Necessity to carry Passport

[Herfnerd]

BS.

 

When you enter the US, you passport is scanned, and the database pops up a copy of the picture. They compare the picture on the computer to the one on the passport to YOU. And it would not be pleasant for the person if the picture in the database and the picture on the passport did not match.

 

Also, with the digitally printed passports (there is no longer a picture pasted on the page) and the holographic overlay, it is not easy to change the picture.

 

Its true that getting into the US as well as many other country's with a fake passport is a lot tougher these days. However, the Black Market has other uses for them - including travel outside of the US to countries not up to date with technology as well as identity theft, as improbable as it may seem.

[sloopsailor]

Also, the ship MAY go into your safe and give the contents to the port agent if you miss the ship.

 

MAY, it is NOT guaranteed that this will occur.

 

And neither is your advice guaranteed to be accurate! :evilsmile:

[sloopsailor]

There is a passport app ( mobile pass), for US travelers, that is approved by immigration for loop cruises entry & departure etc.

When disembarking at end of cruise you see lines for mobile passports, this is the app to use. American Embassy can use this if you find yourself in a pickle.

Still take pp card or book with you on trip. Better safe than sorry.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Many more cruise passengers lose or have their passports stolen than miss the ship and end up without their passport. If a person truly wants to be safe and not sorry, they should leave their passport locked in the safe.

[JMorris271]

There is absolutely no reason to take your passport off the ship .All you need is photo ID and your ships card.

Russia requires one just saying. Don't mean to hijack your post. Sorry.

[BDRebel]

You will not need your passport in a Caribbean port until you need it.

If you end up having to return to the US by a means other than the cruise you left on, you will need a passport - a copy of the passport will not work, nor will a birth certificate and drivers license.

 

As valuable as the passport is to thieves, as many times as I have visited the Caribbean islands, I have never had my passport taken from me.

 

I always take mine with me -- plan for the best case, but prepare for the worst case.

[sparks1093]

Russia requires one just saying. Don't mean to hijack your post. Sorry.

 

They moved Russia to the Caribbean? (Since that's where the OP was asking about;).)

[sloopsailor]

There is a passport app ( mobile pass), for US travelers, that is approved by immigration for loop cruises entry & departure etc.

When disembarking at end of cruise you see lines for mobile passports, this is the app to use. American Embassy can use this if you find yourself in a pickle.

Still take pp card or book with you on trip. Better safe than sorry.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Just an added comment on your post:

 

Yes, even for closed loop cruises where a passport is not required, it is safer to bring it anyway. In case of an emergency where you need to leave the cruise early and fly home, a passport will most likely be needed when arriving at the US airport. If someone did not have one or did not bring it, they would be delayed at the entry point until your identity is resolved, a delay that would be frustrating when they are trying to reach their final destination as quickly as possible.

 

We were on a Disney cruise from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean a decade ago when people at the table next to us were informed of a death in their immediate family. Because none of the family was travelling with passports, the opted to wait until the end of the cruise three days later to rush home because of the difficulty they would face trying to enter the US by plane without passports.

[sparks1093]

You will not need your passport in a Caribbean port until you need it.

If you end up having to return to the US by a means other than the cruise you left on, you will need a passport - a copy of the passport will not work, nor will a birth certificate and drivers license.

 

As valuable as the passport is to thieves, as many times as I have visited the Caribbean islands, I have never had my passport taken from me.

 

I always take mine with me -- plan for the best case, but prepare for the worst case.

 

The risk of anything happening- losing a passport or missing the ship, having a passport stolen, having to return home for an emergency, etc. is just about equal for most people and people need to do what they are comfortable doing and there is no right or wrong answer.

[K32682]

You will not need your passport in a Caribbean port until you need it.

If you end up having to return to the US by a means other than the cruise you left on, you will need a passport - a copy of the passport will not work, nor will a birth certificate and drivers license.

 

As valuable as the passport is to thieves, as many times as I have visited the Caribbean islands, I have never had my passport taken from me.

 

I always take mine with me -- plan for the best case, but prepare for the worst case.

Agreed. I carry mine with me and in such a manner that it would be very difficult to steal. I am less worried about my passport being stolen than not having it with me should I need it and I am not going to depend on the crew to leave the contents of my cabin safe with the port agent.

 

So while it's probably not a "necessity" I believe it is advisable to carry it with you in a foreign country.

[cruisemom42]

Agreed. I carry mine with me and in such a manner that it would be very difficult to steal. I am less worried about my passport being stolen than not having it with me should I need it and I am not going to depend on the crew to leave the contents of my cabin safe with the port agent.

 

So while it's probably not a "necessity" I believe it is advisable to carry it with you in a foreign country.

