passport poll

[njs]

Yes, we got them for us and 3 kids four years ago for a trip to Europe:) But would have likely got them for cruising even if we hadnt needed them for the european trip.

DH is american living in Canada, kids dual citizenship and I'm Canadian, so it just seemed easier for us all to get passports than use all different birth certif. DH also got Canadian permanent resident photo card last year. That's the next requirement for americans living in canada -must have it to fly into canada and soon it will be required for bridge border crossings as well.

[serene56]

Serene, have they cashed your check?? You can call and check on your application... but also see if they have cashed your check. You can't cruise without your birth certificate, and I'm assuming that is with your check somewhere!!! Yikes!! I'd definitely look into it...

 

Yes, my check was cashed on Oct 29- according to the person that I called he said that it sounds like I filed after the deadline for the month. (some people sit on paperwork also according to him) i should get it with the next shipment... dec 24th.. (merry xmas) but I did not pay a lot for it like some people post - seems I was missing a handling fee. Only cost me 68 bucks and wonder if that is the hold up.

 

Did you ever fly with just a birth certificate?? I would love to know what the difference is between showing a BC comparing to a passport?

 

PS-- I have two BC because I thought I lost one and filed for a new one..

[GoinCruisin]

Yes, my check was cashed on Oct 29- according to the person that I called he said that it sounds like I filed after the deadline for the month. (some people sit on paperwork also according to him) i should get it with the next shipment... dec 24th.. (merry xmas) but I did not pay a lot for it like some people post - seems I was missing a handling fee. Only cost me 68 bucks and wonder if that is the hold up.

 

Did you ever fly with just a birth certificate?? I would love to know what the difference is between showing a BC comparing to a passport?

 

PS-- I have two BC because I thought I lost one and filed for a new one..

 

That's probably what it is... they aren't going to finish processing it without the full payment. I would definitely contact them and ask how to go about paying the execution fee... good luck!!!

 

I'd also ask why they haven't contacted yoU! Something sounds off... They should have let you know what the hold up was when you called... And there should not be a 2 month delay between processing (from October to Dec 24th...) talk to someone else!!

 

I've never flown with a birth certificate... Everywhere I have flown to Internationally I have used my passport...

[mac4cruise]

I have had one since 1979 and I always renew it. I travel to to US all the time and it always made crossing into the US a lot easier.

[yst347]

I cannot remember a time when I didn't have a passport. My first flight to a foreign country was in January 1962. My first cruise was in June of 1962. With the exception of a brief six-month period in the 1980's when passports were only good for five years and I was late to renew, it has always been current.

 

Today not having one is unthinkable to me. Not just for foreign travel but for domestic air travel. What are you going to do if you are robbed or lose your wallet? I bet it is harder to get ID to fly home domestically without ID than to get home from a foreign port without a passport. Why risk the hassle?

[solly]

My DW,DS,DD and I all have ours. We got ours in 02-05 for our eastern Caribbean cruise on the Explorer of the seas.

[dan40]

Have had a passport for well over 40 years. Have to admit, cruising wasn't the reason to get it in the first place. Had to travel to Europe and the Far East for business every year [on expense account]. What a terrible job, but somebody had to do it.:)

 

Besides the total pleasure of being at sea, the other great pleasure of cruising in the early days was, NO PHONES!!! It was the only place that time off was really time off.

 

 

Today's cruisers and passports? You're going to have to get one sooner or later anyhow, why wait until everybody's trying to get one? And the price WILL go up as soon as they are mandatory [Who didn't know that?]

 

Dan

[MusicMan]

My wife and I don't have passports, but obviously, will be getting them in the future. Up until this point we've traveled on Birth Certificate and drivers license, both on cruises and air/land vacations to Mexico. We never had any hassles at all using them. We WERE going to get them for our upcoming Disney cruise, but since they (once again) changed the requirements and we're footing the bill for our son and his family, we probably won't bother on this one. It would be an expenditure of an extra $500. I hear people talking about "breezing through customs" with a passport while "those with birth certificates" are delayed. I'm sure they're telling the truth from their experience, but that has not been OUR experience. We've breezed through every time and, on occasion, have seen those with passports delayed.

