Celebrity Caribbean Cruise, but Passport CARD not accepted!

[Langley Cruisers]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Wow.. interesting turn of events

 

I know, right?

 

OP, I hope you will come back after your cruise and revive this thread with an update. It's grown to many pages and people are invested in what will happen. 😉

[Pickels]

On ‎9‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 2:42 PM, B+S said:

Well, no one needs speculation, and frankly, Celebrity does not make the rules of immigration, the US Department of State makes the rules. Those rules are clear and concise. It is true that Celebrity could, wrongfully, deny us boarding.

 

Am on the phone to a THIRD csr at Celebrity  - they are still unsure. Supervisors are split on what to do.

 

Sure, I could pay the $340.00 for two expedited passport BOOKS. But should I have to?

For peace of mind; I would!

[B+S]

6 hours ago, hcat said:

Wow.. interesting turn of events

 

 Did you already apply for the Passport?

 

No, not yet, we're on a "mini-vacation" and not at home, lol.

[B+S]

4 hours ago, Langley Cruisers said:

I know, right?

 

OP, I hope you will come back after your cruise and revive this thread with an update. It's grown to many pages and people are invested in what will happen. 😉

 

Oh my - threads that people never have the simple courtesy to tell you how it all came out. Yes. We PROMISE to respond after the dust has settled and let the helpful folks here know how it all turned out.

 

Bob+Sue

[bothluv2cruise]

On 9/20/2019 at 9:54 AM, B+S said:

BIG News!

Celebrity Customer Service provided us a written confirmation that a Passport Card IS acceptable this morning.

-------------------------------

Good Morning -

        Our information does tell us that a passport card is sufficient for this sailing. Please see below and we hope this helps clarify for you.

 

Thank You!!

Karen
Celebrity Pre-Resolutions
Trade Support and Service - ICT Campus
CelebrityRRS@celebrity.com
Fax (305)603-0045
----- Forwarded by Karen Scaia/RR/WCH/RCL on 09/20/2019 06:57 AM -----

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just found this thread and panicked.  Thank goodness there is resolution!  We are on this exact sailing (family celebration - 15 total) - we all have passports except for a few of the nieces & nephews.  

[B+S]

As promised, here's what happened upon arriving at check in: Clerk asked for passports and pre-printed boarding passes, we handed her our boarding tickets and passport cards. She quickly provided our room keys and returned our ID to us.

 

No questions, no issues, and no problems.

 

In the end Celebrity must have figured out what the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is and how to properly apply that to our cruise. 

 

Lastly, while I'd advise everyone to get the passport books, a passport card is absolutely a legal and acceptable form of id for an open loop cruise in the Caribbean.

 

Bob+Sue

[Charles4515]

20 minutes ago, B+S said:

As promised, here's what happened upon arriving at check in: Clerk asked for passports and pre-printed boarding passes, we handed her our boarding tickets and passport cards. She quickly provided our room keys and returned our ID to us.

 

No questions, no issues, and no problems.

 

In the end Celebrity must have figured out what the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is and how to properly apply that to our cruise. 

 

Lastly, while I'd advise everyone to get the passport books, a passport card is absolutely a legal and acceptable form of id for an open loop cruise in the Caribbean.

 

Bob+Sue

 

Thank you for coming back and telling us what happened!

[Georgia_Peaches]

48 minutes ago, B+S said:

 

 

No questions, no issues, and no problems.

 

 

 

Bob+Sue

So glad it worked out.  Thank you for taking the time to report out.  Hope you enjoyed your cruise.

[cruznjan]

To be on the safe side, get the book.

[Jim_Iain]

On 9/18/2019 at 12:08 PM, B+S said:

We have passports! Passcards ARE passports, and good for the Caribbean. They are Passport Cards as opposed to being Passport Books. Can you be more precise? I'll look into Martinique and Dominique, however they do not determine who disembarks back in the US, at any sea port.

 

Even though this is from RCL it probably answers your question.

 

https://cruisefever.net/royal-caribbean-issues-policy-change-regarding-passport-requirement-for-caribbean-port/

 

 

 

[K.T.B.]

On 9/20/2019 at 8:48 AM, akcruz said:

 

No you can definitely have both.  We just renewed our book and paid to get both a new book and a card.  It costs more but is doable.  Not sure where you saw you can't have both??

 

Then that's a recent change.

 

My wife and I tried to get both back in 2016 and were denied.  We were told then it was one or the other, not both.

[tbenson81]

Why would anyone choose a passport card over the book? The card is severely limited and isnt valid for international air travel at all. Saving 80 bucks doesnt seem to be worth it for 10 years. Thats 8 bucks a year. Get the book.

[cruise kitty]

20 hours ago, B+S said:

As promised, here's what happened upon arriving at check in: Clerk asked for passports and pre-printed boarding passes, we handed her our boarding tickets and passport cards. She quickly provided our room keys and returned our ID to us.

 

No questions, no issues, and no problems.

 

In the end Celebrity must have figured out what the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is and how to properly apply that to our cruise. 

 

Lastly, while I'd advise everyone to get the passport books, a passport card is absolutely a legal and acceptable form of id for an open loop cruise in the Caribbean.

 

Bob+Sue

 

Thanks for coming back & reporting the actual outcome.   Usually on threads like these we're all left hanging & wondering what happened.   

 

BTW:  Still hope you'll get a passport ;)

[chaps612]

I find myself in this position as I just acquired both book and card. I have to relinquish my passport for international travel/visa. My cruise is an easy one as it has two US territories and closed loop. HOWEVER, international air travel is not allowed with the card which limits what I can do in the unlikely event of a family emergency. I don't like the thought of leaving the US without my passport!

[fleckle]

10 minutes ago, cruise kitty said:

BTW:  Still hope you'll get a passport ;)

 

Glad that it worked out this time for the OP because leaving the country without a valid passport book is always risky. 

 

There are too many possibilities for things to go wrong and there is no way to predict what may happen in advance. 

Even on a cruise where a passport book is not a requirement, it is well worth the price of obtaining one,  if only for peace of mind.

 

Just a couple of examples from personal knowledge: 

 

 A friend missed the ship at the embarkation port due to circumstances beyond his control and needed to fly to a downline port to board. 

If he had not had his passport book with him, he would not have been allowed to do so and would have missed the entire cruise.

 

 

When a family member needed to take her child to a medical facility at a port for treatment after a fall, they were unable to return to the ship in time before the ship's departure.

Fortunately, they had left their passports in their cabin safe.

So before the ship left port, their passports were retrieved from the safe and left for them with the port agent, who made arrangements for them to fly to the next port, stay at a hotel overnight,  and re-board the ship the next day.

   

                         

[Ma Bell]

On 9/18/2019 at 12:12 PM, B+S said:

Bob,

 

That's the best rational reason I've seen for why the cruise lines may have different policies that the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs.

 

Thank you,

Bob & Sue

That's because it is a valid reason. I wouldn't want to be a test case.