Non Americans - Requirement To Show Passport When Purchasing Alcohol

[AngiTN]

Of course the 50 are different but there are some pretty solid standards in our state ids and drivers ids. Plus they are all in English. It isn't just Disney's policy it is the state of Florida.

This brings up something I remember that had been discussed on another similar thread.
A CM at Epcot, one of the CM from one of the countries, admitted that they had no clue how to read most US DL. That they were all so different and the birth dates were in so many different locations on them, they usually just pretended to look at them.

 

[HopperFan]

Really? I had no idea. I don't own a passport, no plans to with no plans to travel outside the US.
I thought the rule was to never carry it around. To lock it in the hotel room

DH travels globally and we've traveled some for fun. He carries at all times but you have to be very protective of it ... not leaving it accessible to pick pockets etc.

Your passport is the only way to into the American Embassy should anything go wrong. Without it you are an island.

We always have a laminated copy with us as well you can leave in hotel room. Now on say a Caribbean cruise, we will take the plastic ones in to the ports since we aren't venturing far, have the backup of the ship and someone that could go back for the passport should we need it. Note while you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise, if you have a medical emergency and need evac ... it's not supposed to happen without the passport.

 

[EdmondD]

There are 10 unacceptable forms of ID at WDW, foreign driver’s license is one of them.

At least 13, actually.

I tried using a picture my 6yo drew of me.
I showed them a tagged picture of me on Facebook, celebrating my 40th birthday.
My work ID, which doesn't have a DOB but which shows me dressed very professionally - certainly moreso than any 20-or-under.

I suppose, conceivably, there are an infinite number of unacceptable forms of ID.

 

[jeanico2000]

My 30 year old daughter can rent a car in the US with her Canadian driver's license, but couldn't buy a drink in Disneyland (so it's not just in Florida) because she doesn't roam the parks with her passport (we always leave those in the room safe for safety reasons). Lesson learned!

 

[ItsLayne]

I tried using a picture my 6yo drew of me.
I showed them a tagged picture of me on Facebook, celebrating my 40th birthday.
My work ID, which doesn't have a DOB but which shows me dressed very professionally - certainly moreso than any 20-or-under.

I suppose, conceivably, there are an infinite number of unacceptable forms of ID.

I tried to show them a note that said "Hi, this is my mom, I am old enough to drink. Thanks, my mom."

That didn't work.

 

[AngiTN]

I tried to show them a note that said "Hi, this is my mom, I am old enough to drink. Thanks, my mom."

That didn't work.

It's just getting downright ridiculous that they won't even believe our mom!

 

[HopperFan]

It's just getting downright ridiculous that they won't even believe our mom!

Haha, we were out to eat a few weeks ago with group, and since DS2 rode with us, he left his wallet. All adults were ordering buckets and they asked us all for IDs. There it was, no ID. I said "I'm his mother, I promise you he is more than old enough. I was there." Poor server had a look of what do I do. Hey, it's buckets, just bring them.

 

[DiannaVM]

DH travels globally and we've traveled some for fun. He carries at all times but you have to be very protective of it ... not leaving it accessible to pick pockets etc.

Your passport is the only way to into the American Embassy should anything go wrong. Without it you are an island.

We always have a laminated copy with us as well you can leave in hotel room. Now on say a Caribbean cruise, we will take the plastic ones in to the ports since we aren't venturing far, have the backup of the ship and someone that could go back for the passport should we need it. Note while you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise, if you have a medical emergency and need evac ... it's not supposed to happen without the passport.

OK, using this example helps me make more sense of the policy/law. My husband used to work as port agent for some of the cruise lines that would come in here, and PLENTY times guests got stranded (or had medical emergencies during their port visit) and faced immense difficulty to get them to the next port (or back home) because their passports/travel documents were left on the ship and Immigration would give them a hard time. If I am not mistaken, the US embassy would take quite a few hours before they could issue emergency travel documents to anyone left without a passport that came off the ship.
I always get asked for ID because I look so young. I think only once when we were at Disney Springs, I ordered a drink with dinner and before I could finish getting my DL out of my wallet to show the server, she was already gone to get my drink. Obviously an oversight on her behalf, but the only time I have never been carded in the US.

