Always Travel with a Passport on Your Cruise--Even if You Don't Need One

[Kristelle]

Re insurance - I think it is more like deciding which level of insurance to have in the circumstances. I don't consider it worth having comprehensive insurance on my old second hand car and I have house insurance with a co pay, ie I pay first $500.

. Nobody is arguing have no documentation or have no house insurance - but risk vs benefit analysis about which level to have. 

[sanger727]

If you are a US citizen; you will get back to the US no matter what. I’ve ever heard of situations in Europe where someone left their passport on the ship, missed it; and received fly to the next port without a passport. It’s not the disaster people make it out to be.

 

I agree that the passport cost is in line with insurance cost. I’ve insured one trip with comprehensive insurance; and made out like crazy because we needed trip interruption coverage. Other than that, we get medical only. It’s significantly cheaper; I’ve def saved enough by not getting cancellation insurance to pay for a trip at this point. There’s always the people that say ‘always get travel insurance’…. because they needed it once. I’m not sure they track how much they pay for that insurance over several years.

 

I have a passport because I travel internationally. But you could save a lot of money not getting one for your first cruise or two. Especially if you have kids where they only last 5 years.

Edited December 31, 2023 by sanger727

[Z'Loth]

3 hours ago, ldubs said:

No, you should not call people "cheap" or short sighted.  We have taken many international red-eye flights out of choice simply because we just considered it more convenient.  These days we avoid them because we don't deal with jet lag as well as in our younger days.  We don't buy travel interruption insurance because we consider the risk low and the loss potential is not threatening.   Insurance is an easy risk transfer mechanism but we prefer to retain that risk.

 

Maybe it's because I'm a member of the church of Chaos Theory and have accepted Minister Murphy and all of his laws. 😁 Either that, or that I believe that if you are prepared for something bad, it tends to avoid you. I do have hard hats and a stash of water under the sink in one of my bathrooms which is also designated a tornado shelter, plus an emergency kit. 

 

I said "travel insurance", not "trip interruption". I take non-cruiseline offered insurance (obtained at the time of booking through the travel agent) because of one critical part: the unlikely event that there is a emergency medical evacuation back to the United States which can easily cost six figures. Everyone else, whether it be lost luggage, trip interruption, or such, is gravy compared with that emergency medical evacuation.

 

Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (not to mention CLEAR) are all nice-to-have options, but aren't required for travel. They just make checking into your flight and returning to the United States quicker as long as you are aware of the quirks between TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Thank goodness passport processing times have finally returned to normal.

 

 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 12/29/2023 at 12:24 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Anyway, happy sunshine posts claiming there will be NO problem getting documentation for stranded cruisers may make folks feel good

On the other side of this coin, the gloom-and-doom crew says, "Just get the passport!" as if that's as easy as picking up a pack of gum at the grocery store.  The reality is that a passport is quite expensive and requires jumping through some hoops ... and then the blasted thing expires!  What an unnecessarily antiquated system.  Even the DMV's letting us renew online every other renewal period (and a driver's license costs about 1/3 as much as a passport), and we all know that Belzebub is CEO of the DMV.  

 

The "It's no problem to ____" on each side represent extreme opinions, and neither of these is particularly realistic.  

On 12/29/2023 at 1:46 PM, ldubs said:

Neither side is going to give in.  

I'm not on a side.  No, no, that's not true:  I'm on the side of logic and common sense, which means: 

- Know your personal risk.

- Be realistic about whether you're likely to take other trips that would require a passport over the next 10 years.  

- Make a choice about whether to buy a passport based upon facts -- not fear, not head-in-the-sand thinking.  

On 12/30/2023 at 10:55 AM, Z'Loth said:

but there is always that "one-time" when Murphy decides to show up and that "frugal" short-sightedness ends up costing you more... much more. 

Consider that Royal Caribbean alone carries 4.6 million cruisers every year, and the vast-vast-vast majority of them don't experience an emergency that would require a passport.  On this board we constantly hear of people who seem to be terrified of missing the boat (don't own watches, I guess), but we've heard very few stories of people who've actually been involved in an emergency.  I know, I know, if you're the one ... but the chances of a no-incident cruise are certainly on your side.  

