docs needed for St. Martin

[matj2000]

I have been to St.Maartin 6 times and never brought a passport off the ship.

We did just fine....

[macruisefan]

I have been to St.Maartin 6 times and never brought a passport off the ship.

We did just fine....

 

There's a saying: The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence"...

[phish tales]

Okay, I'll say it... I would never set foot outside the U.S. without having my passport with me. Leaving the passport on the ship out of fear of losing it is, in my opinion, a mistake. Driver License, Cruise I.D.... these might get you on and off the ship alright, but neither carries any official weight. Neither is necessarily going to be recognized or accepted for anything. A passport is the single most powerful document you can travel with. If it gets wet, it get bent/mangled, so what? The thought of being on foreign soil anywhere, without the ability to prove beyond a doubt who I am? That scares the heck out of me!

 

 

thumbs up from this family also.

best travel advice so far.

why would you have such a powerful tool and leave it on the ship.

 

excuse me while i go get a very large bowl of popcorn.......

Edited December 26, 2013 by phish tales

[cruisinfanatic]

thumbs up from this family also.

best travel advice so far.

why would you have such a powerful tool and leave it on the ship.

 

excuse me while i go get a very large bowl of popcorn.......

I would think that there is a better chance of having it stolen or lost than missing the ship with the passport in the safe.

Years ago you were told to leave it in the safe

[DebJ14]

Every cruise line we have sailed in the Caribbean (Carnival, HAL, NCL, Princess, RCCL) tells you to take your Sea Pass/Sail and Sign etc AND a government issued photo ID when you go ashore. We always just take the cruise line card and the driver's license with us when we go ashore. I do carry copies of our passports, which remain in the safe. I know lots of people tell you to take the passport ashore, but if it is not required by the country you are visiting I would leave it in the safe. I can't tell you what a hassle it was when our passports were stolen in the Bahamas.

 

Last week in 2 of the 3 ports the people on the pier actually wanted to see both the license and the cruise card. The 3rd port they only asked for the cruise ship card.

Edited December 26, 2013 by DebJ14

[phish tales]

I would think that there is a better chance of having it stolen or lost than missing the ship with the passport in the safe.

Years ago you were told to leave it in the safe

 

 

it started. i just sitting back and enjoying my popcorn.:)

[macruisefan]

I would think that there is a better chance of having it stolen or lost than missing the ship with the passport in the safe.

 

That is absolutely true. But it dismisses the fact that the potential drawbacks to being without a passport, while less likely, are much more problematic than losing it would be.

 

Using your logic, I should stop wearing my seatbelt, as it wrinkles my tie. I'm a lot more likely to wrinkle my tie than I am to actually need my seatbelt buckled...

[xray]

TSA will let her on the plane WITHOUT a passport but she will need her DL and BC.

 

She is OK with DL and BC to get on the ship.

 

She is OK with DL and Sea Pass in St. Martin, Nassau, and St. Thomas. Whether she gets and takes a passport on the islands is up to her to decide.

 

Have I got this straight?

 

Thanks for all the replies

XRAY

[bouhunter]

Millions of cruisers have left a ship without passports and survived. If you're left somewhere without a passport life will go on and you'll get home. There will be some more hoops to jump through, but it won't be the end of the world. It's simply a personal choice regardless of the never ending opinions here.

 

BTW we take our passports with us at each port, but people should stop making it sound like it could be the end of the world if someone doesn't.

Edited December 26, 2013 by bouhunter

[bouhunter]

 

Using your logic, I should stop wearing my seatbelt, as it wrinkles my tie. I'm a lot more likely to wrinkle my tie than I am to actually need my seatbelt buckled...

 

Wow, that's some really strange and bizarre analogy going on there.:rolleyes: I might need a few drinks to put some sense into that one:D

Edited December 26, 2013 by bouhunter

[phish tales]

Wow, that's some really strange and bizarre analogy going on there.:rolleyes: I might need a few drinks to put some sense into that one:D

 

 

i just made a fresh gin & tonic to go with my popcorn. so keep the dramatics going.........:)

[cruisinfanatic]

Wow, that's some really strange and bizarre analogy going on there.:rolleyes: I might need a few drinks to put some sense into that one:D

I'll pour

[cruisinfanatic]

TSA will let her on the plane WITHOUT a passport but she will need her DL and BC.