[mcbor]

Got ours about 1 1/2 years ago before we went on one of our cruises. We have used them several times since. My DD will get to use hers again when she goes to China this spring to study abroad. Glad I got them when I did.

[pstow]

Got mine about a month ago... for my up coming cruise in January..

[JLC@SD]

How many American Citizens are "trapped" in foreign countries because they debarked a cruise ship without a passport - ZERO.

 

Citizenship can be documented and you can be cleared for travel same day with a few phone calls to the State Department. Not the best situation, but manageable in a short amount of time, they have people who deal with emergency situations on a daily basis 24/7, no big whoop....

It could be a bing whoop........."phone calls" do not work in all countries......and the US State Department is usually not down the street.

 

sure......you probably won't get "trapped".......but you certainly will be delayed........maybe for days.....and for a whooping amount of $$$$$$.

 

.......seems to me to be a no brainer.....of course get one.....and don't leave home without it....:)

[mrdood]

It could be a bing whoop........."phone calls" do not work in all countries......

 

Cruise ships don't port in those kind of countries, for a reason:)

 

...now back to reality:p the fact is, many have been put off ships in foreign ports, none were happy about it, none had problems getting home. I have always traveled with a passport, I am on my third, one is chock full of visas as I lived abroad for several years and have been all over the world (never been to a country without functional phones though, but I have not been to all countries). I think the longest I have seen a colleague wait is 4 hours in St. Petersburg Russia to get documents to get home, usually it is faster, but I am not talking theory, just from experience, theorhetically I am sure it is just awful:rolleyes:

[chasetf]

How many American Citizens are "trapped" in foreign countries because they debarked a cruise ship without a passport - ZERO.

 

Citizenship can be documented and you can be cleared for travel same day with a few phone calls to the State Department. Not the best situation, but manageable in a short amount of time, they have people who deal with emergency situations on a daily basis 24/7, no big whoop....

Where in my post did I say people would be trapped. :confused: I just think why go through even a "Little Whoop" when trying to get home to a sick relative or deal with a local emergency. I choose not to have to deal with trying to "make a few phone calls to the State Department" because I need to get home, or I have some other emergency to deal.

The poll really is misleading, I would be willing to bet that 90% of those that have passports, have them for reasons other than cruising. I have had a passport for over 20 years because of required travel for work and family trips to Europe. If I did not have one anyway, I would not be getting one just to cruise until required.

I would bet 90% have passports only for vacation travel (land or sea vacations). Very few people have jobs that require international travel. If anyone ventures away from US shores to places other than Mexico, Caribbean, Canada, .....then they need a passport. A driver's license and BC will not get you into a place like Tahiti, and my company never sent me there..... darn.

[AJs Dad]

How many American Citizens are "trapped" in foreign countries because they debarked a cruise ship without a passport - ZERO.

 

Citizenship can be documented and you can be cleared for travel same day with a few phone calls to the State Department. Not the best situation, but manageable in a short amount of time, they have people who deal with emergency situations on a daily basis 24/7, no big whoop...

 

Ok, I will grant you that getting "trapped" in a foreign country is maybe far fetched. However, I gotta tell you a few years ago I had a major problem in Calgary, Canada when I tried to fly home. The US Customs folks would not let me pass with just my birth certificate. I had to go talk to a supervisor. An hour later I was finally cleared to travel. However, the supervisor made it clear to me that I HAD to have a passport next time. And this was leaving CANADA. I applied for my passport the next week.

 

The answer on the poll "Yes, I wouldn't travel without one." - that's me. That Customs supervisor made a believer out of me.

