Puerto Rico cruise documentation nightmare

[sparks1093]

I would think that anyone contemplating travelling overseas (internationally) would make sure that they have a passport that was vaild.

 

You would think but people make boneheaded mistakes all of the time, don't they? They are human after all. There was a thread on here not too long ago about a couple that flew from the east coast to the west coast for a cruise that actually required passports and they left their passports on the kitchen table (I have my personal doubts about the thread's veracity, but still). Ship happens. That being said for closed looped cruises most US citizens have a viable plan B if they find their passports are expired and that is to use a birth certificate and government issued ID. I carry my plan B in my wallet (as does DW) so if something happened to our passports on the way to the cruise we would still be able to board. The fly in this particular ointment is that the OP's birth certificate had been invalidated by application of state law. I was born in NY and left that state 58 years ago. If they had invalidated state issued birth certificates 10 years ago and if I didn't hear about it why in the world would I even research the possibility that my birth certificate was no longer valid?

[MicCanberra]

Closed loop or not, I would want my passport with me if visiting international ports just in case. As they say, a man without a passport, is a man without a country.

[sparks1093]

Closed loop or not, I would want my passport with me if visiting international ports just in case. As they say, a man without a passport, is a man without a country.

 

A lot of people feel that way and a lot of people don't, everyone has to do what they are comfortable with.

[navybankerteacher]

A lot of people feel that way and a lot of people don't, everyone has to do what they are comfortable with.

 

But, sometimes one should reconsider his comfort level.

[sail7seas]

Not at the State Department, but at the Washington, DC Passport Agency office on 19th St, NW. There are 26 passport agency offices. You can find them here:

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/where-to-apply/passport-agencies.html

 

 

 

 

Well, there you go. In less time than that spent suffering his sad experience, he could have been to D.C.and gotten the passport renewed? Add the time that may be spent in writing that lengthy letter and it is, IMO, an option that might have been great to investigate. It is the first thing that entered my mind......... he possibly was in an enviable location to get that passport renewed Being in Maryland could have made it easier.

[sparks1093]

But, sometimes one should reconsider his comfort level.

 

If his circumstances change, sure.

[sparks1093]

Well, there you go. In less time than that spent suffering his sad experience, he could have been to D.C.and gotten the passport renewed? Add the time that may be spent in writing that lengthy letter and it is, IMO, an option that might have been great to investigate. It is the first thing that entered my mind......... he possibly was in an enviable location to get that passport renewed Being in Maryland could have made it easier.

 

Isn't hind sight a wonderful thing?

[cruisemom42]

Well, there you go. In less time than that spent suffering his sad experience, he could have been to D.C.and gotten the passport renewed? Add the time that may be spent in writing that lengthy letter and it is, IMO, an option that might have been great to investigate. It is the first thing that entered my mind......... he possibly was in an enviable location to get that passport renewed Being in Maryland could have made it easier.

 

Although the poster realized that his wife's passport had expired, she had what he thought was a valid BC and id, so they decided not to pursue getting a new passport. There was no reason for him to think otherwise for their particular trip.

 

It was not until they were in Puerto Rico that they realized the birth certificate was no longer considered valid.

[sail7seas]

If his circumstances change, sure.

 

 

OR if one hears enough awful circumances where people are denied travel because of lack of adequate travel documents.

[sparks1093]

OR if one hears enough awful circumances where people are denied travel because of lack of adequate travel documents.

 

Maybe, if those awful circumstances pertain to the individual. If one is born in the 50 states the OP's circumstances wouldn't apply to them.

[sparks1093]

Just for grins I went into my online check in for our upcoming cruise on Carnival and selected "birth certificate", which prompted the following information to pop up:

 

"Birth Certificate MUST be from the Department of Vital Statistics and a government-issued photo ID will also be required for all guests ages 16 and over.

Baptismal and Hospital Certificates are NOT acceptable.

Birth certificates from Puerto Rico issued prior to July 1, 2010 are not valid forms of proof of citizenship for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Guests from Puerto Rico either need to present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document or a government-issued photo identification with a validated birth certificate issued after July 1, 2010." (emphasis added)

 

So at least on Carnival one doesn't need to search the FAQs for the information. Too bad RCI doesn't do the same thing.

