Has Anyone Ever Forgotten Their License or Birth Certificate Right Before Boarding??

[kiyasmom]

I am planning a family reunion cruise for February. We have to drive from NY to Florida so the day we board the two vans is the day I will collect the birth/marriage certificates. No BC, no board the van. It's that easy. Let's not waste time because I have heard the stories of boarding denial. Even though MY immediate family won't be left behind, it would slightly ruin my vacation if we had to leave someone at the dock. What a great thread!

[ebedore]

In November 2001 (just after 9/11) MIL forgot the birth certificate at home which we discovered at 11am while trying to signin. We called home to Michigan and had an uncle pick it up from the house. He drove to the airport and gave it to a flight attendant on Northwest Airlines 1pm flight. They carried it to Miami where we met her at 3:45pm at the gate. Took a taxi back to the ship and we were all on our cruise...frazzled but on it.

 

Talk about people running through hoops for us. This was a very scary time in our history and yet we had the most helpful people from the cruiseline to the airlines to the family members all go way above and beyond. Not sure that anyone will ever get that much service again.

[BethCarp]

Whenever we leave for a trip, after we get in the car, no matter if I have just put the passports and tickets in my bag before we leave, I do the document check. DH turns the key, and says, 'do we have our tickets?' and I must show them to him before we leave the driveway.

LOL!! It might sound obsessive but you just never know. We were going to the circus one day and while I was putting DS's shoes on I told DH to grab the tickets and I watched him grab them. Two minutes later we were pulling out of the driveway and I decided to be a smart-alec and ask if he had the tickets. He said "no." What do you mean you don't have them I just told you to grab them? He said he grabbed them and set them on the counter. Huh? How much of a moron can you be? (sorry honey) But seriously, if someone asks you to grab the tickets why wouldn't you then TAKE THEM WITH YOU?!?!?!?

 

So yes, I will check the docs/tickets before we leave the house, in the car, in the airport shuttle and at the airport. And I always make DH look and know where I have them.

[gkrebs]

this sounds what DW and I actually go through. You got the tickets...Yes. Passports...Yes. Check it. Couple hours later same thing all over again. If we spend the night before in a hotel, its all repeated again and again.

[TriciaAnn]

I, too, saw the recent thread about the couple who were denied boarding. We met a couple on the Rhapsody in 2002 who had an experience similar to ebedore. They called RCCL to get the fax number for the ship and a family member faxed the info. Perhaps this couple didn't have anyone to do this for them or they were so upset they just didn't think of it. I border on being obsessive about it...check, double check, triple check,,etc.

[cruisinfanatic]

Im from Albany and used to work for Airborne EXP from 98-99

My sisters DH is Tom Reilly. I'm not sure when he left there. He's back though with DHL.

[cruisinfanatic]

Hello to fellow new york--albany(clifton park)people

 

mariapd719

 

 

Cruisinfanatic

 

We sailed the canada cruise right after 9/11.The ship which was suppose to sail from NYC ended up sailing from Boston(with termendous security at every port)We were bused(we bought our own airfare into nyc)from ny to Boston and spent an extra day there.One cple was on the phone on peir begging for their passpors to be overnighted.They were informed they would be removed from the ship before we left Boston.

 

At the time we lived in Michigan

Read my Grand Princess review. The week after 9/11. Wife and sister didn't want to fly so we rented a van and drove nonstop to Fort Lauderdale. It was actually kind of fun, but I don't think I'd look forward to repeating.

[nrdsb4]

I, too, saw the recent thread about the couple who were denied boarding. We met a couple on the Rhapsody in 2002 who had an experience similar to ebedore. They called RCCL to get the fax number for the ship and a family member faxed the info. Perhaps this couple didn't have anyone to do this for them or they were so upset they just didn't think of it. I border on being obsessive about it...check, double check, triple check,,etc.

 

 

I've been on vacation. Anyone have a link to this thread?