 

You may carry it in an inaccessible place, but what happens when your tour bus is robbed at gunpoint and money, valuables, and passports are demanded? It has happened:

 

-- to 22 Carnival passengers in Puerta Vallarta in 2012: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/22-carnival-cruise-passengers-robbed-gunpoint-ship-sponsored-tour-mexico-f198368

 

-- 17 Celebrity cruise passengers in St. Kitts in 2010: https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/17-celebrity-cruises-passengers-robbed-gunpoint-st-kitts/story?id=12151445

 

-- 17 Carnival passengers in Jamaica in 2007: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/02/articles/crime/robbing-cruise-passengers-in-bulk-yes-it-happens/

 

 

And those are just ship excursions. Many, many more individual robberies are reported annually.

[K32682]

You may carry it in an inaccessible place, but what happens when your tour bus is robbed at gunpoint and money, valuables, and passports are demanded? It has happened:

 

-- to 22 Carnival passengers in Puerta Vallarta in 2012: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/22-carnival-cruise-passengers-robbed-gunpoint-ship-sponsored-tour-mexico-f198368

 

-- 17 Celebrity cruise passengers in St. Kitts in 2010: https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/17-celebrity-cruises-passengers-robbed-gunpoint-st-kitts/story?id=12151445

 

-- 17 Carnival passengers in Jamaica in 2007: https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/02/articles/crime/robbing-cruise-passengers-in-bulk-yes-it-happens/

 

 

And those are just ship excursions. Many, many more individual robberies are reported annually.

Your examples cover a period of 11 years. During that time I've had several times when my passport was a very good thing to have. During that same 11 year period I haven't been robbed at gun point (actually it's never happened.) During that same 11 year period I had a hotel room safe rifled through but fortunately had my passport with me.

 

I weigh my own experience against three isolated incidents over an 11 year period. Empirical evidence over 40 years of travel concludes the risk of being robbed at gun point is insignificant and vastly outweighed by the benefits of having my passport with me. I also don't live in perpetual fear of "what if" and prefer to leave that to those with a more pusillanimous outlook.

Edited July 31, 2018 by K32682

[SRF]

Its true that getting into the US as well as many other country's with a fake passport is a lot tougher these days. However, the Black Market has other uses for them - including travel outside of the US to countries not up to date with technology as well as identity theft, as improbable as it may seem.

 

Still, they are not worth what they once were.

 

And the other thing is, people act like they will be targeted for theft if they carry their passport. HOW WILL THEY KNOW?

 

And if they steal your passport, they will also get all your other ID, you SeaPass card, your credit cards, your cash.

 

Your credit cards and cash are worth more to a thief than your passport.

[SRF]

And neither is your advice guaranteed to be accurate! :evilsmile:

 

Oh, so they MAY NOT? I said they may, and you say that is not accurate. So the opposite is they MAY NOT. But that still means they MAY do so.

 

Hmm, you are saying that they WILL ALWAYS do so?

 

I suggest you search around the forum for instances where this did not happen.

 

Yes, MOST times it does. But NOT ALWAYS.

[SRF]

Just an added comment on your post:

 

Yes, even for closed loop cruises where a passport is not required, it is safer to bring it anyway. In case of an emergency where you need to leave the cruise early and fly home, a passport will most likely be needed when arriving at the US airport. If someone did not have one or did not bring it, they would be delayed at the entry point until your identity is resolved, a delay that would be frustrating when they are trying to reach their final destination as quickly as possible.

 

We were on a Disney cruise from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean a decade ago when people at the table next to us were informed of a death in their immediate family. Because none of the family was travelling with passports, the opted to wait until the end of the cruise three days later to rush home because of the difficulty they would face trying to enter the US by plane without passports.

 

Actually you will need it to board the aircraft.

 

The airline will not let you board without your passport or other official document for entry.

 

The reason is, if the airline takes you to X country, and you cannot enter because of no passport or visa, the AIRLINE is responsible for getting you out of that country to a place you can enter.

 

But if you don't have a passport, you probably cannot go back where you came from. And the airline is stuck with you.

 

As to carrying it, for me, it depends. Sometimes I carry it, sometimes I do not. It depends on a number of factors. There is NO one right answer for every person and every situation.

 

Our FIRST cruise, my Mother had a medical issue and she, my Dad, and I disembarked at a foreign port. It was VERY good we had our passports with us.

[sloopsailor]

Oh, so they MAY NOT? I said they may, and you say that is not accurate. So the opposite is they MAY NOT. But that still means they MAY do so.

 

Hmm, you are saying that they WILL ALWAYS do so?

 

I suggest you search around the forum for instances where this did not happen.

