Do you take your passport with you?

[shari1737]

I would not leave the ship without mine. Even if you are on a ship sponsored excursion, things happen & I would much rather have the security of having mine with me just in case we had to stay in that country after the ship left. Your passport in the safe on the ship isn't going to help you get home. Even if I do a water excursion, I still bring it.

[poutytink]

Do you need a passport to fly home from Grand Turk or St Thomas?

[LemurCat]

Do you need a passport to fly home from Grand Turk or St Thomas?

 

St. Thomas is part of the US Virgin Islands, so no.

 

Grand Turk is *NOT* a US possession (it's part of the British Commonwealth), so yes.

[poutytink]

I thought so...just wanted to make sure....thanks LemurCat!!:o

[LemurCat]

I thought so...just wanted to make sure....thanks LemurCat!!:o

 

Anytime!

[G'ma]

You photo ID and account card will work fine.

 

I always take my passport...it's a personal choice. It's the only thing that will identify me as a U.S. citizen if something should happen ashore like being in an accident, missing the ship,etc...and it's the only document that will permit me to fly home from a foreign place.....copies won't do it, neither will a photo ID.

 

I've carried my passport since the first one in 1965,,never lost it, forgot it, had it stolen. But, over the years, I've sure had to use it more than once.

 

I carry a copy in my suitcase and leave a copy at home just in case.....but it's worthless ashore if a passport is required for any reason.

[fllady61]

I dont because we never leave the port shopping area. IF i were going on and exchursion not through carnival, i would take it just in case. but i don't pay for exchursions. My health does not allow me to do too much at a time, so I stay close to the ship in case I get too tired.

[CRUISING71]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all the advices...I think I will put my in the ziplock bag and take it with us.

 

Thanks,

Tibbie

[Jay B]

If we take a non-Carnival excursion in a port served by tenders, there is a very slight chance that we'll get back to the port a little late. In that case, we'll carry our passports with us as well as a credit card. So what happens if we have to catch a plane from Belize back to the US?

 

j

[CalmCruiserNC]

Then why get one?

 

In the event you miss the ship while in a foreign port, or you or a family member becomes ill and have to fly home from a foreign port, or a home emergency forces you to leave the cruise early, or if the ship gets diverted to a foreign port for disembarkation -- those are just a few reasons to have your passport with you.

 

That said, while my wife and I always travel with our passports, we generally carry just a photocopy of the ID pages of our passports with us if the ship is docked and we're only going shopping nearby.

 

We had our passports stolen on a land vacation in Mexico City -- was inconvenient for a couple of days while we waited for our temporary passports to be issued. We also had all but one of our credit cards stolen, so we could have been in some BAD shape -- and we were lucky we were in a city with an American Embassy, which is the ONLY place to get a temporary passport when you're out of the country. They were GREAT by the way.

[PeggyTC]

I see you are going on the Carnival Splendor so i don't know about the mexican resorts you are going to however.... When we went to the Eastern Carribean in Feb we went to Nassua, Bahamas and you HAD to show your passport in order to get through the gates from the docks. Then also on the way back to get back to the ships. You may want to check with your travel agent or Carnival

[PeggyTC]

Sorry about that when i glanced at your post i thought you were on Carnival Splendor. Again i think asking your TA would be your best bet

[CalmCruiserNC]

I see you are going on the Carnival Splendor so i don't know about the mexican resorts you are going to however.... When we went to the Eastern Carribean in Feb we went to Nassua, Bahamas and you HAD to show your passport in order to get through the gates from the docks. Then also on the way back to get back to the ships. You may want to check with your travel agent or Carnival

 

We did indeed double-check as well -- surprisingly, Carnival insists that a passport is unnecessary for the ports we're heading to. We'll definitely take ours with us just in case something changes. We're on the same sailing as the OP -- she's on our Roll Call, even if her countdown clock says Splendor of the Seas

[WinnieinWA]

A former ambassador to a foreign country told me never to set foot outside of the US without one and always keep it on me. I follow his advice.

 

We got them for safety/security in the event of an emergency. Having it locked in the safe won't help if there's an issue on the island. :confused:

 

I AGREE and I take mine with me!