Seeing that I was always of the mindset of leave the passport behind somewhere safe, I will follow your advice Hopper and start keeping laminated copies of our passports on us at all times.

 

[eileenjez]

Working in a store that sold alcohol we had a book that had all the current DL's from all 50 states. We could accept a passport but not a license from a foreign country. Could not accept a consular card which was a sort of common ID. These were so often forged. We were told to card everyone in the party to make sure that there was no one underage that could be drinking nor could we take the money from a child who asked Mom or Dad if they could pay. Most registers now have a stop on them that make the cashier enter a birth date to override.

 

[PlainJane]

None of the 50 states have the same ID's, either. And you don't need a drivers license to be able to buy alcool-you only need a state ID that shows your birthdate. So Disney's policy is non sensical.

I worked in a job where I had to verify US ID's and passports. There are various ways to determine if a State ID is legit and I became very familiar with what they should look like if it was a state I saw frequently. We had a book with details about what an ID should look like if it wasn't one I had seen before. We also were trained on how to verify passports. It would be basically impossible to have training for every DL and ID issued worldwide.

 

[bryanb]

I would have no idea how to spot a fake passport from another country if it were presented to me. One of my friends in college was from Europe, and instead of going to the trouble of making a fake driver's license (which could easily be questioned), he just made a fake passport and showed it at the bars. It looked official enough and honestly I'm not sure how people would know the difference.

I've travelled in Europe and Asia as well, and have been told never to carry around the real passport, but to secure it in your hotel safe. Keeping a photocopy or electronic version in the cloud and on your phone has been acceptable there too. The risk of losing your passport and being unable to get home is not worth it. It's interesting that anyone should accept a photocopy or picture of a passport, where you can't even see whatever security features are in place -- assuming you know those security features in the first place for each country.

 

[HopperFan]

OK, using this example helps me make more sense of the policy/law. My husband used to work as port agent for some of the cruise lines that would come in here, and PLENTY times guests got stranded (or had medical emergencies during their port visit) and faced immense difficulty to get them to the next port (or back home) because their passports/travel documents were left on the ship and Immigration would give them a hard time. If I am not mistaken, the US embassy would take quite a few hours before they could issue emergency travel documents to anyone left without a passport that came off the ship.
I always get asked for ID because I look so young. I think only once when we were at Disney Springs, I ordered a drink with dinner and before I could finish getting my DL out of my wallet to show the server, she was already gone to get my drink. Obviously an oversight on her behalf, but the only time I have never been carded in the US.

Seeing that I was always of the mindset of leave the passport behind somewhere safe, I will follow your advice Hopper and start keeping laminated copies of our passports on us at all times.

It also doesn't hurt to leave a laminated copy behind with a family member. My Mom and her DH travel all over the world and are on the go all the time. We keep copies of theirs in our safety deposit box. If nothing else it provides numbers etc that we can instantly get to them. And it's suggested to leave copies with someone you trust.

 

[cwis]

It's always been the case and even I knew it but never have understood it

Curious, because I really can't understand, why isn't a foreign DL valid as a form of ID? What about them makes them invalid but any of the 50 US states are? I realize they may be hard to read for some but heck, as US ID can be as hard for some to read too, so that is a pretty lame argument, if that's the reason given
I mean, I don't blame the foreign guests, I wouldn't dare carry my passport around either. Lucky for them Disney accepts a copy. Do other businesses in FL accept copies? Can they get a copy made at the resort, if they come unprepared?
Granted, none of these things impact me at all, I am from the US and I don't know anyone from outside the US that would ever come to the parks with me. I'm just being nosy because it amazes me this is so difficult for foreign guests.

Not sure if DLs expires in the US, but where I live (France) and many countries I know in Europe, they are issued once in a lifetime.
Here, DLs are not valid forms of ID for that reason (they're a fun way to check how everyone was dressed in their 20s, though).

