Puerto Rico cruise documentation nightmare

Hello everyone, i am a new member of the forum and am looking for advice on my current situation below:

i had a 20 people family cruise that departed today from San Juan to several Caribbean islands and my wife had document issues; we had to stay behind (me, wife, 5 yr old daughter and a 1 yr old boy). We live in Maryland since 2008 and we started doing check in of our trip about one week ago. I noticed that my wife passport expired just 2 months ago but since she had a valid id and a puerto rico issued birth certificate then we didnt really pursue getting another passport. So we flew to PR one day prior the cruise and we got to the cruise terminal about noon on a Saturday. By the time we where at the counter for document processing, it was about 2pm. There we found out that the PR government issued new birth certificates in 2010 and nothing prior was valid. We didnt know this information and after many discussions with management, we where not able to do anything. We called the PR government and of course they where closed on Saturday and my wife was not able to get another birth certificate. This government is absolutely terrible, they should have an emergency location for them to process these documents.

I called Royal Caribbean to explain our situation and they did nothing. I explained to them that no where on their website or policy specifies that Puerto Rico birth certificates need to be from 2010+ or they wont be accepted. My wife's certificate is government issued and meets the RC travel requirements according to their policy. They wont even issue a full refund for the trip because they say that we are responsible to verify travel documentation requirements with the state and not with the ship and yet they do provide guidance on documentation.

My entire family was upset since we havent seen them for a year... Pretty much all decent hotels are closed due to Hurricane Maria and we have no where to go... This was supposed to be the perfect family vacation and it has converted to a nightmare for us. My daughter still cries when she thinks about it and says that now she cant play with her cousins and go on the slide and ice skating.

Who is at fault here? Did i make a mistake? What can i do now?

Btw, i found out from someone that Royal Caribbean does now allow Puerto Rico citizens to book their own travel because of this issue. They have to go through a trave agent...

Sorry about your experience. Not for Puerto Rico documents in particular, but there were previous threads regarding similar denial for check-in by cruise lines for valid passport holders but without the appropriate visas required on certain itinerary ports. Their fare was not refunded.

I am not familiar with RCI’s policy on your case. There might be some on the RCI Cruise Forum who are familiar and may give you some advise.

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Hello everyone, i am a new member of the forum and am looking for advice on my current situation below:

 

i had a 20 people family cruise that departed today from San Juan to several Caribbean islands and my wife had document issues; we had to stay behind (me, wife, 5 yr old daughter and a 1 yr old boy). We live in Maryland since 2008 and we started doing check in of our trip about one week ago. I noticed that my wife passport expired just 2 months ago but since she had a valid id and a puerto rico issued birth certificate then we didnt really pursue getting another passport. So we flew to PR one day prior the cruise and we got to the cruise terminal about noon on a Saturday. By the time we where at the counter for document processing, it was about 2pm. There we found out that the PR government issued new birth certificates in 2010 and nothing prior was valid. We didnt know this information and after many discussions with management, we where not able to do anything. We called the PR government and of course they where closed on Saturday and my wife was not able to get another birth certificate. This government is absolutely terrible, they should have an emergency location for them to process these documents.

 

I called Royal Caribbean to explain our situation and they did nothing. I explained to them that no where on their website or policy specifies that Puerto Rico birth certificates need to be from 2010+ or they wont be accepted. My wife's certificate is government issued and meets the RC travel requirements according to their policy. They wont even issue a full refund for the trip because they say that we are responsible to verify travel documentation requirements with the state and not with the ship and yet they do provide guidance on documentation.

 

My entire family was upset since we havent seen them for a year... Pretty much all decent hotels are closed due to Hurricane Maria and we have no where to go... This was supposed to be the perfect family vacation and it has converted to a nightmare for us. My daughter still cries when she thinks about it and says that now she cant play with her cousins and go on the slide and ice skating.

 

Who is at fault here? Did i make a mistake? What can i do now?

Well, you are (or she is) at fault. It's up to the traveler (you) to find out and confirm what documents are necessary.

I doubt that they look at "I didn't know" as an emergency situation that would require an office to be open on a normally closed day.

