Birth certificate and switching guest questions...

[TortieGal]

Just did a search for the BC question and the most recent response to pop up was 2006 so figured I would ask.

 

I'll be cruising with my sister in a few weeks and since there isn't enough time to get a passport safely (we literally booked the cruise a 1/2 hour ago!), she's going to sail with her birth certificate. Given that she is now married, should she take her marriage license with her? Driver's license will match the name on the booking.

 

Second, I am booked in a room with her husband (scandalous! ;))....We split our party of 5 up in order to book with the past guest and senior rates so we could be near each other. Once on board, we'll switch him and my mom. Can we note him as a cash guest initially and then once he's switched on board, link his S&S to my sister's credit card?

 

Thanks in advance!

[salty dingo]

Make sure both the birth certificate and marriage license are original documents issued by the authority where the events took place. A valid BC must have an embossed seal. A photocopy is unacceptable. Ditto for the marriage license.

 

We sailed with a marriage license after we got married and it is VERY common. Just think about how many people have been on a cruise for their honeymoon.

 

The very best advice is to just book the cruise in the name that is on your documents. Forget about what your name will be at the time of the cruise. The official documents must match the name on the reservation. If you do not have time to change the name on the docs by all means make sure the name on the reservation matches the docs!

[TortieGal]

Her driver's license and booking name should match (see below). The BC obviously still has her maiden name which is what made me think about needing to bring the marriage certificate.

 

I've already asked her 5 times, "Are your BC original documents?" I am going to have her call to confirm that the name on her driver's license is what pulled into the official documents. To "spice" things up, she went and booked with a credit card that contained her maiden name....though she's been married 7 years. :confused:

[yogi2929]

When I traveled with BC and DL I had no problems because my maiden name was "Jane Doe" and my married (drivers license) name is "Jane Doe Smith".

[patseacruiser]

You can list him as cash on the online check-in. When you get to the pier he can use her credit card. When you get on the ship you can switch him out of your room. If you switch him at the pier you will have to pay the correct price for him. Do it at the pursers desk after you're on.

[cakemaker]

Both my husband & I cruised on 9/27 on the Legend and used our birth certificates only. I was extremely very nervous in line waiting to board it seemed everyone else but us had their passports in hand. We got through with no problem at all. I had only my birth certificate which I obtained from the State Dept of Health only 2 days prior and my drivers license.

On the return when we went through the immigration and he wanted to see the paperwork with picture ID in which I was completely unorganized and didn't have my license handy. I said wait I have to see what bag it was in and he laughingly asked my husband to vouch for me and let me go through rather then hold up the line.

An official legal copy of a birth certificate can be obtained on line at www.vitalchek.com

[jenms2000]

before i got my passport i never took my marriage license and never had a problem. at check in, your brother-in-law can use the credit card to back up his sign & sail and then let your sister use it to back hers. that way you won't have to stand in line at the purser's desk.:)

[Kurbanfan]

No you don't need to bring the marriage cert......as long as she has her b.c. and her picture Id and documents match she is good to go.......

[bluehenfan]

You should all take your drivers license. They kept telling us on recent cruise to be sure we took our Ship Sign & Sail card and our drivers license when we went ashore. Since I'm a worry wort I also always carry a photo copy of my passport with me too. I know it won't act as a passport, but having all the info would help get the ball rolling if ever stranded in port. The name difference was never a problem for me when I use to use my license and birth certificate before I got my passport.

[travlngrl1996]

My husband was adopted when he was 10. He is going to apply for his passport soon. On the line that asks if another name was ever used, should he put his birth name even though the adoption was sealed at the time it became final? Or should we try to track down the legal papers to include with the application? Both adoptive parents are now deceased.

 

Thanks in advance for the replies,

[Chacooe]

When I go onshore, I take my DL, my S&S card and my passport. My SIL took sick in PV one time, so she went to the emergency room and since she did not make it back to the ship in time they left without her. The embassy told her she was smart to bring her passport with her since it makes it easier for her to leave PV and catch up with the ship in Mazatlan. The embassy told her that sometimes it can take as long as a month to get the proper paper work to get someone home who does not have their passport. You need it to be able to fly out of Mexico, and BTW, the new passport cards will not work for you to fly home, it does help, but you can't just jump on a plane with it like you can your passport.