Why you need a passport or 2nd form of ID

[thinfool]

Interesting thread. I enjoyed the posts about Viet Nam, etc. keeping your passports while you are ashore.

 

Ships visiting Turkey keep your passport and issue 'in transit' cards when you leave the ship.

 

If you only cruise near the US (Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean) you have the choice to take your PP or not.

 

Other places (Med cruises, Baltic Cruises, Far East cruises) your choice is removed and you surrender your PP to authorities that require it.

 

As far as "never going to lose my passport"....good for you. Don't visit places in Europe (nearly every country) where pickpockets and thieves spend all of their workday targeting tourists who will "never lose their passport/wallet/etc". They are incredibly good at what they do.

Edited July 1, 2014 by thinfool

[sparks1093]

When you wake up in the morning, get dressed, and leave for work, what do you bring? My guess, it's your driver's license. You most likely will also bring you ID badge if so needed at work. You don't think twice about it. You just bring it. No debate on this issue. Why do you bring it? Because it's your ID. You need it to drive. You need it in many cases to show who you are. Maybe for a credit card purchase. Maybe to get a drink if you are younger.

 

So your DL is no longer an official ID once you leave the USA. So what now replaces it? It's your passport. So why is there a big discussion of why you would or would not bring it with you? You bring your worthless DL but you don't bring your real ID that is accepted?

 

Have you ever handed a police officer a photo copy of your DL, and tell him the real one is locked up? What will happen. You get a ticket for driving without a DL.

 

Should not be a debate here. It is your official ID once you leave the USA. (or any other country).

 

The only real debate is whether you bring it or not for any "silly" reason you can think of.

 

I've used my drivers license several times for identity purposes in foreign ports. Heck, it's what got me on the ship to begin with, coupled with my birth certificate:). Until recently even the State Department website advised against carrying your passport with you unless you needed to. And if one does carry the passport with them then they need to take precautions- don't flash it around and don't carry it with your other valuables.

[Out to sea!]

When you wake up in the morning, get dressed, and leave for work, what do you bring? My guess, it's your driver's license. You most likely will also bring you ID badge if so needed at work. You don't think twice about it. You just bring it. No debate on this issue. Why do you bring it? Because it's your ID. You need it to drive. You need it in many cases to show who you are. Maybe for a credit card purchase. Maybe to get a drink if you are younger.

 

So your DL is no longer an official ID once you leave the USA. So what now replaces it? It's your passport. So why is there a big discussion of why you would or would not bring it with you? You bring your worthless DL but you don't bring your real ID that is accepted?

 

Have you ever handed a police officer a photo copy of your DL, and tell him the real one is locked up? What will happen. You get a ticket for driving without a DL.

 

Should not be a debate here. It is your official ID once you leave the USA. (or any other country).

 

The only real debate is whether you bring it or not for any "silly" reason you can think of.

 

How in the world do you justify that a DL is worthless once you leave the US? That simply isn't even close to being true. Granted, a US DL does not grant you the right to drive in another country (unless said country accepts it) but it is still a completely valid government ID that any country will accept as such. My DL and S&S is exactly what I have used to depart and board the ship in every port I've visited and my passport has not left my safe on any cruise until is was time to disembark the ship.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Out to sea!

[Out to sea!]

I have my passport in my back pocket at all times when on a cruise and when traveling. It is your best form of identification and proof of citizenship. I believe that the Federal Government should provide every citizen with a passport at no cost to the citizen. The savings on fraud in all programs and activities would make the cost of this program look like a drop in the bucket.

 

All was good with this post until you stated the Government should pay for your passport. You do realize the government has no money whatsoever that is not provided by someone else........the taxpayer. So what you are asking is that your neighbors pay for your passport. How ludicrous.

[cruzinlisa]

I brought my daughter to the airport and put her on a plane on Saturday (as an unaccompanied minor). I had to go through security with her (which was fine). Some how I lost my driver's license!

 

We are due to leave on the Valor on the 13th -- good thing I have a passport so I can quickly get a replacement license -- and can use it as my mode of ID while traveling.

