shebasbooknook Posted September 3, 2015 #1 Share Posted September 3, 2015 So I was looking to book the dolphin shore excursion directly from the vendor to save on cost. And the vendor at Dolphin Discovery told me that we had to have a passport to get on to Tortola. I told him that my ship the Norwegian getaway is docking directly at the Tortola port that I would not be taking a ferry from St Thomas or any of the US Virgin Islands which I know is common. He insisted to me that customs and borders would still require everyone disembarking the ship to show a passport. I know I know I need to just break down and get a passport for everyone in the family and after this I will. But at this point I don't have enough time to get it so I'm just going to keep on truckin with my birth certificate and drivers license. At any rate I called Norwegian Cruise Line to ask them and the lady on the phone had no idea but said there are some ports of call that you do have to produce a passport when you disembark the ship even on closed-loop cruises. So to make a long question short has anyone recently gone to Tortola and did they have any issues where they had to produce a passport to disembark? Thank you everyone for your time this board is awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kutanicrane Posted September 3, 2015 #2 Share Posted September 3, 2015 When I was there in May I did not show passport. My husband and I have passports but we only had to show drivers license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roboclam Posted September 3, 2015 #3 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Been to Tortola twice in the last 3 years...Last time we were there in Dec of 2014 the new pier was no where near ready for anything to dock at it, we "tendered" in...As for PASSPORTS, nobody asks for them once the "cruise ship" has seen them, all you need to get off/on the ship is your room key card...That and photo ID...We've been told to put our passports in the room safe and not to take them with us on excursions as they are NOT needed...I'm surprised the lady from NCL didn't say anything about needing a passport to cruise to the Caribbean these days... I'm sure others will add any additional information they might have...Lots of "real NCL cruising knowledge" here on these boards...Good luck, hope I have offered you useful information... Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mizLORInj Posted September 3, 2015 #4 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) Have never heard this before. You do not need to show a passport. I was just there in March and I doubt this is the only Caribbean island where you need to bring a passport to show it at the port. Just listen to the announcement when you arrive in port. It will likely say gov't issued photo ID--which can be a driver's license--does not have to be passport. Edited September 3, 2015 by mizlorinj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray98 Posted September 3, 2015 #5 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) No passport needed, I would find a new vendor who knows what they are talking about. Edited September 3, 2015 by ray98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LrgPizza Posted September 3, 2015 #6 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) Remember that Tortola is pretty new to the cruise ship business, in the grand scheme of things. When I visited there, I did need a passport - because I came from St. Thomas, like the vast majority of their business has in their history. So no, since your ship is docking there, you do not need to have a passport. But cut them some slack that the excursion person, who has nothing to do with you entering or leaving the country, might not know this. And should this uninformed vendor cause you to miss the ship, you will need a passport to return to the USA. Edited September 3, 2015 by LrgPizza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Nahoumi Posted September 3, 2015 #7 Share Posted September 3, 2015 To those of you who have been to TORTOLA, what is there to do there. Next cruise will be our first visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarpHarp Posted September 3, 2015 #8 Share Posted September 3, 2015 To those of you who have been to TORTOLA, what is there to do there. Next cruise will be our first visit. I lived on St Thomas, when you didn't need a passport to go back & forth.:) For cruise ship passengers, the big attraction is the Baths on Virgin Gorda, via NCL or, according to the schedule, Speedy's ferry. The ferry dock is a short walk from the new pier. Tortola itself is a small island with gorgeous views & beaches. An island tour with a stop at Cane Garden Bay beach would be a great port stop. Brewer's Bay is a good beach for snorkeling. Sailing is big time on Tortola. There are many sailboats that run excursions to both Virgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke, with the famous Soggy Dollar Bar. Before you get back on the ship, stop at Caribee spice shop for spices & local crafts & follow that up with a painkiller at Pussers:D The Baths Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shebasbooknook Posted September 3, 2015 Author #9 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thanks everyone for your help Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly99 Posted September 3, 2015 #10 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Tortola is a BRITISH virgin island - you might not need to show the passport but good luck getting on the boat without one. Believe me at some point the cruise line will ask for passport information. They give the passport information to both island and US customs and immigration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mizLORInj Posted September 3, 2015 #11 Share Posted September 3, 2015 To those of you who have been to TORTOLA, what is there to do there. Next cruise will be our first visit. Cane Garden Bay on Tortola is very pretty, and I agree that the Baths of Virgin Gorda are amazing and need to be experienced once. There is an excursion (ship! :eek:) that takes you right to them and you have a few hours to explore on your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LrgPizza Posted September 3, 2015 #12 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) Tortola is a BRITISH virgin island - you might not need to show the passport but good luck getting on the boat without one. Believe me at some point the cruise line will ask for passport information. They give the passport information to both island and US customs and immigration. Passports are not required for closed loop Caribbean cruises from USA. I wouldn't travel without