Passport and Driver's License ?

[sparks1093]

I sure hope you are able to deal with carrying your passports on your person during your upcoming international travel - friendly "chide" only :)

 

Enjoy your travel, it is incredible to visit some of the spectacular places in the world.

 

Unless local law requires that we carry them we will probably leave them in the hotel safe or at my sister in law's house (of course neither one of those places will sail away without us;)).

[fuddrules]

I sure hope you are able to deal with carrying your passports on your person during your upcoming international travel - friendly "chide" only :)

 

Enjoy your travel, it is incredible to visit some of the spectacular places in the world.

 

You don't always have to carry your passport when in another country. I would imagine most don't.

 

The purpose of having passport in the safe on the ship is simple. If my parents or my in-law take a turn for the worse when we are traveling we can get back quickly. If a member of my family has a medical issue, we can get back quickly. It's for these reasons we have passport but rarely carry them with us.

[seajay312]

Is there a difference in bringing a book passport or a card passport? In the Caribbean can you use the card passport only?

[Native Floridian 26]

Is there a difference in bringing a book passport or a card passport? In the Caribbean can you use the card passport only?

 

Yes, as long as it's a closed loop cruise where it begins and ends in the US. We always used BCs but several years ago we got Passport Cards.

[sparks1093]

Is there a difference in bringing a book passport or a card passport? In the Caribbean can you use the card passport only?

 

The passport card is good for open jaw cruises and closed loop cruises but you can't get on a plane and fly back with it, you'd need to contact the Consulate to obtain an emergency travel document (which presumably would be made easier by you having a passport card and being in their system).

[sparks1093]

Yes, as long as it's a closed loop cruise where it begins and ends in the US. We always used BCs but several years ago we got Passport Cards.

 

The passport cards are good for non-closed loop cruises to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean too.

[lizardhowson]

When I travel, I move from country to country, region to region - so my passport is always with me.

 

And I have been across all of Asia from Japan to Hong Kong and through Europe - my passport was with me all the time.

 

And just as with thousands of others traveling with their passport, I didn't lose it (not once) and it was never at risk of someone stealing it or comprising my number (just my experience, of course others might have had a different experience)

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises ! :)

Edited April 23, 2015 by lizardhowson

[T. Advisor King]

Whether to take the passport into port or leave it in the ship's safe is an assessment of risk and impact. What is the risk that your passport will be lost or stolen if you take it with you. What is the risk that you will miss the ship and will need your passport.

 

What is the probability of each and what is the impact of each.

 

When making the assessment, consider what you are doing in port. Are you planning to go swimming at a beach where you may not want to leave a passport unattended and may not want to take it with you. If you are renting a car or going on a private excursion, what is the risk of breakdown or other misadventure that could cause you to miss the ship.

 

In terms of impact, if you did miss the ship, is the only way to catch up with it or to get back to the departure port via international air travel? When we were on a cruise in Italy, we knew that if we missed the ship, we could just take the train from the current port to the next port and meet it there.

 

Whenever we conclude from our assessment that we should leave our passport in the ship's safe, we always take color photocopies with us. Yes, I know you can't use a photocopy in place of a passport for anything. However, if you are stranded in a foreign country and need to go to the embassy or consulate, I understand that having a high-quality photocopy (or photo image) will go a long way in helping you secure a replacement.

 

The closest we ever came to missing a ship was in Crete, Greece. We had no ID and a total of 14 Euros for a family of four. We arrived at the port at exactly the back-on-board time, but there was a long line for the two ships in port and it took us another 30 minutes before we actually boarded.

Edited April 23, 2015 by T. Advisor King

[sparks1093]

When I travel, I move from country to country, region to region - so my passport is always with me.

 

And I have been across all of Asia from Japan to Hong Kong and through Europe - my passport was with me all the time.

 

And just as with thousands of others traveling with their passport, I didn't lose it (not once) and it was never at risk of someone stealing it or comprising my number (just my experience, of course others might have had a different experience)

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises ! :)

 

That's the wonderful thing about choice, we all get to make the one that works for each us:).

Edited April 23, 2015 by sparks1093

[ddc930]

Sailing from NYC to carribean July and my daughters passport expires in September ... Carnival website recommends 6 months before expiration ... I called CC rep today and she said it's fine as long as it's not expired....should I be worried and expedite her renewal?? Thoughts??

[winddawn]

Hi all,

 

Okay, newbie here, and I have what I believe is an unusual question...

 

When you board the ship, do they check BOTH your passport and your driver's license? Or is the passport alone enough?

 

 

In case you're curious why I'm asking - After I got married, I changed my middle name to my maiden name.