[Desert Cruizers]

We were leaving our Airport for a flight to halifax, just got done showing my Photo ID at check in counter, she gave it back, while sitting and waiting to board, couldn't find my License, I had put in differant compartment of purse, was having a panic attack thinking I dropped at.

[orchidj5]

LAST WEEK-my parents arrived at the pier in Seattle sans birth certificates-i had been telling them for months to get pass ports-but they waited too long-at about 2 in the afternoon MT on Satuerday i recieved a frantic call from my mother-did i know where MY birth certificate was-yes i did-could i fax it? -umm since im in Denver and its in colorado springs no i cant-why-where are yours-we didnt bring them-i was told i did not need a passport-ummm and i told you you needed BC's. Anyway-my brother was able to fax a copy of his-which showed both my parents place of birth as Missouri-they were allowed by customs in Seattle to board the ship (cruise line was NCL and they didnt provide ANY information on needed docs but the cruise was booked thru my parents timeshare membership so that may be why)-and they were going to Alaska on a cruise whos only international stop was Prince Rupert-so that might have made a difference.

[Hondu]

i hold all documents until we get to airport, then when we clear customs they all hand them to me again. until the next stop we need them that way no one forgets.

 

I pretty much do the same thing with our family of 5. My job is to make sure the documents are current and secured.

[KikiKruiser]

There was a thread just last week where people were denied boarding because they did not have the right documents. Be forwarned. Put someone in each household in charge of checking the documents. It is very expensive to find out you cant go. We always keep our documents in an envelope, with all tickets and it is placed in my DW pocketbook for safe keeping. She is always a stickler for checking.

 

Just stumbled onto this thread and I know for a fact that people frequently get denied boarding without proper documents. My aunt and uncle are TA's and occasionally work at the piers checking in cruise passengers. They are trained to deny boarding to anyone who doesn't produce the proper documentation, and yes it sometimes means sadly having to watch upset family members bid one another bon voyage, while the non-compliant family members sadly wave from the pier. Sad but true, in this post 9/11 era, there is no tolerance for non-compliance. Also, the cruise lines spell it out in their documentation that they will not refund those who fail to bring proper documentation! You can't check your papers and tickets enough, to make sure you have everything in order........

[Shanafan]

I was just wondering if anyone has forgotten to take either one and if so are you automatically denied boarding?????

 

My sister who lives in California forgot her drivers license and and had her hubby drive over an hour one way to go get it for her. I just kept thinking.....duh......remember the big stuff.......passport, license/birthcertificate, docs whatever they may have been at the time. You can always buy toothpaste or the little stuff once you board......

Remember the important stuff!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

My last four-day cruise on Majesty, I changed purses for the cruise wanting to use a smaller one. Well, guess what...I left my driver's license in the purse that remained at home. It turned out that I really didn't need the driver's license as long as I had the passport, which thanks to my husband, I did have.

 

It was a bother to have to carry the passport into Nassau rather than a much smaller driver's license. But, I guess the moral of the story is that the passport is the more important document. It is best to have both a driver's license and a passport, but if you have only one, it had better be a passport.

[KC_fn]

I guess the moral of the story is that the passport is the more important document. It is best to have both a driver's license and a passport, but if you have only one, it had better be a passport.

 

The passport sure is the more important doc; it's the Superman of ID. Unless you're going to be driving, you don't need to even bother bringing the driver's license. It won't do anything for you that a passport won't.

[Travelitis]

This will not help people who bring the 'wrong' documents, so make sure all of your group knows exactly what they need. Tell them they must be able to feel a raised seal on the BC, and check the expiration on the passport.

 

Those footsie hospital certificates often have raised seals. What you need to tell them is that it CANNOT be issued by a hospital but must be issued by a govt. agency.

