Passport or Copy

[evelyn51]

Is it required in Bermuda (Anthem Sailing) to have the actual passport when going into Bermuda, and getting back onboard or is a copy sufficient? Thanks.

[Clarea]

They will tell you to take a govenment issued photo ID off the ship.

[evelyn51]

Just now, Host Clarea said:

They will tell you to take a govenment issued photo ID off the ship.

Good to know because while my husband is driving us to the Airport, I wasn't going to bring my license.  Thanks.

[blackshirt]

Neither the actual passport nor a copy are required. They always tell you to have a government issued photo Id to reboard but that is rarely enforced. A passport copy may not suffice if an id is requested.

Edited June 10, 2019 by blackshirt

[gerif]

The only reason a passport would be required is if you needed to fly home for any reason. A copy does no good for anything other than to possibly expedite issuance of a new passport if the actual one is lost. 

[stevea36]

33 minutes ago, blackshirt said:

Neither the actual passport nor a copy are required. They always tell you to have a government issued photo Id to reboard but that is rarely enforced. A passport copy may not suffice if an id is requested.

When I was in Bermuda last month they DID check your photo ID to make sure the name matches the seapass.  A Driver's License was accepted.   But, as others have said, have your passport on the trip with you (I keep mine in the safe) as it will be necessary should you need to return home by some other means of transportation.

 

[cruiseguy1016]

1 minute ago, stevea36 said:

When I was in Bermuda last month they DID check your photo ID to make sure the name matches the seapass.  A Driver's License was accepted.   But, as others have said, have your passport on the trip with you (I keep mine in the safe) as it will be necessary should you need to return home by some other means of transportation.

 

 

A passport doesn't do you much good if you're stuck on land and your passport is in your safe. We always bring ours with us when we leave the ship.

[stevea36]

2 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

A passport doesn't do you much good if you're stuck on land and your passport is in your safe. We always bring ours with us when we leave the ship.

If you are going to be left behind the ships' security staff will open your safe and retrieve your passports and leave them with the port agent.   If you have some other sort of emergency they will get them to you.

 

[cruiseguy1016]

3 minutes ago, stevea36 said:

If you are going to be left behind the ships' security staff will open your safe and retrieve your passports and leave them with the port agent.   If you have some other sort of emergency they will get them to you.

 

 

I know this happens some (or even most) of the time but it does not happen ALL of the time. It's not a chance I'm willing to take. When in a foreign country, I carry my passport with me.

[SantaFeFan]

2 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

A passport doesn't do you much good if you're stuck on land and your passport is in your safe. We always bring ours with us when we leave the ship.

 

If you need to leave early for an emergency at home, wouldn't you go back to the ship to get your belongings? I sure would. And I would pick up my passport while in the room as part of the packing to go home. 

 

If you miss the ship's departure, one of two things will happen - you either were proactive and took the port representative's phone number with you (the number is on the daily newsletter in your room) to let them know you will be late and to ask them to retrieve your passport and hold it until you arrive, or you don't show up and they will look in your safe for a passport, retrieve it if it there, and hand it over to the port rep for you to pick up when you finally arrive. 

 

Carrying your passport has virtually zero benefit since your passport will be made available to you in case you can't leave with the ship. 

[SantaFeFan]

18 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

I know this happens some (or even most) of the time but it does not happen ALL of the time. It's not a chance I'm willing to take. When in a foreign country, I carry my passport with me.

 

I know of zero instances where people were left behind without that simple courtesy being provided to the passengers. If it happens at all, it is extremely rare since we never hear about such problems here on CC, where you can bet people would come and complain if it did. It is in the better interest of the cruise lines to provide that very simple customer service as it can be done at no cost to the cruise line, and avoids extremely bad PR. I consider it a no-brainer on the cruise lines part to do as they say they will, even if they do it for no other reason than for their own benefit. 

 

The chances of your passport being lost, stolen or forcibly taken during a robbery is much higher than you being left behind with your passport still in the safe.

