Do you take passport off ship for excursions

[maggie blossom]

If you do take your passport off how do you protect it when you are doing excursions such as swimming with dolphins, snorkeling etc?

I hate to think of leaving passports unattended on boats. Or on beach for that matter.

Similar question about cash. If I want to bring cash for souvenirs at ports how do I protect my cash when I am in water with stingrays etc??

Thanks wise people. First time cruiser here

 

[jdb in AZ]

It's easier to take a driver's license or other photo i.d. with you on shore and leave your passport in your room safe. Your license will fit with your room key card in your lanyard holder which everybuddy receives when checking in for your cruise. If you have to take your passport, you can put it in a ziploc baggy. When we swam with the dolphins we were told to just leave our stuff in little "cubbies" by the pool, which were in sight the whole time.

 

[msbiscuit]

I just got back from the Dream 3 night to the Bahamas, so I can answer your passport question easily. I did NOT take my passport off the ship in Nassau, I left it locked in the stateroom safe. I took my driver's license and a color copy of my passport, along with my KTTW card. The only 2 things that were necessary were the driver's license (a photo ID will do) and the KTTW card. They never asked for the passport.

The shore excursion I went on was not a water one, so I can't help with the cash question.

Have fun on your cruise! The Dream is spectacular!

 

[yesmylove]

I read on one of the navigators that it said to take a photo copy of your passport when you go for on shore excursions and leave the real one in the safe. As far as money and your room key we have one of those water proof cases on a lanyard that we use for the pool etc.

 

[Homemom]

We decided we'd rather be safe than sorry and if we had a problem a photocopy wouldn't be same. We bought waterproof pouches on lanyards from Amazon and wore our passports in them.

 

[Robin"D"]

This depends on the place / excursion you go on, if it is needed, it will be stated in the instructions for your excursion...
BUT ALWAYS for some form of ID with you/ as well as you KTTW card.

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[Rogillio]

We decided we'd rather be safe than sorry and if we had a problem a photocopy wouldn't be same. We bought waterproof pouches on lanyards from Amazon and wore our passports in them.

With all due respect, the 'safe' thing to do is leave them in the safe in your room. The blackmarket price of a US Passport can be as much as $30,000.

It is extremely unlikely you will need your original passport....especially if you are on a DCL excursion. The risk of losing or having it stolen is greater than the problems you might have if you missed the boat and didn't have it.

 

[Homemom]

With all due respect, the 'safe' thing to do is leave them in the safe in your room. The blackmarket price of a US Passport can be as much as $30,000.

It is extremely unlikely you will need your original passport....especially if you are on a DCL excursion. The risk of losing or having it stolen is greater than the problems you might have if you missed the boat and didn't have it.

I know everyone will have their own opinion, but for us we'd rather have them with us and had no problem carrying them on our bodies while in port.

 

[Max Webster]

The blackmarket price of a US Passport can be as much as $30,000.
QUOTE]

I'm curious, how do you know this?

 

[Rogillio]

The blackmarket price of a US Passport can be as much as $30,000.
QUOTE]

I'm curious, how do you know this?

Whenever I have to leave the country, I have to get a security briefing by my company's security people. They provide State Department warnings and such. This little bit of trivia stuck with me from one of those briefing.

BTW, some people think they have to give their passport to the hotel front desk when traveling abroad. Do NOT do this! Give them a copy of the passport but do not surrender your passport to them. They are NOT officials of the government and you are under no obligation to give them your passport. People see this in the movies and so think they need to give their passport to the hotel but this is not required and ill advised.


Just did a quick google search and found this:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Lost-your-passport-in-a-foreign-land-Here-is-your-survival-guide

Which states: You may not have realized, there is a black market for passports. Each country’s passport is worth some money to someone. United States Passport is the most valuable, worth between US$35,000 to $50,000 or more, and it is the favorite jackpot for the pickpockets and thieves. After all, normal travelers don’t usually carry that much money, or wear that expensive of watch or jewelry.

 

[justmestace]

I use a Splash Caddy for swimming. Inside the fanny pack are Coast Guard approved zip-seal pouches. I keep my ID, money, credit cards, etc in it. I've never had a problem with leaking. They have the larger size here, and also a Splash Caddy Junior.


http://www.magellans.com/store/Wallets___Money_Belts___Security_Wallets___Money_BeltsSV834?Args=


Also....after years of cruising and traveling out of the country, we NEVER take our passports out with us. Leave it in the safe and take other photo ID and a copy of your passport.

 

[mnsweeps]

What about folks who are not US citizens? My in laws are from India and carry Indian passports. They do have US green cards which they will be carrying with them.

 

[Cheryllynn74]

If we miss getting back to the boat in time (which I realize will probably never happen) will just a "copy" of our passport suffice in order to get transportation to the next place or back home? The only reason I spent money on the passports was in case this happens. I would be surprised if a copy would be ok instead of the actual passport.

 

[justmestace]

What about folks who are not US citizens? My in laws are from India and carry Indian passports. They do have US green cards which they will be carrying with them.