On 12/30/2023 at 1:27 PM, KarlK said:

To each there own. You described me perfect, no passport, no room cost night before, no specialty dining, no drinks on board, little to no shopping, self tip, no casino. I am not ashamed on being a cheapskate, it has afforded me to take a cruise 🙂

Living a cheapskate life is one of the best things I've ever done for myself.  Followed by marrying a man whose cheap-o-meter matches mine; I tell him occasionally, "You're one cheap-ass bastard.  I love that in a man."  

But, seriously, being careful with a dollar transformed me from a free-lunch kid from a large farm family to an early retiree with several income streams and a comfortable life.  Teenaged me would not have believed this possible.  

3 hours ago, Kristelle said:

Re insurance - I think it is more like deciding which level of insurance to have in the circumstances. I don't consider it worth having comprehensive insurance on my old second hand car and I have house insurance with a co pay, ie I pay first $500.

That's a good analogy.  You've studied your risk for each car, and you've made your choice.  Same thing for the passport vs. birth certificate choice:  Review your personal potential for trouble, your personal ability to manage an emergency if you happen to be the rare individual who has an emergency.  

 

 

Edited January 1 by Mum2Mercury

[navybankerteacher]

51 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

…  The reality is that a passport is quite expensive and requires jumping through some hoops ... and then the blasted thing expires!  What an unnecessarily antiquated system.  Even the DMV's letting us renew online every other renewal period (and a driver's license costs about 1/3 as much as a passport), 

Are you really equating passports with drivers licenses?   
 

In any event, a CT license actually costs (per year of utility)  about what a US passport costs.  You may want to clock at your state’s fees and renewal periods

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Not quite the same since it is usually mandated and the potential loss is so much greater. If you want to compare travel to insurance a better example would be comprehensive auto coverage. If you have a loan you are required to have it. If you don't have a loan then it's entirely up to you whether to carry it or not and that decision is driven by many factors including how much your car is worth. 

Not at all the case.  It is rare for insurance to be mandated other than when mortgage financing on a home is involved.  And then people frequently save money on premiums on various sorts of insurance: real property, auto, health, liability, etc, by carrying minimal coverage, not carrying certain risk coverage, carrying high deductibles, etc.

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

On the other side of this coin, the gloom-and-doom crew says, "Just get the passport!" as if that's as easy as picking up a pack of gum at the grocery store.  The reality is that a passport is quite expensive and requires jumping through some hoops

 

 

 

 

 

Not that expensive.  Works out to $13 a year.  Give up two Starbucks a year and you have it covered.  

[Charles4515]

26 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

In any event, a CT license actually costs (per year of utility)  about what a US passport costs.  You may want to clock at your state’s fees and renewal periods

LOL.  My states renewal period is 8 years and the fee is $33. And that is for a Real ID license. Certainly a lot less than a passport renewal. 

[navybankerteacher]

6 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

LOL.  My states renewal period is 8 years and the fee is $33. And that is for a Real ID license. Certainly a lot less than a passport renewal. 

Sounds like a bargain - CT is $24 for 2 years  or $96 for 8 years - both Real ID -  

[navybankerteacher]

27 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Not that expensive.  Works out to $13 a year.  Give up two Starbucks a year and you have it covered.  

Of course Starbucks relies upon a wide customer base who are either very wealthy or are unable to perform simple arithmetic functions.

[sparks1093]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not at all the case.  It is rare for insurance to be mandated other than when mortgage financing on a home is involved.  And then people frequently save money on premiums on various sorts of insurance: real property, auto, health, liability, etc, by carrying minimal coverage, not carrying certain risk coverage, carrying high deductibles, etc.

I think the majority of people have mortgages but in any case the cost of a $200k plus loss is still far greater than a delay in returning home from a cruise IF something goes wrong.

[sparks1093]

3 hours ago, Keksie said:

Not that expensive.  Works out to $13 a year.  Give up two Starbucks a year and you have it covered.  

