Personal Item Safety TIps?

[mally25]

Hi, I apologize if this has been discussed prior. I would like to enjoy the beach at the  ports without having to be separated from my family due to guarding our sensitive item such as passports and cash. Do any of you have any helpful tips on how to get around this. Thanks in advance! 

[lifes-a-beach]

We have never taken our passports ashore.  Ever.  We use zipper beach bags with internal zipper pockets.  Cash and cell phones go in an inner pocket which is zipped up.  If we leave our bags on our loungers they are zipped up and covered with a towel.  We also have a short, coiled cable, combination bicycle lock that we put through the handles and around the chair.  My wife and I generally split our cash between us and only carry what experience has shown will suffice; usually less than $200.  Of course, depending on the size of your family and your budget that could be more or less than you need.  

 

There are lots of people at most public beaches. No one is likely to take the time to start uncovering and unzipping bags right in front of people you were just sitting next to.  Those people you were just sitting next to probably feel just like you and want to have a fun day.  I can’t imagine someone using a knife to cut the handles off one or both of our bags so they can carry them off right in front of everyone.  If we’re somewhere remote like Cemetery Beach on Grand Cayman we do the same thing except lock them to a tree and keep an eye on them.  

 

My experience is that if we we follow the simple rules of not going places we have no business going to and not doing things we have no business doing, especially in a foreign country, we will be just fine.  BTW, that includes getting blind drunk and not taking responsibility for our own safety and actions.  Nobody is going to do it for us.  

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[kerryincork]

I use a waterproof swim bag that goes in the water with me. Big enough for phone or tablet. You can get them from amazon.

I always test before each use & I put my phone in a zip lock too. Never had a problem, my travel companion uses a bum/fanny pack, without issue.

[paul929207]

Our friends above have covered the answer well. I just want to re-emphasis that we NEVER carry our passport ashore unless it is required.

[SciFiGuy1960]

Also a lot of the places that you go to on the beach may have lockers for rent. If you know which excursion you will be taking you can check if they have a website with the information.

👍

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, paul929207 said:

Our friends above have covered the answer well. I just want to re-emphasis that we NEVER carry our passport ashore unless it is required.

I know of a young couple who made the mistake of bring their passports to the beach in Costa Rica, where one was stolen while they were in the water.  They were able to get it replaced in time to fly home, but at considerable time and expense.

[Organized Chaos]

Whether or not to take your passport with you is one of those never-ending debates on Cruise Critic. Some say they would never even think of setting foot on foreign soil without their passport. Others, as you see in this thread, don't bother taking it. If you leave it in your cabin safe and there's an emergency (let's say you or someone in your party is injured and taken to a hospital and you can't get back to the ship), Carnival security can access your cabin safe and bring your passport to that port's security dept. Others encourage taking a scanned copy of your passport (photo page) with you off the ship. This won't allow you to travel but might, at best, help speed up the process of getting a new one.

 

There are products out there designed for securing your items at the beach. They lock to a lounge chair or just about anything you can fit them to. FlexSafe is a new version from a company called AquaVault. They gained notoriety after appearing on an episode of Shark Tank. Their original version is made of hard plastic, but their new FlexSafe is made of a tough "slash resistant" material. You can check those out on their website here. FlexSafe can also be purchased from Amazon. Or there are cheaper models on Amazon, such as this one.

Edited April 30, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[Sauer-kraut]

ship card and drivers license and credit card are all plastic ----- get a waterproof neck pouch and have fun in the water

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Bring a flash light. 

[lifes-a-beach]

1 hour ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Bring a flash light. 

Now that’s something I have never considered.  There must be a story behind that.  Inquiring minds want to know.  

[Willwork4cruises]

On 4/30/2019 at 5:54 PM, Sauer-kraut said:

ship card and drivers license and credit card are all plastic ----- get a waterproof neck pouch and have fun in the water

 

We carry something similar to what sauer-kraut mentioned.  The size I have is 5x6. It carries 5 passports and cash.  It fits into my husband’s swim trunk pocket then we thread the string thru the rivet in the bottom of the pockets (all of his swim trunks have this) then hook the string to the carabiner hook at the top.  It is in the pocket and doubled secured with the string.  Everything else stays on beach.  In Curacao I returned to the chair to find one beach bag emptied on the sand. There wasn’t anything in it other than clothes because my everything valuable was with us in the water. Hope this helps. 

 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

On 4/29/2019 at 9:35 PM, mally25 said:

Hi, I apologize if this has been discussed prior. I would like to enjoy the beach at the  ports without having to be separated from my family due to guarding our sensitive item such as passports and cash. Do any of you have any helpful tips on how to get around this. Thanks in advance! 

