Lost my passport the day before we sail :(

[zimmerjulie]

I also bring two sets of acceptable proof of identity and proof of citizenship, but don't have the passport card.

 

I carry my passport in my purse.

I carry my driver's license and certified copy of birth certificate in my carry-on bag.

 

I have imagined myself in the OP's position and will always have a backup plan or two or three to keep my ship from sailing without me!

 

I'm pretty laidback about most things, but missing a ship is not one of them!

[sparks1093]

I also bring two sets of acceptable proof of identity and proof of citizenship, but don't have the passport card.

 

I carry my passport in my purse.

I carry my driver's license and certified copy of birth certificate in my carry-on bag.

 

I have imagined myself in the OP's position and will always have a backup plan or two or three to keep my ship from sailing without me!

 

I'm pretty laidback about most things, but missing a ship is not one of them!

 

I'm actually giving serious consideration to getting an Enhanced Drivers License. $25 is pretty cheap insurance:).

[monicajay]

I'm actually giving serious consideration to getting an Enhanced Drivers License. $25 is pretty cheap insurance:).

Living in Enosburg you should splurge and get the Nexus card. It costs $50 but allows you easy and quick access back and forth over the border. As it included a screening process and finger prints and proves that you are no risk in either country it makes for quick crossings.

 

At bigger borders they have special lanes.

[sparks1093]

Living in Enosburg you should splurge and get the Nexus card. It costs $50 but allows you easy and quick access back and forth over the border. As it included a screening process and finger prints and proves that you are no risk in either country it makes for quick crossings.

 

At bigger borders they have special lanes.

 

If I went to Canada often enough I'd probably do that, but even if I had a border crossing document I probably wouldn't go up more than once a year (don't get me wrong, I like Canada. If it weren't for Canada I'd be living in the Arctic Circle;)).

[CruisenLexie]

Allow me to add this.

 

A few years ago we were going to the Mexican Riviera on RCI out of Long Beach, and like an idiot I forgot our passports. I didn't have time to drive back to San Diego and still make the ship. We were in a panic, but we were able to have our neighbor break into our house, fax copies of each passport to the service desk at the terminal, and got a very helpful RCI representative to notarize each copy. We were allowed on the ship.

 

When everything seems to be a mess, ask for help from the cruiseline on site. They will do what they can to get you on the ship.

 

Thank God for great neighbors :D

 

I think I will leave copies of our things out on the counter when we leave. Our neighbor has a key so it would be easy to find. Maybe leaving a copy at my desk at work would be a good idea too. I always have copies of our passports with us but better to have backup.

 

I lost my wallet after arriving in FL to start a cruise. I was rushed by the cab driver and didn't pay attention to what I was doing. I have never felt so stupid, vulnerable and in such a panic in my life. My relaxing pre-cruise evening drinking margaritas and my favorite mexican restaurant flew right out the window. Luckly I realized it before 5 pm on a workday so at least I could make all the necessary calls to the credit unions to cancel everything since I did not have my account numbers written down with the phone numbers for lost cards. Another lesson learned. I went back to the airport trying to see if the same cab came back. Big mistake was I did not pay attention to the cab number when we got in. NEVER AGAIN will I make that mistake. Your mind runs wild when these things happen. When I got up the next morning I felt better about things. There wasn't anything else I could do, everything was cut off, luckly my money was in another envelope in my bag and I had my passport. Just reading he OP's post brings those feelings back.

 

I sure hope she posts when she returns to let us know what ended up happening and how she resolved things. Hopefully she found it in one of her bags or pockets.

[Mimi Snow]

:confused: I guess no news is great news in this!!!

[lotsofkids]

Absolutely....no news is good news! At the end of the week when she updates her post, she will be shocked at the outpouring of concern here on the board. ; )

[jaja]

can't wait to hear :)

[oceanseagle12]

I've been watching this thread for an update and hope the OP is enjoying her cruise.

 

All of this talk about leaving docs for a neighbor to fax to you, etc. has me thinking. I always bring an extra copy of my passport, and have kept an electronic copy on my computer as well. Consider the electronic copy options. You can save it on a smart phone, flash drive, or any number of the online document storage services. Even email it to yourself- something that would allow you get the file online and print it out.

 

After reading this thread, personally, I will make sure my scanned copies are accessible from my home computer as well as stored online on my backup site. I dont want to rely on someone else to get it to me!

[lotsofkids]

Excellent advise! I scanned my passport a few years ago and sent it to myself in an email. I made a separate travel folder and I can always reference it or an air ticket/itinerary etc...

[shepherdqueen]

I've been watching this thread for an update and hope the OP is enjoying her cruise.

 

All of this talk about leaving docs for a neighbor to fax to you, etc. has me thinking. I always bring an extra copy of my passport, and have kept an electronic copy on my computer as well. Consider the electronic copy options. You can save it on a smart phone, flash drive, or any number of the online document storage services. Even email it to yourself- something that would allow you get the file online and print it out.

 

After reading this thread, personally, I will make sure my scanned copies are accessible from my home computer as well as stored online on my backup site. I dont want to rely on someone else to get it to me!

 

Great advise! My husband has a smart phone & I will do just this as a back up.

 

I do hope OP is enjoying her week.

[weltek]

Glad I read this thread. I only carry a photocopy of my passport, DL and actual passport with me. Now, I will be:

 

-Scanning everything and putting it on my work email (less likely to be hacked and if my device is stolen/lost, less likely to be accessed. I currently have my credit card "in case lost/stolen" contact phone numbers there, so I can just add it!