Nope, it's roughly $150 per person payable all at once. When it involves a family it adds up very quickly. 

[Keksie]

7 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Nope, it's roughly $150 per person payable all at once. When it involves a family it adds up very quickly. 

Ok $15 A year.  Yes it is payable all at once but like all things in life if a family wants to do a particular activity they need to budget accordingly.  

[sparks1093]

30 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Ok $15 A year.  Yes it is payable all at once but like all things in life if a family wants to do a particular activity they need to budget accordingly.  

Of course, IF it is actually needed. Spending $850 for a 4 day cruise for our family when we didn't need to spend it didn't make sense for us. Another family may have determined otherwise. Both options were legitimate. 

[Keksie]

1 minute ago, sparks1093 said:

Of course, IF it is actually needed. Spending $850 for a 4 day cruise for our family when we didn't need to spend it didn't make sense for us. Another family may have determined otherwise. Both options were legitimate. 

I could see that for only a 4 day cruise.  However, if you plan to go on more and longer cruises or trips that require air travel out of the country you might want to budget for passports.  For my family two years after a cruise my son went on a fabulous band trip to Europe.  I was so glad that he already had his passport since the time was a lot shorter to prepare for that trip.

[Mum2Mercury]

Yes, passports and drivers' licenses are both government IDs.  My point was that obtaining a passport is an expensive pain in the butt, and the passport office makes the DMV look efficient ... not a compliment to either agency.  

11 hours ago, Keksie said:

Not that expensive.  Works out to $13 a year.  Give up two Starbucks a year and you have it covered.  

No.  If you set out today to get new passports for a family of four, it'd cost you $145 for the adults + $105 for the kids.  You'd have to have pictures made, which isn't free.  I'm assuming you already have official copies of your birth certificates around the house. You need an in-person appointment to turn in first-time passport applications, and both parents must go for a minor's passport (or send in a notorized form giving permission).  All in all, a family's passports will cost more than $500 + some effort. 

 

When you're done, you'll have documents that'll serve the adults 10 years + the kids only a scant 5 ... and IF THAT'S NECESSARY for the travel you're planning, okay.  But IF you're just going on one cruise and may not travel outside the US again in the near future, it's a lot of cost.  

 

I don't drink Starbucks, and I don't use fuzzy math to make things look cheaper.  

 

If you like fuzzy, hypothetical math more than I do, let's run both sides of that question and consider what'd happen if you invested that $500 in a savings account with 4% interest for the 10 years of the passport's life.  After 10 years you'd have $740.  

11 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

LOL.  My states renewal period is 8 years and the fee is $33. And that is for a Real ID license. Certainly a lot less than a passport renewal. 

I think our state is $40 for 8 years, so we're in the same ballpark.  A regular license and a Real ID cost the same here ... for now.  That's roughly 1/3 the cost of a passport.  

 

I'll say again, I'm not pro or con passport use.  I'm solidly in favor of looking at the true cost, the true need, and the true risk ... and then making the choice based upon your own personal need.  

 

 

Edited January 1 by Mum2Mercury

[cruisemom42]

Most people (other than the active participants) have probably stopped reading pages ago. However, I just wanted to make a case for really considering the need for a passport even for short cruises, including costs other than just the $$$.

 

Many of the arguments for not getting passports seem to revolve around families with children having to pay a substantial out of pocket amount. But keep in mind it is not just the cost of getting home that could be impacted by some kind of emergency, it is also the speed at which you might be able to react.

 

People with young-ish children are often those with older parents. What if some catastrophic health event occurred and you were not able to get home in time to say goodbye to a loved one?

 

Or what if one of your family members on the trip has an accident or sudden illness requiring urgent care? You might reasonably prefer that care to be given in a hospital in the US - but the delay involved in getting all permissions to travel sans passport may make it too long to wait. (And just staying on the ship under medical care may not be an option even on a short cruise. Ships strongly prefer to offload injured passengers and those with serious health issues.)

 

Make sure you fully understand the drawbacks of your decision. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t come back after a crisis and whine about how your emergency was not a priority for the authorities involved in getting you home.

