Janie1229 Posted February 17, 2018 #1 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Hi, do you bring your passport with you on shore excursions or leave in your room? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipgeeks Posted February 17, 2018 #2 Share Posted February 17, 2018 We never take passports ashore in ports, unless told to do so. Just the ship card, and a photo ID such as a drivers license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted February 17, 2018 #3 Share Posted February 17, 2018 I never take it unless the port requires it. (If that is the case, it will be announced in advance.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted February 17, 2018 #4 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Unless it is required by the port, we leave them on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezedr Posted February 17, 2018 #5 Share Posted February 17, 2018 One of the most frequently asked questions on these boards. With over 20+ cruises under my belt, I am part of the DO NOT take them group . Lots more bad things can happen by losing your passport than are likely to happen where you might need it. You will get alternate answers however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ran619ger Posted February 17, 2018 #6 Share Posted February 17, 2018 That is great to hear as we always took our's on shore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted February 17, 2018 #7 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Unless it is required by the port, we leave them on the ship. We do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PROCRUISE Posted February 17, 2018 #8 Share Posted February 17, 2018 I never carry my actual passport on shore excursions. However, since I tend to take primarily private tours, I carry a photostatic copy of the picture page of my passport in my wallet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted February 17, 2018 #9 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Hi, do you bring your passport with you on shore excursions or leave in your room? Thanks! This is a frequently asked question - perhaps a 'sticky' thread would be appropriate. The common / best advice is to leave the passports in the cabin safe. There are times when you will need to take it with you - for example, last September in LeHarve you needed to show a passport both leaving the ship and again re-boarding after the excursion. [and in between there was no secure storage]. Some ports of call expect / require visitors to have a passport. [not a common occurrence]. You should know what is required based on announcements or publications [or ask at the tour office or front desk] before the tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted February 17, 2018 #10 Share Posted February 17, 2018 We, guess I am in the minority as I never leave it on the ship. EM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare broberts Posted February 17, 2018 #11 Share Posted February 17, 2018 It really depends on the port. In the Caribbean, unless advised otherwise by the ship, I tend to leave my passport in the safe and take sea pass and driver license ashore. Especially if I'm going to the beach. (Passport card works well instead of driver license.) In other parts of the world I tend to always carry my passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnival kid Posted February 17, 2018 #12 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Just don't miss the ship you might need them to fly home or to the next port Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted February 17, 2018 #13 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Just don't miss the ship you might need them to fly home or to the next port Sent from my iPhone using Forums Typically, IF you miss the ship, they will enter your room and open the safe. If you've left your passport/documents in there, they will give them to the port agent for you to collect when you show up at the dock. If you don't leave your passport in your safe (put it in a "safe" spot elsewhere in the room) it will not be collected and handed off to the port agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLady Posted February 17, 2018 #14 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Just don't miss the ship you might need them to fly home or to the next port Sent from my iPhone using Forums Most cruise lines will take your passport out of your safe and give it to the port agent if you miss the ship. Port agent info is always in the newsletter if you need him/her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted February 17, 2018 #15 Share Posted February 17, 2018 THe only place I can think of that requires you to carry your passport ashore is Russia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jocap Posted February 17, 2018 #16 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Make sure you have your passport number and city of issue with you; this is best done by a photocopy of the main page. One ship offered this service at reception, so probably others will do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNcruising02 Posted February 17, 2018 #17 Share Posted February 17, 2018 I scanned a copy of my passport and saved it to my phone. Since the only cruises I have taken did not require a passport to board the ships at the different ports, I always left my passport in the safe. It's more likely to be lost, damaged, or stolen if I take it on an excursion than for me to miss the ship. If an emergency were to occur, I would contact the ship and have them get my passports out of the safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted February 17, 2018 #18 Share Posted February 17, 2018 THe only place I can think of that requires you to carry your passport ashore is Russia We had to take our passport ashore in Tunisia. Also in either Nicaragua or Guatemala (can't recall which) on one cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloopsailor Posted February 17, 2018 #19 Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) THe only place I can think of that requires you to carry your passport ashore is Russia An overnight stay at a Bangkok hotel requires a passport. However, single day excursions don't. Many countries require a passport to check into a hotel if you elect to stay at a local hotel rather than return to the ship. Areas of interest that are hours away from the port are good candidates to stay in town for the night to save on hours travelling back and forth to overnight on the ship. Unless required, we always leave our passports in the room safe, even on land vacations. They are much safer there than on your person. If you need it in the very rare case of an emergency, you can always arrange to have it picked up and brought to you. If you loose it, it is a lot more complicated, time consuming, and costly to get an expedited replacement. Just not worth the risk to carry it when it isn't necessary. Just like expensive jewelry, passports are a very desired item to steal, pickpocket, or rob you of. Stolen passports are worth thousands of $$$$ on the black market, and can cause severe problems with identity theft issues in the future. Edited February 17, 2018 by sloopsailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extra Kim Posted February 17, 2018 #20 Share Posted February 17, 2018 I carry a photostatic copy of the picture page of my passport in my wallet. Why? How would that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCruisers Posted February 17, 2018 #21 Share Posted February 17, 2018 We always leave our Passport Book in our cabin safe unless we are told by the ship to take it with us. We do use our Passport Card as our Government Photo ID so take it with us along with our cruise card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Cruiser Posted February 18, 2018 #22 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I was rather surprised that even though we were within Icelandic waters the entire time we were at sea, Windstar collected our passports at check-in, giving them back the evening before departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizmark'sMom Posted February 18, 2018 #23 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I feel much more comfortable having my passport with me. It's second nature to have it zipped into it's RFID protected pocket in my crossbody bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuervosar Posted February 18, 2018 #24 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Always take it with me. Identity theft is rampant on cruise ships and you never know when you might need it. Funny how people stash it away like some kind of sacred object. Do you leave your house without the front door key too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloopsailor Posted February 18, 2018 #25 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I was rather surprised that even though we were within Icelandic waters the entire time we were at sea, Windstar collected our passports at check-in, giving them back the evening before departure. Many luxury cruise lines do that. It might be as a service to the customers to keep them safely locked in the purser's safe. Some mass market lines do this for specific legs of the cruise. In these cases, it's to facilitate approvals from local governments for passengers to be cleared to go ashore. Some countries require all passengers to be cleared before anyone can leave the ship. Collecting the passports ahead of time makes that task more efficient, and benefits everyone going ashore - although without passports in hand. Many river cruise companies also collect them when embarking and give them back the last night of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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