Question about passports while in port..

[sherrintxs]

Do you take your passports with you when you get off at the port? Also, I am safe leaving our birth certificates at home since we now have passports, right?

 

TIA

[Big Al B.]

Yes, you should not need your birth certificates now :).

You will find differing opinons about taking the passport with you on shore. We always leave ours locked in the cabin safe and just carry a copy of the first two pages (in color).

[Cotton]

Yes, there are varying opinions on this. I would never set foot on any foreign soil without my original passport. I leave a copy in my safe in the cabin.

 

My reasoning is this...

I've heard of too many folks getting into some type trouble on islands/foreign lands, and officials do NOT accept copies of anything. Copies can be altered; originals can't. If some unforeseen event should take place, I WILL have the necessary document - my passport.:)

[Hold]

No need to carry your birth certificate if you have a US passport with you. You did not say where you're sailing. In the Caribbean I see no need to take it ashore.

[Hootsie]

You should never step foot out of this country without your passport. A copy of it means nothing. What if something happened while you were on shore?? You can keep a copy in the safe in your room (and that only helps you get a replacement) but bring your original on shore at all times.

[zqvol]

Never take your passport off the ship. On a lot of lines they hold all passports so you don't have a choice. It is never a problem.

[Cotton]

Carnival doesn't hold passengers' passports. (I think I heard they do for Canadians and some other group?) but not U.S. citizens.

[Big Al B.]

I believe all the lines hold non-US citizens passports. I'm not sure if this holds for leaving a non-US port (i.e. Mediterranean cruises, etc)

[lv2crooz2]

I would never leave the ship without my passport. Anything can happen while ashore. Cotton...I'm curious as to why you leave a copy in your room? I'll be sure to copy ours before next month:)

[funcorn]

I always carry my passport with me when in a foreign port. I do not leave it on the ship. After 9/11 I even carried my passport with me whenever I went on vacation in the US. Call it paranoia, but what if I needed to leave the country hurriedly, or what if another disaster occurred and I needed to prove my citizenship.----Lot's of "what ifs" I do not, however, carry it in my purse. It is usually in a security wallet that is safety-pinned inside my pants/skirt. I just feel more comfortable doing it that way. I do keep a copy of the face page in my suitcase or safe and my daughter keeps a copy at home when I'm traveling.

[PurpleCow]

When you're on Mediteranean or European cruises most, if not all, cruise lines will take your passport when you board and return it the night before you disembark. When you get it back it will have entry and exit stamps from the countries you've visited. The customs officer(s) board the ship and stamp everyone in and then everyone out. Can you inagine having to stand in line to pass customs in every port when you get on and off the ship?

[SaylorGirl]

When you're on Mediteranean or European cruises most, if not all, cruise lines will take your passport when you board and return it the night before you disembark. When you get it back it will have entry and exit stamps from the countries you've visited. The customs officer(s) board the ship and stamp everyone in and then everyone out. Can you inagine having to stand in line to pass customs in every port when you get on and off the ship?

 

Purple Cow - that is not entirely true, on Princess we keep our passports they did not take them. Also, many of the EU countries do not stamp your passport since you are free to travel between the countries. Also, I would never leave the ship without my passport. I do keep a copy in the safe in case something would happen and I would need to expidite a new passport it is faster if you have a copy. My opinion is you can't board a plane with a copy of your license, why would a copy of your passport help you on foreign soil?

[PurpleCow]

Purple Cow - that is not entirely true, on Princess we keep our passports they did not take them. Also, many of the EU countries do not stamp your passport since you are free to travel between the countries. Also, I would never leave the ship without my passport. I do keep a copy in the safe in case something would happen and I would need to expidite a new passport it is faster if you have a copy. My opinion is you can't board a plane with a copy of your license, why would a copy of your passport help you on foreign soil?

That's why I said "most." Oceania took my passport when I boarded Insignia in Istanbul and when the passport was returned I found an exit stamp from Turkey and an entrance stamp for Greece (I got that exit stamp at the airport when I flew home) and both entrance and exit stamps from Croatia. Greece was the only EU country. Because I knew that there were at least 684 other pax on shore without their passports i didn't worry about it. I'm sure that Oceania is not the only cruise line that does this.

[kitty9]

I'm on a Panama Canal cruise right now and our cruise director has repeatedly said NOT to take your passports off the ship at any time. He recommended taking a photocopy of the information page of the passport. I saw him in the hall and asked why he recommended not taking the passport off the ship and he said that all too often, passengers lose them or they are stolen by the locals. He said he always tells passengers to leave the passports in their safes when they leave the ship.

 

The mass market lines, for reasons I don't understand, don't take your passports when you cruise Europe, but all other lines do take them and they do not return them to you until the final day of the cruise. I've had my passport taken by Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea and Radisson (they all take them even for Caribbean/Alaska/Mexico cruises) and you don't see them again until you disembark. So I guess if the cruise lines don't feel you have the need to have your passport with you, then I've never worried about it either.

 

As for getting into trouble in ports, according to the US Passport website, all you need to get an emergency passport is the following: a photocopy of your info page from your passport, a state issued photo ID and in some cases they will accept a declaration from another US citizen vouching that you're a US citizen. I know this sounds strange, but that's the case.