I'd have them do the same still....just carry a copy of their passports. The last thing I ever want to lose is my passport.
But depending on the type of excursion....if you're just going to be touring, and not going in the water, then if you have a secure way of carrying everything, they might want to take theirs.

 

[Happy100]

we take our passport off shore with us b/c if you miss the boat for any reason you will have to have this. Plus i worry about getting in any type of unusal situations with out my passport in a foreign country which would not be good. We have to have a passport to travel abroad for a reason and leaving it in the safe on the ship is not that reason.

also plenty of water proof pouches you can purchase online or walmart, target...etc.

 

[Homemom]

If we miss getting back to the boat in time (which I realize will probably never happen) will just a "copy" of our passport suffice in order to get transportation to the next place or back home? The only reason I spent money on the passports was in case this happens. I would be surprised if a copy would be ok instead of the actual passport.

A copy can help expedite getting replacements, but not replace it.

 

[trimix]

BTW, some people think they have to give their passport to the hotel front desk when traveling abroad. Do NOT do this! Give them a copy of the passport but do not surrender your passport to them. They are NOT officials of the government and you are under no obligation to give them your passport. People see this in the movies and so think they need to give their passport to the hotel but this is not required and ill advised.

This advice is questionable. The last time I was in Russia, there was a legal requirement to leave your passport with the hotel for registration. It was returned a day or two later with a voucher that I had to show when departing.

The smart move is to do your own research before taking a personal vacation. Find out if, like Russia, you are required to turn over your passport. If not, then my preference is to carry my passport with me at all times. If something bad happens and I needed or wanted to go to the nearest US embassy or consulate, the passport would be necessary.
Leaving the passport in a stateroom and carrying a copy makes no sense to me. The whole reason to have a passport is so you can use it if you need it, and if it is on a ship out at sea you obviously can't use it.

For normal carry I use a belt that holds my passport and cash inside my belt. I also carry a passport wallet with a credit card and a limited amount of cash, which I use for normal transactions. I have never been robbed, but if somebody demanded my passport I could toss the passport wallet past them and take off running without surrendering my important documents.

 

[Rogillio]

This advice is questionable. The last time I was in Russia, there was a legal requirement to leave your passport with the hotel for registration. It was returned a day or two later with a voucher that I had to show when departing.

The smart move is to do your own research before taking a personal vacation. Find out if, like Russia, you are required to turn over your passport. If not, then my preference is to carry my passport with me at all times. If something bad happens and I needed or wanted to go to the nearest US embassy or consulate, the passport would be necessary.
Leaving the passport in a stateroom and carrying a copy makes no sense to me. The whole reason to have a passport is so you can use it if you need it, and if it is on a ship out at sea you obviously can't use it.

For normal carry I use a belt that holds my passport and cash inside my belt. I also carry a passport wallet with a credit card and a limited amount of cash, which I use for normal transactions. I have never been robbed, but if somebody demanded my passport I could toss the passport wallet past them and take off running without surrendering my important documents.

I agree it is questionable. So in 2007 before our Med cruise, I wrote to the US State Department asking about this. I was told by the US State Department not to surrender our passports to hotel. Period. I was in Russia last summer and they do have very strict laws so maybe Russia is unique. I just have a real issue surrendering my passport to any non-government entity. Just curious, for the day or two that the hotel kept your passport, you went about your business in Russia with no passport or did you have to get it from the front desk whenever you left the hotel? I would politely say "You are more than welcome to make a photocopy of the passport but the US State Department advises me not to surrender my original passport to non-government official."

The OP was about taking your passport on DCL excursions. I contend that the risk of it getting lost, damaged or stolen far outweighs the risk of 'needing it' becuase you miss the boat.

We were required to take our passport in Russia when we got off the boat....even on a DCL excursion.

Just for the record, I've taveled to Mexico, England, Scotland, France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Vatican City, Spain, Liechtenstein, Morocco, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Bahamas, British West Indies, Norway, Sweden, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Belize, Honduras, China and the United States of America and I have NEVER had to give my passport to a hotel.

 

[lbgraves]

If we miss getting back to the boat in time (which I realize will probably never happen) will just a "copy" of our passport suffice in order to get transportation to the next place or back home? The only reason I spent money on the passports was in case this happens. I would be surprised if a copy would be ok instead of the actual passport.

Take a navigator with you. This has the number to the ship's agent in it if you are going to be delayed getting back to the ship. They can retrieve your passport from your room safe if they are not able to have the ship wait for you.

 

[trimix]

In Russia, the hotel had somebody take your passport to a local police station to register your presence. You probably could drop it off early in the morning, but I didn't feel like waking early so I left it the night before. And I probably could have picked up my passport that evening, but I didn't feel like bothering with anything when I got back to the hotel from the ballet.

The one full day I was without a passport I went about my business as usual, but was a bit more careful than normal.

These days I believe they can register you when you check in at the hotel without having to take your passport to the local police department. And with the one exception of a trip to Russia, I have never been asked or required to surrender my passport to anybody.