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Bottomline Can you cruise with your Birth Certificate ONLY?

seasearider59

By seasearider59,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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cohollywood

cohollywood

Posted
Posted
Where is link from the cruiseline requiring this?

 

I apologize for not having an actual link - but it came from Host Mach, who always has very valuable information. If I'm bored enough, I'll go look through Carnival, but I don't have a problem bringing my marriage certificate so I probably won't.

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Onearmbandit

Onearmbandit

Posted
Posted
I apologize for not having an actual link - but it came from Host Mach, who always has very valuable information. If I'm bored enough, I'll go look through Carnival, but I don't have a problem bringing my marriage certificate so I probably won't.

 

That's ok I already know what Carnival requires and it doesn't mention marriage certificate......

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=travel+documentation

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Warm Breezes

Warm Breezes

Posted
Posted

 

Still a dumb idea. What ya gonna do if you miss ship or get sick in foreign port?

 

Sneak back In thru Mexico?

 

And why would I sneak through Mexico to get home???? The US Embassy is there to help people like me get home legally on the very slight chance that I missed the ship or got sick in Mexico. The government would not allow the exception to the rule to exist if they didn't have a way to legally get you home.:rolleyes: Some of us don't live with your paranoia and fear of "something happening"...I don't buy lottery tickets either.:D

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Onearmbandit

Onearmbandit

Posted
Posted
Much easier to find than I anticipated -

 

http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=travel+documentation#q-543535

 

See: What is the required travel documentation for all ports?

 

Or just Ctrl - F : marraige

 

Guest names on travel documents (passport, Alien Resident Card, birth certificate, etc.) must be identical to those on the cruise and airline tickets. Otherwise, proof of name change (e.g., a marriage license) or a valid driver's license (or other government-issued photo ID) must be presented.

 

You see you had to show your marriage cert to change your name on your drivers license;)

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cohollywood

cohollywood

Posted
Posted
Guest names on travel documents (passport, Alien Resident Card, birth certificate, etc.) must be identical to those on the cruise and airline tickets. Otherwise, proof of name change (e.g., a marriage license) or a valid driver's license (or other government-issued photo ID) must be presented.

 

You see you had to show your marriage cert to change your name on your drivers license;)

 

Why can't I just bring my marriage certificate? It's already neatly in it's case along with all my other documentation....:p

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cherylandtk

cherylandtk

Posted
Posted
... I don't think I've seen a single post from someone who has had to do that saying what was involved and whether they had a problem if they didn't have a US passport.
I have seen a lot of these posts, probably because I make it a point to search on passports subjects daily and have participated in written correspondence with the DHS about this issue. If I may, I can offer these observations:

 

1. In four years I have only found one case where a person was allowed to actually fly back to the US without a passport. She DID have to obtain a 'permission to fly' letter from the State Dept., and it was only issued because she had an elderly relative on her deathbed back home. The State Dept. did have to contact the hospital and doctor to confirm the medical situation, and the traveler was detained upon arrival in the US for additional questioning and verification. I seem to recall it was a matter of maybe one or two hours delay upon arrival. There is one poster on these boards who has mentioned a few times that his wife is a flight attendant and has on occasion seen passengers fly with these letters. They are rare, and as far as I can tell, are only issue in true life-and-death medical emergencies.

 

2. There are a handful of posts about folks either missing the ship, or in one (in)famous case, a family removed from the ship because their baby was deemed too ill to continue. In ALL of these instances, the travelers were not allowed back to the US until they obtained passports. The cost was the same as getting a normal passport. The time ranged from one day to two weeks. The DHS will only state the the speed depends upon the urgency of need.

--The shortest time was the family with the sick baby. Family removed from ship at 11 pm on Tuesday, baby checked out OK at local hospital, family got passports the next day, flew home on Thursday, posted about it and called the news media on Friday.

--One unfortunate woman left her passport on the ship and missed the departure. The cruiseline was supposed to get the passport out of the safe and overnight it back to her. Through a series of goof-ups and misadventure, the passport did not get retrieved and returned for nearly a week. Her brother posted the story here on CC. If she had known it would take that long, she would have just applied for a new passport, but she kept getting told it would come 'tomorrow'.