 

Not my smoothest move -- but hey -- the passport allows me to travel, so it is all good!

 

True story- This March DH and I went on a cruise from Fort Lauderdale leaving on a Monday. The airport is about 2 hours from our house, so we spent Saturday night in an airport hotel. The flight on Sunday was super early and it was a small airport very close by, so we planned to arrive at the airport about 60 mins before the flight to FLL. Usually when we fly domestically, we use our license as ID. I had the passports in my purse for the cruise. We get to the check in counter and they ask for ID. DH pulls out his wallet and the pocket insert which has his license and concealed and carry permit state ID is GONE. I calmly pull out his passport and we check him in. He calls the hotel, shuttle driver and they all are (allegedly) looking for his ID and its nowhere. On Wednesday night, he gets a voicemail from the hotel that they had found his ID.

Now, if we had not had the passports, we could have gone to the hotel and looked ourselves and found it but would have missed our flight.

BTW, he no longer puts both his IDs in that insert.

[Crusin6]

I usually take mine

 

Just an FYI if you miss the ship I am told that they will go into your safe and see if pp is there. They will then leave it with the port agent so you can fly to next port/ home or wherever

 

 

Also after the Concordia sinking the idea if a " bug out bag" was hashed about. If you need to evacuate and need to go for your preservers in your cabin you could open the safe and just grab one ziplock with important docs/ meds/ cash etc in it so that when you wash up on shore you have important stuff on you.

 

And yes the crew can get in your safe and knows if you are going to miss the ship and knows to get your docs if possible to the port agent.

 

All of the above info btw I have gathered here on cc.

[thinfool]

All was good with this post until you stated the Government should pay for your passport. You do realize the government has no money whatsoever that is not provided by someone else........the taxpayer. So what you are asking is that your neighbors pay for your passport. How ludicrous.

 

From what I have read, the Passport Agency is self-funded. Being such, they did not shut down when the most recent government shutdown happened.

 

Or so I read. :rolleyes:

[Out to sea!]

From what I have read, the Passport Agency is self-funded. Being such, they did not shut down when the most recent government shutdown happened.

 

Or so I read. :rolleyes:

 

The Passport Agency is funded by our payments for passports. If you will read the post that I responded to, the poster wanted everyone to have a passport at no cost......meaning that the government pays for it which means the taxpayers pay for it.

[jwalk03]

I brought my daughter to the airport and put her on a plane on Saturday (as an unaccompanied minor). I had to go through security with her (which was fine). Some how I lost my driver's license!

 

We are due to leave on the Valor on the 13th -- good thing I have a passport so I can quickly get a replacement license -- and can use it as my mode of ID while traveling.

 

Not my smoothest move -- but hey -- the passport allows me to travel, so it is all good!

 

Can't you just go to the DMV and have a new license issued in like 10 minutes?

[fishtaco]

How in the world do you justify that a DL is worthless once you leave the US? That simply isn't even close to being true. Granted, a US DL does not grant you the right to drive in another country (unless said country accepts it) but it is still a completely valid government ID that any country will accept as such. My DL and S&S is exactly what I have used to depart and board the ship in every port I've visited and my passport has not left my safe on any cruise until is was time to disembark the ship.

 

This works both ways as well! I have just returned from a month in USA and my Australian Driving Licence was accepted everywhere as valid ID apart from TSA at domestic US airports which is totally understandable!

 

Also my Australian issued DL is officially recognised as a valid DL in USA as is a US issued DL in Australia, in each case though there are driving limitations of 3 months use but this can be extended:)

[firemanbobswife]

Can't you just go to the DMV and have a new license issued in like 10 minutes?

 

 

Not in VA. They quit issuing DLs at the DMV quite a few years ago. It was partially due to a big bust of people working at the DMV issuing them to illegal immigrants and such. Now when we renew or apply for for one it comes in the mail.

[pbsteve]

I always have my CAC card, Passport, DL, and Passport Card when traveling anywhere international. I carry my wife and my passport, she carry's the passport cards, and we each carry our own DL (in my case, I carry my CAC card too. On the cruise, we typically leave our DL in the safe, should our passports go missing, we can still fly home.