 

When my DH and I got passports a few years ago, I didn't notice that he filled out my application with my given middle name. It didn't seem to matter, because at the time, my drivers license didn't have any middle name, and that trip was canceled anyway.

 

Fast forward a few years, and we recently moved to a new state which requires a middle name on your DL.

 

So, now I'm in the pickle that my DL and passport have the same first and last name, but different middle names!

 

So.... I think that I'm okay to travel, as I have a passport in order to check into the ship, and heaven forbid need to travel back to the states... But I'm not positive whether my DL will be needed for anything, and if the middle name mix up will be an issue.

 

So, please let me know whether your DL is compared to your passport..

 

Thanks

Passport alone is sufficient. I use my passport and have never had to show my DL too.

[bruadhin]

Just my opinion...

 

If you are at risk of having your passport stolen while on a cruise, you are either somewhere you don't belong or being beyond careless.

[dmdiver]

We carry passport & DL. It seems like you go through customs faster using a passport. DL is always with us - we had to drive to either the port or airport & if we decided to drive in one of the ports, we will need it. I don't take the passport with me - it stays on the ship in the safe. My current waterproof pouch is too small for my passport, but money, DL & ship card fit fine. I just read another post that said the ship has a procedure in place if someone misses the ship & needs their documents.

[ddc930]

Sailing from NYC to carribean July and my daughters passport expires in September ... Carnival website recommends 6 months before expiration ... I called CC rep today and she said it's fine as long as it's not expired....should I be worried and expedite her renewal?? Thoughts??

[RjayB]

Whether to take the passport into port or leave it in the ship's safe is an assessment of risk and impact. What is the risk that your passport will be lost or stolen if you take it with you. What is the risk that you will miss the ship and will need your passport.

 

What is the probability of each and what is the impact of each.

 

When making the assessment, consider what you are doing in port. Are you planning to go swimming at a beach where you may not want to leave a passport unattended and may not want to take it with you. If you are renting a car or going on a private excursion, what is the risk of breakdown or other misadventure that could cause you to miss the ship.

 

In terms of impact, if you did miss the ship, is the only way to catch up with it or to get back to the departure port via international air travel? When we were on a cruise in Italy, we knew that if we missed the ship, we could just take the train from the current port to the next port and meet it there.

 

Whenever we conclude from our assessment that we should leave our passport in the ship's safe, we always take color photocopies with us. Yes, I know you can't use a photocopy in place of a passport for anything. However, if you are stranded in a foreign country and need to go to the embassy or consulate, I understand that having a high-quality photocopy (or photo image) will go a long way in helping you secure a replacement.

 

The closest we ever came to missing a ship was in Crete, Greece. We had no ID and a total of 14 Euros for a family of four. We arrived at the port at exactly the back-on-board time, but there was a long line for the two ships in port and it took us another 30 minutes before we actually boarded.

 

This is the correct answer! I was going to write something like this but you beat me to it:p

[cinsu]

I have both card and book. I normally use my card as my every day ID since it doesn't give my address. When on a cruise in the Western Hemisphere I leave the card in the safe and take the book off. If I need to fly from a foreign country I can with the book and if for some reason the book is lost or stolen I still have the card when I get back to the U.S.

[CruiseReg]

I have both card and book. I normally use my card as my every day ID since it doesn't give my address. When on a cruise in the Western Hemisphere I leave the card in the safe and take the book off. If I need to fly from a foreign country I can with the book and if for some reason the book is lost or stolen I still have the card when I get back to the U.S.

 

Our family of 3 all have Global Entry now that DD completed her interview last month. I think our strategy now will be passports with us in port like we've always done, but we'll leave our drivers licenses (DW and I), our GE IDs (all) and passport card (DD) in the safe.

 

Even without passport books, our GE credentials should be enough for Immigration to quickly verify us back in the US in a pinch!

[sparks1093]

Sailing from NYC to carribean July and my daughters passport expires in September ... Carnival website recommends 6 months before expiration ... I called CC rep today and she said it's fine as long as it's not expired....should I be worried and expedite her renewal?? Thoughts??

 

I personally wouldn't renew because your passport is valid for re-entry up until the day it expires, but that is just me.

[Havingfun2010]

This post turned into a discussion on FEAR.

 

1. Passport card - people fear this is no good if you need to fly

2. Passport book - get this because you fear you need it to get home

3. Leave it on the ship - you fear loosing it, although you originally bring it because you fear you need it to get home.

4. Take it with you - you fear that you will miss the ship, and need it.

 

Everyone has an answer and different answer on what you fear and what you do about it. The bottom line is you don't need it and it is not required to travel with.

 

However, it is only good if you have it in your possession. I have both. I carry my card with me. If I do get left behind because I had too much to drink at Sr. Frogs, than it will "speed up" my identification process on getting home. If you miss the ship, having a passport is the least of your worries. You need money and lots of it, to buy a plane ticket, hotel rooms, food and a change of clothes!

