Princess Online Personalizer and Passport

[CrusinAgain]

We just booked a cruise for March and we don't have passports. It isn't required to have one yet for sea travel yet I know its best to have one.

 

My question is: The cruise personalizer says "incomplete" simply because there is no passport information in there.

 

How do you get around this form without the input of passport? This is a surprise cruise for my daughter's birthday and I don't know if there is enough time to get a passport and then it will ruin the surprise for her to get one - so if it is required we might have to just have to cancel it.

 

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

[newbie2468]

It all depends on where you are cruising to if you need a passport. If it is a non-US owned island (such as Mexico, parts of the Caribbean,etc) after January 2007 a passport is required. If that is the case you can get an expedited passport (but it is about double the cost) As far as the Princess personalizer, you can navigate around it without all your information put in there. I am not sure when Princess requires your passport to be in place... perhaps 60 days out?? You might check with them. Hope this helps..

[linanbob]

We just booked a cruise for March and we don't have passports. It isn't required to have one yet for sea travel yet I know its best to have one.

 

My question is: The cruise personalizer says "incomplete" simply because there is no passport information in there.

 

How do you get around this form without the input of passport? This is a surprise cruise for my daughter's birthday and I don't know if there is enough time to get a passport and then it will ruin the surprise for her to get one - so if it is required we might have to just have to cancel it.

 

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

I'd really get her a passport, it only takes a few weeks for it to arrive.

 

Without starting (another) argument with folks, it may not be required to enter the port-of-call countries nor reenter the US when you return, but it could be very very helpful under some circumstances when out of the country.

[lovebug33]

Get one. Tell daughter that you are going on a cruise in the summer or some other type of "lie." It is best to have one.

[CrusinAgain]

Passports to Mexico and Caribbean by sea are not required until 2008 however they are if you fly. Now if she has to get a passport then the 21st birthday surprise is gone so that is why I was asking how you get around the personalizer.

 

This is what Princess says on the personalizer:

 

PASSPORT REQUIRED FOR AIR TVL INTO U.S.

** Passport Requirement - Important **

Please be advised that while originally the U.S. Department of State

regulations stipulated that passports would be needed by January 8, 2007 for

air, sea and land border crossings, recently passed legislation has deferred

this date until at least January 1, 2008 for land and sea border crossings.

However, all passengers traveling by AIR between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico,

Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to

present a valid passport for entry or re-entry into the United States

effective January 23, 2007.

Princess Cruises continues to strongly recommend a passport as the preferred

form of identification. Information regarding the passport requirement is

available online at http://www.travel.state.gov.

[TheNewMrsGriffin]

Hi!

 

My husband and I are leaving on Thursday for our cruise. I have a passport, but my husband doesn't...he'll be using his birth certificate to verify his citizenship. I filled out the immigration form for each of us through the Cruise Personlizer, but left the passport section of my husband's form blank, and both of them show up as "Complete" now...even though I did not include any passport info for my hubby. I'm not sure why yours wouldn't work the same way. Did you fill out the rest of the immigration forms online, including the credit card info section at the end? I do know that ours were showing up as "Incomplete" until I put in our credit card info. Maybe that's what's happening with yours?

 

Do you have a travel agent? You or your travel agent might be able to fax the form(s) in. That way, you can be sure that Princess has your info, even though you don't have Passports.

 

Lastly, is your daughter's birthday at least a few weeks before your cruise in March? If you want to have Passports for your trip, but you'd like to wait until your daughter's birthday to get hers (so as not to ruin her surprise), I believe you can "rush order" a Passport and it only takes a couple weeks to receive it. Of course, it costs a bit more to rush it, though.

 

Hope I helped a little, but I apologize if I didn't!

 

Shannon

[CrusinAgain]

Hi Shannon, the cruise I took last month wasn't a problem either and showed up complete without passport information. I think its because its after the deadline for air travel is where the problem is at.

 

Yes, I am sending the travel agent an e-mail right now and yes her birthday is a few weeks before the cruise. She can only take this week due to her college spring break so time is very limited. Shoot....seems like the best of plans never work out.