 

But then again, I am a trusting person and believe it when the cruise lines say they will do this. Just like I believe the cruise lines will prepare my food in a safe and sanitary manner, will operate the ship safely and without careless risk to it's passenger, and will not steal my belongings when they access my stateroom. Obviously, some people have trust issues. 😉

Edited June 10, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, blackshirt said:

Neither the actual passport nor a copy are required. They always tell you to have a government issued photo Id to reboard but that is rarely enforced. A passport copy may not suffice if an id is requested.

A lot depends on the port and when you head back to the ship. The only time our ID hasn't been checked was when we returned to the ship shortly before sail away when hundreds of people were waiting to get back on-board. All other times our IDs were checked. 

1 hour ago, gerif said:

The only reason a passport would be required is if you needed to fly home for any reason. A copy does no good for anything other than to possibly expedite issuance of a new passport if the actual one is lost. 

That's why the State Department suggest that you have a copy available (it can be on a phone or cloud as long as it can be printed). A copy of your passport is accepted as proof of citizenship and proof of citizenship needs to be provided when applying for an emergency passport.

[sparks1093]

25 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

I know of zero instances where people were left behind without that simple courtesy being provided to the passengers. If it happens at all, it is extremely rare since we never hear about such problems here on CC, where you can bet people would come and complain if it did. It is in the better interest of the cruise lines to provide that very simple customer service as it can be done at no cost to the cruise line, and avoids extremely bad PR. I consider it a no-brainer on the cruise lines part to do as they say they will, even if they do it for no other reason than for their own benefit. 

 

The chances of your passport being lost, stolen or forcibly taken during a robbery is much higher than you being left behind with your passport still in the safe.

 

But then again, I am a trusting person and believe it when the cruise lines say they will do this. Just like I believe the cruise lines will prepare my food in a safe and sanitary manner, will operate the ship safely and without careless risk to it's passenger, and will not steal my belongings when they access my stateroom. Obviously, some people have trust issues. 😉

I wouldn't say that the risk is much higher, unless of course you are in a high risk port and even then the risk is low as long as you take precautions, such as not carrying your passport with other valuables. Taking it ashore or leaving it in the safe is simply a matter of personal preference/comfort level and there is no universal right or wrong answer. (And FWIW I am lazy and don't like to carry things ashore that I don't need to carry so we leave our passports in the safe unless we actually need them ashore for some reason, such as a shore excursion or local law.)

[reallyitsmema]

13 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

A lot depends on the port and when you head back to the ship. The only time our ID hasn't been checked was when we returned to the ship shortly before sail away when hundreds of people were waiting to get back on-board. All other times our IDs were checked. 

That's why the State Department suggest that you have a copy available (it can be on a phone or cloud as long as it can be printed). A copy of your passport is accepted as proof of citizenship and proof of citizenship needs to be provided when applying for an emergency passport.

 

Do you have a link that shows that a copy is acceptable for proof of citizenship when applying for an emergency passport?

 

Edit:  Never mind, found it myself.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/lost-stolen-passport-abroad.html

Edited June 10, 2019 by reallyitsmema

[tOSUSteve]

Great read from the past...

 

[PelicanBill]

A copy of your passport facilitates identifying you for a replacement passport.  But I read a detailed account here on cruise critic of what someone went through to get their passport replaced and out of the Bahamas last year when they were late returning to the ship (of their own accord).  If you carry your passport and credit cards you can at least skip the full day it takes to get your emergency passport replacement. And you may not be able to book a flight until you have it causing another day delay. 

 

My wife and I were almost left behind even though we were on a ship excursion. The excursion returned at the all aboard time. There was a 10-15 minute walk from the excursion dock to the ship.  For most. My wife walks with a cane. It took 25 minutes. Because we were separated from everyone else they assumed we did not go on the excursion or just went off and did something else.  If I had not run ahead so they could see me I think they were going to pull up the gangway - it was 5 minutes to sail time.  Our passports had not been put ashore.  I usually carry them but this was a ship excursion so I thought there was little risk!

 

Another hint - carry your driver's license and passport in separate places in case you lose or have stolen your purse or wallet or bag.  My wife's purse was stolen after a cruise in New Orleans with her license and both our passports.  They wanted anythign with her identity printed on it to clear her to fly home.  Quite a difficult time taking an extra hour of screening at the airport.