 

My whole family has passports including the 2 yo (his passport picture gets a lot of attention cuz he is so darned cute :D )

[mrdood]

Where in my post did I say people would be trapped. :confused: I just think why go through even a "Little Whoop" when trying to get home to a sick relative or deal with a local emergency. I choose not to have to deal with trying to "make a few phone calls to the State Department" because I need to get home, or I have some other emergency to deal.

 

I would bet 90% have passports only for vacation travel (land or sea vacations). Very few people have jobs that require international travel. If anyone ventures away from US shores to places other than Mexico, Caribbean, Canada, .....then they need a passport. A driver's license and BC will not get you into a place like Tahiti, and my company never sent me there..... darn.

 

You didn't use the word "trapped", that was my word describing any delay or hold up against one's will, which I assumed you were implying, but doesn't matter either way.

 

I never said the 90% that have passports do so because of jobs, I said they had them for "other reasons" including vacations to Tahitti - which is a very nice place by they way... I have mine for work, but again, that is not what I stated.

 

...and no, it is not a hassle, if you have an emergency and need to fly home from a port, you can make one phone call, before the ship even docks and have papers faxed to the ship that will allow you to fly home from any port, Carnival can make those arrangements for you in an emergency.

 

I am an advocate of passports, always had one, always will, but I like to stay factual, if I did not NEED one for other reasons, I would NOT buy one just for cruising alone. Until it is required, there is no reason for people to fear being held up (trapped) in a foreign port during an emergency as a reason to purchase one, that is a lightning strike example anyway... and it is just not factual.

[mrdood]

Ok, I will grant you that getting "trapped" in a foreign country is maybe far fetched. However, I gotta tell you a few years ago I had a major problem in Calgary, Canada when I tried to fly home.

 

...that made me laugh!!! I have had more trouble coming back into the US from Canada than traveling through Eastern Europe in the early 1980's. I have been delayed, questioned, searched, more times coming from Canada than anywhere ever...

 

Why is that?

[Nightwind]

...that made me laugh!!! I have had more trouble coming back into the US from Canada than traveling through Eastern Europe in the early 1980's. I have been delayed, questioned, searched, more times coming from Canada than anywhere ever...

 

Why is that?

 

You know, that happened to me, too! I was travelling in the USSR when I was about...18, I guess it was. I had gotten permission to visit a long-time pen pal of mine, back in the day when people had pen pals. :) Somewhere in what was then Leningrad, I lost my travel documents that had been given to me when I entered the country. (The government, of course, held my passport.) I thought I was up the creek and would end up in a uranium mine in Siberia or executed as a spy or something. :) But it was no problem. Got things straightened out in about an hour.

 

But Canada? I had a passport and at this point in time you didn't need one to pass between Canada and the USA and...geez, you'd think I was a wanted criminal or something. Couldn't wait to get out of that country after being detained for what seemed like forever and, no offense to any Canadians, but I don't think I'll be going back there any time soon. Way too many hassles. I, too, would like to know why. Maybe it's because I was in Quebec? That province IS supposed to be different than the others... Maybe they just like to be jerks there?

[Silver Anniv]

That's probably what it is... they aren't going to finish processing it without the full payment. I would definitely contact them and ask how to go about paying the execution fee... good luck!!!

 

I'd also ask why they haven't contacted yoU! Something sounds off... They should have let you know what the hold up was when you called... And there should not be a 2 month delay between processing (from October to Dec 24th...) talk to someone else!!

 

 

 

Looks like she applied for her passport in Philadelphia, they have a passport agency office there, they don't pay the process fee the rest of us do at our local post office.

 

My sister just got hers from the Philadelphia office and she didn't pay the process fee either, she paid $68.

 

The process fee is for the local post office that takes and processes/passes your info on to the passport office. And you by-pass that fee when appling directly with a passport agency office.

 

I hope she gets hers soon. My daughter applied for hers around that same time (Oct) and we got hers last week.