Those wondering if they should get a passport:

[Twickenham]

Life limits my travel opportunities. Until the kids move out we aren't doing any travel that requires a passport because we can't. Once things change and we can travel more freely then I'll get a passport, but until then there is no need.

 

You never cross the border into Canada?

 

Edited to add the following clear statement:

Having a valid unexpired passport in you possession issued by your country's government agency that has your correct and legitimate information and it matches your cruising documents and you are standing at the correct cruise line terminal check-in for the correct cruise line, ship and sailing date if you present THAT passport that clearly belongs to you, I can guarantee you have the correct boarding document required to allow you to embark on the ship. If for some other reason you are not allowed on the ship, it WON'T be because you don't have the required travel documents. There, is that clear enough now?

 

That's perfectly clear. Now substitute "driver's licence and birth certificate" in place of passport and you get an equally true statement. Right?

 

Wrong. Only if the cruise falls under the closed-loop cruise exemption. If it does not, you need your passport.

[seatraveler24]

Read your own link, you do not need a passport for a closed loop cruise.

 

I know what it says. I like to be prepared. I will not be stuck if the rules suddenly change. As another poster said what if you have a medical emergency, miss the ship,etc. If you feel comfortable with using a B.C. than fine. As I said earlier I don't understand why for the cost of an adult beverage or a fast food meal a year you wouldn't have a passport. I don't like to limit my world, but that is what works for me. Do what works for you.:)

[BND]

I get a kick out of these threads. I love my passport for a variety of reasons. Why anyone would want to risk not being able to board is beyond me. A valid passport will ALWAYS get you onboard, but other documents might not depending on who's looking at them. Not all official BC's have raised seals yet a lot of people believe that they do, including a lot of cruiseline employees.

 

My DH's company took everyone to the caribbean last year and you bet no one was complaining about having to buy passports (most people had them already, but not everyone, probably 75% did). I always look at it this way, what if you miss embarkation and need to fly TO a port to meet your ship and the only ports are foreign ones, what then? That would kind of suck huh? Getting back home is easier but just takes some time. Everyone always talks about getting back into the country, but the fact is you can't fly out of the country without one either.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

any bets? :D:D

 

 

Nope.....remineds me of a former CC'er who liked to triangle posters.

 

***

[reallyitsmema]

Hi, From what I was told by immigration/customs as of june 1 ,2009 you must have a pssport or passport card. I know that some have gotten away with birth certificate, but i wouldn't count on it. It would be terrible to be denied boarding. For the cost of a passport $10 a year why would anyone limit where they could travel or take a chance of boarding problems. Just my opinion. :)

Here is a link with details. http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/index.html

 

I know what it says. I like to be prepared. I will not be stuck if the rules suddenly change. As another poster said what if you have a medical emergency, miss the ship,etc. If you feel comfortable with using a B.C. than fine. As I said earlier I don't understand why for the cost of an adult beverage or a fast food meal a year you wouldn't have a passport. I don't like to limit my world, but that is what works for me. Do what works for you.:)

Being prepared is one thing, stating that passports are required is incorrect. People are not "getting away with using a birth certificate". A certified birth certificate and a government issued picture ID are acceptable identification for a closed loop cruise.

[Stags14]

I know what it says. I like to be prepared. I will not be stuck if the rules suddenly change. As another poster said what if you have a medical emergency, miss the ship,etc. If you feel comfortable with using a B.C. than fine. As I said earlier I don't understand why for the cost of an adult beverage or a fast food meal a year you wouldn't have a passport. I don't like to limit my world, but that is what works for me. Do what works for you.:)

 

Passports are much more than $5. They're like $100. Also, you did make it seem like those documents you cited stated that a passport is required to cruise, which it is not. Again, I have one and wouldn't travel w/out it - I even take it when I travel within the country (stupid habit, it usually never leaves my carry-on) but I still don't understand why anyone would care about what someone else does..? Who give a flyin ....

[wcook]

A valid passport will ALWAYS get you onboard, but other documents might not depending on who's looking at them.

 

Sigh. What to do? I know I should just leave the thread. But people are posting blatantly incorrect information. Should that just be left alone?

 

A passport is no better or worse than other acceptable form of ID. If the passport is valid and meets all other requirements, it will get on board. Otherwise it won't. If a birth certificate and DL are acceptable forms of ID, they are exactly as good for getting you on board as a passport. If they are valid and meet all rules, they get you on board. Otherwise, they won't.

[wcook]

For those who question why these threads get ugly...

 

Since 9/11 if you leave the country with out a passport you are quite simply out of your mind.

[sparks1093]

Unless you are taking a cruise that never leaves US waters, you should have a passport.