Edited January 1 by cruisemom42

[Mum2Mercury]

18 minutes ago, Keksie said:

I could see that for only a 4 day cruise.  However, if you plan to go on more and longer cruises or trips that require air travel out of the country you might want to budget for passports.  For my family two years after a cruise my son went on a fabulous band trip to Europe.  I was so glad that he already had his passport since the time was a lot shorter to prepare for that trip.

That's sensible ... if you're planning JUST one cruise (the 4 days isn't really important) and you have an option to spend nothing, it makes sense to consider whether you're fine without passports.  

On the other hand, an American CANNOT go to Europe without a passport, so it's appropriate to spend the money.  

Weighing your choices make sense.  No blanket statement covers every situation.  

[Keksie]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Most people (other than the active participants) have probably stopped reading pages ago. However, I just wanted to make a case for really considering the need for a passport even for short cruises, including costs other than just the $$$.

 

Many of the arguments for not getting passports seem to revolve around families with children having to pay a substantial out of pocket amount. But keep in mind it is not just the cost of getting home that could be impacted by some kind of emergency, it is also the speed at which you might be able to react.

 

People with young-ish children are often those with older parents. What if some catastrophic health event occurred and you were not able to get home in time to say goodbye to a loved one?

 

Or what if one of your family members on the trip has an accident or sudden illness requiring urgent care? You might reasonably prefer that care to be given in a hospital in the US - but the delay involved in getting all permissions to travel sans passport may make it too long to wait. (And just stating on the ship under medical care may not be an option even on a short cruise. Ships strongly prefer to offload injured passengers and those with serious health issues.)

 

Make sure you fully understand the drawbacks of your decision. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t come back after a crisis and whine about how your emergency was not a priority for the authorities involved in getting you home.

Pennywise, pound foolish comes to mind.  Even on a closed loop cruise there can be excursions that require a passport.  

[Mum2Mercury]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

it is also the speed at which you might be able to react.

True, without a passport you're not going to be able to fly home FAST, but you're probably not going to fly home FAST with a passport either.  

Realistically, you're going to have to wait until your ship docks at a port with an airport that has a seat for you.  On a typical cruise, that could be 1-2 days.  If you're on a transatlantic cruise, that could be more than a week.  And if you can fly home, that last minute ticket will be expensive.  

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

People with young-ish children are often those with older parents. What if some catastrophic health event occurred and you were not able to get home in time to say goodbye to a loved one?

So many "ifs" here ... If it's a catastrophic event or an accident, being nearby is no guarantee that you'll be able to "say goodbye", even if you're in the same town.  That idea is a bit fantastical.   

 

I'd say it's better to live your life /manage your relationships in such a way that if you suddenly lose someone, you won't have any regrets.  When my dear grandmother died, I was two hours away taking care of my mother (who'd just had surgery).  She died in her sleep and my uncle (who, knowing she was ill, was sleeping on the floor in her room) wasn't even aware; the opportunity to make a mad dash to see her one last time never existed ... but, while my mother and I were devastated by her loss, neither of us was upset about the lack of a final goodbye.  Knowing she was going into surgery and wouldn't be able to drive for a while, my mother had visited her days before, and I had stopped to see her on the way out of town to my mom's house.  

 

For what it's worth, we've TWICE been on vacation when a death occurred in the family, and TWICE our family kept the news from us ... and they did right: 

- We were in Florida when my grandfather died on the last full day of our trip.  My mother chose not to call us.  As soon as we returned home, she explained that she knew we could have left a day early, but we would've been distraught /less safe on the road.  She apologized later, saying she knew she was choosing to throw us into a frenzy to prepare for his Memorial only a day after our return, but she thought it was worthwhile to let us enjoy that last afternoon /evening of vacation and drive home in peace.  RIGHT CHOICE.  

