What do you bring off ship?

[LukeyC]

Hi!  It's been a while since I cruised--so I need a refresher---When you get off at a port (Mexico), what documents etc do you need to bring with you in order to get back on the ship?  Thanks! 🙂

[awestover89]

At a minimum just your seapass card. Individual ports will specify if a passport/drivers license/other photo ID is required.

 

I personally always take my drivers license and seapass card with, whether it's required or not

[George C]

Agree for most ports you always need sea pass card and picture Id so we also bring drivers license 

[MicCanberra]

We tend to have our Seapass, Passport and an photo ID as well.

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

We tend to have our Seapass, Passport and an photo ID as well.

 

Passport is the contentious one..

Not required in most ports - and, as number89 has posted, you'll be advised of any that do.

 

Some folk (presumably Mic being one of them) prefer to take theirs ashore.

That's a matter of personal choice & depends what you're comfortable with.

 

Your passport won't get lost, stolen or damaged if you leave it in your cabin safe. That's particularly important if you go ashore to swim off a beach.

 

OTOH, if you miss your sailing, you're in a foreign country potentially watching your ship - and your passport - sailing away. But the crew will know that they're sailing away without you, and in theory at least will retrieve your passport from your cabin safe & hand it to their port agent. 

 

Because the number of folk whose passports get lost or stolen ashore exceed those who miss their sailing, and because  the consequences of a stolen passport (ID theft, illegal immigration, etc) can be significant, cruise lines recommend that you leave the passport in your cabin safe.

But there's no rule on that - it's what YOU are happy to do.

 

JB 

[MicCanberra]

As you say there are pros and cons to whatever you do with your passport. Individuals need to weigh them up and suit what risk factors fit for them.

[cb at sea]

You will need your ship's key to depart and reboard the ship.  You should ALWAYS have ID on you, whether you need it or not.  Bring your DL...same size as the ship's key.  A bit of money and one credit card will do for spending ashore.  You  will not need your passport...leave it in your cabin safe.

[George C]

When we did Europe we did take a copy of passport but left real passport in ships safe

[ontheweb]

Once in Key West where we were told to bring picture ID plus our cruise card, I somehow physically lost my license. They did allow me back on the ship.

 

(later after the expense and hassle of replacing my license, someone must have found it and mailed it to me as I received it in my mail.)

[taglovestocruise]

We are in the group that never takes our passport of the ship, until final day. Miss the ship and your passport will be waiting for you, lose or have your passport stolen while onshore opens a whole can of worms.

[MicCanberra]

I suppose the important thing is keep it safe either way.

[gadaboutgal]

Note that the key place to leave your passport on the ship is in your safe.  

[K32682]

What the decision boils down to is how self-reliant you are.  If you want to depend on the cruise line finding and leaving your passport and depend on the port agent being available when you return or depend on him/her getting your passport to you if you are incapacitated.  Neither the cruise line or the port agent are going to care as much about your problem as you do. 

 

I carry my passport when in foreign countries with the exception of the U.S.A. A little thought to how you carry your passport can reduce the theft risk significantly and while you may never need a passport when ashore if you do you tend to really need it.  I prefer not to depend on the kindness of strangers. 

[zqvol]

On 5/7/2019 at 9:20 PM, LukeyC said:

Hi!  It's been a while since I cruised--so I need a refresher---When you get off at a port (Mexico), what documents etc do you need to bring with you in order to get back on the ship?  Thanks! 🙂

 

Your ship card and a photo ID. leave the passport and/or birth certificate on the ship.

[SRQbeachgirl]

We take photos of our passports with our cell phones and then leave the passports in the cabin safe. That way, we at least have the photos if we run into a problem. Other than that, we take our sea pass, drivers license, and credit card.

[nissach]

We have been told take our passports in some ports and then never asked to show them.  I hate the thought of losing it while in port.   I like the idea of taking a picture of it.

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, nissach said:

We have been told take our passports in some ports and then never asked to show them.  I hate the thought of losing it while in port.   I like the idea of taking a picture of it.

 

Hmmm, there's a difference between choosing to take them & being told to.

 

In Venice a few years back we were told to take them with us.

We don't need to in other Italian ports, we don't need to in Venice.

So we left them in the cabin safe.

And nobody challenged us when we left the ship.

 

When we got back to the ship, we were asked by immigration to show our passports.

Oooooops 

Passport still on the ship?  

Go join the naughty line. 

So we joined a little line of miscreants to meekly give our names & show our sea-passes, an over-worked Princess crew member went thro the manifest, gave a nod to a seriously pissed-off immigration officer, and we were allowed through. 

 

Does anyone know if it's still a rule in Venice?

 

JB