 

[SantaFeFan]

14 minutes ago, tOSUSteve said:

Great read from the past...

 

 

A key detail in his story is that he did not bring his passport on this cruise. Even if security looked in his safe, it wasn't there - it was at home. 

 

His story is a good example why to always bring a passport, even on closed loop cruise. You never know what may happen.

 

I have watched from my balcony as passports were transferred to the port rep just before the gangway was pulled up leaving people behind.  

Edited June 10, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[sparks1093]

8 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

A key detail in his story is that he did not bring his passport on this cruise. Even if security looked in his safe, it wasn't there - it was at home. 

 

His story is a good example why to always bring a passport, even on closed loop cruise. You never know what may happen.

 

I have watched from my balcony as passports were transferred to the port rep just before the gangway was pulled up leaving people behind.  

As I recall he was carrying his expired passport with him. I read the story as more of a "have a clear plan if separated from your party" than "anything can happen" (and I believe issuing his passport took an hour and a half). He was left behind because he was waiting for the rest of his party, who had already returned to the ship. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by sparks1093

[SantaFeFan]

20 minutes ago, PelicanBill said:

My wife and I were almost left behind even though we were on a ship excursion. The excursion returned at the all aboard time. There was a 10-15 minute walk from the excursion dock to the ship.  For most. My wife walks with a cane. It took 25 minutes. Because we were separated from everyone else they assumed we did not go on the excursion or just went off and did something else.  If I had not run ahead so they could see me I think they were going to pull up the gangway - it was 5 minutes to sail time.  Our passports had not been put ashore.  I usually carry them but this was a ship excursion so I thought there was little risk!

 

If possible, in most cases the ship will wait a few minutes for any stragglers to arrive. I have seen them wait a half hour or more for late arrivals. It would have been at the very last minute that they would have retrieved your passport and turned it over to the port rep. They don't do it early in case the person eventually arrives while the ship is still there, as you did. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[tOSUSteve]

1 minute ago, sparks1093 said:

As I recall he was carrying his expired passport with him. I read the story as more of a "have a clear plan if separated from your party" than "anything can happen". He was left behind because he was waiting for the rest of his party, who had already returned to the ship. 

 

From the link...

No, I did not have a passport. Why? I've been on many cruises and assumed that nothing would ever happen to me. Wrong!

Did it cause a HUGE problem, not having one, as someone mentioned? No! Reason: The embassy was close. I can imagine it being a HUGE ordeal if it was a larger country or if the embassy was far away

[sparks1093]

52 minutes ago, tOSUSteve said:

 

From the link...

No, I did not have a passport. Why? I've been on many cruises and assumed that nothing would ever happen to me. Wrong!

Did it cause a HUGE problem, not having one, as someone mentioned? No! Reason: The embassy was close. I can imagine it being a HUGE ordeal if it was a larger country or if the embassy was far away

Also from the link:

I got my backpack and flipped it over and dumped everything out to see what I had. I had suntan lotion, wallet, old passport, birth certificate, my cell phone, headphones and RCL stuff. Oh, my swimming trunks and an extra shirt, which I usually do NOT carry or have on me, but for some reason I did

[steveru621]

The following list identifies a number of documents/items you should take with you to the embassy/consulate. Even if you are unable to present all of the documents, the consular staff will do their best to assist you to replace your passport quickly. 

Please provide:

A Passport Photo (one photo is required; get it in advance to speed the process of replacing your passport)
Identification (driver's license, expired passport etc.)
Evidence of U.S. citizenship (birth certificate, photocopy of your missing passport)
Travel Itinerary (airline/train tickets)
Police Report, if available
DS-11 Application for Passport (may be completed at time of application)
DS-64 Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport (may be completed at time of application)
Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport:

When you report the loss or theft of your passport, you must complete a statement describing the circumstances under which it was lost or stolen. You can use the U.S. Department of State form DS-64 for this purpose. 

Police Report:

A police report is not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft.  We encourage you to report the loss or theft of your U.S. passport to the local police in the country where the loss or theft occurred. However, don’t spend time obtaining a police report if doing so will cause you to miss a flight or delay your travel unreasonably.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, evelyn51 said:

Is it required in Bermuda (Anthem Sailing) to have the actual passport when going into Bermuda, and getting back onboard or is a copy sufficient? Thanks.

