Jump to content

Passport Clarification Needed..


cruisin_fanatic
 Share

Recommended Posts

Maddea20 - my comments are not mean't in a nasty way it is just amazing or rather shocking how many people are just not aware of what kind of danger they might be putting themselves into....

 

 

 

I dont think that its because people are not aware...

In my case, I am aware but I was just not ready to foot the bill yet. In some other folks case, it could be that they travel so little that they dont think its worth the cost for them. But being that it is soon going to be mandatory to have one for travel...I think when push comes to shove people will handle their business since there wont be any other option.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also from the Dept. of State website:

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: The Government of Mexico requires that all U.S. citizens present proof of citizenship and photo identification for entry into Mexico. However, some U.S. citizens have encountered difficulty in boarding flights in Mexico without a passport.

 

And this fact sheet is from August of last year. If you go to Mexico without a passport and think that you can make a phone call and get on a plane without delay after the new rules take effect in a couple weeks, you are living in a dream world. The whole point of getting a passport, the ONLY reason, is that in case of emergency, you can take a cab to the airport, buy a plane ticket, and fly home. If you had such an emergency, would you want to have to worry about making a phone call, or getting a fax, or making a 4 hour trip to the embassy first, or worse? Give me a break. It's worth every penny of that $97 just for the peace of mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, the information I received from Carnival for our April '08 cruise is that the push back of the date that cruise passengers will need a passport is due to the fact that the government is planning to issue a smaller Pass Port type card and the cost will be significately less - approximately $50 per card.

 

I am waiting for that to be implemented before I spend $400 on passports for a family of 4.

 

This is the statement from Carnival in my documents:

 

The U.S. Government will require that all of our guests, including U.S. Citizens be in possession of a valid passport when traveling on any Carnival Cruise. This requirement will become effective no later than June 1, 2009. This effective date may be moved to an earlier date pending the U.S. Government's implementation of new identification cards (PASScards) that will provide a less expensive alternative form of documentation. For travel by air, the passport deadline will remain January 8, 2007.

 

I'm holding a passport application as I type. And as far as the smaller passport card goes:

 

Electronic Passport Statement:

"The State Department will begin issuing a new type of passport containing an embedded electronic chip and called an "Electronic Passport". The new passport will continue to be proof of the bearer's United States citizenship/nationality and identity, and will look and function in the same way as a passport without a chip. The addition of an electronic chip in the back cover will enable the new passport to carry a duplicate electronic copy of all information from the data page. The new passport will be usable at all ports-of-entry, including those that do not yet have electronic chip readers.

Use of the electronic format will provide the traveler the additional security protections inherent in chip technology. Moreover, when used at ports-of-entry equipped with electronic chip readers, the new passport will provide for faster clearance through some of the port-of-entry processes.

Issuance of this new passport will be phased in incrementally. It is expected that by late 2006 nearly all U.S. passports will be issued in this new format. The new passport will not require special handling or treatment, but like previous versions should be protected from extreme bending and from immersion in water. The electronic chip must be read using specially formatted readers, and is not susceptible to unauthorized reading.

The cover of the new passport will be printed with a special symbol representing the embedded chip. The symbol will appear in port-of-entry areas where the electronic passport can be read.

 

If your referring to the credit card size passport, you are still going to be required to have the main passport but the cc size one can be bought for an additional fee and used at checkpoints, etc but obviously you still need the big passport to stamp, and they won't be available for some time. Save yourself some headaches and money and go ahead and get them now imho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My experience is that using a passport is faster and easier, no matter what. I went on a cruise two yeara ago with a friend who had a passport and I didn't. She was able to go through a differnt line during disembarkation and was done much faster than I was. I got my passport soon after that, and would recommend to anyone who travel to get one A.S.A.P. Even tough you may not nee it yet...you will! And if you get hooked on cruising, you might as well beat the last minute crowd and get one now. They're good for 10 years. I'll never be without one again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrdood you know you are quoting experiances that are ALL prior to the new rule coming into practice...

 

You know the far more important reason to have a passport is that it is your "key" to any US embassy in the world. The one thing that 9/11 should have taught each and everyone of us is that a single incident can drastically change the way our world works practically over night.

