should you carry your passport with you

[Pink_Poodle]

If you need a valid ID to board the ship again and do not have a driver's license, is my only option to bring my passport around?

 

In Norway a credit card with name, birth date and photo is valid ID, but I know that it's not in the U.S.

 

I would really like to visit beaches and maybe go for a swim, but would not be comfortable with bringing my passport to the beach..

[johneeo]

If you need a valid ID to board the ship again and do not have a driver's license, is my only option to bring my passport around?

 

In Norway a credit card with name, birth date and photo is valid ID, but I know that it's not in the U.S.

 

I would really like to visit beaches and maybe go for a swim, but would not be comfortable with bringing my passport to the beach..

 

I have never seen a credit card with a photo.

 

I know that in some ports all you need to get back on the ship is your seapass. Other ports, a photo ID and seapass were required.

 

So, it differs from port to port. As for the CC with photo being acceptable, I bet that also will vary.

[wwcruisers]

If you need a valid ID to board the ship again and do not have a driver's license, is my only option to bring my passport around?

 

In Norway a credit card with name, birth date and photo is valid ID, but I know that it's not in the U.S.

 

I would really like to visit beaches and maybe go for a swim, but would not be comfortable with bringing my passport to the beach..

 

In the U.S., most states offer non-drivers a photo ID, that they can obtain through their local department of motor vehicles. Just curious as to whether you could get another form of government-issued photo ID in Norway, or do most folks there just use their passports?

BTW -- I'd LOVE to visit your beautiful country, some day! :cool:

[Pink_Poodle]

In the U.S., most states offer non-drivers a photo ID, that they can obtain through their local department of motor vehicles. Just curious as to whether you could get another form of government-issued photo ID in Norway, or do most folks there just use their passports?

BTW -- I'd LOVE to visit your beautiful country, some day! :cool:

 

We don't have official identification cards in Norway at this moment, but we will probably get it some time in 2013. Until now everyone has used their driver's license or their debit card (it's not the credit card as I wrote in the former post, but the debit card that works as identification). The debit card has a signature, photo, name, birth date and number. We rarely use the passport - only to renew the old! ;)

Hopefully some ports will let me in based on the seapass alone (better check that out in advance!) so that I don't have to carry the passport with me all the time :)

 

Yes you should come to Norway! It's beautiful! :)

[dsrdsrdsr]

I've been to Norway frequently - more than 6 months of my life has been spent there, mostly cruising - and I have never needed any government I.D. Passport stays on board, ship's card gets you on and off the ship.

 

The only photo I.D. I own is a passport, and I don't carry that with me unless I have to. It's far too important a document to risk losing. I've never needed photo I.D. for anything on holiday - it's only for vital UK-based activities like getting a library ticket that you need a passport.

[retird]

I don't know about other countries passports, but a copy (colored or black and white) is not a valid form of proving nationality in Canada. The Original passport is the only proof of nationality that is accepted in ALL countries. The Canadian Passport Department does recommend making a copy of page 2 of our passport and storing it in a place separate from the original , in case the original is lost, you will have all the info you need from that page to report it lost or stolen and to obtain a replacement. They advise us to carry the original anywhere where proof of nationality is required..

[ducklite]

I have never seen a credit card with a photo.

 

I know that in some ports all you need to get back on the ship is your seapass. Other ports, a photo ID and seapass were required.

 

So, it differs from port to port. As for the CC with photo being acceptable, I bet that also will vary.

 

Bank of America and Citibank both offer credit cards with photos. They aren't official ID so probably not useful to get on a ship.

 

In Venice you'll need a passport to get back on the ship. Not a ship rule, a Venice immigration rule. That was the only port we carried our passports. Otherwise they stayed locked in our safe.

 

One other thing--before we left I scanned our passports and emailed the PDF to myself. Downloadable and printable from any computer in case of an emergency. It would definitely have helped the American consulate expedite new passports if ours had been lost or stolen.

[Oh2Travel]

Leave your passport in your safe--take a color photo copy with along with you

[njhorseman]

I don't know about other countries passports, but a copy (colored or black and white) is not a valid form of proving nationality in Canada. The Original passport is the only proof of nationality that is accepted in ALL countries. The Canadian Passport Department does recommend making a copy of page 2 of our passport and storing it in a place separate from the original , in case the original is lost, you will have all the info you need from that page to report it lost or stolen and to obtain a replacement. They advise us to carry the original anywhere where proof of nationality is required..

