Getting Off the Ship at a Port

[lmca]

I was just wondering what ID you must have with you when getting off the ship, at a port. We will be visiting Nassau and Freeport. Do we just take a photo ID and our Ship and Sail Cards? I really don't want to be carrying our passports off the ship. Prefer to leave then in the safe. Also, my husband and I will be using our drivers licenses along with passports as ID. Is a school ID valid for my 13 year old. Thank You for any info.

[Bunkie103]

Yes, in most ports you will need photo ID and your Sail and Sign card. If for any reason you DID need your passport, you would see a notification in the daily information paper you receive each night.

[jlk806]

In Freeport we did not need photo id, just our S&S card, in Nassau, they were checking photo ids (all of us used our passports) and our S&S card to get thru the gate to get back on the ship.

[bmckim]

Drivers License and Sail and Sign are fine to get back on the ship. But as many have said on other forums, if you get stuck in nassau because someone is hurt or you miss the ship, you will have an issue to fly anywhere. That is why some recommend taking your passports. (You can also get them stamped if you are nerdy like us and think that is cool)

[Lovefuninthesun]

We always carry S&S cards and our passports when getting off the ship.

 

Some people say they leave their passports in the safe, but that makes no sense -- what good are they in the safe?

 

I know of too many stories where someone gets injured or sick in port, or misses the ship when it leaves, and they are stuck in a foreign country with no passport.

[Boozebabe]

I TOTALLY agree with Lovefuninthesun. You never know what could happn. What if your tour didn't make it back to the ship before it sailed? You would be SOL with no passport.

 

In Key West you also need a picture ID because you are re-entering the ship on US soil. In May I saw a few people who didn't take any ID. They had a long wait to get back on ship.

[FireEater]

Government issued Picture ID and S&S Card....

[larkz]

We always carry S&S cards and our passports when getting off the ship.

 

Some people say they leave their passports in the safe, but that makes no sense -- what good are they in the safe?

 

I know of too many stories where someone gets injured or sick in port, or misses the ship when it leaves, and they are stuck in a foreign country with no passport.

 

If you should fail to make it back to the ship, Carnival will retrieve any passports, documents, wallets, credit cards, cash, from your safe and hand it all over to the port authority before leaving. Or -- at least most of the time they've done this. I actually have super close-up video of this kind of transfer in Cozumel when I was last on Liberty. They made a big deal out of documenting the transfer and trading signatures on various forms, then all contents were placed in a manilla envelope and handed over.

 

Even so, I agree. I take the passport with me and leave the driver's license in the safe. I take one credit card with me (the one that has the largest open balance for emergency expenses) and leave one in the safe.

 

A waterproof "Drypak" worn around my neck helps keep it safe and dry.

[winddawn]

If you should fail to make it back to the ship, Carnival will retrieve any passports, documents, wallets, credit cards, cash, from your safe and hand it all over to the port authority before leaving. Or -- at least most of the time they've done this. I actually have super close-up video of this kind of transfer in Cozumel when I was last on Liberty. They made a big deal out of documenting the transfer and trading signatures on various forms, then all contents were placed in a manilla envelope and handed over.

 

Even so, I agree. I take the passport with me and leave the driver's license in the safe. I take one credit card with me (the one that has the largest open balance for emergency expenses) and leave one in the safe.

 

A waterproof "Drypak" worn around my neck helps keep it safe and dry.

Some people carry their passport with them when the get off the ship in port, and they also leave a copy of their passport in the safe in their cabin. Then if anything should happen to the passport (lost or stolen), you have a copy to retrieve the number, etc. to report it to the authorities.

[RWolver672]

Yes, Carnival will go into your cabin and get your passport for you if you dind't make it back on the ship. How long will that take? If there is a medical emergency and you need to fly home immediately, do you have time to wait for them to get your passport? I want mine with me. That's why I bought it.

[Socref124]

I was just wondering what ID you must have with you when getting off the ship, at a port. We will be visiting Nassau and Freeport. Do we just take a photo ID and our Ship and Sail Cards? I really don't want to be carrying our passports off the ship. Prefer to leave then in the safe. Also, my husband and I will be using our drivers licenses along with passports as ID. Is a school ID valid for my 13 year old. Thank You for any info.

 

Something to keep in mind when getting off the ship in a non US port of call. You don't need to take your passports with you, but, if you miss the ship in Nassau or Freeport you will have a difficult time flying home without your passport.

[bmloftis]

Does anyone know where to get your passports stamped in Nassau and Freeport? I always like to get mine stamped everywhere I go.

[kris12]

ok I'm paranoid I know but I take my passport off with me in port, I also took a picture of the page with passport number on it with my iphone and emailed it to myself and my son (who is my emergency contact) That way I have multiple ways to retrieve my passport number if necessary.

[bmckim]

Does anyone know where to get your passports stamped in Nassau and Freeport? I always like to get mine stamped everywhere I go.

 

In Nassau when you get off the ship and walk towards the "mall", stay to the left. The building where you get your passport stamped is the Yellow one seen below connected to the tower. You may get stopped by security/port officials. Tell them you want to get your passport stamped. Go into that building, and they will tell you to go down the hall where they will stamp it for you.

 

 

No clue in Freeport.

[T. Advisor King]

There are two sides to the passport debate. Once says that you will be hooped if something goes wrong and you need to fly out without your passport. The other says that if you carry your passport with you everywhere, you increase the odds that it will be lost or stolen.

 

I agree that the impact of being stranded on a foreign island without a passport is more significant than having a passport lost or stolen. However, the probability of having a passport lost or stolen is far greater than being stranded.

 

So I compare both the likelihood and the impact and make a decision on a case-by-case basis. Is there a consulate on the island? Is my only option to fly out of the island (so I definitely need a passport). For example, on a recent Mediterranean cruise, there were three ports in a row on the Italian mainland. If we'd missed the ship, we could have just taken a train and caught up with it at the next port.

 

If we leave the passport in the cabin safe, we take a photocopy with us on land. That and other picture ID at a consulate will get you an emergency passport in no time compared to if you walk in with just a driver's license.

 

You may disagree with my risk analysis, but either way you're taking a chance. Maybe you miss the ship or maybe your passport is lost or stolen.