--Three 20-ish men missed a Carnival ship in Cozumel; two had only BC's one had a passport, but all of that was left on the ship in their safe. It took all of them nearly two weeks to obtain passports and return home; all of them had to get their family to obtain new BC's, send them overnight to the State Dept, and then have new passports issued by the local consulate. I do not know why the one man with a passport did not simply have the cruiseline get it out of the safe and send it to him. But that is the story his uncle posted here on CC.

 

3. The definition of emergency is up to the local consulate, and even when pressed they will only say "depending on the nature of the emergency". Missing work, spending money you don't really have on hotels and food while waiting for that passport to be issued and other such troubles seems to qualify more as a major inconvenience, but not an urgent situation, as far as the State Dept. is concerned. To them, an emergency seems to be a life or death medical situation, as least as far as how fast these things are handled.

 

I have a few other reports, similar in nature and timing to these, in a file at home, along with links to the original posts on CC if you think you need them. If so, re-post and I will dig them out later tonight.

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cohollywood

cohollywood

Posted
Posted
Bring whatever you want.......just don't want all the married women in a panic searching for something that is not required:D

 

I have no problem being wrong or what not...but my question is...if your DL's and name the cruise is booked in does not match the birth certificate name, isn't that some kinda of flaw in the system?

 

All I know is, my name is Holly. It wouldn't be that hard for me to find and steal another "Holly" birth certificate, claim it's mine, take it on board, and say I got married.

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Onearmbandit

Onearmbandit

Posted
Posted
I have no problem being wrong or what not...but my question is...if your DL's and name the cruise is booked in does not match the birth certificate name, isn't that some kinda of flaw in the system?

 

All I know is, my name is Holly. It wouldn't be that hard for me to find and steal another "Holly" birth certificate, claim it's mine, take it on board, and say I got married.

 

That B.C. you stole from Holly also must match your date of birth on your drivers license........what are the odds:confused:

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cohollywood

cohollywood

Posted
Posted
Yes, but it would be a lot harder to find a BC with a first name of Holly and your same birthdate.

 

But really, how hard is it to get a fake ID? It doesn't seem like they really check things like DL numbers or anything to verify the validity of the ID.

 

I'm going to stop considering how easy or difficult it would be to get on a cruise ship if you had negative plans with that cruise ship. :) I'll go back to thinking about how easy it is to get past TSA. :)

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Onearmbandit

Onearmbandit

Posted
Posted
But really, how hard is it to get a fake ID? It doesn't seem like they really check things like DL numbers or anything to verify the validity of the ID.

 

I'm going to stop considering how easy or difficult it would be to get on a cruise ship if you had negative plans with that cruise ship. :) I'll go back to thinking about how easy it is to get past TSA. :)

 

 

The cruiseline has to turn in a manifest before the cruise sets sail........yes they do check;)

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Warm Breezes

Warm Breezes

Posted
Posted
I have seen a lot of these posts, probably because I make it a point to search on passports subjects daily and have participated in written correspondence with the DHS about this issue. If I may, I can offer these observations:

 

1. In four years I have only found one case where a person was allowed to actually fly back to the US without a passport. She DID have to obtain a 'permission to fly' letter from the State Dept., and it was only issued because she had an elderly relative on her deathbed back home. The State Dept. did have to contact the hospital and doctor to confirm the medical situation, and the traveler was detained upon arrival in the US for additional questioning and verification. I seem to recall it was a matter of maybe one or two hours delay upon arrival. There is one poster on these boards who has mentioned a few times that his wife is a flight attendant and has on occasion seen passengers fly with these letters. They are rare, and as far as I can tell, are only issue in true life-and-death medical emergencies.

 

2. There are a handful of posts about folks either missing the ship, or in one (in)famous case, a family removed from the ship because their baby was deemed too ill to continue. In ALL of these instances, the travelers were not allowed back to the US until they obtained passports. The cost was the same as getting a normal passport. The time ranged from one day to two weeks. The DHS will only state the the speed depends upon the urgency of need.

--The shortest time was the family with the sick baby. Family removed from ship at 11 pm on Tuesday, baby checked out OK at local hospital, family got passports the next day, flew home on Thursday, posted about it and called the news media on Friday.

--One unfortunate woman left her passport on the ship and missed the departure. The cruiseline was supposed to get the passport out of the safe and overnight it back to her. Through a series of goof-ups and misadventure, the passport did not get retrieved and returned for nearly a week. Her brother posted the story here on CC. If she had known it would take that long, she would have just applied for a new passport, but she kept getting told it would come 'tomorrow'.

