If you don't have a passport

[sparks1093]

Marco, I have probably established myself as the most negative person on Cruise Critic regarding the idea of traveling without a passport.

 

The No. 1 reason for having a passport is being prepared in case something bad happens. Your father-in-law is 92 years old. Now, I'm sure you are going to tell me that he is "in excellent health." Just for the sake of argument, let's say that the stress of the trip does cause some problem for him. You take him to the ship's infirmary. I am very confident that the staff and the facilities will be excellent. However, they may very well tell you, "Your father is quite ill. We can stabilize him here, but he needs more attention than we can give him. We are going to have to transport him to a hospital in the next port."

 

Consider all the tasks that you and your wife will now have to accomplish--packing up your belongings, accompanying your father to the hospital, interfacing with hospital staff, getting hotel accommodations for yourselves, dealing with insurance and, finally, arranging for transportation back home. Wait. In order to leave whatever island or country you are in, he has to have a passport. No probblem. You've been bored, anyway, and would enjoy another task to complete. Just zip over to the American Consulate, and they can fix you up. Except were you lucky enough to be in a port that has an American consulate? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is there even an American consulate on the island? So, now even finding an American consulate is complicated. Oh, and is this a weekend? If so, the American consulate is closed until Monday. Whenever you get to the person who can help you, he's not going to just say, "OK, Marco, here you go." You will have to provide proof of citizenship, and, guess what, that proof will have to be verified. Days, not minutes.

 

But at least you saved $150 on passport fees and a picture.

 

As long as we're talking about money, how much is this cruise costing--cruise passage, transportation to the port, fun things you want to do on the cruise? Is is on the order of a few thousand dollars?

 

And you feel you have to save $150?

 

If that is the case, can you really afford to cruise?

 

I'll now yield the floor, and let others come in here and tell you, "It's no problem. I've taken many cruises without a passport, and nothing ever happened to me."

 

I could easily afford to spend $150 but would be loath to spend it if I didn't have to, so it's not a question of affordability and it is insulting to insinuate that it is.

 

OP, it is a two fold question- first do you need a passport and as explained if you are on a closed loop cruise a US born US citizen may cruise with birth certificate and gov't issued photo ID (unless the cruise line requires more). The second part of the question is it advisable to have a passport given your unique set of circumstances and your comfort level with your individual risk factors. If your father is in fairly good health then your risk is really no higher than anyone else's. At the end of the day you need to make the decision that works best for you and yours.

[sanger727]

If your father is in fairly good health then your risk is really no higher than anyone else's.

 

 

Going to respectfully disagree with that. A slip and fall in your 20s or even 50s is most likely going to result in a bruise, possibly a sprained ankle, but most likely something you can walk away from. Not in your 90s; a slip and fall can easily turn into broken bones or more serious injuries. And health issue wise - again, it's very rare for someone in their 20s with no pre-existing conditions to suddenly develop an issue that requires hospitalization. Sure a burst appendix or something of that nature can occur at any age but usually when you are younger things done get that serious that quickly. In your 90s they do. Plus I've never met someone that age without any chronic medical conditions. Even if well controlled normally; the stress of traveling, new foods, air issues on the boat, could much more easily cause a controlled issue to flare up.

 

 

 

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[sail7seas]

You can get him the insurance offered by the cruise line at any age. It isn't the best coverage but does provide some medical and evacuation benefit. For anyone over the age of 75 or so, it's almost always the most affordable option. We add an annual medical/evacuation policy for extra coverage. As others have said, at age 92, the cruise line insurance may be the only option.

 

HAL's best policy only pays $10,00 for medi cal. KEEPIing in mind. Medicare does not pay out of country in most circumstances... Would you s till call it the most affordable insurnance, if Dad falls, breaks a hip an and needs to be medically evacuated? Dad has to pay all those medical bills? (Somehow it is seeming to be very much 'less afordable' unless you think 'real travel insurance premiums would be as high as uncovered medical bills? Still happy if you b ought cr uise line insurance? I call that s to be cancellation insurance,, not travel insurance. Dad c ould be in the best of health but any of us at any age can have an accicdent.

Edited August 3, 2017 by sail7seas

[sparks1093]

Going to respectfully disagree with that. A slip and fall in your 20s or even 50s is most likely going to result in a bruise, possibly a sprained ankle, but most likely something you can walk away from. Not in your 90s; a slip and fall can easily turn into broken bones or more serious injuries. And health issue wise - again, it's very rare for someone in their 20s with no pre-existing conditions to suddenly develop an issue that requires hospitalization. Sure a burst appendix or something of that nature can occur at any age but usually when you are younger things done get that serious that quickly. In your 90s they do. Plus I've never met someone that age without any chronic medical conditions. Even if well controlled normally; the stress of traveling, new foods, air issues on the boat, could much more easily cause a controlled issue to flare up.

 

 

 

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I've known several elderly people, even in their 90s, that are in good health and shape for their age (sure, they have arthritis and what not but then so do I). The OP knows his father's health and is in the best position to judge whether it is a concern or not.

[luvtheships]

Personally I'm doing all my big trips within the next 15/20 years. At that point I'm good with cape cod or Florida or Vermont etc

 

I've been a world traveler since 1974 and have been many places many times over

 

I've seen most of what I want to see and have zero Interest in other places

 

Might try to return to Tahiti

Have climbed the Giza pyramids already in 1978 when they allowed it

I've been to communist Moscow at Leningrad but might want to see "capitalist" St. Petersburg lol

 

Eh on China but might do something with one of my kids at some point

 

Bottom line for me is that as soon as I feel big travel is too risky for me or will unduly burden my travel companions ...I'm done...with no regrets at all

 

God forbid I'm injured and need real medical care....no insurance is covering that and I really don't want my kids burdened

 

 

 

 

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[XBGuy]

I could easily afford to spend $150 but would be loath to spend it if I didn't have to, so it's not a question of affordability and it is insulting to insinuate that it is.

