There seems to be a pretty sizeable rift between cruisers on this subject. If you ask 100 cruisers whether you should bring along your passport or keep it safely tucked away in your wallet, chances are the answer you get will be split right down the middle.
There is no hard and fast rule dictating whether or not you should take your passport into port or leave it in the safe. For most ports you will not need your passport, a photo ID and sail and sign card will suffice. However there are some ports which require you to bring your passport off the ship. In these rare instances the ship will inform you of the need to carry your passport. Those ports are the exception more than the rule which leads us back to the original question, should you bring your passport or leave it on board the ship?
Leave your passport onboard
The argument against carrying a passport off the ship usually centers on the belief that it could get lost or stolen. This is a valid argument and especially comes into play if you will be doing more than just strolling around town. There are plenty of stories floating around about items stolen while on an excursion or bags being emptied out on the beach. These days you even have to worry about being held-up and robbed. Although small, the chance that you could be separated from your passport is real. People who succumb to this train of thing will tell you the world is evil and that you should keep your passport locked safely in your cabin safe.
Bring your passport along
The arguments for bringing it along tend to be from those worried about missing the ship after a day in port. The belief is if this situation arose you would need your passport in order to fly to the next port or back home. A driver’s license is an acceptable for of ID in the United States but outside of the U.S. it isn’t worth the plastic it’s printed on. If you find yourself in legal trouble in a foreign country you will want to have your passport in hand. Champions of this school of thought will tell you, “You carry your driver’s license when you drive, so carry your passport when you travel”.
A Happy Medium
What some people do is carry a copy of their passport along with them. While this will give you peace of mind, the truth is, if you do miss the ship a copy of your passport will not allow you to fly home. If you are an American in the Caribbean you probably wouldn’t need your passport to catch the ship at the next port. You can travel freely between most of the islands sans passport. The bad news is, without a passport you can forget about re-entering the United States. However, you could (at least in theory) take that copy to the U.S. Embassy in whichever country you were stranded and it would help you expedite the process of getting home.
Do you carry your passport off the ship or leave it in the safe? Why?
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