--Three 20-ish men missed a Carnival ship in Cozumel; two had only BC's one had a passport, but all of that was left on the ship in their safe. It took all of them nearly two weeks to obtain passports and return home; all of them had to get their family to obtain new BC's, send them overnight to the State Dept, and then have new passports issued by the local consulate. I do not know why the one man with a passport did not simply have the cruiseline get it out of the safe and send it to him. But that is the story his uncle posted here on CC.

 

3. The definition of emergency is up to the local consulate, and even when pressed they will only say "depending on the nature of the emergency". Missing work, spending money you don't really have on hotels and food while waiting for that passport to be issued and other such troubles seems to qualify more as a major inconvenience, but not an urgent situation, as far as the State Dept. is concerned. To them, an emergency seems to be a life or death medical situation, as least as far as how fast these things are handled.

 

I have a few other reports, similar in nature and timing to these, in a file at home, along with links to the original posts on CC if you think you need them. If so, re-post and I will dig them out later tonight.

 

So it all boils down to - is it a risk you are willing to take? The government allows it so the choice is yours.

 

These cases you presented represent an extremely small % of total cruisers out there. In all the cases, the US citizen got home with the help of the US Embassy...some faster than others, whether they had a passport or not. They were not left stranded in a foriegn country or left to "sneak through Mexico" to get home. It seems the people who had their documentation with them fared better than those who didn't, again, whether they had a passport or not.

 

I'm still willing to take the chance of using my BC and DL because the chances of these events happening are extremely slim (but I will make sure I keep my documentation with me -as I always do anyways, just in case).

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Warm Breezes

Warm Breezes

Posted
Posted
Bring whatever you want.......just don't want all the married women in a panic searching for something that is not required:D

 

I gave up on this one Onearmbandit. I specifically asked a Carnival Rep and he said a ML was required, although he could not give me a link to where it said it was required. He gave me the same link that was posted above that said "or a drivers license". I asked Host Mach, who asked the Carnival people, and he came back with the same reply with the same link. I finally took my ML with me on my last cruise (even though I had never been asked for it on my previous 6). Again I was not asked to show it on my 7th cruise. Even though I had it with me, I was prepared to argue the point and ask for proof it was needed before I presented it (if asked). I'm still waiting for someone to show me where it is required by Carnival or the government in writing. The site they keep linking states that a driver's license is proof in place of marriage license (note the OR).

 

I will take my ML with me, just in case. But if I'm ever asked, I'm going to demand proof in writing that it is required before I present it. I believe that if it is truly required, then Carnival should specifically state it somewhere in their written documents. The ambiguous "or" doesn't cut it IMHO.

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kbmeow

kbmeow

Posted
Posted
No they don't require a marriage cert........we have several married women in our group that just cruise with their B.C. and it has never been an issue.....if it was it would be required by the cruiselines.....

A marriage cert is not even required when you apply for a passport.....

Actually, I had to send in my marriage certificate to document why my name changed

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Onearmbandit

Onearmbandit

Posted
Posted
I gave up on this one Onearmbandit. I specifically asked a Carnival Rep and he said a ML was required, although he could not give me a link to where it said it was required. He gave me the same link that was posted above that said "or a drivers license". I asked Host Mach, who asked the Carnival people, and he came back with the same reply with the same link. I finally took my ML with me on my last cruise (even though I had never been asked for it on my previous 6). Again I was not asked to show it on my 7th cruise. Even though I had it with me, I was prepared to argue the point and ask for proof it was needed before I presented it (if asked). I'm still waiting for someone to show me where it is required by Carnival or the government in writing. The site they keep linking states that a driver's license is proof in place of marriage license (note the OR).

 

I will take my ML with me, just in case. But if I'm ever asked, I'm going to demand proof in writing that it is required before I present it. I believe that if it is truly required, then Carnival should specifically state it somewhere in their written documents. The ambiguous "or" doesn't cut it IMHO.

 

It's printed clear as a bell.......in order to change your drivers license to your married name a marriage cert is required......so that is why the drivers license is all that is required......same as when you apply for a passport all that is required is your drivers license.......

 

Documents and valid ID need to match.....same as when you fly......