 

-Leaving my official birth certificate and copy of my passport in a folder on my counter with a UPS overnight envelope and instructions to my father, sister and cat sitter (a close, trusted friend) should any emergencies arise!

[Medtech2]

Excellent advise! I scanned my passport a few years ago and sent it to myself in an email. I made a separate travel folder and I can always reference it or an air ticket/itinerary etc...

Same here--all travel info in an e-mail folder for just that purpose...

[fergusonvt]

I'm actually giving serious consideration to getting an Enhanced Drivers License. $25 is pretty cheap insurance:).

 

 

I have one along with a passport. We just got back from an 8 state road trip and did part of our traveling there and back through Canada. It was nice to not have to worry about bringing and possibly mis-placing our passports.

[Hikini]

I agree that no news is good news on this saga. But I'm anxious to hear what happened when she returns from her cruise.....

[billet]

duh, I never thought of scanning it to my smart phone, but what would you expect from me as a computer consultant! A great idea.

[sdmike]

duh, I never thought of scanning it to my smart phone, but what would you expect from me as a computer consultant! A great idea.

 

I'll take it one further for you. How about putting scans of the documents in your Dropbox? For those that don't know, Dropbox is a cloud-based file storage service that gives you a bunch of storage for free. You can access it on the web and also through desktop applications, iphone/ipad apps, and droid apps. Once you put a file in your drop box you can access it from any device, even the computer terminal at the NCL check-in desk if needed! All you need is a login and password, and it's all FREE.

 

I have the free dropbox app on my computer, iphone and ipad. If I drop a file into it from any source (like my PC) I can almost immediately access that file from my mobile devices or any PC. The video they show on their main page is exactly what we're talking about. LOL

 

http://www.dropbox.com/

[oceanseagle12]

Yep Mike, that is one of the online doc storage sites I was referring to. I use a similar one called sugarsync. It is a great way to do this!

[sparks1093]

I wasn't going to say anything but what does anyone expect a copy of a passport to do? If you are going to have back-up just in case then it's better to carry a passport card, enhanced driver's license or original birth certificate in a different place than where you are carrying your passport. If I were to have an electronic copy of anything it would be my birth certificate because a copy of that would at least stand a better chance of getting me on a closed loop cruise.

 

At least with all of these posts the OP won't have any difficulty finding her thread when she comes back to update us:).

[smeyer418]

I wasn't going to say anything but what does anyone expect a copy of a passport to do? If you are going to have back-up just in case then it's better to carry a passport card, enhanced driver's license or original birth certificate in a different place than where you are carrying your passport. If I were to have an electronic copy of anything it would be my birth certificate because a copy of that would at least stand a better chance of getting me on a closed loop cruise.

 

At least with all of these posts the OP won't have any difficulty finding her thread when she comes back to update us:).

what it does is allow for a much faster replacement. As they can immediately locate the file. In an emergency a replacement can be made in hours and sometimes an authorization to travel without a passport can be issued.

[che5904]

I wasn't going to say anything but what does anyone expect a copy of a passport to do? If you are going to have back-up just in case then it's better to carry a passport card, enhanced driver's license or original birth certificate in a different place than where you are carrying your passport. If I were to have an electronic copy of anything it would be my birth certificate because a copy of that would at least stand a better chance of getting me on a closed loop cruise.

 

At least with all of these posts the OP won't have any difficulty finding her thread when she comes back to update us:).

 

I agree I do keep scanned copies of all of our important documents on my computer in case I ever got stranded somewhere without, lost, stolen etc and my daughter could get it to me to quicken the process of obtaining a new passport in a foreign country.

 

However I keep my birth cert and my drivers licence in a separate spot than my passport and call it a day. They will give me more of an oportunity to get through than a copy of a passport.

[untailored bostonian]

This thread is actually very interesting. Lots of information; things to think about.

 

And, I keep waiting "to hear the rest of the story."

[Bars7816]

I carry a color copy of DH's passport, and he has a copy of mine. Then at least, we have the passport numbers, etc.

[oceanseagle12]

I wasn't going to say anything but what does anyone expect a copy of a passport to do? If you are going to have back-up just in case then it's better to carry a passport card, enhanced driver's license or original birth certificate in a different place than where you are carrying your passport. If I were to have an electronic copy of anything it would be my birth certificate because a copy of that would at least stand a better chance of getting me on a closed loop cruise.

 

At least with all of these posts the OP won't have any difficulty finding her thread when she comes back to update us:).

 

Even with all of those, I would have an electronic copy of birth certificate AND passport. If they are backed up somewhere remotely through all the means already discussed here, you can access them. Does a copy of a passport do any good?

 

According to the State Department, if you lose a passport, yes:

 

Q:What Information Will I Need to Provide the Consular Officer?

a:You will be asked for certain information to assist in verifying your citizenship:

Personal Data:(including, but not limited to)

your name

date of birth

place of birth

passport number (if available)

date and place where your passport was issued

If you can provide the U.S. embassy or consulate with a photocopy of your passport identification page, that will make getting a new passport easier since your citizenship and identity information would be more readily available.

[sparks1093]

what it does is allow for a much faster replacement. As they can immediately locate the file. In an emergency a replacement can be made in hours and sometimes an authorization to travel without a passport can be issued.

 

Even with all of those, I would have an electronic copy of birth certificate AND passport. If they are backed up somewhere remotely through all the means already discussed here, you can access them. Does a copy of a passport do any good?

 

 

Okay, I guess I was focused too much on the OP's situation where she needed something to allow her to board the ship before it sailed. A copy of one's passport would help if stranded in a port without the passport itself. I think the next time I cruise I'll just bring my filing cabinet with me:eek:;).