It's not on the cruise line to have/supply the proper requirements, as they have no way of keeping track of every government in the world's requirements.

I’m sorry to say but you and your wife are responsible for this situation.

Royals website clearly states that the traveler is responsible to ensure they have proper documentation.

If you used a Travel Agent, you might have a leg to stand on. It would be their job to either know or should have known and prevented this type of issue. A TA does carry Errors and Ommissions Insurance to cover them for a mistake like this..

Also, there is no 3rd party insurance that will cover something like this.

If you purchased trip insurance from Royal, you could claim their “Cancel For Any Reason” clause. Since Royal allows this up to time of sailing, they should have offered you that opportunity.

Not much you can do except try to make lemonade out of the lemons you have.

Welcome to cruise critic, unfortunately I will have to agree with the others and say it is up to the traveller to ensure you have the right documentation. I do sympathise as you thought you had it covered with an out of date Birth certificate and a passport that was expired. An expensive lesson to learn.

Welcome to CC.

As others have said in the end it is the responsibility of the traveler not the cruise line to have the right documentation. So this is not a cruise line issue.

Keith

Thanks everyone for your comments. I guess this is a leassons learned.. my understanding on birth certificates was that they where official documents no matter when they where issued. Honestly, i will never trust any document from Puerto Rico from now on. The government did not make it clear to pr citizens outside the us of this rule. Also, if Royal Caribbean provides guidance on documentation, the least they could have done is to let us know very clearly on their sitr that individuals should validate a birth certificate with their state.

Would they be able to refund additional pre-purchased services like beverage packages and tours?

The issue regarding birth certificates was highly publicized; sorry you missed this. As you’ve found out, your wife needed to apply for a new BC.

It’s not the cruise line or a TA’s responsibility to insure you have correct travel documentation.

I don’t know if any prepaid expenses will be refunded. Check with the cruise line.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Sorry that your family was denied boarding the ship and you have lost money for improper documentation.

That was your responsibility to have made certain that everything was in proper order -- should have done all this when you booked the cruise.

The government did not make it clear to pr citizens outside the us of this rule.

Not to pile on, but how exactly would the PR government do this? Their citizens could live anywhere in the world. I am sorry you are disappointed but i don't see how the govt would notify everyone.

Can you get the birth certificate on Monday and fly to where the cruise is at?

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I am sorry for the mess you have found yourself in. Unfortunately, I think if you read thru all the RCI stuff that you "agreed" to online, it will tell you that you are responsible for presenting the proper documents. So it is your fault..

Do you have insurance Does it cover cancellation for any reason? If so, you should be able to get a full refund, but most may be a credit toward a future cruise.

Can you get proper document tomorrow and fly to catch up with the ship? Be sure RCI will let you board before you start paying for flights.

Good luck.

I am sorry for the mess you have found yourself in. Unfortunately, I think if you read thru all the RCI stuff that you "agreed" to online, it will tell you that you are responsible for presenting the proper documents. So it is your fault..

 

Do you have insurance Does it cover cancellation for any reason? If so, you should be able to get a full refund, but most may be a credit toward a future cruise.

 

Can you get proper document tomorrow and fly to catch up with the ship? Be sure RCI will let you board before you start paying for flights.

 

Good luck.

For me to even try that my wife and one yr old son would need passports since the port of call on Monday is ST John Antigua and they do require passports and a return airline ticket in order to enter the island. I would need to see if in Puerto Rico there is an emergency passport center that would give the passports right away and somehow gets a flight that arrives before 5pm since thats the time the cruise ship departs...

Try calling royal to see if the excursions can be cancelled. You can cancel up to 24 hours before when on board. Not sure what they would do in your case but worth a try.

Sorry about your troubles.

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I am so sorry this happened to you but agree with the others.

As for pre-paid items. Call the cruise line. They should return all port fees and taxes and im pretty sure they will at least give you a refund on the drink package since you obviously are not using it. If you pre-paid your gratuity they should also refund that.