- We took our nieces on a cruise (this was years ago, before kids had cell phones), and as soon as we were in the car I handed over my cell phone so they could call their parents and let them know we were all back on American soil ... and it was an all-day drive.  Their mom asked to speak to me, and she said, "I'm going to say something bad, and you cannot react in anyway."  Okay ... she told me her husband's father /my niece's grandfather had died the night before.  She said it actually worked out well that the children were with me because it allowed her and her husband to be with him in the hospital and to make arrangements for the funeral.  She didn't want them to learn of his death during a van ride /cry all the way home.  Instead, she asked us to keep it a secret, and both parents would share the news in the comfort of their own home /would be able to comfort the children and deal with their grief.  RIGHT CHOICE.  

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

Or what if one of your family members on the trip has an accident or sudden illness requiring urgent care? You might reasonably prefer that care to be given in a hospital in the US - but the delay involved in getting all permissions to travel sans passport may make it too long to wait.

True, but this is a remote possibility fraught with many "ifs".  

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

Make sure you fully understand the drawbacks of your decision. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t come back after a crisis and whine about how your emergency was not a priority for the authorities involved in getting you home.

TOTALLY AGREE -- gauge your risks, make your choices and take responsibility for them. 

But don't assume that a passport in your pocket will straighten all your pathways and get you somewhere quickly and easily -- or cheaply.  

[Mum2Mercury]

34 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Pennywise, pound foolish comes to mind.  Even on a closed loop cruise there can be excursions that require a passport.  

That's possible, and it falls under the heading of "Do your homework" and determine your realistic needs.  

[mjkacmom]

9 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Nope, it's roughly $150 per person payable all at once. When it involves a family it adds up very quickly. 

$165 for adults, $130 for children. I think there are a lot of cruisers not part of families. The biggest expense of not having a passport would be hotel costs, one would still need to pay for flights even with passports. Taxi costs to the consulate? Meals? I believe theses costs (pretty insignificant) would be covered by insurance.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

I could see that for only a 4 day cruise.  However, if you plan to go on more and longer cruises or trips that require air travel out of the country you might want to budget for passports.  For my family two years after a cruise my son went on a fabulous band trip to Europe.  I was so glad that he already had his passport since the time was a lot shorter to prepare for that trip.

In our situation (as I've already said) we had no plans for any other travel. We knew we wanted to, but didn't know when. Besides cost passports also come with expiration dates and we didn't want to start that clock ticking if we didn't need to. We first cruised in 2009 and our first international air trip was in 2015, so had we gotten passports when we didn't need them they would have had six years gone by the time we actually needed them for the travel we could do. As it is we're renewing them next year.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

Most people (other than the active participants) have probably stopped reading pages ago. However, I just wanted to make a case for really considering the need for a passport even for short cruises, including costs other than just the $$$.

 

Many of the arguments for not getting passports seem to revolve around families with children having to pay a substantial out of pocket amount. But keep in mind it is not just the cost of getting home that could be impacted by some kind of emergency, it is also the speed at which you might be able to react.

 

People with young-ish children are often those with older parents. What if some catastrophic health event occurred and you were not able to get home in time to say goodbye to a loved one?

 

Or what if one of your family members on the trip has an accident or sudden illness requiring urgent care? You might reasonably prefer that care to be given in a hospital in the US - but the delay involved in getting all permissions to travel sans passport may make it too long to wait. (And just staying on the ship under medical care may not be an option even on a short cruise. Ships strongly prefer to offload injured passengers and those with serious health issues.)

 

Make sure you fully understand the drawbacks of your decision. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t come back after a crisis and whine about how your emergency was not a priority for the authorities involved in getting you home.

These are all valid things to consider. We were traveling with teenagers and had no one at home we would need to return for. 

[cruisemom42]

47 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

days.  If you're on a transatlantic cruise, that could be more than a week

If you’re on a trans-Atlantic cruise, you’ll have a passport, end of story.

 

As to some of your other points, again it is a personal choice and should be considered by each person in light of their own feelings. I know I wouldn’t want news kept from me. The RIGHT CHOICE for you may not be right for someone else.

 

You respond as if you have experience about getting home in an emergency but I’m not sure you do. From my actual experience, assuming you have all your travel documentation in order, most airlines will bend over backward to help get you home in a true emergency.