Denied boarding

[futaba951]

I wonder how many people bring their hospital certificate instead of a certified birth certificate when they apply for a passport:p

 

I had a passport in the past but it is long since expired and twice as thick with stapled addendums for all the stamps in it. I have a Japanese birth certificate that is hand written in Japanese with a typed English transcript attached. I have to carry my certificate of naturalization with my BC. The look on the face of the woman at the DMV in AL was priceless when I handed her my BC when I first got my DL.

[ChefSusan]

OP Thanks for the heads up on this. My husband and I don't have to worry about it, as we have always traveled with a passport when going on cruises. Sucks that you were denied boarding :(

[QuentinH]

My husband and I just renewed our passports eventhough they do not expire until May. Our November 28th cruise will take us to Israel and Egypt. Both countries require that passports must not expire for six months from the last day of our visit. It has to do with security.

A positive point: Our new passports will be current for 10 years from the date they were to expire. We will not lose that 5 months.:D

 

Your passport if you really travel is good for 9 years, then you need to start the renewal process. Some countries are 3 months but others are as much as 9 months prior to expiration. That is from the time you LEAVE, which means if you go to a country on Jan 1 and leave on Feb 1, the day you leave, plus the requirement is necessary. I travel back and forth and EVERY trip, people get off the plane and present a passport, expiring next month and they are staying 2 weeks. They are denied entry PERIOD! Americans are used to being protected by lax laws. The truth is, and country could bar "blue eyed people" or "people with gray hair" No fair, it's discrimination does not apply out of the USA. They can and they do discriminate at entry points to foreign countries so, at the very least, have everything in order.

[salty dingo]

There is no excuse for leaving the country without a passport, and I do wish our Government would change the rules and require all cruisers to have one.

 

I understand there is concern about the cost, but hey, cruises are expensive. Someone really pressed tight for cash is not going to be wasting it on a cruise in the first place.

 

Here's a very practical reason EVERY cruiser should have a passport. Let's say you are in the middle of a cruise and develop a health condition that cannot be treated on the ship. Appendicitis is an example but there are many others. The ship's doctor will FORCE you to disembark at the next port, no matter where that may be, if they can treat you and the ship cannot. If you are close to the US and in mortal danger, then a Coast Guard chopper may come get you, but if you are way out there in Mexico or Cayman or such, the CG tells you that you are on your own.

 

Then after you are put off the ship, you have to eventually fly back to the US, and if you did not already know, all air travelers MUST have a passport to enter the US. So you have hassles getting back home, just when you do not need them.

 

So be smart, get a passport.

[salty dingo]

Your passport if you really travel is good for 9 years, then you need to start the renewal process. Some countries are 3 months but others are as much as 9 months prior to expiration.

This may be true for land vacations, but irrelevant for cruises. Reason is that the authorities do not check your passport at any port that I know of, and even if they did, it is silly to require months left on it if they know you are leaving the same day.

 

I asked about this, and found that as long as your passport is good the entire cruise, you are OK. It can expire the day after you return for all they care.

[bonniemari]

My husband and I just renewed our passports eventhough they do not expire until May. Our November 28th cruise will take us to Israel and Egypt. Both countries require that passports must not expire for six months from the last day of our visit. It has to do with security.

A positive point: Our new passports will be current for 10 years from the date they were to expire. We will not lose that 5 months.:D

 

Are you sure about that? I just renewed my passport. The old one was going to expire on September 27, 2010. I mailed the renewal off around August 10th. Got my new passport back and the date of issue is August 25, 2010 and the date of expiration is August 26, 2020. So I did lose one month.

[echotumi]

it happens and happen to me i was on a 14 day cruise when i had a medical emerency and had to fly home glad i had my passport .glad my wife was just like dont be cheap get your passport ,,:eek:.

[kerrytens]

Gee, how much does it cost for a passport in the States:confused: I don't understand why anyone would travel without one.

 

OP, so sorry.

[salty dingo]

Fee information is located here.

 

There is a new passport card available that costs less than the traditional book, but I don't think it is useful for cruises due to not being valid for air travel. With the passport card, you are no better off than if you have no passport at all if you take ill and have to fly back.

[tiyana4]

This may be true for land vacations, but irrelevant for cruises. Reason is that the authorities do not check your passport at any port that I know of, and even if they did, it is silly to require months left on it if they know you are leaving the same day.