[sail7seas]

Just for grins I went into my online check in for our upcoming cruise on Carnival and selected "birth certificate", which prompted the following information to pop up:

 

"Birth Certificate MUST be from the Department of Vital Statistics and a government-issued photo ID will also be required for all guests ages 16 and over.

Baptismal and Hospital Certificates are NOT acceptable.

Birth certificates from Puerto Rico issued prior to July 1, 2010 are not valid forms of proof of citizenship for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Guests from Puerto Rico either need to present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document or a government-issued photo identification with a validated birth certificate issued after July 1, 2010." (emphasis added)

 

So at least on Carnival one doesn't need to search the FAQs for the information. Too bad RCI doesn't do the same thing.

 

 

 

Very interesting. Were this to be a court case, plaintiff council might cite thatas example where RCI could (shoiuld?) haev added the same information to their check in process. That couldhelp in what until you posted that,I personally saw as dismal failure by the travelers.

[sail7seas]

Just for grins I went into my online check in for our upcoming cruise on Carnival and selected "birth certificate", which prompted the following information to pop up: "Birth Certificate MUST be from the Department of Vital Statistics and a government-issued photo ID will also be required for all guests ages 16 and over. Baptismal and Hospital Certificates are NOT acceptable. Birth certificates from Puerto Rico issued prior to July 1, 2010 are not valid forms of proof of citizenship for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Guests from Puerto Rico either need to present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document or a government-issued photo identification with a validated birth certificate issued after July 1, 2010." (emphasis added) So at least on Carnival one doesn't need to search the FAQs for the information. Too bad RCI doesn't do the same thing.

Very interesting. Were this to be a court case, plaintiff council might cite thatas example where RCI could (shoiuld?) haeve added the same information to their check in process. That couldhelp in what until you posted that,I personally saw as dismal failure by the travelers. I did not see failure by cruise line, but I now do.

[Netopr]

In What way do you think notarizing your letter is going to help you? do you undersand what a nottary on a document means and why some ahve to be notarized but your letter would not fit into tthat category. A re you by chance confusing your terminology and meant to say certiied, mail, retrurn receiptt requestted? where would you go to find your notary? Do you happen to know a notary public? They are very common and there are many of them pariticularly around law offices. I suspect you might be thinking certified mail. Whta is the goal you wish to achieve with your notary/

 

 

Don't get your hopes up too high to tthink RCI is going to refund you anything. Maybe some of the ;posts here explained to you why they are not wrong to refuse in the opinion of many very experienced travelers/ cruisers. who post here.

 

I am not familiar with notarizing documents, i might just have a lawyer from my family send a letter to RCI. I am just waiting for him to get back from the cruise so we can discuss more details. I am just afraid that if i dont do that, RCI will never give me a response back.

[Netopr]

Very interesting. Were this to be a court case, plaintiff council might cite thatas example where RCI could (shoiuld?) haeve added the same information to their check in process. That couldhelp in what until you posted that,I personally saw as dismal failure by the travelers. I did not see failure by cruise line, but I now do.

 

Would my experience be enough to be a court case even though RCI mentions on their website that the customer is responsible for travel documents? I really don't understand why they provide travel documentation guidance but yet say that on their policy. Looks they just want to clean their hands if something happens. Do they want customers to follow what they say or what the us customs says???

[Netopr]

Knowing how important BCs are, I'm surprised that your family that still lives there never mentioned it.

Yeah, im not sure and i dont think i would gain anything by asking them..

[sparks1093]

Would my experience be enough to be a court case even though RCI mentions on their website that the customer is responsible for travel documents? I really don't understand why they provide travel documentation guidance but yet say that on their policy. Looks they just want to clean their hands if something happens. Do they want customers to follow what they say or what the us customs says???

 

It's at least worth discussing with an attorney.

[Netopr]

I feel so badly for you that you missed your family reunion vacation as well as your money invested in your trip. It's difficult to even imagine the heartache when we fellow CCer's count the months, weeks and then days until our next cruise. By you sharing your misfortune you have probably saved (or will) someone else from this unfortunate situation.