The OP was the one who mentioned the cost. I disagreed that it should be an issue. If we assume that people ask questions on Cruise Critic because they want to confirm their own beliefs and do not want to hear different opinions, then, maybe, I was out of line. I have always been of the opinion that it is good to listen to and evaluate different points of view. I do agree that I was more snarky that I could have been. I apologize for that.

 

OP, it is a two fold question- first do you need a passport and as explained if you are on a closed loop cruise a US born US citizen may cruise with birth certificate and gov't issued photo ID (unless the cruise line requires more). The second part of the question is it advisable to have a passport given your unique set of circumstances and your comfort level with your individual risk factors. If your father is in fairly good health then your risk is really no higher than anyone else's. At the end of the day you need to make the decision that works best for you and yours.

 

You are, of course, correct. All he asked was what documentation did he need to take the cruise. Several posters prior to me gave the "birth certificate and drivers license for a closed-loop cruise is OK" answer. Answered in the first two posts. So, your opinion is that the thread should have ended after the first response.

On the other hand he also made a point of mentioning that his father-in-law was 92 years old. He did not have to mention that. As you are suggesting, it is easy to interpret that as a question about the risks. I disagree completely with your statement that if "your father is in fairly good health then your risk is really no higher than anyone else's." There may be some valid discussion on what the risk differences are, but the risk is, in fact, higher. Many people have made contributions ot this conversation that speak directly to that topic.

Again, you are correct that Marco has to make his own risk assessment. However, if he did not want help with that question, he wouldn't have posed the question. The only way I can contribute to his decision-making process is to explain how I would look at it. There is no right or wrong answer

 

 

To reiterate one of my above points, I do apologize to Marco for the snarky aspects of my post.

[sparks1093]

To reiterate one of my above points, I do apologize to Marco for the snarky aspects of my post.

 

And that was the only reason I quoted your post. You did raise some valid points that need to be considered and my comments were geared toward making an appropriate risk assessment. Reasonable minds can disagree with how much risk a 92 year old person in fairly good health faces. Personally I wouldn't look at just the age but again the OP is in the best position to know exactly how healthy his father is.

[Kartgv]

HAL's best policy only pays $10,00 for medi cal. KEEPIing in mind. Medicare does not pay out of country in most circumstances... Would you s till call it the most affordable insurnance, if Dad falls, breaks a hip an and needs to be medically evacuated? Dad has to pay all those medical bills? (Somehow it is seeming to be very much 'less afordable' unless you think 'real travel insurance premiums would be as high as uncovered medical bills? Still happy if you b ought cr uise line insurance? I call that s to be cancellation insurance,, not travel insurance. Dad c ould be in the best of health but any of us at any age can have an accicdent.

 

Some cruise line insurance is apparently better than others - our Princess policy offers $50K evacuation, plus $20K each medical and accident insurance, in addition to cancellation and other protection. You're correct that those amounts will not cover total costs in some locations, which is why I said we supplement the cruise line insurance with an annual medical/evacuation policy. The two policies combined provide plenty of coverage and, on our last trip of 29 days, the cost was less than half the cost of comparable coverage through a single independent policy.

[SadieN]

Think of the Passport as more travel insurance. Don't want to wait in a foreign country to get a passport. Many of these islands share consulates, meaning he'd probably have to travel to get one.

 

Even $10,000 insurance is better than nothing. Our travel insurance was a g-dsend when DD had to be evacuated from her internship abroad. One call and they set everything up- transportation to airport, flight arrangement. They would have arranged ground transportation to our house if it was needed. (She bought into the country's medical scheme so she only incurred costs for meds and crutches.) At best, it calmed me down knowing everything was being taken care of.

[Gloworm2]

Please get the passport

 

 

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[Hflors]

We just traveled with my bil who turned 93 while aboard the cruise. We didn't buy the cruiseline's ins, but went to a website about insuring my cruise. My sis said it cost about $180 for both of them to be covered for medical care while we were away. Guess what, yes you guessed it bil became seriously ill. Luckily for us he was able to be treated onboard the ship (we were in Italy) and continued the trip. I think the bill was in the neighborhood of $10,000. Now she had to pay the amount up front, but when she got home she submitted the bill to her co-medicare insurance and they paid her some. Then she submitted the rest to this insurance she bought for $180.00 and they paid her all the rest that the co-ins didn't cover! She said it was the best $180.00 she had ever spent.

 

As for a passport, one other thing the OP needs to think about is. If (god forbid) his father does get sick and needs to be put in a hosp / sent home is he and his wife prepared to leave the ship and take the time to work on getting his father a passport away from home on some island in the Caribbean? Are they willing to risk not having the medical care his father might need (by coming back to the US by the next plane) should something happen? That is something that is a real possibility.

 

IF I were the OP I would proudly take my father to have his picture taken, and with id in hand go to the local passport / post office or where ever he has to go locally and help his father apply. Then I would take his picture and call the local news station and hopefully they will run a story. And hopefully his father will inspire other seniors to get their passports and travel the world!

 

No matter what you decide I hope you have a wonderful trip and make wonderful memories!!!!!!:):):)