 

And the key words in the sentence highlighted in red are "where proof of nationality is required". In reality there are few countries that require you to have proof of nationality on your person, so that's rarely a reason to carry your passport.

[njhorseman]

Leave your passport in your safe--take a color photo copy with along with you

 

A black and white photo copy is every bit as good. The primary reason for carrying a copy is to assist the consulate or embassy in issuing you a new passport if yours is lost, stolen or damaged. The black and white copy has all the necessary information...your name, picture, passport number, dates of issue and expiration. Color doesn't enhance the value of that information in the least.

[Steviewonder1]

I'll carry the original and also have a copy of it in my luggage/safe. This is the only uniform identification that all governments take. Don't have one in the event you have an emergency issue and you are stuck. No excuse for not having one even on a closed loop cruise.

[lisiamc]

Bank of America and Citibank both offer credit cards with photos. They aren't official ID so probably not useful to get on a ship.

 

In Venice you'll need a passport to get back on the ship. Not a ship rule, a Venice immigration rule. That was the only port we carried our passports. Otherwise they stayed locked in our safe.

 

One other thing--before we left I scanned our passports and emailed the PDF to myself. Downloadable and printable from any computer in case of an emergency. It would definitely have helped the American consulate expedite new passports if ours had been lost or stolen.

 

That has not been my experience (so far, anyway) in Venice, so it may have been enhanced security on the day, or perhaps a new requirement. How recently were you there?

[Travelcat2]

We were in Venice in May and did not need our passports. However, strongly agree that passports belong in a ship safe. We carry copies of our passport. U.S. passports are worth thousands of dollars in the black market and are regularly stolen from tourists.

 

Everyone that departs the ship should have the phone number of the port authority. In case of emergency, they can be contacted and your passport can be retrieved from your cabin and held for you.

[ZAL's Nan]

We're Canadian as well and what we do is lock up the passports in the safe, bring the sea pass and Drivers licence and credit card. I always bring the daily compass in my bag with the agents number and I always book my tours through the cruise line so that if the tour is late, the ship has to wait for me.

This way I'm in my comfort zone and able to relax while on shore.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Juliska]

Some of you have said that a driver's license is fine if it has a physical address. What if the address is out of date? I guess they wouldn't really know, and it's in the same city. I'm just paranoid after reading this thread. :(

 

Speaking of which, what about the passport? Does the passport even have an address? I haven't looked at mine in awhile. :p

[dsrdsrdsr]

You can write your address down on a bit of paper if you need it. If you're conscious, you know who you are and where you're going; if unconscious, any old bit of paper with your name and address will do to let someone else find out who you are. For normal purposes, your cruise card is usually all the formal ID you need, except for those few ports where you must take your passport.

[Hlitner]

You can write your address down on a bit of paper if you need it. If you're conscious, you know who you are and where you're going; if unconscious, any old bit of paper with your name and address will do to let someone else find out who you are. For normal purposes, your cruise card is usually all the formal ID you need, except for those few ports where you must take your passport.

 

There is a new trend in posts to require a picture ID in addition to your cruise card. For most Americans, we can use our drivers licenses which do have pictures (unlike some parts of Europe). Some seem to get away with a photocopy of their main passport page (as the picture ID).

 

Hank

[njhorseman]

Some of you have said that a driver's license is fine if it has a physical address. What if the address is out of date? I guess they wouldn't really know, and it's in the same city. I'm just paranoid after reading this thread. :(

 

Speaking of which, what about the passport? Does the passport even have an address? I haven't looked at mine in awhile. :p

 

The address on the drivers license isn't important. No one is going to know if it's correct or not. It's the photo that matches your face that makes it a photo ID.

 

Passports do not have your address. There is a spot inside for you to pencil in your address...and there's reason for using pencil...because addresses change all the time. But no...there is no "official" address imprinted in your passport.

 

Although there is no absolute right or wrong answer, I think you'll find that the vast majority of seasoned travelers do not take their passports ashore, with one obvious exception...you're in one of the few countries, such as Russia, that require you to carry your passport.

