Is Copy of Passport Good Enough?

[LuckyStar]

On 11/29/2018 at 7:32 AM, SRF said:

 

FTFY.

 

There is no guarantee that this will happen.  They most likely will, but it might happen for some reason.

If you're going to quote my post, quote it properly.  I did not say MAY, I said will.  Right or wrong, they are my words and I will take credit or blame for them.  You obviously have a different take and that is fine.  

[payitforward]

On 12/4/2018 at 1:39 PM, TruckerDave said:

There are many things in this world I don't understand....but one of the biggest is why many cruisers are SO SCARED of taking their passports with them. 

I PREFER (as opposed to "scared") to leave it on the ship for a number of reasons. The BIGGEST reason is that I am far more likely to lose, or have it stolen than I am to miss the ship.

[angie7911922]

You will need your actual passport if something were to happen. They recommend taking a copy in case your passport get lost or stolen. I've never taken a copy, just my passport itself. 

[Hlitner]

So, what is a copy of a Passport good for?  1.  Emergency toilet paper.  2.  Paper to use if you need to write a short note.  3.  It can help cover a hole in your pocket,  4.  It is good if somebody wants your Passport number and expiration date.  This sometimes is required by rental car companies in parts of Europe.  5.  If you need to replace a lost or stolen Passport having a copy tells the State Department the Passport number.   But they can pull this up on their computer in a few seconds if you do not have a copy.  

 

What makes even more sense is to scan a copy of your main Passport page and upload it to one of your e-mail accounts (such as hotmail, gmail, etc) that can easily be accessed anywhere in the world.   And by the way, if you do need to replace a Passport it can be a real pain.  For Caribbean cruisers you might want to consider that there are very few US Embassy's or Consulates in the Caribbean.  Even popular islands like St Maarten do not have a US Consulate (they rely on the U.S. Embassy located in Barbados).   When traveling in Europe the nearest US Consulate can be hundreds of miles distant.  And most US Consulates are closed on weekends and holidays.

 

Hank

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

So, what is a copy of a Passport good for?  1.  Emergency toilet paper.  2.  Paper to use if you need to write a short note.  3.  It can help cover a hole in your pocket,  4.  It is good if somebody wants your Passport number and expiration date.  This sometimes is required by rental car companies in parts of Europe.  5.  If you need to replace a lost or stolen Passport having a copy tells the State Department the Passport number.   But they can pull this up on their computer in a few seconds if you do not have a copy.  

 

What makes even more sense is to scan a copy of your main Passport page and upload it to one of your e-mail accounts (such as hotmail, gmail, etc) that can easily be accessed anywhere in the world.   And by the way, if you do need to replace a Passport it can be a real pain.  For Caribbean cruisers you might want to consider that there are very few US Embassy's or Consulates in the Caribbean.  Even popular islands like St Maarten do not have a US Consulate (they rely on the U.S. Embassy located in Barbados).   When traveling in Europe the nearest US Consulate can be hundreds of miles distant.  And most US Consulates are closed on weekends and holidays.

 

Hank

Scanning a copy into your phone or emailing it to yourself is still a copy. Regarding your number 5 according to the State Department website if you have to apply for an emergency replacement you need to provide proof of citizenship, which is what the copy of the passport is for. It's not to enable the State Department to find you in their system. There are procedures in place to get travelers home from the Caribbean who've lost their documents.

[dogs4fun]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

What makes even more sense is to scan a copy of your main Passport page and upload it to one of your e-mail accounts (such as hotmail, gmail, etc) that can easily be accessed anywhere in the world.   

 

This is exactly what we do on cruises as we leave our actual passports in our stateroom safe. The only time we have needed said copy was to reenter the port gate in Tallinn (they asked to see our passport & we showed the copy of the main page that contains our photo & pp#). 

[dogs4fun]

BTW - Hank ...

I tried using my recently expired driver's license (rather than passport) as a means of securing our audio guides at the various sites visited during our recent european jaunt. So - thanks for that tip as it worked like a charm and I would never have considered it had you not mentioned it. Now I don't carry my passport on my person at all - it remains in the hotel safe. 

Edited December 24, 2018 by dogs4fun

[SRF]

On 12/20/2018 at 5:31 PM, LuckyStar said:

If you're going to quote my post, quote it properly.  I did not say MAY, I said will.  Right or wrong, they are my words and I will take credit or blame for them.  You obviously have a different take and that is fine.  

 

FTFY means Fixed That For You.

 

Yes, I changed what you posted to make it more accurate.

 

Unless you are personally guaranteeing that the passports will be retrieved and given to the port agent.  As the cruise line does not do so.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

 

FTFY means Fixed That For You.

 

Yes, I changed what you posted to make it more accurate.

 

Unless you are personally guaranteeing that the passports will be retrieved and given to the port agent.  As the cruise line does not do so.

No, they don't guarantee it (they don't even guarantee the seaworthiness of their vessels when you get right down to it) but they do say it and that's good enough for me. Are their circumstances where they won't be able to? Yes, I have an active enough imagination to realize that, but those circumstances aren't very common at all.

[SRF]

That is why I say MAY, instead of WILL.

 

Will implies it will always occur.  And most times, it probably will happen. But NOT always.

[Hlitner]

On ‎12‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 1:25 PM, dogs4fun said:

BTW - Hank ...

I tried using my recently expired driver's license (rather than passport) as a means of securing our audio guides at the various sites visited during our recent european jaunt. So - thanks for that tip as it worked like a charm and I would never have considered it had you not mentioned it. Now I don't carry my passport on my person at all - it remains in the hotel safe. 

Amazing isn't it?  Nobody seems to pay attention to the expiration date.  I now have two expired DLs that I carry when I travel :).   They also work when we need to put a card in a slot to activate the lights in a hotel or cruise cabin :).  A friend suggests they also are effective for opening some locked doors and windows...but we will not go there 🙂

 

Hank

[SRF]

I just "forget" to return a key card every so often.  And occasionally really do forget to return one.

 

That way I have one to activate the power in those rooms that require it.

 

However, some of the newer hotels, the power slot actually requires a valid room card, it reads the strip or RFID chip.

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, SRF said:

I just "forget" to return a key card every so often.  And occasionally really do forget to return one.

 

That way I have one to activate the power in those rooms that require it.

 

However, some of the newer hotels, the power slot actually requires a valid room card, it reads the strip or RFID chip.

We are also seeing hotels where you do not even need a key or key card, but simply use an app on your phone to get access tot he door.  Have no idea what they are doing about room lights/power in some of those places.  We have only used these new systems at a few Hilton properties (including the popular (with crusiers) 17th St Embassy Suites in Ft Lauderdale).  It is kind of cool since you do not even have to deal with the front desk or do a check-in at the hotel.

 

Hank

[SRF]

I would suspect that those hotels are not ones requiring a key card for lights and HVAC.

 

I know that it is an option in some Marriott properties now, but I have actively avoided it.

[Lottacruises]

Its a "have to" situation if you get left behind, this is why you would have it with you.