 

I asked about this, and found that as long as your passport is good the entire cruise, you are OK. It can expire the day after you return for all they care.

 

Actually it does apply to cruises... particularly if you embark in a foreign country. We are doing a Med cruise in 2 months that visits Egypt and they require a minimum of 6 months remaining on your passport (land or sea) in order to issue a Visa. I specifically inquired about this because DD's passport expires in March 2011, and we are having to renew early. I was told that Egyptian officials actually come on the ship to handle the paperwork as a courtesy. So the documentation is verified, but it is just done behind the scenes.

[kerrytens]

Fee information is located here.

 

There is a new passport card available that costs less than the traditional book, but I don't think it is usefor for cruises.

Thanks Salty! :)

[salty dingo]

Actually it does apply to cruises... particularly if you embark in a foreign country.

Well, sure it does, because you enter by air not cruise ship.

[salty dingo]

Thanks Salty! :)

You should also not feel safe with travel insurance and no passport.

 

All travel insurance policies exclude any loss due to a government regulation. For example, if you break a law and get detained and miss the ship, all costs you incur are not eligible for reimbursement.

 

Similarly, if you do not have a passport and cannot travel back to the US when you would have been otherwise able, your insurance will not cover those expenses either. It could cost you a bunch! More than a passport does, for sure!

[goaties]

Before you start flaming. I don’t have a passport and don’t travel enough to have one. We cruise maybe every other year and we don’t go out of the country any other time. Now for what happened we were suppose to cruise on the Dream today but when we got to the port we were denied boarding. The Documents we had was my birth cert. and my driver’s license. DH had his driver’s license and a certified birth record which he have used on the other 3 cruises we have been on with Carnival and there was no issue BUT as a 2 weeks ago they no longer except that document. And we weren’t the only ones there were families with children that were refused boarding. I called Carnival and spoke to 3 different people regarding this and was told if we didn’t take the insurance out that Carnival offered we were SOOL this just FYI if you have a certified birth record and have used it before you can’t use it now. You need a birth certificate. We thought since we used it in the past we could still use it. And regular insurance won’t cover them denying you boarding.

 

It took three trips to the local court house for records search and two denials on a birth certificate for my mom. She was turned away at the passport office two times before we finally got thru and we thought we were home free, until the state level for passports turned us down again. Moms birth certificate could not be certified because a doctor had not signed the birth. she was born under a tree in rural east texas back in 1936. When she started to school she remembers they kicked her out in first grade a few weeks after school started and she remembered her mom and a neighbor went to courthouse and got a sworned statement that she had been born and was 6 years old to keep her in school. We found census reports where they were counted in school back in the 30's and a school report card was filed and a school record her mom had signed. they required three proofs of age and these qualified. we still could not get the birth certificate certified they said because no doctor signed it. we sent it along with the sad letter they told me to write explaining that we could not get a birth certificate so we needed a passport to simply take our mom on a cruise. they finally decided to give us the passport she needed. we did not want to get to the cruise and find out they would not take the birth certificate we had. it looked official, but had not signatures on it. they stamped the seal and all on it, just said it was not official. paid 15.00 two times to get it. Passport is the only way to go if you can get one. you will need an official birth certificate to get a passport. We were beginning to think she would not get to go on the cruise. We did get to go and are about to go on the third one with her. we are hooked.

try to get the passport. You may need it...

[tiyana4]

Well, sure it does, because you enter by air not cruise ship.

 

The same stipulations would apply if cruise passengers arrives via transatlantic cruise., so it really does apply to cruises as well.

 

It is also important to mention it for those that embark in Vancouver but fly into Seattle for Alaskan cruises. The Caribbean may be less strict but outside of this area, the rules are hard and fast.

[MrFunInTheSun]

There was a family of 5 2 adults, 3 small children, middle age couple from Buffalo NY, another couple with 2 children and then us this was a matter of 20 minutes.

 

 

Why wouldn't the other members of the party still board the ship and go on the cruise? This doesn't make any sense that because one person did not have the proper documentation that the rest of the group would not still board?

 

Agree with everyone else, for the cost it's well worth to get your passport. If you get hurt in a port and are unable to go back to the ship for the remainder of the cruise, getting back into the US will not be a fun experience. If Carnival could have boarded your bf, they surely would, they want you all on the ship as much as you all want to get on the ship, but rules are rules.

