe as backup which would suffice to get me home if the book was stolen. Other ports I felt the risk of theft/loss/damage was greater and took my passport card ashore and left the book in the safe. Either way it is worth taking a credit card with a high enough limit to buy plane tickets in the event.

 

If you need to board an international flight to get home from the embarkation port, then my calculation changes. Since you are certain to need the PP book to get home, I'd only bring it ashore if required by law

 

In this case, backup is an oxymoron. If you need to return to the US by air, only a passport will do. For any use that requires a PP, a photocopy is worthless.

 

 

 

As long as a birth cert will get me home via ship, I will take bot PP and BC. I leave the BC in the safe and take the PP ashore. Yes, there is a risk of loss, but the same is true for cash, cameras and credit cards. It's just one more thing to watch.

 

A PP is A risk until you need it, but then you really need it. If I miss the ship, I don't need the hassle of finding a consulate to arrange alternate travel documents.

 

As I understand it, the airlines won't let you board a US-bound plane without a PP. if the US denies entry, they must fly you back at their expense. They won't risk it.

 

Yes, you would eventually get home, but why risk the hassle? The entire purpose of a PP is international travel. IMHO leaving a PP in the safe is the same as leaving it at home.

[noblepa]

Here's an idea. In addition to taking your PP and BC with you, email a scan of both to yourself. Any consulate or embassy will have Internet access and you can download them. This would probably be faster than waiting for a friend or neighbor to fax it to you.

 

True, the copies, by themselves have no legal status, but it may help expiration getting a replacement.

[BubMunkeyBles]

Most of the ports, yes (unless it's USVI, Puerto Rico etc).

[dwjoe]

IMHO leaving a PP in the safe is the same as leaving it at home.

This is an overstatement.

 

There are several scenarios that a PP in the safe will protect you against, such as falling ill while onboard and needing to seek treatment in the US, or being notified of a family emergency and needing to cut the cruise short and fly home from a foreign port.

 

If you are inadvertently caught ashore, the cruise ship staff may open your safe and leave your passport with their port agent.

 

Further, the risk of theft/loss/damage is several times higher than the risk of missing the ship.

[foodle]

And, when people say "take a copy of your passport" what should be copied? Just the picture page, or more?

To help you out with replacements and using instead of an official passport you will need to copy all pages of the passport and carry a photo ID. This is what i tend to swap between, depending on where I am and the likelyhood of pickpocket/loss I either carry my passport in a neck pouch or my shooters licence and a copy of my passport.