 

One thing I would like to share: There are ways to get a passport on the same day. You just have to go to the closest city that processes them. Of course the cost is higher, but it is possible for those who realize too late that their passports have expired or if they can't find it (two days before the cruise, like my DH:().

 

If i would have known about the issues that i faced, trust me i would have taken other actions such as renewing wife's passport, ordering a new BC, etc.... heck even if i have to spend $1k for an overnight passport i would have done that to spend quality time with family. I already spent $4.5k in the cruise and airline tickets, whats another $1k?

[Netopr]

I think at least from a customer service perspective they might get a refund because RCI doesn't mention this exclusion at all on their website and other cruise lines do. I have no idea if that would be pertinent in an arbitration hearing but I would at least run it by an attorney.

 

I already tried to get a refund using their customer service department. I even had to explain the issue of Puerto Rico BC to them because they didnt knew and a little later they mentioned that they had this noted on their policy. I did challenge them to find it and they didnt. I spoke with a manager after this and nothing positive came out of that discussion.

 

RCI doesn't care, it makes me want to do a review on YouTube honestly

[sparks1093]

I already tried to get a refund using their customer service department. I even had to explain the issue of Puerto Rico BC to them because they didnt knew and a little later they mentioned that they had this noted on their policy. I did challenge them to find it and they didnt. I spoke with a manager after this and nothing positive came out of that discussion.

 

RCI doesn't care, it makes me want to do a review on YouTube honestly

 

A telephone call isn't going to do the trick, it will take a letter or several and maybe even one from an attorney to make them realize it might be best to just refund your fare. Every other cruise line would be acting the same way so it's not just RCI.

[Netopr]

A telephone call isn't going to do the trick, it will take a letter or several and maybe even one from an attorney to make them realize it might be best to just refund your fare. Every other cruise line would be acting the same way so it's not just RCI.

Thanks for your help, its very helpful

[sparks1093]

Thanks for your help, i really appreciate it....

 

You are welcome but do realize that it might not go your way, the contract language is on their side. But all you can do is try.

[Tapi]

Netopr:

 

First of all, I’m very sorry that this happened to you. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, now living in GA and with a lot of family still living in the island.

 

When the birth certificate issue was announced, it was indeed all over the news, and my mother harassed the crap out of me to make sure that I got a new one even though I was already living in the US mainland at the time.

 

But that was then and this is now. it’s been several years since that happened, and needless to say it’s not something that is mentioned much anymore. It doesn’t make the news these days and it’s not in people’s mind. So I can see how inadvertently you got yourself in this predicament. I don’t blame you for the oversight, and I can see how it could’ve happened to me too. Unfortunately it was a costly oversight.

 

I think that, even though you’re ultimately responsible to make sure that you have proper documentation, the situation with the PR birth certificates was tricky and unique. Maybe, as a token of good will, Royal Caribbean could issue a credit, even if it’s a partial one.

 

I encourage you to write directly to Royal Caribbean (preferably certified snail mail) and explain what happened. Stick to the facts and explain what happened. Keep it short and to the point and leave emotions out. Although there’s no way to get back the memories that you would’ve made on this cruise, hopefully you can get something back.

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

Good post.

[GottaKnowWhen]

And btw, according to the tsa manager, this still happens every time on cruises departing from PR.

 

I think the PR government did right in issuing new BC in order to take care of these fraud issues but should provide a 24/7 service or at least Saturday and Sunday for issuing BC or some kind of emergency service that would send it via email (which RC would accept according to them).

 

RC should also let customers know about this rule. When you check in online you have to select where the BC is issued. They should provide a warning and more information to those whos BC are from PR.

 

 

 

You have my total sympathy. We arrive back in PR tomorrow after a nice cruise on Celebrity Summit, there were several PR family groups enjoying a holiday family trip onboard, and my heart aches to think of what you have missed. And I agree that, in an ideal world, if Royal asks you to indicate the provenance of a bc to be used as ID, then yes they should flag the PR birth certificate issues. Maybe the discussion of your situation will wake them up?

 

 

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