 

[wilkeliza]

Not sure if DLs expires in the US, but where I live (France) and many countries I know in Europe, they are issued once in a lifetime.
Here, DLs are not valid forms of ID for that reason (they're a fun way to check how everyone was dressed in their 20s, though).

Yeah they expire here. Depends on the state and your age.

 

[cwis]

Yeah they expire here. Depends on the state and your age.

Thanks! It makes sense why WDW accept US DLs as valid form of ID.

 

[Gehrig1B]

I have never understood the "leave my passport in the hotel safe" mentality. I find it to be much more secure on my person than in some safe with who knows how many keys or access codes. I have been all over the world and always carry my passport with me.

 

[kiford]

If you're in a foreign country, you most certainly should carry your passport around.

I never carry my passport with me unless I'm required to. Far too easy to lose it or get it stolen.

I read the requirements for having to use your passport for ID to get a drink at WDW a few years ago so I made sure to have a photo of it on my phone. As it turned out, I've not been asked for ID at WDW since I was about 24 at Pleasure Island. Technically, they are supposed to ask everyone even if you look 90 but in practice they obviously don't. I don't know whether to be happy about the fact that it's not the hassle I expected or unhappy because I clearly look my age.

 

[DisneyOma]

Yeah, I don't need a drink that badly if it requires me hauling around somehing I shouldn't be hauling around. Showing a copy on your phone is no different than showing your non US drivers license.

Much different, IMO. A photo of a passport would still have the identifying marks. What makes it not different in yours?

None of the 50 states have the same ID's, either. And you don't need a drivers license to be able to buy alcool-you only need a state ID that shows your birthdate. So Disney's policy is non sensical.

Not true. Lots of places do not accept out of state ID, only out of state DL. I've been at many college events and sports events that do not accept out of state ID.

Really? I had no idea. I don't own a passport, no plans to with no plans to travel outside the US.
I thought the rule was to never carry it around. To lock it in the hotel room

Everyone should have a passport, IMO. Do not wait until you think you may need to leave the country. At some point you may have to leave quickly.

DH travels globally and we've traveled some for fun. He carries at all times but you have to be very protective of it ... not leaving it accessible to pick pockets etc.

Your passport is the only way to into the American Embassy should anything go wrong. Without it you are an island.

We always have a laminated copy with us as well you can leave in hotel room. Now on say a Caribbean cruise, we will take the plastic ones in to the ports since we aren't venturing far, have the backup of the ship and someone that could go back for the passport should we need it. Note while you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise, if you have a medical emergency and need evac ... it's not supposed to happen without the passport.

People who have had their passports stolen have been able to get access to the embassy and get what they need. It's tricky, and involves contact from home, but it works. We have digital photos of our passports so we can pull them up - but I would keep my passport with me at all times - on my body, not in a purse, though. I like the crossbody pouch.

 

[Lesverts]

If you're in a foreign country, you most certainly should carry your passport around.

EDIT I may be wrong about this, but I thought that was a general rule of thumb in case the federales ask you questions.

EDIT 2: Also it's in the Amazing Race rules, and if that's not a guide to live by I don't know what is.

I'm Canadian. Our Passport Office and Ministry of Global Affairs both state that a passport should not be used for identification purposes beyond passport controls while travelling and to not carry a passport on your person unless required to by local law (think places like Russia that have police stop and id foreign looking people all the time)

My 30 year old daughter can rent a car in the US with her Canadian driver's license, but couldn't buy a drink in Disneyland (so it's not just in Florida) because she doesn't roam the parks with her passport (we always leave those in the room safe for safety reasons). Lesson learned!

Funny enough Florida tried to require Canadians to have an international driver's license to rent and drive in Florida. A couple of our Premiers got together and sent a letter to the Governor of the time (I think it was Crist) that said the law was in violation of treaties between Canada and the USA and we'd be taking it up with Washington. They repelled the law right quick.

 

[AngiTN]

Everyone should have a passport, IMO. Do not wait until you think you may need to leave the country. At some point you may have to leave quickly.

I do not know anyone in another country. I'm 54 and never had to leave the country urgently. I don't believe that is in my future. I'll be ok. But thank you