Documentation Question - Leaving Tomorrow

[journey2002]

I ran into a little bit of a situation last night and now I'm a little worried. We are cruising tomorrow with DH, DD, and my mom (65). Earlier in the year, we applied for my daughter's passport and renewed ours. I tried to get my mom to go with us, but she said hers was still valid until the end of the year (December 17th to be exact). She was wrong. I realized last night that hers expires July 17, 2016 (7 days after the cruise ends)!! She does not have a copy of her birth certificate.

 

Now, I realize passports are not required, but that is all we were planning to bring - DL and Passport for the three adults.

 

My question is, will she have any trouble boarding? I'm having nightmares all of the sudden that she can't even get on the ship because her passport expires 7 days after the cruise ends.

[DonnaK]

If she is a US citizen on a closed loop cruise from a US port, then her passport is valid. No worries. (It seems that you are on Liberty from Galveston). The expiration requirement does not apply for cruises in the Caribbean.

Edited July 2, 2016 by DonnaK

[leaveitallbehind]

As you are leaving tomorrow I would call RCI today and explain your situation to see if this would be an issue and to be certain you are as prepared in advance as possible. The passport expiration recommendation as I understand it is not so much for the ship as it is for the ports of call you will be visiting and possible regulations with them.

 

You are correct that passports are not required on closed loop US based itineraries. What is required is a valid picture ID and a birth certificate -or- a passport. In your mother's case as she does not have a birth certificate, her passport will be required.

[leaveitallbehind]

If she is a US citizen on a closed loop cruise from a US port, then her passport is valid. No worries. (It seems that you are on Liberty from Galveston). The expiration requirement does not apply for cruises in the Caribbean.

 

Good clarification - thanks! I was taking the "better to be safe than sorry" approach. :)

[marci22]

Good clarification - thanks! I was taking the "better to be safe than sorry" approach. :)

 

Only problem is, if she calls several times, I think she will get varied answers. Anything from, 'yes, it's fine!' to 'no, you must have 6 months left!'

 

I think it's ok due to the factors mentioned above (still valid, closed loop cruise).

[leaveitallbehind]

Only problem is, if she calls several times, I think she will get varied answers. Anything from, 'yes, it's fine!' to 'no, you must have 6 months left!'

 

I think it's ok due to the factors mentioned above (still valid, closed loop cruise).

 

Unfortunately you are probably right and the answer may be a reading of the policy statement which is on line. Still it may help.....

[marci22]

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&faqId=2814&faqSubjectId=329

 

I think the 6 month rule is for air travel.

 

Our Recommendation

Royal Caribbean International strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This greatly assists guests who may need to fly out of the United States to meet their ship at the next available port should they miss their scheduled embarkation in a U.S. port; guests entering the U.S. at the end of their cruise; and guests needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons.

 

Doesn't say anything about expiration, just that the pp is valid.

[Snit13]

How did your mother get a passport without a birth certificate? I had to submit my birth certificate to get my 1st passport, but that was in the 60's. Have the rules changed?

[marci22]

How did your mother get a passport without a birth certificate? I had to submit my birth certificate to get my 1st passport, but that was in the 60's. Have the rules changed?

 

She got it 10 years ago and probably misplaced it. No time to get another.

[Clarea]

How did your mother get a passport without a birth certificate? I had to submit my birth certificate to get my 1st passport, but that was in the 60's. Have the rules changed?

Guessing she had the BC when she applied for the passport but has since lost track of it.

[journey2002]

She got it 10 years ago and probably misplaced it. No time to get another.

 

That's exactly how she got it. She had a copy but since my father passed away, can't find where he kept it. I've already ordered her a new one, but it won't be here in time.

[journey2002]

Thank you all! I'm going to go with it and just hope we're okay. Kinda too late to do anything else anyways.

[CGinMTL]

I am a control freak and my family often is upset with me about this.

 

you may be the same as you did ask to see your mother's passport.

 

That being said........... she is an adult.

she refused to go with you earlier in the year.

I suspect you have a million things to do today therefore I would say...... let MOM take care of this one.

If it doesn't worry her........... LET it go.

.

Good luck and let us know how it went.

[mollyeilis]

Even with flying it isn't 6 months for all countries.

 

I'm sure she'll be fine.

 

If she was born in Houston (assuming you all live there) and you'd noticed this yesterday morning (and if she was born after 1906) she could have gotten a BC the same day (just for extra peace of mind). Drat at the timing!

http://www.houstontx.gov/health/BirthCert/

https://houstonvitals.permitium.com/rod

[Snit13]

Guessing she had the BC when she applied for the passport but has since lost track of it.

 

I know that well. As age advanced so do lost items.

 

Have birth certificates in safe but many other items lost in space!!!

[irishgal432]

Op. Please come back and let us know if anything was said. That question pops up occasionally.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[hihilo]

I'm wishing for the best, for all of you, in this last minute stress-scenario .

 

Probably a lesson here, for others...... in planning trips, maybe the most

"Obsessive/ control-freak" of the bunch should check, months ahead--

( esp. for the older travelers in the group) & be sure all is in order.

 

A little grumbling, then, is probably more comfortable than the last 24 hr

high anxiety situation.

[journey2002]

A quick update - we had no problems with embarkation. They barely even looked at the passports, so the date wasn't an issue. We were through the embarkation line and on the ship in under 20 minutes around 1:00 pm.

 

Thanks again to each of you for the answers (and the laughs). I'm very much the control freak of the group, because I'm the one tasked as the family TA, so really worried about it.

Edited July 11, 2016 by journey2002

[Merion_Mom]

A quick update - we had no problems with embarkation. They barely even looked at the passports, so the date wasn't an issue. We were through the embarkation line and on the ship in under 20 minutes around 1:00 pm.

 

Thanks again to each of you for the answers (and the laughs). I'm very much the control freak of the group, because I'm the one tasked as the family TA, so really worried about it.

 

They swipe the passport's magnetic strip on their little machine. They don't need to "look at it". If there is a problem/issue, the machine would alert them.

 

How was your cruise?

Edited July 11, 2016 by Merion_Mom

[Snit13]

So happy all went well for you. Hope cruise was everything you envisioned.