 

Yes, MOST times it does. But NOT ALWAYS.

 

I prefer to bet on "most times" rather than "not always" like you do. Let's just say that I still have faith in humanity, and we'll call it a draw.

[cruisemom42]

Your examples cover a period of 11 years. During that time I've had several times when my passport was a very good thing to have. During that same 11 year period I haven't been robbed at gun point (actually it's never happened.) During that same 11 year period I had a hotel room safe rifled through but fortunately had my passport with me.

 

I weigh my own experience against three isolated incidents over an 11 year period. Empirical evidence over 40 years of travel concludes the risk of being robbed at gun point is insignificant and vastly outweighed by the benefits of having my passport with me. I also don't live in perpetual fear of "what if" and prefer to leave that to those with a more pusillanimous outlook.

 

I was merely pointing out that your assertion that you could somehow keep your passport safe by secreting it from a normal pickpocket-type predation wouldn't necessarily always work.

 

Yes, we all must weigh empirical evidence and my 2+2 may not equal your 4. I've traveled quite a bit over the past 11 years also and never have had need of a passport when I didn't have it on me nor had my hotel room rifled. However, I have been pickpocketed and had I been carrying my passport, it would have been lost to me...

[SRF]

I prefer to bet on "most times" rather than "not always" like you do. Let's just say that I still have faith in humanity, and we'll call it a draw.

 

Most times is still MAY. :D

 

And I agree, that they probably do most times. But the question is, are you willing to bet that you will NOT be the one time they did not?

 

My point is, many people say that the ship WILL do this. And the real situation is they most times will.

 

Just making sure people have the right info to use to make up their mind as to what to do.

[sloopsailor]

Most times is still MAY. :D

 

And I agree, that they probably do most times. But the question is, are you willing to bet that you will NOT be the one time they did not?

 

My point is, many people say that the ship WILL do this. And the real situation is they most times will.

 

Just making sure people have the right info to use to make up their mind as to what to do.

 

Yep, completely willing to bet that they will. And have been betting that way for each and every cruises I have taken. I feel much better knowing exactly where my passport is safely secured - in my safe - and not wondering what the thief, pickpocket, robber, etc. who "may" take it from me will be doing with it.

 

It is a fact that more passengers lose or have their passports stolen than miss the ship and not have their passport turned over to them. I have read several posts describing the hand off when they missed the ship. I have NEVER read a post complaining that they were left stranded without their passport when it was left in their safe.

 

There was one gentleman a couple of years ago who wrote a looooooong post describing everything that went wrong for him when he missed the ship, including not having his passport returned to him. Of course, according to him everything was the cruise line's fault. What he eventually revealed was that he keeps his passport in a desk drawer, not in his safe. Security will only look in the safe, not through every cubbyhole in the room, to find a passport. If it isn't in the safe, they will not find it and assume that you have it on your person.

 

I carry a copy of my passport and that will be all that I need if I ever, Ever, EVER get left behind without my passport.

 

Nope, not worried at all. If I was to worry about what "MAY" happen if I miss the ship, I would then have to worry about getting food poisoning in the buffet, the ship sinking in the deepest part of the ocean, my credit cards being cancelled while on the cruise, having a heart attack, and even my hair suddenly falling out. That pesky "MAY" thing applies to every aspect of cruising, and even life. It would be exhausting worrying about what MAY happen all the time.

Edited August 2, 2018 by sloopsailor

[sparks1093]

Most times is still MAY. :D

 

And I agree, that they probably do most times. But the question is, are you willing to bet that you will NOT be the one time they did not?

 

My point is, many people say that the ship WILL do this. And the real situation is they most times will.

 

Just making sure people have the right info to use to make up their mind as to what to do.

 

In the spirit of making sure people have the right info- passengers are required to have proof of identity and citizenship while on the cruise. If a passenger loses their passport during the cruise then the cruise line has no choice but to put them ashore. So if you lose your passport the ramifications are much greater than they would be if the ship sailed away with it, since the ship can send it back to you via courier (and since they announce so frequently that they will retrieve your passport you probably have a good case for them to pick up your expenses, provided your passport was in the cabin safe).

 

Again, for me it all comes down to not carrying things with me that I don't need to carry since the odds of anything happening are so low in either case.

[SantaFeFan]

In the spirit of making sure people have the right info- passengers are required to have proof of identity and citizenship while on the cruise. If a passenger loses their passport during the cruise then the cruise line has no choice but to put them ashore. So if you lose your passport the ramifications are much greater than they would be if the ship sailed away with it, since the ship can send it back to you via courier (and since they announce so frequently that they will retrieve your passport you probably have a good case for them to pick up your expenses, provided your passport was in the cabin safe).

