Passport "name" question

[ANNIEPG]

First time to cruising and brand new passport. Cruise documents say to make sure that your passport and boarding pass match "exactly." I noticed that my boarding pass lists a middle initial and passport has a full middle name. Is this a problem? TIA

[nomars_girl]

No, that isn't a problem. Your passport always lists your full middle name if you have one.

[Spikesgirl]

It just that some people go by their middle name or a nick name and the cruise line wants your legal name for its documents.

 

Charlie

[Desert Cruizers]

No, that isn't a problem. Your passport always lists your full middle name if you have one.

Had to look at mine <g> my PP shows my name as I go by. If in doubt, take both passports and birth Certificates.

[SusieQusie]

Had to look at mine <g> my PP shows my name as I go by. If in doubt, take both passports and birth Certificates.

 

I love this question and have been thinking about asking myself but never got around to it. My son is a "junior" and always goes by his middle name. His reservation is under an initial, his middle name, his last name, and the "Jr." I think the way our TA put it in, however, his middle name is BEFORE his first initial on the reservation. In other words, his actual name is John James Doe, Jr. - which is on his passport. His reservation reads: James J. Jr. Doe. Everything is there, just not the exact right order!! I think the TA was having alittle bit of a hard time understanding how I was explaining it. I didn't want to book him using his real first name because then everything on the cruise would use that name and we never call him that. It's the name his dad uses. (Yea - I know, I know. If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't go for the Jr. thing - makes for too many issues as far as I'm concerned.)

 

Bottom line - with all the right names, initials, Jr.'s etc on both reservation and passport, does anyone think we'll have a problem. Do you think it would be safer to bring his passport (with his official name and picture), plus his school ID (with the name he uses and picture)?

 

And by the way, his name isn't really "John James Doe" - I just didn't think he'd want me splashing him across this forum......:)

[DrivesLikeMario]

First time to cruising and brand new passport. Cruise documents say to make sure that your passport and boarding pass match "exactly." I noticed that my boarding pass lists a middle initial and passport has a full middle name. Is this a problem? TIA

 

No, that's not a problem. If your middle name is wrong, then yes, it could be a problem, but it's not a big deal as you describe it above.

[friend of Eeyore]

You need to have your TA change the reservation to J James Doe. I don't know if the reservation system can handle that, and if not, it will need to be on the reservation as John James Doe, or John J Doe - just like on the passport.

 

Your son can be denied boarding if the names don't match, and I wouldn't want you to not be able to get on board.

 

Once on board, if you're really concerned about how strangers will address him, you have two options: just have him tell them "I go by James", or this might work: the purser's desk can issue new sail cards for "lost" cards. Just ask the purser's desk to re-issue it, and explain about the name issue - see if they can change it in their system to James. It just may work - you never know.

[Workmom2]

I do not think it is a problem, I just got off the Star and my passport has a different last name than my travel documents- we did not even get questioned.

[SusieQusie]

You need to have your TA change the reservation to J James Doe. I don't know if the reservation system can handle that, and if not, it will need to be on the reservation as John James Doe, or John J Doe - just like on the passport.

 

Your son can be denied boarding if the names don't match, and I wouldn't want you to not be able to get on board.

 

Once on board, if you're really concerned about how strangers will address him, you have two options: just have him tell them "I go by James", or this might work: the purser's desk can issue new sail cards for "lost" cards. Just ask the purser's desk to re-issue it, and explain about the name issue - see if they can change it in their system to James. It just may work - you never know.

 

Thanks Cathy -

 

I just sent my TA an e-mail asking her to make the change with Princess - listing him as "J. James Doe Jr." I really hope their system takes it! Can you imagine being denied boarding for something like this. Not a risk I want to take. Actually, I would hope that when we are boarding, and the people see that 2 passengers are traveling together with passports that have the exact same name (with the exception of one having a "Jr.), and they are obviously father and son, and all the "basics" line-up with the younger one's paperwork, they would use a little discretion and realize that we are legitimate. But as I said, it's not a risk I really want to take!!! Hope the TA is successful. I'll be checking my Cruise Personalizer tomorrow to see.

[Fred&Lily]

My son and I share the same name as does a totally unrelated convicted Australian "Hitman" now sitting in a Sydney jail somewhere. Many, many times in the Far East I've had my passport taken to a back office to be verified by higher authority. It's the Date of Birth that saves me!!!

[Ula]

When it comes to travel and official documents I use my full and legal birth name. Things work better that way. Everything matches with the paperwork.

When booking a trip I would never use a variation of my name. At work I do see a lot of variations on my name. Not a lot of French/Canadian names where I live so people have trouble with it. But I do thank my great, great grandmother for the name.

 

Jeanne