 

As it states on your fun pass check in:

 

Passport (Strongly Recommended)

 

All guests will soon be required to be in possession of a valid passport when traveling on any Carnival cruise. Visit www.travel.state.gov for the latest and exact passport requirements.

[StevieG]

A certificate of Live Birth has NEVER been a legal document. You cannot use it on an I-9 or use it to get your DL(least not in Kansas) and it basically is nothing more than a ceremonial document for framing. I'm surprised Carnival ever accepted it as proof of ID? Not flaming just saying.

 

Pay attention she said it was a certified record of birth, the same thing Obama used to be elected president.

[jfrenaye]

Just some observations from me.

 

1. And this is likely the reason for the denied boarding. Belize (a port for the Dream) is not a WHTI Country and requires a passport for entry and it must be valid for six months after you depart the country.

 

2. Yes, a birth certificate needs to be issued by a GOVERNMENTAL authority AND it must have a raised seal (or other secure method of determining authenticity)

 

3. Carnival made out fine. They got the fare for the cruise and they likely re-sold the cabin at the pier, so they got their onboard money and then some.

 

4. The need for a passport (as someone pointed out) is great in case of a medical emergency, or if you miss the ship. At that point, you are in a foreign country looking to go to either another foreign country (to meet the ship) or to the US from a foreign country with no legal document to let you in. Yes it happens. Yes, you can get in. But it is a hassle for sure.

 

5. For the countries that require passports, the cruise lines submit the documentation electronically for the entire ship and it is cleared that way to not inconvenience the passengers (port calls are so short), but if Carnival boards a passenger who is not legal, they face serious fines and risk having the entire ship turned away. If an airline does it, they are required to re-board the passenger and return him to the US. He is not allowed to legally transit in the country.

 

Unfortunately, many times, the people hired by Carnival (and others) are not aware of the rules and laws. I once had one of those MLM travel agents insist that she had a Carnival ship that departed from Phoenix! And (also as many have mentioned), Carnival disclaims all responsibility with their "it is your responsibility".

[StevieG]

I beg to differ - this is only this tip of the iceberg. I don't know how many times I have read: my S&S card was $800-1000-1500-2000, I bought 2-4-6-8 pictures, I booked a Carnival Excursion in every port, I bought 2-4-6-8 Tshirts, I played bingo often, I booked the steakhouse and the list goes on. The cruise price is only a part of what people spend. Believe me, their bottom line still suffered whether people cruised or not.

 

I would be shocked if the average on board purchases exceeded $300 per perosn, far less than the cost of the cruise.

[guineverekay]

What is the difference between a certified birth record and a certified birth certificate? Is it a matter of who does the certifying? Or is it a matter of the words "Birth Certificate" being on the paper?

[salty dingo]

Belize (a port for the Dream) is not a WHTI Country and requires a passport for entry and it must be valid for six months after you depart the country.

I do not believe this is enforced by anyone for cruisers arriving and departing the same day. You will never see a Belize official when you cruise there and they will never see your passport.

 

It's true if you are arriving by air, or any other method, and are not simply in transit as a cruiser is.

[scuabacruiser]

Pay attention she said it was a certified record of birth, the same thing Obama used to be elected president.

 

I was thinking the same thing.:rolleyes::eek:

[kjunea]

I've always had a passport, since I was 6 weeks old and was added to my mothers. I was on my mother's passport until I was old enough to have my own, and then my parents got me one, that I have kept up all these years. It's just one of those things that I've always had!

 

I never have understood all the debate about passports. It's like a drivers license. You want to drive a car, you should get a license. You want to travel, you should have a passport.

[scchasgal]

Just some observations from me.

 

1. And this is likely the reason for the denied boarding. Belize (a port for the Dream) is not a WHTI Country and requires a passport for entry and it must be valid for six months after you depart the country.

 

 

 

I just got back a week ago from Dream to Belize you do not need a passport for cruising there.

[jetskier]

I do not believe this is enforced by anyone for cruisers arriving and departing the same day. You will never see a Belize official when you cruise there and they will never see your passport.

 

It's true if you are arriving by air, or any other method, and are not simply in transit as a cruiser is.

 

While most passengers may not see the Belize official, they do go to the ship. (mostly to get breakfast). I rode with the same guy on the tender back to Belize City on two different sailings. It is actually three folks that clears the ship.

 

Dave