sparks1093

Well, Canada would let you enter with a birth certificate but to re-enter the US it's passport or passport card, EDL (which your state doesn't issue) or NEXUS.

I would say that the transportation companies do have this responsibility, since they are prohibited by law from carrying anyone to a country that doesn't have the correct documentation. So, they do have information on their website to aid the customer in this regard and this is good customer service (even if the information is only "a visa may be required", it is still a heads up to the customer). Ultimate responsibility for having the correct documentation rests with the passenger. But it would be unrealistic to expect a company to outline every possible scenario. (And some companies impose a stricter standard than what governments impose just to prevent any confusion.)

No it isn't, typically it is contracted staff that is handling embarkation check in. The reason that those with fake visas were allowed on the ship is because it wasn't government officials checking them in, the visas appeared to be valid until they were checked by government agents. But having said that those folks who are checking people in have been specially trained for the documentation requirements for the ships and itineraries from that port and for all of the different permutations that arise. And since those permutations are so varied the cruise lines will not undertake to provide more than rudimentary guidance on their website with the stipulation that passengers are responsible for having the correct documentation. As to the OPs point of the cruise lines' passing up a huge, untapped market, that is unlikely. The cruise lines know where their market is and how to entice folks to book cruises.

One more word about research- once you've researched the travel requirements for a form of travel from then on you only need to verify that nothing has changed since the last time you undertook that travel, do not assume that things have remained the same. The country that didn't require a visa a couple of years ago might require one now.

I was wondering if bourbon could be used in old fashions (complete neophyte here about anything related to whiskey/bourbon/scotch). Looked at the liquor store and Blanton's is $70 here.

I'm heading down to grab rum in a bit so I'll double check it.

I am not a bourbon person but have seen Blanton's mentioned several times here on CC, so when I saw it in our local liquor store I had to look at the price (around $65 I believe). Might try some next week on Mardi Gras if I can find it in any of the bars.

True, but I know that I would still be doing my own research.

Our experiences have been varied because of the port. Sometimes there is a separate line, sometimes there isn't. Sometimes they are using facial recognition, sometimes not. There was one debarkation (Legend/Baltimore) where the CBP Officers stood outside of their cubicles and watched everyone walk past with no checking of documents. We've traveled with people with different documents than us who have had to go in a different line and we all exited on the other side within minutes of each other.

All of the passengers are vetted during the cruise, so there is no need for any checks to be done at debark. We've never had a CBP Officer give our documents more than a passing glance (as opposed to returning across the border and having everything gone over with a fine toothed comb).

The cruise ship website is often the first (and only stop) for many US citizens, but since the majority of US citizens sail solely from the US and predominantly on closed loop cruises this limited research serves them adequately (especially since most of them only cruise once every year or two). I do make sure when we are traveling to research the type of travel we are doing and where we are going (including what countries we may be passing through). As has been stated, though, many government websites overlook cruise passengers and don't include information for them on their website for visitors, which is when sites like Cruise Critic come in handy. Our first cruise was a cruise to nowhere and I searched for information on what documentation was required. The information was not on any government site, nor was it on the cruise line's site. I finally got the answer (just a valid photo ID) from a cruise forum that I used to belong to (I had found CC and signed up, but was intimidated by how "busy" the site is. Now I am used to it.)

Thank you (and everyone else) for the well wishes. This week will drag by. I will check into this for you. 🙂