[dyin2cruz]

so how do you keep close track of passports and other doc or valuables while in port and possibly swimmong or doing something else?

[Keith1010]

When you go off the ship, in most countries, there is no need to take your passport with you. Many cruise lines do hold your passport for you. I have been on three of them that held our passport (Crystal, Seabourn and Princess) and I know some of the others do. Yes, some don't. We always make a couple of copies of our passport which we still don't take off the ship with us, but if you felt nervous about not having it then make a copy and take it off the ship with you.

 

In most ports, I take as very little as possible with me. I will take a picture ID with me (eg., drivers license), one credit card, a little money and the cruise card. I think the less the better.

 

On occassion a specific country might have requirements but this ranges from country to country. One time, the country we visited (I can't remember which one) required that we do carry our passports with us so we had to stop by the front desk of the cruise ship to get our passport back for that day. But, that was only once out of many countries that we have visited while cruising, so definitely the exception and not the rule.

 

Keith

[franu]

When travelling in the Med. my passport was taken by both companies. They took everyone's except for those people who travel owith a European Union passport. All others' passports need to be examined by the customs officers of each landing country.

 

It is easier to keep them and have them when the ship"s officers need them.

 

You may get your passport from the Pursar's office before you leave the ship as long as it has been examined with all of the others. They, most likely, will require it to be returned to them upon your return to the ship. Please understand that it is needed at each port upon docking and this may be very early in the morning, while you are asleep.

 

Stamping of your passport is a decision made by each country. In the European Union they will usually stamp when you arrive from a non-EU country and when you leave on your way home. Other countries usually stamp although mine has been stamped in front of my eyes but no ink was used.

Fran

[michmike]

checkout http://www.magellan.com good source for travel items like security wallets that loop over your belt and tuck into your pants or pin to a skirt, as well as water tight neck safes for keeping your valuables while swimming

[PurpleCow]

The correct URL is http://www.magellans.com/ ;) If you leave the "s" off you'll get to a different site. Lotsa good stuff there.

[BobBeaSea]

As a Canadian we won't have our passports to take ashore in the Caribbean for at least some of the ports. We do have a copy but the reality is passports are not required for the main East and West Carib. sailings. If you have ID such as a drivers license and credit card along with a copy of your passport you will be OK. The only hitch is starting next year when passports are required to fly to the U.S. An example of this is an Eastern sailing, Bahamas-San Juan-St. Thomas; Canadians and other foreign nationals will not have their passports in the Bahamas, if they miss the ship, they have to fly to the next port-San Juan which is American territory. How are they going to do this without a passport-you won't have yours because the ship has it. There are a lot of questions to be answered for when the new American passport requirements become effective Jan. 1, 2007.

[greatam]

As a Canadian we won't have our passports to take ashore in the Caribbean for at least some of the ports. We do have a copy but the reality is passports are not required for the main East and West Carib. sailings. If you have ID such as a drivers license and credit card along with a copy of your passport you will be OK. The only hitch is starting next year when passports are required to fly to the U.S. An example of this is an Eastern sailing, Bahamas-San Juan-St. Thomas; Canadians and other foreign nationals will not have their passports in the Bahamas, if they miss the ship, they have to fly to the next port-San Juan which is American territory. How are they going to do this without a passport-you won't have yours because the ship has it. There are a lot of questions to be answered for when the new American passport requirements become effective Jan. 1, 2007.

 

A copy of your passport page, preferably in color, other ID and the assistance of the port agent should get you on and off the plane. If you have to fly to the next port, the port agent or someone from the ship in the next port will probably meet the plane to speed your way through immigration. The ship could very easily send someone with the original passport.

[jaxon41]

I thought the passport requirement to the caribbean was changed again to Dec. 2007 -- I keep reading all different dates and even went to the IRS site and couldn't make out what the drop dead date is. We are taking a family cruise in 2007, and none of the family, except for us, have passports so I really NEED to know the exact date. Thanks.

[benjidog]

It's Dec 06. Here's the link to the page that answers that question. I hope it works. I've not tried linking to web pages before.

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

[jaxon41]

It's Dec 06. Here's the link to the page that answers that question. I hope it works. I've not tried linking to web pages before.

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html

 

Lost my last post where I quoted that site -- but it contains my problem -- the Dec 2006 date is only a proposal at this point -- it must go through the public comment and regulatory process first, and it has been pushed back before. I think I need to call the number that is listed to see where it all is. I hate to have to tell my family -- 12 of them -- that there is more that they now have to do, and pay for. I have long since forgotten the cost of a passport, but as we all know, it is additional time and trouble. My family members are not travelers, and I have had to walk them through every single step of trying to get this family cruise together, (repeatedly, as we all know there is the "lost the email" or "didn't read it carefully" kind of thing that is inevitable) assuring them that there are no hidden costs (shoot!). With fuel costs and airline fares, it's pretty darned tight for some of them, not to mention for me because we are "treating" one of them, and I am already over budget on that account.

 

Thanks for trying to help -- I appreciate it.

[KruznKel]

Canadians are allowed to keep their passports.. We just returned 03/12 .. We carried our passports with us off the ship... I would not leave something that important anywhere but on my person!!