 

Many people are not aware of the fact that most countires require you to carry original ID on your person at all times. You don't ?? - well then wait till you are thrown into jail (innocent or not) on some of these Islands? You cannot come up with US Passport then chances are you are not going to be allowed to contact the Embassy very quickly. You migh spend days (it might even be months) in jail without councel and you might have no recourse since it is not illegal in many countires to hold you with out councel..

 

How many of you are going to Jamaica with kids this year? I am going to phrase this as carefully as I can .....What happens if one of your kids (accidently) buys something they are not supposed too?? These "salespeople" are very sly they will get your attention elsewhere while they try and sell to your teens. What do you think will happen if they are caught by the cops - they are going to jail and you do not want to know what these jails will look like. A passport will get you Embassy help at lot quicker than not having one.

 

If you need to return via flight for any reason mrdood may right that it might only give you some red tape to cover but remember things are already not going as planned - so do you really want to worry about something else or spend time in airport holding while your loved one (this is perhaps being harsh but is probably going to be reality) is fighting for his / her life and maybe even loosing it.

 

Perhaps look at it in a different way are not 10.- to 15,- USD per year really worth saving you a lot of stress, anguish and trouble???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...I agree, I am on my third passport, I just find the whole picture of stranded americans laying all over the Caribbean humorous, the link I posted addresses the new restrictions, they will still let you back in.

 

I find a picture of stranded americans laying all over the Caribbean humorous too.....that's not the issue here.

And I'm sure they will let you back in after the new restrictions.........the problem is will it be handled as swiftly.....or will it be a nitemare........

I don't know that.....and neither does anyone else here........because it has not happened as of yet.

Why take that chance when it can be avoided.

I wish I had a crystal ball too.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hubby mailed in his info from W. Canada, to Eastern Canada..$85 was taken off our Visa on Dec 29th,,still No PASSPORT..hope it arrives SOON!:rolleyes:

I got mine in October, waiting 2 hours in line..at least THAT way you have a NUMBER to trace it, if it gets LOST in transit!!:confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On one of my cruises I was in the process of boarding the ship with my birth certificate in my hand and was denied because I did not have my marriage certificate with me. I was with a group of about 18 people, including my parents, spouse and kids but could not get on until another employee flagged me over into another line about 30 mins. later. I now take a passport on every cruise, just in case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...I just don't like people spreading misinformation that a US citizen will be denied entry into the US without a passport if flying, that is absolutely NOT true. Again, if you are in a hurry, or the airline requires it you will need to be faxed a permission letter from the State Dept. if not, you will just be detained until your citizenship can be validated.

 

The US citizen, who did not violate foreign laws, trapped abroad is a load of BS!!!

 

What the Department of State says on their WEB site and what the Airlines do are two different things. If an individual is denied entry into the US, an Airline must pay for such individual to fly back to the Country he or she flew from. Therefore, the Airline can denied boarding to anyone without proper travel documents. If the Airline has denied that individual from boarding onto their plane, then how is this individual going to be inspected at a US Airport from a foreign city, and if it is after hours, weekend or a holiday, that individual could be delayed even more. Trust me on this one as I have witnessed this myself (no, it did not happen to me). This is just a scenario of many of what could occur. Also, if you never had a passport (for those who are US citizens), whom is the Department of State going to find any information on the individual in question. The bottom line is that this scenario is not a bunch of BS as you claim it to be. Now, if you as a US citizen attempt entry into the US through a land port (walking across the bridge or road), then yes a CBP officer can research you live but that does not mean that you will gain entry in the US right away because the birth certificate offices are only open during regular business hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

on top of having to take the person back to the port of depature at their own cost airlines are fined by the USA for bringing in illegals and since this is a very hot topic witht he US these days I would think the airlines are going to be even more careful and simply deny you boarding saving them a lot of hassle and money they do not have.....

