sparks1093

Part of the total cost, yes, but I don't generally consider that when looking at the cruise fare itself because our cruises and air are booked at to different times, often over a year apart. Of course this is going to be different for each person as well, many people only have one choice of departure airport and we are fortunate to have 3 (Burlington, Montreal and Boston). This particular cruise would be a bit different though because of the two possible departure ports. Normally we are only looking at cruises from one port.

It's likely that the passports will be back but you can use the birth certificates as a back up in case they aren't (provided your cruise line allows it, since some cruise lines require passports for all cruises). I would photo copy the birth certificates before sending them off.

Probably not from Montreal but the question wasn't about flights, it was about cruise fare. That wasn't a cruise we were planning on, I was just doing some dreaming to pass some time and since someone asked for a comparison and I had just done one, I gave it. Once Princess releases their 2025 itineraries we will be doing some shopping and comparing. ETA that I just checked fares and roundtrip to Vancouver from Montreal was $250, to Seattle from Montreal $420.

Actually I said "will likely" and based on the contract language that I quoted I expect in most cases that would be the most likely outcome. The story was posted on CC several years ago and I don't have a link. As I said, I am simply sharing information.

I have read of that exact thing happening. The law of every country that I'm aware of has a requirement that all providers of travel ensure that passengers have the correct travel documents available and if they don't then they cannot transport the traveler, barring any exceptions. In the case I read of it happened in Europe and the passengers were put ashore after their passports were stolen. You can be as confident as you like and if you won't even factor any of this into your decision that's fine, what you do has no impact on me. I'm just sharing information. (And the cruise line won't desert you, the port agent is there for this and would assist you in getting you either back to the ship or home, as need be.)

Overseas is such a nebulous term but within the area covered by the WHTI and for closed loop cruises emergencies are handled differently than they would be in Europe (which is what I think of when I hear "overseas"). The regulations that give us the closed loop exception also have provisions that allow the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies or humanitarian reasons. Yes, there may be a bit of a delay (dictated by the individual facts and circumstances) while things are sorted but passengers are repatriated as timely as they can be, as outlined in post #11.

As Cheng mentioned she is a check in agent in Seattle. Of course she can only outline procedures for her particular port, but that information is most helpful since other ports would have similar protocols when it comes to which documents are acceptable.

Highly doubtful for a couple of reasons. First is the fact that the cruise line has to accept only documentation that is ultimately acceptable to CBP. Secondly while the cruise is ongoing CBP will be vetting all passengers through a multitude of databases. That is the check that is going to matter and those checks are done solely with the information that is on the passenger manifest. As long as those checks confirm that the passenger in question is a US citizen there won't be a problem. When we returned from our last cruise CBP didn't even make a show of checking anyone's documents, they stood outside their cubicles and watched everyone go by.

I can't do a comparison with X, but I did just price out a Princess vs Carnival cruise. Both left in 9/2024 going to Alaska. Princess leaving from Vancouver, Carnival from Seattle. Princess price for a forward balcony $4206 which includes the drink package, Wi-Fi for two, tips and a few other amenities. Carnival's price for an aft balcony was $3363. Add in gratuities of $203, Cheers at $991, Wi-Fi at $202 and the total is $4759. That's a $553 difference, so yes, it pays to shop around. Of course if someone doesn't buy Cheers the price difference may not be so much, but one should definitely look at all such factors in deciding. We will likely be looking at Princess as a possibility from now on.

Someone said that they took their passport off the ship with them and if it got lost or stolen they would sort it out once they got back aboard. I was pointing out that it may not be as simple as that since once the ship finds out that your travel docs are gone they will disembark you.

I wouldn't do it without first clearing it with the crew and I would abide by what they say.

It means that you will have available (not necessarily carrying with you every minute) the travel documents you need to be on the cruise- if you are using a passport, your passport. If you are using birth certificate/government ID then those. If you are using a passport card then that. Now, it is possible on a closed loop cruise that a passenger might have more then one form of identity/citizenship. My DW and I both have Enhanced Drivers Licenses and we bring our passports with us, so if we lost our passports we would still be able to remain on the ship since we have another acceptable document. Here is what one cruise line has to say (bolded for emphasis): Proper travel documentation and eligibility to travel is required at the embarkation and throughout the cruise. In addition to immigration and customs requirements, the U.S. government and others place restrictions on the carriage of Guests whose names appear on government watch lists or who are deemed legally ineligible to travel. It is the Guest’s sole responsibility to ensure his/her legal eligibility to travel and to bring and have available at all times all required travel documents.

All cruise lines require passengers to carry the required documentation throughout the cruise. If one loses their documentation then the cruise will likely put the passenger ashore where the passenger will have to sort things out. One could potentially hide the fact their passport is gone but I suspect that would make sorting things out more difficult.

Maybe @Ferry Watcher can chime in but for the purposes of a closed loop cruise I don't see why it wouldn't be accepted since photocopies are sufficient. (It is best to bring the original but it's also good to know what alternatives might be available just in case.)

I just read a thread (on the Ask a Cruise Question board I think) where the OP's TA passed away. The TA was a sole proprietor of a franchise and it will probably take a bit of work to get things sorted out. I have also read recent threads where a TA went out of business and left clients in the lurch. These things do happen. I tend to book my own travel although I do check with some of the online TAs to see if they can offer a better deal before dropping the hammer on a cruise.

Embossing isn't used by all issuing authorities and as long as it is legible it should be fine. Since the regulations do allow the use of copies (and Carnival's FAQ spells this out) there is no requirement for using only an original and of course the copy wouldn't have any embossing on it. As stated it needs to be issued by a government entity that shows his birth in the US. I would advise next time to not wait so long to verify what is sufficient (and I recognize that he may have just told you). And in the event that this gets moved from the Carnival board to the Ask a Cruise Question board I will add that some cruise lines won't accept birth certificates even for a closed loop cruise and they require every passenger to have a passport (and these are typically the more upscale cruise lines).

Same to you! Thanks for the info, it is always appreciated to hear first hand how things work. 🙂

When we sailed with our step granddaughter I did get a bit nervous. Mom's ex had been all for her going on the trip with us when we booked it, but changed his tune once the cruise got closer and tried to tell mom not to let her go. Fortunately we had a copy of the court order giving mom full legal custody but I still worried about him calling TSA or something claiming that we were taking his daughter against his will. He did contact the court and a couple of other things but of course since mom had full legal custody it didn't amount to much, but I was still glad that we had the copy of the court order.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned- it is likely that the child will be asked at some point who he or she is traveling with and the person asking the question doesn't want to hear the answer from anyone other than the child. You may want to discuss this with the child ahead of time so they are ready for it. My step granddaughter passed the test readily but a shy child might have difficulty answering a stranger.

I wouldn't worry about it either, but I would bring it.

A short cruise is a good way to know if one can tolerate being at sea. That's one thing I hear frequently from non-cruisers- I don't know if I would like being at sea/I don't know if I would like the motion of the ship. A short cruise could be just what they need to answer those questions without committing to 7 days.

A lot of people prefer to have it notarized, but I don't think that it matters.

Thanks for the thoughts. Could you elaborate on why you thought the buffet was horrible? We are looking at Princess because as mentioned Princess Plus brings the two lines very close together pricewise.

If the child has a passport there is no need for the birth certificate. A signed letter from the dad granting permission to travel is a good thing to have as well as the court documents outlining custody. We brought the court docs with us when we took our step granddaughter on a cruise but her mom has full custody (and we didn't need to show it to anyone but had it just in case).

If it's an option sure but the cruise line will still need to know that and the port agent would be the one to tell them.