Western Fantasy 2018 Cruise Passport Question

[scottb8888]

I asked this question buried in another thread. I'll try again..

So, on a Disney Cruise this summer. Isn't it wise to to ashore with your passports in case something happens and you can't get back on the ship??

 

[Spork24]

Yes, as long as you plan on keeping them safe.

 

[MUN]

I asked this question buried in another thread. I'll try again..

So, on a Disney Cruise this summer. Isn't it wise to to ashore with your passports in case something happens and you can't get back on the ship??

IMHO, no. I think there is a higher likelihood of having your passport stolen than having something terrible happen where you would immediately need your passport. Just my 2¢.

However, on our Norwegian Fjords cruise last year we were required to show passports as we left the port and came back to the port. I'm not a nervous Nellie type, but I did not like having to carry them around.

MUN

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I usually carry a copy of our passports with me.

 

[clten]

Since you indicate you are on the Fantasy, carrying your passport would not be required, so whether you want to take it with you may depend on what activities will you be participating in when ashore. If I was visiting a beach, snorkeling or other water based activity, I'd be likely to leave the passport in the cabin. I feel you are more likely to lose it or damage it than to need it.

I will say if you are leaving your passport in your cabin, leave it locked in the safe. Make sure you have the name and contact number of the ships agent in port. If you find yourself ashore without your passport and needing it, the ship's agent is who you would contact. DCL would send someone to your cabin to retrieve your passport and leave it with the agent.

 

[AquaDame]

I asked this question buried in another thread. I'll try again..

So, on a Disney Cruise this summer. Isn't it wise to to ashore with your passports in case something happens and you can't get back on the ship??

I think people have different opinions on this. In my mind, you can cruise without a passport on these close looped cruises anyway so the only reason to bring a passport is the 'what if' scenario. We always take our passports with us in foreign ports, water or no, because the whole point of bringing them is in case we need them. Others are fine with leaving it up to DCL/the port to get them their passport if they need it - I'd rather proceed directly to the hospital or whatever else I need to do should disaster strike than have to worry about that too.

Put another way, if I am in crisis having our passports in hand is WAY more important to me than having to go through the hassle of replacing them if they are stolen but everything else is going fine.

 

[bumbershoot]

I asked this question buried in another thread. I'll try again..

So, on a Disney Cruise this summer. Isn't it wise to to ashore with your passports in case something happens and you can't get back on the ship??

Well I answered you there.

Many cruise lines in many ports suggest you leave them in your safe. That the chances of them being stolen is higher than your chances of missing the ship. And that if an emergency happened to you you would call them (using he info on the navigator that you take off with you) and they would arrange for the passports to be left at the dock with officials.

There are ports where this isn’t allowed.

I personally feel that our chances of having them stolen are low because of what we do and don’t do in ports along with our extreme waryness. We take them off everywhere but a private cay.

 

[YawningDodo]

There was another topic about this a while back and it turned out to be quite a point of debate! It really depends on what you feel is the bigger risk in terms of likelihood and consequences. Some people swear by carrying their passport because they feel that they're unlikely to lose their passports and the consequences of being stranded onshore without it loom large in their minds. Others swear by leaving it in their stateroom safe because they feel they're unlikely to get stranded and the consequences of it getting lost or stolen loom large in their minds.

Legally speaking, at a lot of ports you're not required to do it one way or the other, so it really does just come down to what you personally think is best in terms of risk management. I personally chose to leave my passport in the safe, and nothing bad happened to me as a result. Plenty of others have chosen to carry it and had nothing bad happen to them as a result. You just have to decide what's right for you.

 

[ChicosWife]

I usually carry a copy of our passports with me.

Yes, it is recommended to carry copies only, for safety reasons.

 

[rhinodadz]

We leave in the safe and keep a scanned copy in cloud storage that is easily accessible from virtually anywhere.

 

[MichelleCanada]

Since you indicate you are on the Fantasy, carrying your passport would not be required, so whether you want to take it with you may depend on what activities will you be participating in when ashore. If I was visiting a beach, snorkeling or other water based activity, I'd be likely to leave the passport in the cabin. I feel you are more likely to lose it or damage it than to need it.

Does this apply no matter what country you have a passport from? As a Canadian I have always carried my passport because I thought I needed to...

 

[owensamo]

Does this apply no matter what country you have a passport from? As a Canadian I have always carried my passport because I thought I needed to...

Not necessarily. Each country has different entry requirements with different nations - so what is required for a US citizen may well be different than a Canadian citizen, or a French citizen, etc. with passports from those nations.

The best thing to do is to check either with your country's travel information website (I know the US government has very detailed information online about entry requirements for other countries) or the information website for the country you hope to enter (again, I've seen very specific per-country information on may other countries websites). If you're unsure, call the consulate for the destination country in your nation and ask. Don't ask Disney (or any other cruise line) - they may have an answer, but it's not always right, and sometimes the requirements are in flux. Consulates (and embassies) deal with these kind of things on a daily basis, and should be able to give you the right information for your travel dates.