 

I worked check-in pre and post 911 for charter flights. You would not believe how many people I had to deny boarding. Some were able to get the real BC faxed and then notarized at the airport, but some were just out of luck. There's no refund, either. If I were traveling with a large group of family, I'd make sure I reviewed docs before the day of travel.

[0ldog]

As soon as we start planning any trip, I create a trip folder for hotel and flight info, cruise ship info, etc. Once the trip is booked, I use a re-sealable plastic folder for the essentials, plane tickets, cruise info from the TA, AND the passports (if leaving the country). When the cruise documents arrive, in they go and the folder fits into the front pocket of my roll-aboard for the trip. I place a copy of our flight info facing out so I can show it to security without taking it out of the folder.

 

That is exactly what we do. In addition we make photocopy's of BCs, Passports, Drivers Licenses and Credit Cards. Whoever is carrying the originals, the other gets the copies.

[Don Pedro]

I am planning a family reunion cruise for February. We have to drive from NY to Florida so the day we board the two vans is the day I will collect the birth/marriage certificates. No BC, no board the van. It's that easy. Let's not waste time because I have heard the stories of boarding denial. Even though MY immediate family won't be left behind, it would slightly ruin my vacation if we had to leave someone at the dock. What a great thread!

 

According to the current implementation schedule on the US State Department's web site, www.travel.state.gov, you will be required to have passports for your February cruise.

[Desert Cruizers]

KC but they always ask for that Photo ID, the DL. I bring NC & my DL is with me. I highly recommend the Mailing Envelope, that way you can put everything into it needed for the trip, then in that last couple weeks, place on your dresser or other central location. I put it on our dresser then its in room with us and suitcases.

[Peggy13]

Last winter, I organzed a college girlfriends cruise on the Majesty. We were all flying to Miami from all parts of the country. 4 of us arrived in Miami the night before the cruise at around 4:00 p.m. As we arrived, one girl realized she left her passport at home and didn't have her BC either. Frantically trying to get ahold of her DH to have him FEDEX the BC to the hotel - anyway, she managed to do that and the package did arrive the next morning ($100 later) and the hotel desk 9:30 a.m. - she was lucky - we were all nervous wrecks!

 

This summer, my husband was the only one in our family who didn't bother to get his passport renewed (didn't have time to get the picture), so he brought his expired passport, BC for our Mariner cruise. Well, they didn't even ask for his BC - all he had to show was the expired passport for ID.

[allshookup]

This just happened to us on August 3rd before boarding Sovereign of the Seas with a large family group. My cousin brought an envelope with what she thought contained her BC, but turned out it was her husband's & he wasn't going on the cruise. Luckily the problem was discovered early in the morning. My sister ended up calling city hall where my cousin was born & they faxed a copy to the hotel. The hotel told us to have it notorized but nobody in the Cocoa Beach area would do it, because it was out of state. We didn't know if she would be able to board or not, but when we got to the pier the person at the counter said the only reason they would accept it with no question is because it was faxed directly from city hall. She also had her SS card & Driver's license so that helped.

[maccruiser22]

To ease things a bit it's better to just have a passport. Then all you have to remember is a passport and the cruise ticket book. It takes 3 weeks to 2 months to get a passport in Canada, what's the wait in the US.

[KidsBgon]

I always keep a certified copy of our BCs in our main luggage bag that we always take everywhere. I put my cruise documents in there as well. I check million times and make sure that I have them. After we cruise in Oct we are applying for passports for our next cruise in jan. I was told not to apply at this time since the backlog. I just hope we get them by Jan 3rd. Or hopefully they will not be needed until summer of 2008. I read somewhere that proof of passport application is just as valid with an ID??? Wouldn't it be neat if we could just scan and email them to RCI with our online registration/ seapass account stuff??? Aren't we going to a paperless world anyway?

[RADICALBURN]

Preregister online on the Royal web site. All the paperwork will be there on their computer when you get there. Last time they didn't even ask for them, just an id.......................................................RADICAL.