[Jay_NH]

I am sure I'll be corrected if I am wrong but.

That happened to us on our first cruise and I believe where it asks you to put in your passport information, put in birth certificate. It worked back then. What the heck...try it.

 

Jay:D

[CrusinAgain]

In talking with Princess, the personalizer showed complete to them since a passport is not required yet. The program was set up prior to the new extended passport date so that is the problem why it is showing incomplete right now. So, daughter will not have to be alerted to her birthday present after all, thank goodness. :)

[rhecker]

I had the same problem. We are on the Golden Princes leaving NO on Dec. 28.

I called Princess and they just completed on their end. Now when I pull up the Cruise Personalizer it says complete.

[ultimatemaniaccruiser]

Passports to Mexico and Caribbean by sea are not required until 2008 however they are if you fly. Now if she has to get a passport then the 21st birthday surprise is gone so that is why I was asking how you get around the personalizer.

 

This is what Princess says on the personalizer:

 

PASSPORT REQUIRED FOR AIR TVL INTO U.S.

** Passport Requirement - Important **

Please be advised that while originally the U.S. Department of State

regulations stipulated that passports would be needed by January 8, 2007 for

air, sea and land border crossings, recently passed legislation has deferred

this date until at least January 1, 2008 for land and sea border crossings.

However, all passengers traveling by AIR between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico,

Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to

present a valid passport for entry or re-entry into the United States

effective January 23, 2007.

Princess Cruises continues to strongly recommend a passport as the preferred

form of identification. Information regarding the passport requirement is

available online at www.travel.state.gov.

 

Re-read the bolded part. This applies to travel INTO THE US. The rules are different for NON-US countries. You should find out what those are. I guarantee you'll have no problems with a passport.

[CrusinAgain]

Re-read the bolded part. This applies to travel INTO THE US. The rules are different for NON-US countries. You should find out what those are. I guarantee you'll have no problems with a passport.

 

Thank you for your help, but as it is you can already go into Mexico without a passport by sea and all that is happening is extending the same law. Remember this is a surprise 21st birthday present to a daughter that won't be using a passport again for who knows how long so if I don't need one to go then why ruin her surprise.

 

Also they are currently working on a cheaper version of a passport called a passcard - they might be the way to go when they come out with that.

[Pam in CA]

Also they are currently working on a cheaper version of a passport called a passcard - they might be the way to go when they come out with that.

Don't count on this. There are two separate issues: one is entering foreign countries, the other is returning to the U.S. There are many countries in the Caribbean that now require a passport and wouldn't accept a passcard if that's what the U.S. requires to return to the U.S. What Americans want doesn't always translate to what they get.

 

If it were me, I would tell my daughter that since she's turning 21, it's time to get her passport. That would mean that if she wanted to fly with friends to Canada or Mexico, she'd be able to, which she wouldn't without a passport. I'd present it to her as a birthday present that would give her the freedom to travel should opportunity present itself. It'll be good for 10 years.

 

Taking a trip outside the U.S. without a passport is not the best idea, IMHO. While not requiring a passport, all of the cruiselines are strongly recommending that passengers cruise with one. What if you have to fly home for whatever reason? Or stay behind? You wouldn't be able to fly back to the U.S. without it costing a lot of money and hassle -- and I doubt trip insurance would cover those costs. I just know that after January 7th, we're going to see a lot of posts on CC from people with experiences where they needed their passport and warn others to get theirs.

[deenanmoose]

We are cruising on the Grand 1/5 - We just received a letter today - missing our passport info on the cruise personalizer - it gives us up to 5 days before cruising to have it entered. I think it may effect the express check in but am not sure. We are only going to Mexico & Honduras. From what I have read, you do not need a passport to cruise, but if something happens and you need to fly home, you can not without the passport.

[Crown Prince]

PAM, IN MASS: I think the PassCard will be pretty useless and a waste of money. All other countries have had passports for years. What is the matter with Yanks that don't have one? :confused:

 

JAY, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: You are correct in saying you may be wrong.