 

You can't fly internationally without a passport

[TravelerThom]

TSA will let her on the plane WITHOUT a passport but she will need her DL and BC.

 

She is OK with DL and BC to get on the ship.

 

She is OK with DL and Sea Pass in St. Martin, Nassau, and St. Thomas. Whether she gets and takes a passport on the islands is up to her to decide.

 

Have I got this straight?

 

Thanks for all the replies

XRAY

Correct except that if you are 16 or older standard aircraft boarding is with a Government issued ID [typically a DL]; absolutely no need for a BC for domestic flights; closed loop cruises absolutely require passport (or passport equivalent) OR BC with Government photo ID.

 

Yes it is possible to get through TSA airport security without a Government ID, but to say that it is possible while not also point out that it will cause you a large pain is misleading and irresponsible IMO.

 

Thom

Edited December 26, 2013 by TravelerThom

[mollyeilis]

TSA will let her on the plane WITHOUT a passport but she will need her DL and BC.

 

TSA will let you through security with just the DL. You don't need to have the BC out at all for your domestic flights. (I'm assuming domestic as you say you're US Citizens and you are going into and out of FLL)

 

 

 

You can't fly internationally without a passport

 

I don't think they are flying internationally. The question was about getting to/from the cruise.

 

That TSA page covers U.S. domestic flights only.

 

I believe that the OP's question covers US domestic flights as well.

 

 

Now *of course*, if they miss the port at some point and have to fly internationally it's a whole different ballgame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My statement is not wrong, it's absolutely correct and the link that you posted validates my statement. Furthermore, I did not give advice about using or not using a photo ID when attempting to fly, I simply stated that it's "possible", which is EXACTLY what the information on the link you posted says.

 

I'll give you some advice though, if you're going to try and prove a person wrong don't post information that proves yourself wrong. :D

 

:)

 

And anyone reading it can see that it's not saying it's going to be kitten whispers and butterflies to get through without ID for the domestic flight. Not to mention they wouldn't be able to get on the ship without it, so it's totally off the topic for the OP. :p

 

We understand passengers occasionally arrive at the airport without an ID, due to lost items or inadvertently leaving them at home. Not having an ID does not necessarily mean a passenger won't be allowed to fly. If passengers are willing to provide additional information, we have other means of substantiating someone's identity, like using publicly available databases.

 

 

Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening.

[bouhunter]

My statement is not wrong, it's absolutely correct and the link that you posted validates my statement. Furthermore, I did not give advice about using or not using a photo ID when attempting to fly, I simply stated that it's "possible", which is EXACTLY what the information on the link you posted says.

 

I'll give you some advice though, if you're going to try and prove a person wrong don't post information that proves yourself wrong. :D

 

Whatever. :rolleyes: I'm sure you fly without picture ID all the time because it's so quick and easy.

Edited December 27, 2013 by bouhunter

[waterbug123]

I would think that there is a better chance of having it stolen or lost than missing the ship with the passport in the safe.

Years ago you were told to leave it in the safe

 

There are always two sides to this argument, and neither side ever seems to convince anyone to change their mind.

 

First there are those who firmly believe that nothing will ever happen to cause them to miss the ship and have to fly to the next port, so they simply don't believe they would ever need to have the passport with them in port. Furthermore, they are convinced that if they do take their passport ashore it has a high likelihood of being lost or stolen. They presume their wallet and ID would be less likely to be lost or stolen so they suggest leaving the passport in the safe and just taking a DL.

 

Then there are those believe in the adage, "better safe than sorry." They would rather be prepared to fly to the next port, should something unexpected happen while ashore. Furthermore, they believe they can keep their passport safely in their possession while ashore, or that if it happens to get lost/stolen it won't be the end of the world to replace it when they return home.

 

 

TSA will let her on the plane WITHOUT a passport but she will need her DL and BC.