one, but many do, and it is permitted. http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=VisaRequirements Edited September 3, 2015 by LrgPizza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb and Jack Posted September 3, 2015 #13 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I was at tortola invitation may. Passport shown to cruise line at check in. Only keycard and govt issued photo id. Passport stayed in the safe. Went to baths at virgin gorda. Absolutely gorgeous. Sent from my KFJWI using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted September 4, 2015 #14 Share Posted September 4, 2015 So I was looking to book the dolphin shore excursion directly from the vendor to save on cost. And the vendor at Dolphin Discovery told me that we had to have a passport to get on to Tortola. I told him that my ship the Norwegian getaway is docking directly at the Tortola port that I would not be taking a ferry from St Thomas or any of the US Virgin Islands which I know is common. He insisted to me that customs and borders would still require everyone disembarking the ship to show a passport. I know I know I need to just break down and get a passport for everyone in the family and after this I will. But at this point I don't have enough time to get it so I'm just going to keep on truckin with my birth certificate and drivers license. At any rate I called Norwegian Cruise Line to ask them and the lady on the phone had no idea but said there are some ports of call that you do have to produce a passport when you disembark the ship even on closed-loop cruises. So to make a long question short has anyone recently gone to Tortola and did they have any issues where they had to produce a passport to disembark? Thank you everyone for your time this board is awesome Short and simple - He is wrong. Don't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted September 4, 2015 #15 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Remember that Tortola is pretty new to the cruise ship business, in the grand scheme of things. When I visited there, I did need a passport - because I came from St. Thomas, like the vast majority of their business has in their history. So no, since your ship is docking there, you do not need to have a passport. But cut them some slack that the excursion person, who has nothing to do with you entering or leaving the country, might not know this. And should this uninformed vendor cause you to miss the ship, you will need a passport to return to the USA. ??????? Cruise ships have been going to Tortola for years, it is not close to being a new port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted September 4, 2015 #16 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Tortola is a BRITISH virgin island - you might not need to show the passport but good luck getting on the boat without one. Believe me at some point the cruise line will ask for passport information. They give the passport information to both island and US customs and immigration. Completely incorrect. If you are on a closed loop cruise out of the US you do not need a passport to visit Tortola. I don't know where people come up with this dribble, but it is simply incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LrgPizza Posted September 4, 2015 #17 Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) ??????? Cruise ships have been going to Tortola for years, it is not close to being a new port. I was speaking relatively. I spent a week on the island and not a single ship was in port the entire time, while obviously St Thomas was packed, as it still is today. It was not the big port stop it is now. Yes, some ships went. They were few and far between though. It's gradually increased. Edited September 4, 2015 by LrgPizza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandyMommyof2 Posted September 4, 2015 #18 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Passports are not required for closed loop Caribbean cruises from USA. I wouldn't travel without one, but many do, and it is permitted. http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=VisaRequirements I agree with LrgPizza in the quote above. It's not a requirement to have a passport to cruise, but highly recommended. We all have ours and have had them, but we also take land based vacations to places that it is a requirement. To us, it's just easier to travel with our passports as our id's. And I would highly recommend The Baths excursion through NCL :) It's one of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen. I am one of those who book excursions through the cruise line we are sailing with. Eases my mind incase there are any delays getting back to the ship, they know where we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarpHarp Posted September 4, 2015 #19 Share Posted September 4, 2015 ??????? Cruise ships have been going to Tortola for years, it is not close to being a new port. The new pier is less than 6 months old. Ships had to tender, & it was easier & cheaper to dock at St Thomas, where there is more to do & they have been handling 10,000+ cruise ship passengers a day for a very long time. Smaller cruise ships, like the Windjammer ships have been stopping at Tortola for many years, but it is only recently that the mega ships have come calling. It wouldn't surprise me to find some of the facilities overwhelmed at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BermudaBound2014 Posted September 4, 2015 #20 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Short and simple - He is wrong. Don't worry about it. Ditto :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebJ14 Posted September 4, 2015 #21 Share Posted September 4, 2015 The new pier is less than 6 months old. Ships had to tender, & it was easier & cheaper to dock at St Thomas, where there is more to do & they have been handling 10,000+ cruise ship passengers a day for a very long time. Smaller cruise ships, like the Windjammer ships have been stopping at Tortola for many years, but it is only recently that the mega ships have come calling. It wouldn't surprise me to find some of the facilities overwhelmed at times. We stopped in Tortola for the first time on NCL out of Miami back in 2001 and again on the Carnival Freedom in May 2013. We docked both times. Shortly after that second visit I noticed no ships going there for a while while they built the new pier. We took the excursion to Jost Van Dyke - great trip. As for passports - you can arrive on a closed loop cruise without one, but you can't fly in or take the ferry over from St. Thomas without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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