 

The best advise one can give any one on this topic is - if you are planning on leaving the country (the caribbean is not the USA in most cases) have a passport for your own safety and piece of mind.... What are most of you paying about 100.- to 150,- USD right??? Think of it as 10,- to 15,- USD per year for that safety. I know if you are a family of 4 it is going to be a hefty sum but doing without is irresponsible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too was confusion on the new passport regulations. I have cruise several time before without one and never "plan" to leave the US unless its on a cruise. The federal website says you won't need one unitl 2008 when traveling by sea but you need on enow if traveling by air. I looked in the back of the 07-08 RCI book (just came out) and it stated passports are required NOW to board their ships. I contacted my local passport office and was told the federal requirments for sea travel will not take effect but several cruise lines are requiring in NOW for the reason as stated above by other posters. Since I have a cruise scheduled for 4/9/07 my wife and I shelled out the $200 today for ours. Might as well. Better be safe than sorry and there good for 10 years. I now Ill cruise at least 5 more times over the next 10 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Looking for a short answer. If I cruise from LA to Vancouver, and fly back home to NJ.........I may use Seattle airport cause it will be cheaper. Question: will I be able to cross the border in a rental car w/o a passport? Just went for mine this weekend, and hope to have it back in 6-8 weeks. But this may help me choose my cruise itinerary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a question about passports. Does anyone know why they must be valid for 6 months after your trip for some countries??? If it hasn't expired, it should still be good. Maybe they should be good for 10 years and 6 months.

 

 

Eh, then there would be people waiting until THAT time to get 'em renewed. :) They just want to make sure that if you love wherever you are, and decide to stay for a few months, that your passport won't expire while you are there. Plenty of people do that (I was in Ireland and the server at the restaurant sounded like me, I asked, and yep, she was American and had just stayed, working without official permission, she just loved it there too much to take her plane home!). Hence the rule in some countries.

 

As far as I know. :D

 

Looking for a short answer. If I cruise from LA to Vancouver, and fly back home to NJ.........I may use Seattle airport cause it will be cheaper. Question: will I be able to cross the border in a rental car w/o a passport? Just went for mine this weekend, and hope to have it back in 6-8 weeks. But this may help me choose my cruise itinerary.

 

Yes you can still drive through the Canadian/US border with a passport and picture ID. It might take longer, but you can.

 

May I make a suggestion? Look into Amtrak, especially if you want to spend a couple hours wandering Vancouver before leaving. The Cascades train leaves around 5pm and is lovely. Though it gets in late, so you might then have to put another day onto your travel by staying in the Seattle area that night and flying the next day...might not be worth it, financially, but the train is a wonderful way to travel to and from Vancouver!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you go to your post office that handles it, do you take all members of your family or do you just go in and get forms?

The person who wants to apply for the passport needs to be present. After all, you'll need to raise your hand and swear that you're telling the truth!

 

Particularly for children, BOTH parents must be present. If not, other kinds of special paperwork need to be presented (see http://travel.state.gov).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I've had a passport since 9/11. My roommate does not and has decided to go ahead and apply for one for our May 3rd cruise. Does anyone know how long it's been taking to receive it once you've applied for it? I realize what the government website says but I'm trying to get a sense of actually how long it's been taking. What about if it's expedited? It will be issued out of the New Orleans office if it makes any difference. Thanks!.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are sailing on the Volelndam March 23rd to Panama. My passport will expire on August 19th and with the rush at the passport offices, getting a new one was out of the question. I emailed the Canadian embassy in Panama and was told that since I was arriving by ship and not staying in the country I should not have a problem going on a ship sponsored tour. The six month rule would only apply if I intended to stay in the country. I am interested if anyone has had a similar situation on a Panama cruise and, if so, how did they make out. We are driving to Florida so flying with the passport is not an issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

It is taking about 10 weeks now. All eight of my family members bought one 7 weeks before our cruise. At the time the web site said it would take 6 weeks to get back. Now they have changed the site to say 10 weeks and I will not get my passport or my original BC back until after i cruise. So we now only have 2 options; 1. To pay for expedited service of 75 dollars each and they cannot even guarantee we will even get it before we leave or 2. Go and buy another BC at 20 bucks each and go without a passport. Needless to say, I am very pissed at the situation. If I known it would take this long, I wouldn't have bothered and saved a lot of money. It is also impossible to call them to check on the status. They are open from 7am to 12 midnight. I was finally able to get through, as they only accept a limited number of calls to hold, at 1159pm. I probably tried about 100 times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...