 

what happens if -

 

You are injured on the ship and have to be evacuated - you need a passport

 

You miss the ship and have to return to the US by Air - you need a passport

 

You misbehave on the ship and are "kindly asked by the Captain" to disembark at the next port of call and return home on your own - you need a passport

 

Yes it is unlikely that these things will happen to you, but they do happen, all the time to others, so is it really worth the risk? You get your picture taken and fill out the form and send it in, the whole process takes 30 mins.

 

There are provisions in the regs for getting US Citizens home in such situations, it's one of the reasons the embassy exists.

 

You never cross the border into Canada?

 

 

With respect, no, there is nothing in Canada that I cannot get here.

 

As for the regulations changing without notice, not very likely. The regulations are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations and in order to modify them it would take at least 30 days to allow for public comment.

 

DHS had the chance to make passports mandatory for everyone and made an exception for closed loop cruises. Why? The reason for requiring passports is so the U.S. knows who is coming into the country in order to make it harder for terrorists to enter the country. DHS reasoned, rightly, that the risk of a terrorist entering the country from a closed loop cruise is low.

[snausman]

The first thing my DD did when our grandson was only a few weeks old was to go to the court house get his BC then went straight to the post office and applied for his passport. He got it within a couple of weeks. He will be cruising with us next week on his first cruise. He will have his passport in hand (well his mothers hand) at only 7 months old. Why take a chance when their is no need.:rolleyes:

 

Laura

[BND]

Sigh. What to do? I know I should just leave the thread. But people are posting blatantly incorrect information. Should that just be left alone?

 

A passport is no better or worse than other acceptable form of ID. If the passport is valid and meets all other requirements, it will get on board. Otherwise it won't. If a birth certificate and DL are acceptable forms of ID, they are exactly as good for getting you on board as a passport. If they are valid and meet all rules, they get you on board. Otherwise, they won't.

 

SIGH!! Wow, that is really, extremely rude you know. I said if the passport is valid. I also was referring to people who have come on this site and said they have had their BC's questioned. So, tell me again how that is "blatantly incorrect"? Using your words of course since you think you know what I meant. Do you see where I said VALID?

 

I also so thoroughly enjoy where people take one small piece of a post and then attempt to be overly condescending without really reading what was said.

 

Was the rest of what I said correct in your eyes?

[satxdiver]

There are provisions in the regs for getting US Citizens home in such situations, it's one of the reasons the embassy exists. <snip>

 

The USA does not maintain an Embassy/Consulate in every port. They are only open during government business hours and close both on US holidays and holidays of the host country. If you expect to walk in, get your credentials and walk out in any reasonable amount of time, I wish you luck. It is the government that we are talking about here. Everything has to be verified by the state department in DC and the state where the ID was issued such as DL and BC. Definitely not a quick process. There have been postings on CC where it has taken days for a medical evacuation to occur.

[sparks1093]

The USA does not maintain an Embassy/Consulate in every port. They are only open during government business hours and close both on US holidays and holidays of the host country. If you expect to walk in, get your credentials and walk out in any reasonable amount of time, I wish you luck. It is the government that we are talking about here. Everything has to be verified by the state department in DC and the state where the ID was issued such as DL and BC. Definitely not a quick process. There have been postings on CC where it has taken days for a medical evacuation to occur.

 

I agree, the length of the process depends on a lot of different factors, but you'll still get home. The risk needs to be weighed by every traveler and plans made accordingly.

[negc]

Hi, From what I was told by immigration/customs as of june 1 ,2009 you must have a pssport or passport card.

As you should already have been told, the information you were given was, to put it kindly, incomplete if not totally inaccurate. It failed to note the "closed-loop cruise" exclusion. Should that ever change it will not happen overnight. One need only look at the history of the changes in passport regulations over the past decade to realize that changes involve a long and detailed process with significant comment periods and publication of proposed changes before they can be imposed.

[marci22]

Sigh. What to do? I know I should just leave the thread. But people are posting blatantly incorrect information. Should that just be left alone?

 

Yep. Yeppers.

 

http://xkcd.com/386/

[wcook]

Wow, that is really, extremely rude you know.

I didn't mean to be rude. But I did feel your post was incorrect. How can I point out that your post is incorrect without offending you?

 

So, tell me again how that is "blatantly incorrect"? Using your words of course since you think you know what I meant. Do you see where I said VALID?

 

First, if we take your words as face value, they are untrue. A valid passport will not always get you on board. Can we agree to that? And if I'm picking on the world always, it's in part because you used all caps to emphasized it.

 

Now if you want me to make assumptions about what you meant, I can do that too. I believe the point you were trying to make was that a valid passport is more likely to get you on the ship than other valid ID. If that was your point, again, I think it untrue.

 

I also so thoroughly enjoy where people take one small piece of a post and then attempt to be overly condescending without really reading what was said.

I honestly meant no condescension, just disagreement with what you post. You posted that "A valid passport will ALWAYS get you onboard." Are you really upset that I took that to mean a valid passport will always get you on board?

