Passport for Hawaii cruise?

[cpj74]

Hi all! I read all the old posts but I'm traveling with my 89 year old friend. We are doing the Hawaii cruise in April. Problem is she can't find her passport. Can she just use her DL? Thanks!

[6rugrats]

Is she a US citizen? If so, Hawaii is not a foreign country, and she does not need a passport, assuming all you are doing is cruising through the Hawaiian islands. In that case, a current DL should do it.

[Cruise Junky]

Is she a US citizen? If so, Hawaii is not a foreign country, and she does not need a passport, assuming all you are doing is cruising through the Hawaiian islands. In that case, a current DL should do it.

 

But Ensenada is. OP is on Century.

[Zach1213]

But Ensenada is. OP is on Century.

 

Aaaand this is a case where even a tiny bit of info from the OP would help.

[Cruise Junky]

Aaaand this is a case where even a tiny bit of info from the OP would help.

 

Exactly :)

[Bonnie J.]

She MUST show her birth certificate and not a hospital one, an official one from the county she was born in if she doesn't have a passport. Just a DL WILL NOT DO! She can get a copy of her birth certificate from this county. It MUST have a raised seal! She will not be allowed on the ship with only a DL!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I sure hope that your 89 year old friend doesn't have any kind of an emergency and have to fly home from the islands.

Hope she has bought insurance.

[ducklite]

Aaaand this is a case where even a tiny bit of info from the OP would help.

 

Ya think?

[ducklite]

I sure hope that your 89 year old friend doesn't have any kind of an emergency and have to fly home from the islands.

Hope she has bought insurance.

 

It's not just while on the cruise. A friend of mine was booked with his travel companion for a very expensive European B2B. A month before the trip, his traveling companion fell and broke a hip. The cruise insurance allowed my friend to take the cruise as a solo without a single supplement and refunded the majority of the cruise and airfare to his companion.

[njhorseman]

She MUST show her birth certificate and not a hospital one, an official one from the county she was born in if she doesn't have a passport. Just a DL WILL NOT DO! She can get a copy of her birth certificate from this county. It MUST have a raised seal! She will not be allowed on the ship with only a DL!

 

Only someone born in the US can use a birth certificate as proof of citizenship for a closed loop cruise! If a person was born in a foreign country and later became a naturalized US citizen they would have to show their Certificate of Naturalization. A birth certificate from a country other than the US won't do.

[Paul Bogle]

I sure hope that your 89 year old friend doesn't have any kind of an emergency and have to fly home from the islands.

Hope she has bought insurance.

 

I'm curious; what problem does flying home from Hawaii present that flying home from anywhere else in the USA doesn't?

[ducklite]

I'm curious; what problem does flying home from Hawaii present that flying home from anywhere else in the USA doesn't?

 

It's much more expensive to buy a last minute ticket home from Hawaii than the rest of the country due to supply and demand.

[ducklite]

Additionally if you are ill or injured and need to be moved on a gurney, it can be done via ground ambulance for a lot less than it costs to move someone in that condition by air ambulance.

[Paul Bogle]

It's much more expensive to buy a last minute ticket home from Hawaii than the rest of the country due to supply and demand.

 

What does that have to do with holding a passport or not?

[maureencruiser]

Like any other closed loop cruise, you need DL and Birth certificate. Passport Not required. Also, previous poster said COUNTY she was born in, not COUNTRY! It was not a typo and the poster was correct, a government issued BC. I had a great time on my Hawaii cruise. BTW, the cruise has to stop at a foreign country (ensenada Mexico) or it would be in violation of the Jones Act...

[njhorseman]

Like any other closed loop cruise, you need DL and Birth certificate. Passport Not required. Also, previous poster said COUNTY she was born in, not COUNTRY! It was not a typo and the poster was correct, a government issued BC. I had a great time on my Hawaii cruise. BTW, the cruise has to stop at a foreign country (ensenada Mexico) or it would be in violation of the Jones Act...

 

Right you are! I misread what the poster wrote. My apologies. :o

 

BTW...to be precise, the BC doesn't have to be from the county...it can be from a municipality or the state. In different places there are different government agencies that issue the birth certificates. I was born in NY City, and my BC comes from NY City, not the county, nor the state. The requirement is that it has to be an official government agency-issued BC, not one issued by a hospital. Also, not all official BCs have a raised seal. In some cases specially watermarked paper is used, or the seal can embossed or impressed.

[cpj74]

We are stopping in Ensenada even though we won't get off the ship. I'm not sure she has her original birth certificate and since we are leaving in April I don't want any surprises!

Thanks!

[cpj74]

I just learned about that Act, thanks for sharing! I had no clue until I read these posts and I've been cruising a lot. I do have a passport so I've not been worried!

[cpj74]

No we didn't buy insurance but now you have me worried!

[Paul Bogle]

Insurance isn't a huge expense. I don't usually buy it to cover loss due to cancellation or diversion as I am willing to self-insure. I do carry coverage for medical evacuation and treatment outside the normal coverage of my domestic policy, and I am in good health in my 50's. If I am lucky enough to be cruising when I am in my late 80's you can bet I will make sure I have proper coverage.

[Shmoo here]

Like any other closed loop cruise, you need DL and Birth certificate. Passport Not required. Also, previous poster said COUNTY she was born in, not COUNTRY! It was not a typo and the poster was correct, a government issued BC. I had a great time on my Hawaii cruise. BTW, the cruise has to stop at a foreign country (ensenada Mexico) or it would be in violation of the Jones Act...

 

It's actually the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (not the Jones Act - that refers to cargo).

[Cruise Junky]

No we didn't buy insurance but now you have me worried!

 

You should be worried. There's no way an 89 year old should be travelling without medical insurance.

[ducklite]

What does that have to do with holding a passport or not?

 

I was talking about having insurance, not a passport, although I wouldn't travel without either.

[Paul Bogle]

I was talking about having insurance, not a passport, although I wouldn't travel without either.

 

Why did you quote my query re flying stateside from Hawaii without a passport?

[boulders]

Why did you quote my query re flying stateside from Hawaii without a passport?

 

Umm... Hawaii is a state. Hawaiians really hate it when you make that mistake. The other states are called "the mainland".