 

There's a far greater risk of your passport being stolen, lost or damaged than there is of your missing the ship if you're a responsible individual who leaves ample time to get back on board before the deadline.

[travelplus]

I leave my passport locked in the safe but have 2 copies each of the front page. I take the copy of my Father and he takes my copy in his fanny pack. I also have a copy or 2 locked in the safe.

 

On most sailings you only need your passport to enter the country at the final destination. When I went on my San Juan-Barcelona cruise we only showed our passport when checking in and before boarding the rest was done using our sea pass card until we arrived at the final port where our passport was stamped.

 

Quite interestingly we did not need to show our passport at St.Maartin or at our first point of entry into the EU like airlines. I thought the rule was that passports must be shown and stamped at the first point of entry whether by plane or ship. Can someone with more experience here tell me why we did not have to show our passports at St Maartin which is technically part of the EU as its part of France?

 

Thanks

[njhorseman]

I leave my passport locked in the safe but have 2 copies each of the front page. I take the copy of my Father and he takes my copy in his fanny pack. I also have a copy or 2 locked in the safe.

 

On most sailings you only need your passport to enter the country at the final destination. When I went on my San Juan-Barcelona cruise we only showed our passport when checking in and before boarding the rest was done using our sea pass card until we arrived at the final port where our passport was stamped.

 

Quite interestingly we did not need to show our passport at St.Maartin or at our first point of entry into the EU like airlines. I thought the rule was that passports must be shown and stamped at the first point of entry whether by plane or ship. Can someone with more experience here tell me why we did not have to show our passports at St Maartin which is technically part of the EU as its part of France?

 

Thanks

 

FYI, when you entered St. Maarten on a cruise ship, you were undoubtedly in Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island, not the French side.

 

The passport rules you are referring to are not those of the EU, but rather those of the countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement. The two groups of countries, while greatly overlapping are not identical. For example, the UK and Ireland are part of the EU, but are not parties to the Schengen Agreement. The purpose of the agreement is to facilitate travel within Europe with no need to have your passport checked when traveling from country to country. Your passport is checked upon your first entry into the Schengen Area, but not subsequently when traveling from one Schengen country to another. While the Netherlands is a Schengen signatory (as is France), since St. Maarten is not physically within the Schengen Zone, Schengen rules are not applicable.

[RoofingPrincess]

I had heard that the ship is cleared en masse for entry into most Caribbean ports, and that's why we don't have to show our passports when we dock and enter. We're allowed in on something like a "day pass", much like being in transit in an airport, and if we were to stay longer, they would put us through more stringent immigration controls.

 

Seems to me that when carrying your passport off the ship is not explicitly required, the folks here on Cruise Critic are fairly evenly divided between "I don't want it lost or stolen" and "I want it with me just in case something happens and I need it". I fall into the latter camp, but it's really just a matter of personal preference/comfort level.

[ColS2013]

I always take my passport with me while in port. I leave a copy of my passport in the safe in the stateroom, and a copy with someone at home. I have never had to use my passport in any port, if that means anything, but I always have all passports for all memebers of my family with me

[Traveling Library]

We only bring our passports to shore when required (this will be noted in the daily newsletter). So far that has been Russia. Otherwise it stays safely in our safe or with the ship, if the ship holds them like they did when we went to Egypt. Going ashore we bring our drivers license for the photo ID, a copy of the passport, 1 credit card and some money.

[wscott52]

do you take your passport with you while in port. I would rather leave it on the ship but what if something happens, miss the ship,injury,etc. what do you do if you don't have it and something happens? if you take it , is there a safe, dry way to carry it. thanks

 

I'm one who thinks your passport should be on you. I'm looking at a couple of these for the Mrs. and me:

 

http://www.amazon.com/StoreSMART-Sport-Passport-Lanyard-SPCR1596ZIPS-1/dp/B003TPG42G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357214602&sr=8-1&keywords=passport+lanyard

[Cruzeroqueen]

I leave my passport in the safe, but I always carry with me a coloured photocopy, reduced to credit card size and laminated.

 

Likewise I have done the same with my Driver's Licence, which I always have with me here in Spain. You are supposed to carry both original documents with you at all times, but having had my handbag stolen a couple of years ago, I won't do that anymore. And, in general, these forms of identification are accepted, i.e. in supermarkets, but obviously not by a bank.