What do yu do with your passport while in port?

[sassafrass]

First timer. When you go into port what do you do with your passport? Also is it safe to bring your camcorders, cameras, cashes on excursions.

[klfrodo]

You'll get many different ideas on this.

 

For us, we take them with us. IF for some reason you miss the ship, you can't fly home or anywhere else until you do have it. (Besides, I didn't spend $100 on it for it to sit in my safe. It's on vacation too.)

 

Regarding camera's and camcorder's and cash. By all means take them with you. I only go ashore with the amount of cash needed to get me thru the day though.

[Socref124]

First timer. When you go into port what do you do with your passport? Also is it safe to bring your camcorders, cameras, cashes on excursions.

We leave our passport in our room safe and take our drivers license with us for id. Don't want to chance losing our passport. We generally take Carnival excursions so we aren't likely to miss the ship. It has been safe to take stuff with us at all the ports we have been to so far.:)

[Tbay-eh]

You'll get many different ideas on this.

 

For us, we take them with us. IF for some reason you miss the ship, you can't fly home or anywhere else until you do have it. (Besides, I didn't spend $100 on it for it to sit in my safe. It's on vacation too.)

 

Regarding camera's and camcorder's and cash. By all means take them with you. I only go ashore with the amount of cash needed to get me thru the day though.

:cool: :cool: I agree with you on all aspects. Why people go through the cost of getting a passport then leave it on the ship is beyond me. Like you say, if you miss the ship for some reason the passport is a life saver. As for the rest I agree as well, but I always take a credit card just incase.:cool: :cool:

[ronkay]

KEEP YOUR PASSPORT in your POCKET while out of the country/off the ship

[CruzVinnieCruz]

You'll get many different ideas on this.

 

For us, we take them with us. IF for some reason you miss the ship, you can't fly home or anywhere else until you do have it. (Besides, I didn't spend $100 on it for it to sit in my safe. It's on vacation too.)

 

Regarding camera's and camcorder's and cash. By all means take them with you. I only go ashore with the amount of cash needed to get me thru the day though.

 

We leave them in the safe on board. You can fly back to the U.S. by making a phone call and Carnival has an authorized agent in most ports that will assist you. Most other Caribbean countries do not require a passport for entry that is a requirement of the U.S. to re enter so airlines make sure you have one before leaving. I have had one passport stolen and I thought it was more of a hassle. If you do decide to carry them keep the passports separated so if a one (purse or bag) is misplaced you don't lose all of them.

 

I do carry a copy of the data page of the passport with me. I know it's not the passport but if something were to happen I have the passport number and the authorizing agency so looking it up would be easier. Remember your names are already on the manifest and have been checked by homeland security so getting approval to fly home should not be a problem. It maybe a bigger problem trying to find a flight out from some of the ports.

[akcruz]

We always take the original with us when on excursions. If someone were to get hurt while off the ship, even while on a ship sponsored excursion, you may not make it back in time for boarding. You never know what's going to happen. We also make a copy before leaving home and leave that in the safe just in case something happens the original.

 

As far as money, cameras, credit cards, etc, yes take them with you, how else are you going to buy those souveniers and take the pics to remember the day!

[IWantToCruiseTheWorld]

We cruised with friends to Mexico who were from the UK (US residents). We're from the US/California. We had the unfortunate experience of getting a ride back to the ship with a cab driver who drove slower than a donkey's pace. Nearly missed the ship!

 

The point is, we didn't carry our passports off the ship with us. Could you imagine two foreign nationals, stuck in Mexico (or elsewhere), with no passports, trying to reenter the US without passports? And, this was before the laws/rules changed.

 

I'll always keep my passport on me at all times. And, I agree...it's also on vacation, so it gets to enjoy its stamps!

[GoinCruisin]

I don't step on foreign ground without my passport. I keep a copy on the ship... people can feel free to do whatever they want, for me, I feel safer having my ticket home with me :)

[parrotthead]

Yes, like others have said. You keep in on your person. I keep a copy in my in cabin safe (that way you at least have the numbers and could get a replacement one if 'something happened' )While Im on the ship I keep my PP in the safe. But, I always keep mine with me while out of the country. Always.

[cruiselover999]

:p We would NEVER take our passports off of the ship! Too easy to be lost or stolen!:eek: We leave it all in the safe...just take ID and a credit card. Like the other poster said....you can always get help from a Carnival agent, but if you lose your passport....LOOK OUT! Be safe!:D

[GoinCruisin]

you can always get help from a Carnival agent,

 

I just have to say, that is the funniest thing I've read in a long time :p:p LMAO!!!

[parrotthead]

I just have to say, that is the funniest thing I've read in a long time :p:p LMAO!!!

Yeah, Lucy, Im with you on this one. :rolleyes:

[parrotthead]

DDP ---(sorry)

[Morgsmom]

My poor, lonely passport stays in the safe while we are onshore. (To the poster who indicated that it could get stamped in various ports of call... hello? where? US Customs usually won't even do it unless you ask nicely).

 

I take COPIES of Page 1 for myself and DD. Never had a problem with that and never worried when we were snorkeling or what have you (can't stuff a passport in a waterproof wallet keeper thingy :) ) I would rather have a copy of the passport get stolen, ruined, etc than the real thing while on shore.

[parrotthead]

We just got off the Ecstasy (late) on Monday:D

When we got to port (Cozumel) and they made the announcement that the ship had been cleared and people could go ashore, they did say, to "Remember to take your Sign&Sail card *AND* your PassPort with you"

So, I guess even the CruiseLine thinks you should carry it with you.