[ryano]

A valid passport will not always get you on board.

 

I honestly do not see anything other than maybe an outstanding warrant from a Law Enforcement agency causing someone to be denied boarding on a closed loop cruise with a valid passport.

 

From what I gather on these boards, they dont even always catch the warrants either.

 

Would you mind providing us with some instances where you think someone with a valid passport would be denied boarding on a closed loop cruise? :)

[elfie]

Good gosh people! Take whatever form of id you want. If you don't get on the ship then that's one less person I have to fight for a deck chair.;)

[Toddcan]

A valid passport will not always get you on board. Can we agree to that?

 

Yes and no. And, this is where I think you are missing the point.

 

As far as the requirement for identification, yes, the passport will always get you on board. (assuming it's not counterfeit, expired, someone else's, and several other scenerios you can possible dream up -which, by the way, also apply to other forms of ID).

 

I believe the point (at least my point) is... you cannot go wrong with a passport. However, several people have posted in these forums that they can go wrong with other pieces of ID. Why? because they didn't understand they had to have the original, etc.

 

Think of it this way. If everyone had a passport, we would not see these threads of being denied boarding because of improper ID (again, I need to add.. unless it's expired... etc etc etc).

 

Obviously, some people know exactly what other docs besides a passport are acceptable. Those people won't have a problem (unless they need to catch a flight home for some reason). It's the obvious confusion posted on these boards from time to time that can be eliminated if those confused/unaware people had passports.

[wcook]

As far as the requirement for identification, yes, the passport will always get you on board. (assuming it's not counterfeit, expired, someone else's, and several other scenerios you can possible dream up -which, by the way, also apply to other forms of ID).

 

I believe the point (at least my point) is... you cannot go wrong with a passport. However, several people have posted in these forums that they can go wrong with other pieces of ID. Why? because they didn't understand they had to have the original, etc.

 

I see a double standard being applied to make a passport seem to be better than other ID. When you say, "you cannot go wrong with a passport" you don't actually mean that, right? You understand that it could be the wrong passport, expired or otherwise not valid. Aren't you really saying is that as long as you bring the appropriate and valid passport, you cannot go wrong.

 

Isn't it exactly the same with other ID? As long as you bring the appropriate and valid other ID, you cannot go wrong.

 

I'd be the first to admit there are many great reasons to get a passport. But I've got issues with notions like

 

- A passport will get you on the boat, other ID might not

- You cannot go wrong with a passport, you can go wrong with other ID

 

In terms of getting on the boat, a valid passport will get you on the boat. Valid other acceptable ID will get you on the boat. If you have what you think is a valid/acceptable birth certificate, it might not be. If you have what you think is a valid/acceptable passport, it might not be. Be careful and make sure what you are bringing is acceptable. Getting a passport doesn't eliminate the need to be careful.

 

Think of it this way. If everyone had a passport, we would not see these threads of being denied boarding because of improper ID (again, I need to add.. unless it's expired... etc etc etc).

 

What's the difference between threads about improper passport ID, vs improper other ID? Isn't it equally valid to say, "if everyone brought their birth certificate and driver's license on a cruise where they are acceptable, we would not see these threads of being denied boarding because of improper ID (unless they are expired, not actually a birth certificate, etc etc etc)

 

It's the obvious confusion posted on these boards from time to time that can be eliminated if those confused/unaware people had passports.

If people took just as much time explaining what is and isn't proper as they spent lecturing people to get passports, there wouldn't be all the confusion.

[PeterPan]

ummmm......

 

WOW!:confused:

[aggie1]

As a retired school secretary I want to tell you that no one is enrolled in school without a CERTIFIED birth certificate. We took our family on a cruise two yrs ago and the granddaughters were 2 and 7. They had passports and so did the rest of the family. Coming back from Cozumel we were ask for picture ID plus S&S card. All the granddaughters had was passport and S&S card. No other picture ID because of age. don't know what would have happened without passports. We also take passports off with us at every port.

[Merion_Mom]

As a retired school secretary I want to tell you that no one is enrolled in school without a CERTIFIED birth certificate. We took our family on a cruise two yrs ago and the granddaughters were 2 and 7. They had passports and so did the rest of the family. Coming back from Cozumel we were ask for picture ID plus S&S card. All the granddaughters had was passport and S&S card. No other picture ID because of age. don't know what would have happened without passports. We also take passports off with us at every port.

 

Under 16 are not required to show picture ID, just the ship's card.

[sandinmypants]

So many things when you travel are just so much easier with a passport. That's the only reason I need to have one.

 

'Nuff said. :)

[MikeNJ1109]

This horse has long since died and been turned into soap ...

 

Let's move on folks, this has *REALLY* turned ugly. Surely there are more pleasant things to discuss here ... like chairhogs ... kids behaving ugly ... adults behaving ugly (especially on this thread) ...

 

Michael