 

So whatever you fear, follow it.

[CruiseReg]

This post turned into a discussion on FEAR.

 

1. Passport card - people fear this is no good if you need to fly

2. Passport book - get this because you fear you need it to get home

3. Leave it on the ship - you fear loosing it, although you originally bring it because you fear you need it to get home.

4. Take it with you - you fear that you will miss the ship, and need it.

 

It's not about fear for us. Fear would stop us from leaving the country/state/whatever. Doesn't enter into the equation.

 

Everyone has an answer and different answer on what you fear and what you do about it. The bottom line is you don't need it and it is not required to travel with.

 

Again, not about fear, it's about being prepared.

 

However, it is only good if you have it in your possession. I have both. I carry my card with me. If I do get left behind because I had too much to drink at Sr. Frogs, than it will "speed up" my identification process on getting home.

 

Agreed here. "Speed up" isn't good enough for my family and I when I can bring our passports with us.

 

If you miss the ship, having a passport is the least of your worries. You need money and lots of it, to buy a plane ticket, hotel rooms, food and a change of clothes!

 

Not for us, and I suspect not for many here. $5k to get us home in less than 24 hours without dealing the hassle of proper travel documents.... priceless.

[Havingfun2010]

It's not about fear for us. Fear would stop us from leaving the country/state/whatever. Doesn't enter into the equation.

 

 

 

Again, not about fear, it's about being prepared.

 

Being prepared is a form of fear. You prepare for a future situation which you believe will put you at risk. Nothing wrong with being prepared, but it is part of fear.

 

 

 

Agreed here. "Speed up" isn't good enough for my family and I when I can bring our passports with us.

 

 

 

Not for us, and I suspect not for many here. $5k to get us home in less than 24 hours without dealing the hassle of proper travel documents.... priceless.

 

Even if you have the right documents, it's costly. It just makes it easier.

 

Just want to reiterate. Every post and response deals with fear, and a different method of dealing with that fear.

[TruckerDave]

Definitely good points and I used to carry my passport off the ship. Now I take drivers license at the most. My only fear is losing passport since your passport number stays with you for life! I don't want the wrong person to have my number. However, your drivers license number stays the same forever too in same state. I guess not losing them ever is best strategy. Lol

 

Actually when you renew you get a different passport number. I had my last passport number memorized (much easier to memorize it that to get up an dig through your carry on on a crowded airplane to full out the various C&I forms for whatever country you are entering), but my newest passport is a different number. (my old one began with a 214... and newest one is 537..)

[TruckerDave]

Our family of 3 all have Global Entry now that DD completed her interview last month. I think our strategy now will be passports with us in port like we've always done, but we'll leave our drivers licenses (DW and I), our GE IDs (all) and passport card (DD) in the safe.

 

Even without passport books, our GE credentials should be enough for Immigration to quickly verify us back in the US in a pinch!

 

 

You can even use the GE card when flying. I NEVER take out and show my DL anymore, I only use the GE card and never had one airline or TSA person question it. :D

[skittl1321]

I personally travel internationally on a passport, and take the passport with me to ports (husband swims with it in a water proof bag on his waist).

 

However, when we were leaving our land vacation in Cozumel, the couple in front of us to check in for the airlines had missed a cruise ship and were traveling with birth certificate and drivers license only. It took them longer to check in, and they had some additional steps to take, but it was clear the airline dealt with this all the time. I imagine when you get to the US, it again takes longer to clear immigration- but you are not going to be denied re-entry into the US.

 

If you miss the ship, having a passport is the least of your worries. You need money and lots of it, to buy a plane ticket, hotel rooms, food and a change of clothes!

I guess it depends what port you were left in; a lot of ports you could get a taxi to the airport and be on your way home, no need for a hotel room. But you'd be a lot stupider to leave the ship without some sort of money/credit card than without your passport. (Also- what are you buying a change of clothes for? You can't deal with wearing the same clothes for a day or two in an emergency?)

Edited June 5, 2015 by skittl1321

[DebJ14]

Definitely good points and I used to carry my passport off the ship. Now I take drivers license at the most. My only fear is losing passport since your passport number stays with you for life! I don't want the wrong person to have my number. However, your drivers license number stays the same forever too in same state. I guess not losing them ever is best strategy. Lol

 

Your passport number does not stay with you for life. Every time you renew your passport you get a different number.

 

Now on the other hand, in my state your driver's license number is forever. My DS moved out of state and had licenses in 3 different states during that time. He was gone for 5 years. When he moved back he went to the DPS to get a driver's license. They said "Welcome Home" and issued his new license with the number that was issued to him at age 16.