More importantly - Did you and your family find a place to stay? Can you make a vacation of your time off while there? I know things are not perfect in San Juan right now but the beaches are still beautiful

Best of luck to you and your family

I am sorry for the mess you have found yourself in. Unfortunately, I think if you read thru all the RCI stuff that you "agreed" to online, it will tell you that you are responsible for presenting the proper documents. So it is your fault..

 

Do you have insurance Does it cover cancellation for any reason? If so, you should be able to get a full refund, but most may be a credit toward a future cruise.

 

Can you get proper document tomorrow and fly to catch up with the ship? Be sure RCI will let you board before you start paying for flights.

 

Good luck.

Not that I've read the terms of every cruise insurance policy, but "cancel for any reason" coverage in policies I've examined requires cancellation at least 48 hours prior to the start of the cruise. Thus if you get to the pier and are denied boarding for failure to have proper documentation you would not be covered by the "cancel for any reason" provision.

While it is the passenger's responsibility to have all required travel documentation, Royal Caribbean really needs to do a better job with its website documentation FAQs and note the Puerto Rico birth certificate exception. The other two major mass market cruise lines, Carnival and NCL do mention this problem, at least if you take the time to read the entire documentation FAQ including footnotes. Royal Caribbean doesn't.

While it is the passenger's responsibility to have all required travel documentation, Royal Caribbean really needs to do a better job with its website documentation FAQs and note the Puerto Rico birth certificate exception. The other two major mass market cruise lines, Carnival and NCL do mention this problem, at least if you take the time to read the entire documentation FAQ including footnotes. Royal Caribbean doesn't.

Yes, Royal really does a disservice by not mentioning this, but I just checked the CBP website and they make no mention of it, either.

OP, you should be able to receive a refund for taxes and fees and all purchases that you made before the cruise.

When it comes to documentation/visa/passport requirements we NEVER rely on the cruise line website or on what the cruise line CSR's tell us. Nor do we rely on any travel agent.

We have learned over the years to review this on our own and ensure that we have the required paperwork. We do compare it to the cruise line data but we certainly do no use the latter as the test of what is really required.

Why? Because at the end of the day it is my money, my travel plans that are at stake. And it is ultimately my responsibility to ensure that we carry the proper documentation.

Yes, Royal really does a disservice by not mentioning this, but I just checked the CBP website and they make no mention of it, either.

 

OP, you should be able to receive a refund for taxes and fees and all purchases that you made before the cruise.

You're correct...CBP doesn't, but by all rights should include this information. I may be wrong, but I seem to recall that prior versions of their website did.

When it comes to documentation/visa/passport requirements we NEVER rely on the cruise line website or on what the cruise line CSR's tell us. Nor do we rely on any travel agent.

 

We have learned over the years to review this on our own and ensure that we have the required paperwork. We do compare it to the cruise line data but we certainly do no use the latter as the test of what is really required.

 

Why? Because at the end of the day it is my money, my travel plans that are at stake. And it is ultimately my responsibility to ensure that we carry the proper documentation.

Just curious where you would have gone for this information. As noted above even the official US CBP website omits mention of the Puerto Rico birth certificate exception.

This is a case where at least the majority of mass market cruise lines actually have more complete information than the "official" government source

Sorry this happened to you. Just my two cents, but I always put reminders in my Google calendar on my phone, even if way out, to renew passports, GOES cards, military ID, nursing license, etc., anything that expires. I put the reminder in early enough to have ample time for renewal before they actually expire. It may be a bit overboard, but at least I have piece of mind.

We would never go on a cruise without having the most basic form of travel documentation-a passport.. Closed loop or otherwise. Don't care what the cruise line requirments are.

The planned itinerary may not require it however there is always the possibility of an unexpected event taking place that does result in the requirement for a passport.

The place where i was born had birth certificates that were a copy of church certificate of Baptism with a Government seal embedded on the front page of the 8/12 X 17 document. The jurisdiction was based on civil law vs common law. These were phased out years ago. Had to re apply and get a different form of birth certificate in order to apply for a passport renewal.

Can you get the birth certificate on Monday and fly to where the cruise is at?

 

 

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Probably not, if the next port of call is a foreign port. You need a passport to fly internationally. And the wife's passport is expired.