[cuyahoga11]

Where I go my passport goes. You don't need one to sail on closed loop cruises so if you are not going to carry it with you on foreign soil you might as well leave it at home.

[salty dingo]

We leave the passports in the safe. The risk of losing the passport is too great, and the benefits of having it are too small. The net of it all is that you are much better off not carrying the passport.

[bobsfamily]

Originally Posted by Froufie I never ever take the passport off the ship

Originally Posted by bobsfamily Then why get one?

 

In the event you miss the ship while in a foreign port, or you or a family member becomes ill and have to fly home from a foreign port, or a home emergency forces you to leave the cruise early, or if the ship gets diverted to a foreign port for disembarkation -- those are just a few reasons to have your passport with you.

MY post was in response to Froufie's I AGREE you need to take one.... Good lord the people who see A post and don't read why it was posted... I was being SARCASTIC that someone would get a passport and still leave it on board where it is no good.

[bobsfamily]

Because it is mandatory to fly out of the country for a land vacation........

Really? Did you read why I posted that comment....

[bobsfamily]

We leave the passports in the safe. The risk of losing the passport is too great, and the benefits of having it are too small. The net of it all is that you are much better off not carrying the passport.

The risk of spending thousands in trying to get home from a foreign country is greater than losing a document you got for the express reason of showing that you are a US citizen.... I really do not understand the mind-reasoning of GETTING a passport but refusing to use it for what it was intended for. TAKE THE PASSPORT WITH YOU!

[Froufie]

The risk of spending thousands in trying to get home from a foreign country is greater than losing a document you got for the express reason of showing that you are a US citizen.... I really do not understand the mind-reasoning of GETTING a passport but refusing to use it for what it was intended for. TAKE THE PASSPORT WITH YOU!

 

I don't understand? How would having a passport save you THOUSANDS of dollars if you are in a foreign country and have to get home? I presume there may be a cost involved in getting proof of citizenship - but all other costs would remain the same? (I actually have a canadian citizenship laminated card that I can take off the ship with me which I hope would help!)

[zoncom]

A passport is probably the most valuable thing you will carry on your cruise. It belongs in a safe onboard. Years ago it (USA pp), was worth $1000. on black market. Sure it hasnt gone down. Make copy of it and drivers license to carry on your person, hopefully in moneybelt.

[bobsfamily]

A passport is probably the most valuable thing you will carry on your cruise. It belongs in a safe onboard. Years ago it (USA pp), was worth $1000. on black market. Sure it hasnt gone down. Make copy of it and drivers license to carry on your person, hopefully in moneybelt.

A copy does you NO GOOD in a safe.... HOW simple can it be. You get a passport to PROVE you are a US citizen... when that very low paid official wants to see your passport as you see the ship sail away what are you going to do? I've had enough... if you don't get it by now you never will.

 

There was a thread about this a couple of weeks ago, a person wrote about a true case of their friends ADULT kids who were left in Mexico. Between the airfare, hotel rooms, cost of NEW passport (ones on board arrived home about the time they got new one issued - they had to be removed from "safe", and mail to the home address) it was several thousand. You might be right about the airfare, but IF they had had their passports with them they could have flown to the next port. Since they had no passport they could not fly from a foreign country to ANOTHER foreign country... the best the could do was fly home after more than a week getting new passports.

[Kurbanfan]

Really? Did you read why I posted that comment....

 

You asked why get a passport......and I replied.........that is why I got mine....so I could do a land vacation out of the country.......

[Kurbanfan]

I see you are going on the Carnival Splendor so i don't know about the mexican resorts you are going to however.... When we went to the Eastern Carribean in Feb we went to Nassua, Bahamas and you HAD to show your passport in order to get through the gates from the docks. Then also on the way back to get back to the ships. You may want to check with your travel agent or Carnival

 

This is not true........all you need is a government id (drivers license) and your sail and sign card.........

[sprockie]

We missed our ship in St. Thomas about 10 years ago pre-911. We only had our ship ID card and a Visa. We had the port authority write a letter verifying we were who we were so we could fly. I don't think now things would be quite so easy.

I will never leave the ship without my passport again. Hard lesson learned.