Do not carry either. Carry a photo ID (driver’s License). 

[maryred]

1 hour ago, steveru621 said:

...

Police Report:

A police report is not mandatory but can help confirm the circumstances of the loss or theft.  We encourage you to report the loss or theft of your U.S. passport to the local police in the country where the loss or theft occurred. However, don’t spend time obtaining a police report if doing so will cause you to miss a flight or delay your travel unreasonably.

To the OP...

Just so you know a lost or stolen copy of a passport or any other ID is not a reportable offense, as it is only worth the cost of the paper it was printed on for a police or security report. Though copies are valuable to identity thieves or having a emergency form of ID issued by a consulate, it can not be used in a foreign country as a form of ID. If your copy is stolen or lost you should request to have your old # voided and a new passport # should be issued, but without a report or direct consulate aid the whole replacement cost (treated as a renewal) will be on you. With a police or security report of your actual passport being lost or stolen the State Department will replace for free or at least at a lower cost (still have to pay the upcharge if you choose to expedite).

Think of it this way would your state police accept a copy of your driver's license if you (as a driver) were stopped for a violation or at a checkpoint? Not in most state, so in addition to whatever reason you were stopped for they could issue you a ticket for not being licensed. In the very least that means a trip back to the nearest SP barracks with your actual DL or a DMV issued paper temporary to avoid having to go to court to prove you were licensed at that time to void that portion of the ticket. 

SO your copy is only a backup document for US officials to use to issue new IDs. It is best kept safe in a place like a home firebox or safety deposit box, or by at trusted friend/relative in the same manner, so they can quickly fax or email a scan of it to the consulate. Another option is to have it accessible by a mobile device like a cell phone or tablet, but not on the actual photo on the device. Just like a copy a photo is worthless as ID, so you don't want a digital "copy" of it accessible on a device that could be stolen. (The device can be reported as lost or stolen for insurance reasons but again any proof of ID on it is not reportable.) Storage in a password protect cloud or email account will still be accepted by a consulate as proof of prior issuance.

[reallyitsmema]

7 minutes ago, maryred said:

To the OP...

Just so you know a lost or stolen copy of a passport or any other ID is not a reportable offense, as it is only worth the cost of the paper it was printed on for a police or security report. Though copies are valuable to identity thieves or having a emergency form of ID issued by a consulate, it can not be used in a foreign country as a form of ID. If your copy is stolen or lost you should request to have your old # voided and a new passport # should be issued, but without a report or direct consulate aid the whole replacement cost (treated as a renewal) will be on you. With a police or security report of your actual passport being lost or stolen the State Department will replace for free or at least at a lower cost (still have to pay the upcharge if you choose to expedite).

Think of it this way would your state police accept a copy of your driver's license if you (as a driver) were stopped for a violation or at a checkpoint? Not in most state, so in addition to whatever reason you were stopped for they could issue you a ticket for not being licensed. In the very least that means a trip back to the nearest SP barracks with your actual DL or a DMV issued paper temporary to avoid having to go to court to prove you were licensed at that time to void that portion of the ticket. 

SO your copy is only a backup document for US officials to use to issue new IDs. It is best kept safe in a place like a home firebox or safety deposit box, or by at trusted friend/relative in the same manner, so they can quickly fax or email a scan of it to the consulate. Another option is to have it accessible by a mobile device like a cell phone or tablet, but not on the actual photo on the device. Just like a copy a photo is worthless as ID, so you don't want a digital "copy" of it accessible on a device that could be stolen. (The device can be reported as lost or stolen for insurance reasons but again any proof of ID on it is not reportable.) Storage in a password protect cloud or email account will still be accepted by a consulate as proof of prior issuance.

 

The information your quoted is just a copy and paste from the link I provided above.  

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/lost-stolen-passport-abroad.html

 

That link will also show you that a replacement passport is not free, normal passport charges are charged.  In extreme instances they will waive the fee and issue a limited validity passport.