DO NOT put anything else, such as birth certificate number or drivers license number in the Passport fields. The Immigration Authorities get very upset :eek: that anything else is cluttering up their report, using the Passport fields.

These are exclusively for Passport information, not for any other kinds of data. ;)

[dennbr9]

I would get her a passport - don't cancel, just don't tell her what it is for. It will still be a surprise and the anticipation will drive her crazy. That's fun too.

[CrusinAgain]

You can't get someone else a passport since they have to sign the application and get their picture taken therefore the surprise is gone.

 

In the meantime, my travel agent found out the same information I did directly from Princess that it isn't needed for this cruise.

 

If by some slim chance the ship is missed, it isn't like we are on an island, after all Mexico is connected to the states and is driveable.

 

I would rather put the money into a special excursion she will want than a passport that she won't be using again anytime soon. They are $92+.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Why do folks in the USA not want to get passports, it is a very important document for getting other items like bank loans hiring a car even just opening a bank account is simpler with a passport.

 

Over here we have a far higher % of people owning a passport.

 

Its almost a right of passage you get a passport and you control your own life.

 

yours Shogun

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Just a PS to last post by age ten I had a passport by 12 I had been to Spain, Portugal, Madria and Holland without my parents.

 

When at college in England at 16 instead of going home at spring break I jumped on a plane and went to Spain for two weeks.

 

yours Shogun

[dforeigner]

Also they are currently working on a cheaper version of a passport called a passcard - they might be the way to go when they come out with that.

 

FYI: The Passcard will only be available for those who actually live on the border towns and constantly travel back and forth between the US and Canada/Mexico. The Passcard is not set in stone as of yet. In addition, the Passcard will not work for those flying back to the US or to visit foreign countries that require a Passport.

[Jay_NH]

PAM, IN MASS: I think the PassCard will be pretty useless and a waste of money. All other countries have had passports for years. What is the matter with Yanks that don't have one? :confused:

 

JAY, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: You are correct in saying you may be wrong.

DO NOT put anything else, such as birth certificate number or drivers license number in the Passport fields. The Immigration Authorities get very upset :eek: that anything else is cluttering up their report, using the Passport fields.

These are exclusively for Passport information, not for any other kinds of data. ;)

 

Sorry, guess I didn't say it correctly. Before I got a passport I was told to put in the words Birth Certificate in the area where it asks for passport.

It worked then. Maybe not today.

Jay:D

[dbakz98]

If by some slim chance the ship is missed, it isn't like we are on an island, after all Mexico is connected to the states and is driveable.

 

I would rather put the money into a special excursion she will want than a passport that she won't be using again anytime soon. They are $92+.

 

 

We're traveling on the Diamond to Mexico in February. We received our passports in the mail today. I get a chuckle out of the idea of me keeling over dead in Cabo San Lucas and my wife having to drive me back to Arizona because I was too cheap to spend the money for passports. It kinda reminds me of Aunt Edna on the top of the Griswold station wagon.

[mariemorgan]

How do you get around this form without the input of passport? This is a surprise cruise for my daughter's birthday and I don't know if there is enough time to get a passport and then it will ruin the surprise for her to get one - so if it is required we might have to just have to cancel it.Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

There is definetly enough time to get a passport.. and to keep the surprize you don't have tell her why you all are getting one.. you could say that it's going to be required starting January for any travel and you want to be prepared in case you have to fly to see family.

[CrusinAgain]

We're traveling on the Diamond to Mexico in February. We received our passports in the mail today. I get a chuckle out of the idea of me keeling over dead in Cabo San Lucas and my wife having to drive me back to Arizona because I was too cheap to spend the money for passports. It kinda reminds me of Aunt Edna on the top of the Griswold station wagon.

 

Good for you! I'm so happy for you. Guess you didn't read the thread as to why.

[DannyMac]

Go ahead and get your passport, I went to the PO today and applied for mine. They PO worker is saying those who apply today will receive their PP around the last week in Jan.

 

The last minute rush for PP's is on!!