 

 

No, she won't. She is a US citizen traveling on a domestic flight, so she absolutely will NOT need her BC to get through TSA. Just her government issued photo ID and boarding pass.

[jcl410]

OK _I'll post my yearly message on this topic. :-)

 

 

Check here:

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html

 

The State Department suggests that you keep most valuables, including your passport, in your hotel safe.

 

Of course, that assumes you are in a hotel instead of a cruise ship, but it does imply that you don't need to be carrying it in daily travels abroad.

 

The main purpose of a Passport is to indicate your citizenship in order to clear Immigration upon entering a country. On most cruise stops, you are cleared automatically, and no one will be looking for it.

 

 

 

In my opinion, the most important thing to carry ashore, besides the S&S card and photo ID(if required), is the phone number of the port agent. If you find that you are going to miss the ship, then call them, or have the police, hospital, etc to call them for you.

 

On a closed-loop Caribbean cruise, the only time you should need your passport is 1) when checking in, and 2) when clearing US Immigration when reentering the US.

 

Aloha,

 

John

[phish tales]

slow down i am out of pop corn. got to make more.....:D

[LA_CA_GAL]

Every time we have been in St. Maarten, probably 10 cruises, our taxi has been stopped as we enter the port area and we have been required to show seapass & DL. The taxi drivers have all given us a heads up as we approach to have them ready for security.

 

Sherri:)

 

Same for us. Every time.

[macruisefan]

In my opinion, the most important thing to carry ashore, besides the S&S card and photo ID(if required), is the phone number of the port agent. If you find that you are going to miss the ship, then call them, or have the police, hospital, etc to call them for you.

 

A little clarification please. Are you actually saying you'll go ashore in a port WITHOUT photo ID if it isn't required. Sorry, maybe you can argue not needing the passport, but an adult going anywhere without a photo ID is simply foolish.

[reney313]

I always take my Photo ID and Seapass card. I leave my passport in the cabin safe. I do have a passport card as well and if I happen to take it on the cruise with me (it is only good as a Photo ID for a cruise), I'll take that instead of my DL.

 

It really is a personal choice if you want to take your passport ashore with you to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. If you have an excursion off the islands, then you sometimes do need it (like to Tortola or another island). If you are staying on the island, you do not.

 

If you miss the ship or something else happens and you need to fly home or to another port and you do not have your passport with you--you won't be stuck there for the rest of your life. The US will let you back in as a citizen. It will be more hassle and maybe a delay of some time on the island until they can verify and issue something to let you travel. At least I do have a passport and my number so it would be "easier" than not having one at all. It would not be as easy as it would if I had my passport in my possession where i could just buy a plane ticket immediately and board a plane. But if something unfortunate does happen, there will be a way to get home :)

[LA_CA_GAL]

Well, that's a nice warm and fuzzy way to look at it. However, there are times when life is a little more black and white. I stand by my statement that choosing not to carry one's passport is a mistake.

 

The tourists on the bus in Mexico that were robbed of everything, including passports might disagree with you.

[Hstergo]

I guess TSA will make exceptions, but this statement is pretty much WRONG. Bad advice to say the least.

 

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/acceptable-ids

 

I personally know people who flew with no ID you have to answer a series of questions but it does happen.

[Hstergo]

Okay, I'll say it... I would never set foot outside the U.S. without having my passport with me. Leaving the passport on the ship out of fear of losing it is, in my opinion, a mistake. Driver License, Cruise I.D.... these might get you on and off the ship alright, but neither carries any official weight. Neither is necessarily going to be recognized or accepted for anything. A passport is the single most powerful document you can travel with. If it gets wet, it get bent/mangled, so what? The thought of being on foreign soil anywhere, without the ability to prove beyond a doubt who I am? That scares the heck out of me!

 

Completely agree!! If you aren't on native soil, carry your passport. It's the one safeguard you have when the unthinkable happens.

 

 

If you miss the ship and had your passport in the cabin safe it would be waiting for you at the port office. but if you take your passport with you for the day and happen to lose it as many people have done... now your in a major jam.