You do not need a passport at a beach - nor do you need anything that you cannot: 

A) Fit into a waterproof carrier you can keep on your person,

B) Let get wet, or

C) Do without if it gets lost or stolen.

 

Even if your waterproof carrier leaks, coins do not rust, paper money dries and ships cards and your credit cards can be wiped dry.

[Katyoparty]

The only time it has ever been necessary to take our passports ashore with us was in Egypt (so far).  We were instructed to do so by the cruise company. 

[mally25]

Thank you everyone for taking your time to respond. You all have provided great insight and advice, specially the flashlight lol. I did buy a waterproof cellphone pouch and a bigger Fanny pack type bag. Have to do some testing prior though. 

[Hlitner]

We have simple advice based on over half a century of extensive International travel.  Do not carry valuables (including Passports) that you absolutely do not need.  When we go off a ship (or outside our hotel or apartment) we only carry basic stuff such as some cash, a major credit card, and sometimes a phone.  If going to a beach we might also bring along our Kindles (they are not very valuable) and some towels in a backpack.  We have a waterproof fanny pack that easily holds the cash and credit cards...and even if it leaks it is no biggie (just have to dry the cash).  It is also wise to not wear valuable jewelry (including watches) when traveling in many countries.  

 

The story we have oft posted happened while we were on a Celebrity Silhouette cruise in Europe about 5 years ago.  While we were docked in Ashdod, Israel, a group of us went to Tel Aviv and were walking along the lovely beach.  While several of us were eating lunch, another couple decided to keep walking the beach and then take a dip in the Sea.  They left their stuff on the beach (they were only going a few yards away) and ask another couple to keep an eye on their stuff.  After a short dip in the sea they returned to find their stuff gone (along with the couple that was supposed to keep an eye on everything) which included a credit card and both their Passports.  Fortunately we were going to Haifa the following day and that couple spent the entire day (and hundreds of dollars) running around and doing what was necessary to get emergency replacement Passports.  They were fortunate that it was a business day...because if it had been a weekend they would have had to leave the cruise and stay in Israel for a few days until they could get new Passports.  The punch line was that both of these folks were NYC Police (the man was a senior ranking Detective) and they took a lot of ribbing on the ship for their "lack of personal security."

 

Hank

[SRF]

On 4/30/2019 at 5:54 PM, Sauer-kraut said:

ship card and drivers license and credit card are all plastic ----- get a waterproof neck pouch and have fun in the water

 

 

Why?  They are all water proof, so just anything to carry them will work.

 

Passports and phones DO require being kept dry.

 

My contention is, these days, passports are not as valuable as before due to anti tampering technology.  More likely, they are stealing your money and the passport goes along.  I suspect most times, the passport ends up in a nearby trashcan.

 

My wife had her purse stolen at work.  The purse, and most of the contents was in a dumpster out back.  They took the wallet only.

[Hlitner]

14 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Why?  They are all water proof, so just anything to carry them will work.

 

Passports and phones DO require being kept dry.

 

My contention is, these days, passports are not as valuable as before due to anti tampering technology.  More likely, they are stealing your money and the passport goes along.  I suspect most times, the passport ends up in a nearby trashcan.

 

My wife had her purse stolen at work.  The purse, and most of the contents was in a dumpster out back.  They took the wallet only.

Actually, Passports are still quite valuable although not always in the way one would think.  Stolen Passports can (and are) used as part of International Identity theft schemes.  With a Passport it is possible to open financial accounts (anywhere in the world),  use online data bases to obtain personal info that can help ID theft,  use the Passport as an ID to open charge accounts,  take out major loans, etc.  They are still sold on the "dark net" where a valid US Passport still goes for up to  $2000.  Thieves will often package them with forged credit cards and other ID.  If you are a victim of identity theft the cost in terms of money and stress can be quite nasty.  And it can take many months (or longer) of hard work to clear up an identity theft mess.  IMHO, losing (or have stolen) a Passport today is even worse then it was years ago when it had more value.  Identity theft is a relatively new problem and it is huge.  I saw one study which estimated that in 2014, ID theft cost Americans over $15 Billion...and the problem is worse now.   And none of this even takes into account the hassles (and expense) of replacing a Passport when outside the country.  

 

Hank

[SRF]

Hmm, how do they steal your identity, your actual identity, with only the info on a passport?

 

No SSN, just name and birth date.

 

Still, do you think the average pickpocket is selling passports on the dark web?  Not to mention that being found with that passport, in many countries, would be a quick trip to jail (no innocent until proven guilty in many countries, and in some, having it would be proof of guilt).

 

I still do not believe there are thieves out trying to get passports.  If they happen to grab a purse or wallet, and get a passport, MAYBE.  But targeted?  NO.