 

When you get answers as such from carnival reps or hosts...it is because they don't know the answer whether it is from lack of experience or lack of research.....basically a cop out....what is the best answer.....bring it;)

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FlaGrl4Evr

FlaGrl4Evr

Posted
Posted
Actually, I had to send in my marriage certificate to document why my name changed

 

I had to scan and E-mail mine in too ; not only for the married/BC issue but my DD214 for the Military Discount was in my Maiden name as well. It just wasn't worth all the hassle of doing this not to mention the worry of not having my last names match and having to carry a copy of my ML. After going through all of this I finally decided just to get the darn Passport and consider it an initial investment as a first time cruiser. The funny thing was that I have been divorced for years but did not change back to my maiden name so I had to really dig to find the ole ML waaaay back from 1985. It was really a huge hassle that I just didn't want to deal with or have to explain over and over.

 

Also, as another poster mentioned, it sped up things at the port as well. Those with Passports just sailed on through. Do what you feel is right for yourself but it really did give piece of mind.

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cherylandtk

cherylandtk

Posted
Posted
So it all boils down to - is it a risk you are willing to take? The government allows it so the choice is yours.

 

These cases you presented represent an extremely small % of total cruisers out there. In all the cases, the US citizen got home with the help of the US Embassy...some faster than others, whether they had a passport or not. They were not left stranded in a foriegn country or left to "sneak through Mexico" to get home. It seems the people who had their documentation with them fared better than those who didn't, again, whether they had a passport or not.

 

I'm still willing to take the chance of using my BC and DL because the chances of these events happening are extremely slim (but I will make sure I keep my documentation with me -as I always do anyways, just in case).

Absolutely. And I spend a lot of time trying to convince people that my personal opinion (or theirs) on passports or BCs does not matter one whit to anybody else or their own situation. The best answer is what you said, it is allowed, and as long as an adult is making a well-informed choice, it's their business and not anyone else's. What is more unfortunate IMO, is that a lot of people post incorrect information regarding required documentation and travel requirements in an attempt to convince others that their personal opinion is somehow more valid.

 

I gave up on this one Onearmbandit. I specifically asked a Carnival Rep and he said a ML was required, although he could not give me a link to where it said it was required. He gave me the same link that was posted above that said "or a drivers license". I asked Host Mach, who asked the Carnival people, and he came back with the same reply with the same link. I finally took my ML with me on my last cruise (even though I had never been asked for it on my previous 6). Again I was not asked to show it on my 7th cruise. Even though I had it with me, I was prepared to argue the point and ask for proof it was needed before I presented it (if asked). I'm still waiting for someone to show me where it is required by Carnival or the government in writing. The site they keep linking states that a driver's license is proof in place of marriage license (note the OR).

 

I will take my ML with me, just in case. But if I'm ever asked, I'm going to demand proof in writing that it is required before I present it. I believe that if it is truly required, then Carnival should specifically state it somewhere in their written documents. The ambiguous "or" doesn't cut it IMHO.

It is not a Carnival requirement (because of the OR), and it is not a US government requirement. The only mass market cruiseline that requires the ML is Royal Caribbean. It is their 'right' to do so, just as Azamara requires passports of all pax, but they are both cutting off their noses to spite their face.

 

If one knows the regulations, it is a simple matter to ask the check-in clerk to call over the ICE officer at the port to clarify what is and is not required. If you are asked to produce the ML, first ask the clerk why, as your DL is your legal proof of identity, and your BC is proof of your citizenship. Your ML is not proof of either, and you want to know what they are questioning. If that does not work, then ask them to call over the ICE officer and ask them to clarify, as the US code specifies the exact documentation required.

 

US Code of Federal Regulations

22 CFR--PART 53

§ 53.2 Exceptions.

(a) U.S. citizens, as defined in §41.0 of this chapter, are not required to bear U.S. passports when traveling directly between parts of the United States as defined in §51.1 of this chapter.

 

(b) A U.S. citizen is not required to bear a valid U.S. passport to enter or depart the United States:

 

(1) ...

(2) When traveling entirely within the Western Hemisphere on a cruise ship, and when the U.S. citizen boards the cruise ship at a port or place within the United States and returns on the return voyage of the same cruise ship to the same United States port or place from where he or she originally departed. That U.S. citizen may present a government-issued photo identification document in combination with either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before entering the United States; if the U.S. citizen is under the age of 16, he or she may present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; or

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