Surrendering Passports on DCL?

[Wazzo]

Hello!

I've read that Canadians have to "give up" their passports on a DCL cruise... has anyone done this?

I've also heard that you don't get them back until the last day... and that this is at 6am!!! Is this also true! I like to sleep in!

Thanks for any info!

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

Yes...you do have to surrender your passport when you check in. You are given a receipt for your passports. Make sure you have additional forms of ID with you (i.e. driver's licence, health card, etc) as you will need to show this along with your KTTW card to get back on the ship....and yes...on the last day everyone in your party that is a non-US Citizen must present themselves to US Customs officials on the ship in either Wavebands or Rockin' Bar D at 6 am. Sorry but on your last morning you will not be able to sleep in...but then again you have to be out of your stateroom by I think either 8 am or 8:30 am.

 

[Scratch42]

Also, if you are travelling on the Eastern Cruise, you must also get up early in the US Virgin Island! But then you are not alone, everybody has to do this!

The earlier you get the, the earlier you can go back to your stateroom and catch a few extra zzzzzzzz's! But then that also depends if Customs and Immigration show up on time!

Painless process!

janet

 

[East Coaster]

We went last year and photocopied our Photo Page of the Passport before we left home and just put the photocopies in a different spot than our birth certificates and passports. When we got off the ship in Nassau we made sure we had our driver's license and birth certificate with us.

It was a pain to get up so early for immigration on the last morning, but........we went from there to breakfast and off the ship, this year we are going back to Disney so we'll be able to get a full day in at the parks. (We'll probably be too tired that day to really enjoy it though!)

 

[cdnmickeylover]

It's really not that bad to get up early on the last day. Just remember that everyone in your party has to show up including the kids (if you have any with you). We saw a couple who had left the kids sleeping in the cabin and they had to go back and get them and then get in the back of the line. They were not happy but it was their own fault since the instructions are very clear. The nonUS crew has to get up as well so we were by no means alone.

 

[Disney Fanatic]

This is what I really dislike about cruises.

You usually have to show up early on the last day but I think on DCL 6am is a bit much! All members of your party have to be in attendance as well. Try waking up a tired 4 year old at that hour!!

What I thought to do once on a cruise is be one of the last ones going through customs so I waited about one hour after the initial time it said to show up.

Well that backfired because I guess the line went quicker than I thought and all I could hear was my name being called over the loud speaker and I really had a lecture when I arrived.

Oh well, I won't do that again.

 

[Wazzo]

Thanks for the tips!!

 

[cdnmickeylover]

You really do need to be there because they can't clear the ship until they've cleared the nonUS citizens.

On the eastern everybody has to do it at St. Thomas and we did hear people being paged as it was holding up the entire ship.

It really doesn't take that long and since you have to be off the ship early anyway it didn't bother us at all.

 

[CharlesTD]

Just so you know do not use your health card as it is not a form of photo ID and will not be accepted as such as stated by the guidelines of photo id on the gov website. I would hate to see someone try doing this and being turned away for that reason.

 

[Wazzo]

Another question!!

Where do you hand in your Passports? We're on the Land & Sea package, with land first, and we're not supposed to have to check in again at port... so when do we hand in our passports??

Thanks!

 

[Scratch42]

Another question!!

Where do you hand in your Passports? We're on the Land & Sea package, with land first, and we're not supposed to have to check in again at port... so when do we hand in our passports??

Thanks!

Unfortunately we don't have the pleasure of being able to check everything at the hotel prior to the sea part. You still have to check yourself in at the port where you will then hand in your passport.

Just make sure you still have all the paperwork filled in before you get there.

Happy Sailing!

janet

 

[Wazzo]

Oh well, I was going to line up anyway to find out my dining rotation!

Thanks!!

 

[explorer1977]

we did a land and sea back in september and we handed all of our papers in at our resort and then the check in at the port was quick and we handed in our passports. The early wake up on the last day was not all that bad. We got up at 5:30 am and where in line by 5:45 and they had coffee, juice and pastries and things to eat while waiting in line. We were back in our room by 6:10 (customs was on time and they had 5 or six stations set up) but we were the 8th group in line and it was only two of us.