Do we bring our passports ashore?

Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

There's a safe in your cabin. Leave the passports in there. You might
want to bring a photocopy of the first page, with all the pertinent
data (picture, passport #, etc.) and keep that with you, but I never
do...

I bring my drivers licence, a credit card and cash with me, when I go
ashore. You cany buy a little waterproof "wallet" - really a little
plastic case with a rubber gasket, usually with a lanyard so you can
throw it around your neck. I also use a little drybag fanny pack, when
I go snorkeling, and throw everything in there - but it all goes into a
ziplock, before it goes into the drybag, for added waterproofness.

Lee


bc wrote:
Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

I'd look for a secure place on the ship to store your valuables. The ship
should have a place for that purpose. As for your passport, I would carry it
with me at all times. Remember, you will be in a different country and U.S.
laws do not apply, so you may need help from U.S. officials in that country.

JP......expert authority on traveling to 3rd world, undeveloped countries.


"bc" .@. wrote in message
news
Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we
go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

Really does depend on the port, but what normally happens is you get a
photocopy of your passports and use them. You keep your passports in
the safe on the boat.

As a sidenote:
We always keep 2 copies of our passports, driving licenses, and visa
cards. My wife carries one set, and I carry the other. The
passport/driving license goes with us on our outings and the visa cards
paperwork stays with the passports.

That way if we lose our credit cards/passports we always have a backup
and the phone numbers.




bc wrote:
Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

JP wrote:
I'd look for a secure place on the ship to store your valuables. The ship
should have a place for that purpose.

Geez, this just shows that you have never been on a modern cruise ship!!

There are safes in the cabin on most modern ships, maybe even on all.
For sure there are safes on the Navigater of the Sea. If there is a
problem with the cabin safe, you can always take your valuables to the
purser dest to be put in their safe.

sue

"bc" .@. wrote:

Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

As others have mentioned, there is a safe in the cabin.

However non-US citizens may have to give their passports to the cruise
ship - at least Canadians had to do so on our last cruise. The ship
holds them until the end of the cruise. So they couldn't take their
passports with them even if they wanted to.

The only thing that I can think of that you would need it for is if
the ship left you behind, or if you were going to a local bank to cash
a traveler's check. Otherwise it is just something to lose or get
stolen

When I go off the ship I take ONE credit card, a small amount of cash,
the card that the ship gives me to get on and off the ship and get
into my cabin and my cameras, and that's all. The cards it doesn't
matter if they get wet, and the cash it doesn't matter that much
either. So the only thing I have to worry about is the cameras, and
the likelihood of getting wet is taken into account when I plan the
day.

I do have a copy of the front page of the passport (and the front and
back of all the credit cards and driver's license) which I carry with
me when I'm flying, as in to and from the ship or for any other
non-automobile travel. Actually I put a copy in each bag and carry
one separate from the passport itself. I also have a copy that I
leave with a family member.

I like the idea of a drybag fannypack! I've been using a small
regular fanny pack when I snorkel with my wallet packed in small
drybag. In the wallet is a photocopy of passport, spare credit card,
and a little cash. Just enough that I can get back to the ship, or
fly to the next port if I have to.

--fg

On 27 Nov 2006 09:58:00 -0800, "LeeNY" wrote:

There's a safe in your cabin. Leave the passports in there. You might
want to bring a photocopy of the first page, with all the pertinent
data (picture, passport #, etc.) and keep that with you, but I never
do...

I bring my drivers licence, a credit card and cash with me, when I go
ashore. You cany buy a little waterproof "wallet" - really a little
plastic case with a rubber gasket, usually with a lanyard so you can
throw it around your neck. I also use a little drybag fanny pack, when
I go snorkeling, and throw everything in there - but it all goes into a
ziplock, before it goes into the drybag, for added waterproofness.

Lee


bc wrote:
Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?
If we bring them, what do you folks recommend to carry valuables so they
don't get wet?
Thanks in advance,
bc

bc wrote:
Hi,
We will be taking our first cruise on Dec. 23 (RCL Navigator of the Seas,
Western Caribbean)
and my wife and I were wondering if we take our passports with us when we go
on shore excursions, or do we leave them on the ship? If we leave them, is
there a safe in the room?

On RCL, Princess and a bunch of other cruise lines, your card is all
you need ashore, because they snap an ID photo of you on boarding.

Lock the passports in your room safe when you board. I don't think
you'd need them in the Caribbean, with the cruise ship people so close
by. In Europe on long trips, I'd take the passport.

On Disney, I was shocked to find that they don't take a picture of you
to associate with your ship boarding/credit card, so they require you
to take photo ID ashore. They even wanted that on their private
island, although I don't think they checked it.

Kevin

wrote:

On RCL, Princess and a bunch of other cruise lines, your card is all
you need ashore, because they snap an ID photo of you on boarding.

Even with the sign and sail card having a photo, many times they tell
you to take a photo ID ashore. On our last cruise, Crown Princess
8/06, we had to show our photo ID in St. Thomas to get onto the pier.
I think we also had to show it in Grand Turk.

sue

Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:
wrote:

On RCL, Princess and a bunch of other cruise lines, your card is all
you need ashore, because they snap an ID photo of you on boarding.

Even with the sign and sail card having a photo, many times they tell
you to take a photo ID ashore. On our last cruise, Crown Princess
8/06, we had to show our photo ID in St. Thomas to get onto the pier.
I think we also had to show it in Grand Turk.

No kidding? Weird. Last year on Princess we didn't need the photo id
on St Thomas. Was it the St Thomas folk who wanted to see the id, or
the ship?

It's all so silly anyway. They barely glance at the photo id either on
the ship or via shore customs at, say, Nassau.

Cheers, Kev