Besides if your PP gets stolen chances your S&S card will too, and Good Luck getting back on the ship anyway :p

[parrotthead]

(To the poster who indicated that it could get stamped in various ports of call... hello? where? US Customs usually won't even do it unless you ask nicely).

No, alas, cruise line passengers dont get their PPs stamped in ports of call anymore. Only if you Fly or Drive into a Country do they stamp it.

And...Hello...I know US customs *will* stamp your PP, but ...hello?.... you are not 'visiting' your own country. The issuing country does not need a stamp.

(humorous story)

Coming thru Customs on Monday the lady in front of us asked the officer to stamp her PP because she "did not have any stamps in there' The officer politely turned to the last page of her PP, stamped it and said "Congratulations, you have now visited your home country" with a smile. We walked up and he continued to smile as we giggled he kinda made a face and said "really, does she not know you can visit teh country where your pass prot was issued" We got a kick out of his humor. *and with us being the last ones off the ship and thru his line, he said, "Welcome back, can I go home now" He had to be the funniest officer we have ever dealt with.

Bless his peapickin heart :p

[sheri18]

if your going on a cave-tubing or snorkeling excursion what do you do with PP then....cant have it getting wet....or stolen off the bus

[CorbinCatFan]

Wow, we have been living dangerously. Never have taken off any more than a credit card, the S&S and driver license. We have always left the passports in the safe.

 

This next cruise we were going to take a copy of the passport and (recommended on this board) a copy of the Capers.

 

Has anyone missed the ship with only the S&S card and a credit card?

[LRene]

We don't set foot off the ship without our passports. Not in Europe, not in Mexico, not in the Caribbean. What good is a copy of a passport going to do for you if you have to fly??

 

I've carried our passports through many many countries now. I have various ways of carrying them depending on what our activities are. I have a silk neck pouch, a waist pouch, a waterproof case etc. etc. Always seal them in something waterproof if they'll be around wet towels etc. We never carry them in our pockets. They're always in some other type of carrier that's more securely fastened to us somehow.

 

Yes, getting your passport stolen would be a real hassle. That's why you take extra care of your passport (and your credit cards and your money). Having nothing but a copy of your passport and needing to fly somewhere would be a much bigger hassle.

 

Surprisingly, I've seen seasoned cruisers almost miss a ship sailing and admit that they didn't have their passports or a credit card. WHAT? We always have both on foreign ground.

 

And love that comment about Carnival helping....LOL LOL

[kicia]

The whole point of having a passport is to prove your identity while in a foreign country. Why would you leave it on the ship? You don't need to prove your identity there. It's like leaving your driver's license at home so it will be safe while you drive to work. Besides, why would you be more likely to lose your passport than you would credit cards, cash, S&S card, or driver's license? We always take the passports with us and take proper precautions with them like the other important items we take with us.

[klfrodo]

:p We would NEVER take our passports off of the ship! Too easy to be lost or stolen!:eek: We leave it all in the safe...just take ID and a credit card. Like the other poster said....you can always get help from a Carnival agent, but if you lose your passport....LOOK OUT! Be safe!:D

 

and just how many times have you lost or had your ID and credit card stolen while on an excursion?

 

This argument makes no sense to me.

 

Never had anything stolen or lost even though I'm carrying hundreds of dollars in cash plus credit cards plus drivers license as photo ID, but I'm not going to carry my only officially internationally sanctioned form of identification because it MIGHT get lost or stolen. :confused:

[GoinCruisin]

Anyone is of course welcome to do whatever they feel is best... but I also don't understand the argument of "I'll take my ID and credit card but not my passport because it can get stolen", as if ID's and credit cards wouldn't also get stolen :confused: Oh well... I feel safer with my passport, others don't... to each their own :)

[JLC@SD]

And...Hello...I know US customs *will* stamp your PP, but ...hello?.... you are not 'visiting' your own country. The issuing country does not need a stamp.

 

hello........they stamp my passport when we return to the country via an airport.......;)

[noblepa]

IMHO, leaving your passport in the cabin is exactly the same as leaving it at home. Why have one at all? Right now, you can re-enter the US with only a certified copy of your birth certificate.

 

If its so easy to fly home without a passport, why take it with you at all?

 

It is true that a passport may be lost or stolen in a foreign port. But so may credit cards, purses, cash, cameras, wallets and drivers licenses. A passport is just one more valuable item that you need to guard. Does anyone go ashore with no wallet, credit card or cash?

 

It is also true that you only need your ship's card and a driver's license to reboard the ship and that thousands of people visit foreign ports without their passports and get home just fine. Even booking your excursions through the ship doesn't guarantee that you will not miss the ship. You might be injured or become ill and require hospitalization.

 

There are some countries in which visas and passports are not required for visits of less than 24 hours, such as on cruise ships. If you miss the ship and stay overnight, you are suddenly in violation of that country's immigration laws.

 

Yes, all of these unfortunate situations can be handled. But why add to the stress of a difficult situation by having to deal with immigration issues when simply having your passport with you can make life so much easier?

 

My point is that, if all goes well, and the chances are overwhelming that they will, you won't need a passport. It is that slight possibility that you might find yourself in a situation where a passport is needed that makes me take mine with me. If you need one, you most likely will not be able to return to the ship to retrieve it from your cabin safe.