 

You make excellent points, which I agree with 100%. It is in the better interest for the cruise line to make the promised attempt to find your passport, both financially and for PR reasons. They would be stupid, and negligent, not to do as they say they will do.

 

Again, for me it all comes down to not carrying things with me that I don't need to carry since the odds of anything happening are so low in either case.

 

Like you, I don't carry things that are not needed. Not only do I not carry my actual passport (I do carry a copy of the main page), I also don't carry my home's insurance policy, my last month's utility bills, my baby pictures, my high school yearbook, or my wedding license, all of which could assist in proving who I was if needed. :D

 

I find it odd that this poster who constantly argues to keep passports on our being at all times seems to have so many run-ins with the authorities that for him the need to carry his passport is an absolute necessity. For the average visitor, having to unexpectedly show your passport in countries where you aren't required to carry it is extremely rare. I have been to over 40 countries and hundreds of cities and have never been asked to show my passport unexpectedly. If you don't do things that catch the attention of the authorities, you will have nothing to worry about.

Edited August 2, 2018 by SantaFeFan

[SRF]

In the spirit of making sure people have the right info- passengers are required to have proof of identity and citizenship while on the cruise. If a passenger loses their passport during the cruise then the cruise line has no choice but to put them ashore. So if you lose your passport the ramifications are much greater than they would be if the ship sailed away with it, since the ship can send it back to you via courier (and since they announce so frequently that they will retrieve your passport you probably have a good case for them to pick up your expenses, provided your passport was in the cabin safe).

 

Again, for me it all comes down to not carrying things with me that I don't need to carry since the odds of anything happening are so low in either case.

 

No, you have it to board and to return into the US.

 

Have you EVER had your citizenship checked while on board a closed loop Caribbean cruise?

[SRF]

Have any of you afriad of having your passport stolen, ever been pickpocked of any item?

 

If not, why are you so worried about your passport?

 

Again, unless you show it to everyone, how would a thief even know you had it on you? And anyway, they would rather have your cash, number 1, followed by your credit cards number 2.

[sparks1093]

No, you have it to board and to return into the US.

 

Have you EVER had your citizenship checked while on board a closed loop Caribbean cruise?

 

Yes, it's checked by CBP during the cruise:), but I know that's not what you meant. I read about some passengers in Europe that had their passports stolen and as soon as they reported it to the cruise line they were put ashore until they could get replacements. I have no reason to think that it would be any different in the Caribbean (but having alternative documentation would prevent it, such as a copy of a birth certificate). Just as you point out an airline cannot let you board without documentation and a cruise line cannot continue to carry you without documentation. I believe that there is language in the cruise contract to that effect.

[sparks1093]

Have any of you afriad of having your passport stolen, ever been pickpocked of any item?

 

If not, why are you so worried about your passport?

 

Again, unless you show it to everyone, how would a thief even know you had it on you? And anyway, they would rather have your cash, number 1, followed by your credit cards number 2.

 

But if it's in the safe the risk of it being lost, stolen or damaged is zero. Carrying it with you the risk is somewhere north of zero and even if it is determined to be a low risk that doesn't mean zero risk. So from a risk management perspective alone it makes more sense to leave it onboard in the cabin safe unless there is a reason to have it with you (such as local law or needing it for an excursion). Then the only risk is if you are going to miss the ship and in most cases you would be able to call them to let them know you won't be making it and requesting that your passport be retrieved.

 

Again, I am not worried about missing the ship. I am not worried about having my passport go missing. To me the likelihood of either happening is too low for me to be overly worried about, so it comes down to- do I need to carry it and if I don't need to carry it than I don't.

[sloopsailor]

Have any of you afriad of having your passport stolen, ever been pickpocked of any item?

 

If not, why are you so worried about your passport?

 

Not hard to understand at all. We aren't worried about it BECAUSE we leave our passports in the safe. Too bad that is so hard for you to accept. Why bring something with us we don't need to bring? Keeping our passports safe makes a lot more sense than carrying that important document just for the rare chance it MAY be needed.

 

Again, unless you show it to everyone, how would a thief even know you had it on you? And anyway, they would rather have your cash, number 1, followed by your credit cards number 2.

 

They will take your passport if you have it. Why wouldn't they? If they take it, they might be able to sell it on the black market. If that doesn't work out, they can throw it away. It's no extra trouble for them. They have nothing to lose by taking it, and possible miss an opportunity to make some extra cash if they don't.

 

You do what you want to satisfy your paranoia. We'll do the smart thing and not share in your various paranoias. Pretty simple decision.

Edited August 2, 2018 by sloopsailor