driver license off the ship

[2pineinn]

Do I need to take my driver license off the ship along with my sail card to get back on the ship.. or is my sail card enough?.. I am way passed the age of getting carded :p... will I need my driver license if I should happen to use a credit card for purchases.. It is my first cuise and I am going to the western caribbean on NCL thanks

[TheOldBear]

It varies with the port. For example, at a tender port you may need to show some [photo] ID to get to the dock for the tender [drivers license is typical]. The gatekeepers at the dock probably won't be from the ship, and will not have a network connection so they can verify your picture [from the ship's computer and your sigh and sail card]

 

When you get off the tender at the ship, you will need to scan your sign and sail card to verify you are you before going aboard.

[Sauer-kraut]

It all depends on the port you are entering/leaving. I know in Nassau you have to show a picture ID in order to get onto the docks. I think I needed something in Lisbon once as well ( I know you're not going there).

 

It will tell you in the Freestyle Daily paper what you need to get back onto the ship. If you are going to Great Stirrup Cay you won't need it, but you will need your key card.

 

Have a great trip!

[1025cruise]

My personal opinion, never leave the ship without photo ID.

[chipmaster]

+1, what else do you have, passport?

 

My personal opinion, never leave the ship without photo ID.

[serene56]

My personal opinion, never leave the ship without photo ID.

 

 

you take your sign and sail card AND your photo ID

[1025cruise]

I should point out, it also never occurs to me to NOT carry photo ID around. When I read the stories of the people that get carded and have to go hunt for an ID, it makes me wonder at times.

[cb at sea]

You should always have ID on you....ANYWHERE! Yes...take your DL, it's the same size as your room key...easy to carry.

[dsrdsrdsr]

From the other point of view, the only photo ID I own is my passport, and I never carry it unless in a place where I will need it. Of the 5 Caribbean islands I visited, Aruba is the only one where it had to be carried. Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Maarten/Martin did not require it.

 

For getting back to the ship, the normal cruise card will probably do. The port staff aren't so concerned about who's getting on to the dock, they just check you've got a cruise card, not that it's yours. It's the ship's crew who check the cruise card photo.

[johneeo]

From the other point of view, the only photo ID I own is my passport, and I never carry it unless in a place where I will need it. Of the 5 Caribbean islands I visited, Aruba is the only one where it had to be carried. Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Maarten/Martin did not require it.

 

 

My experience in St. Martin was quite different.

 

When we returned to port in our van, St. Martin port security checked a photo ID of everyone in the van.

 

Same thing in Bermuda and Nassau.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Congratulations on going on your first cruise.

We always take our driver's licenses off the ship. You never known when security or a shop will ask for photo ID.

[chipq]

What is needed to get back into the secure area at the pier varies from port to port. In June, Nassau and St Tom we had to show the cruise card and a photo ID but in Tortola and Antigua we only showed are cruise card.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[1025cruise]

I have been to ports where they want to see photo ID plus the cruise card for boarding.

 

To me, it is a good idea to always have photo ID on oneself, including when onboard the ship.

[CruiseYVRgirl]

I think you should always carry your driver's license. You never know when you'll need offficial ID. For example, you may want to spontaneously rent a car to explore the surrounding area when at port :)

[dsrdsrdsr]

My experience in St. Martin was quite different.

 

When we returned to port in our van, St. Martin port security checked a photo ID of everyone in the van.

What would they have done if you hadn't got it? Let you on anyway, I'd bet a pound to a penny. (Especially if you were on the Dutch side.) Caribbean customs officers are a whole lot less snotty than American ones.

[johneeo]

What would they have done if you hadn't got it? Let you on anyway, I'd bet a pound to a penny. (Especially if you were on the Dutch side.) Caribbean customs officers are a whole lot less snotty than American ones.

 

Maybe, or possibly faced a firing squad.:eek:

 

I don't think it is smart to go onto a foreign country without proper ID.

[DonnaK]

What would they have done if you hadn't got it? Let you on anyway, I'd bet a pound to a penny. (Especially if you were on the Dutch side.) Caribbean customs officers are a whole lot less snotty than American ones.

 

My elderly mother forgot to bring her photo ID off the ship in St. Thomas. The port authority would not let her enter the secured area for reboarding the ship. Ship's security was radioed and they were not very pleased to have to vouch for her and escort her through the port area and onboard. Security did not come immediately, so she ended up standing outside the gate in the hot sun for about 20 minutes.

 

Fromthe other point of view, the only photo ID I own is my passport, and I never carry it unless in a place where I will need it. Of the 5 Caribbean islands I visited, Aruba is the only one where it had to be carried. Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Maarten/Martin did not require it.

 

For getting back to the ship, the normal cruise card will probably do. The port staff aren't so concerned about who's getting on to the dock, they just check you've got a cruise card, not that it's yours. It's the ship's crew who check the cruise card photo.

 

This has not been our experience. More often than not, we have been required to show our photo ID along with our sea pass to the local port authority before being allowed to approach the ship for boarding. Even the cruiseline's private island was checking photo ID, much to my surprise!

[Travelnerd44]

:eek:

 

What if you dont HAVE a drivers licence? I'll be okay, but my roomie will only have her ss card and her canadian passport...if someone demands to see it she doesnt even drive...will she have to carry heractual passport or can we just use photocopies our passports...

...now im worried.

 

we'll be stopping in Nassau, St Thomas, Grand Turk and San Juan...:confused:

[DonnaK]

:eek:

 

What if you dont HAVE a drivers licence? I'll be okay, but my roomie will only have her ss card and her canadian passport...if someone demands to see it she doesnt even drive...will she have to carry heractual passport or can we just use photocopies our passports...

...now im worried.

 

we'll be stopping in Nassau, St Thomas, Grand Turk and San Juan...:confused:

 

 

She'll have to use her passport, unless she has some other government photo ID (like here in NY, you can get a non-driver's ID from the DMV).

 

Nassau, St. Thomas and San Juan all check photo ID before they let you into the port area. (I don't remember if they check at Grand Turk)

[geannabell]

Your sail card would be enough.

[dsrdsrdsr]

This has not been our experience. More often than not, we have been required to show our photo ID along with our sea pass to the local port authority before being allowed to approach the ship for boarding. Even the cruiseline's private island was checking photo ID, much to my surprise!

Maybe it's different for American ships. On ships out of Britain, customs know everyone's got a passport. Anyway, whatever the reason, we were specifically told by the ship that we didn't need passports on Barbados, Antigua, St Maarten, and St Lucia, and sure enough - we didn't.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Yes you do ....

[FLACRUISER99]

Your sail card would be enough.

This is incorrect almost all ports will require a Photo ID to enter.

[Eris0303]

Maybe, or possibly faced a firing squad.:eek:

 

I don't think it is smart to go onto a foreign country without proper ID.

 

I don't think it's smart to go ANYWHERE without a photo ID. Whether it's required or not you should have a photo ID with you. What happens if you're in an accident and need to be indentified? Always...always have a photo ID.

[pdmlynek]

Although I am in a minority here, I just feel pretty naked in a foreign country without my passport. I know that most places where cruisers visit see cruisers every day, and there is very rarely a problem, but without a passport, the visitor is essentially an undocumented alien. Cruise card and DL may be good if there is a question of getting on or off board, but those are not internationally recognized documents.