sparks1093

It was my impression from reading your posts that it has been some time since you've sailed with Carnival. When was the last time you had a Guy's burger?

It is my understanding that is how it is supposed to work (and unused time remaining on the passport is lost, it isn't put onto the new passport. Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination but I'm the guy that uses a vise grip to get the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube).

Just as easy to get a replacement birth certificate as to renew a passport, if the need were there (which it isn't in this case).

Yes, of course the laws of Italy pertain, the cruise lines make that clear in the contract- they are required by law(s) to ensure that all passengers have the proper travel documents available throughout the trip and it makes absolute sense they will cite the law over their contract. They would rely on the contract should the dunderhead in question attempt to sue them for leaving them behind. Let me ask you this. What happens if a passenger loses their passport while on a flight to another country? They are usually put on a plane returning to their home country immediately. A simple google search will show you that. The same thing pertains to losing one's passport while on a cruise. The cruise line, by a multitude of laws, cannot continue to carry you as a passenger without the proper travel documents. I don't know how other Consulates work but I'm fairly certain that if you show up at a US Embassy/Consulate to get a replacement passport they are going to want to see a police report if you say it was stolen. Having secondary ID won't cut it, except in the case of a closed loop cruise as I mentioned. If you need a passport to be on the ship then you can have 10 other IDs and it won't mean a thing. I've already discussed the likely outcome of hiding this fact from both the authorities and from the cruise line, it is definitely not something that I would recommend. Again, you can interpret all of this as you wish, the only reason I'm even responding is because others are also reading this and they deserve to see both sides of the debate. The risk of losing your passport while in port is low and that means the risk of this happening is also low. The risk is also low of missing the ship for most people. But if one misses the ship with their passport onboard they still know where their passport is, even if the crew doesn't retrieve it and give it to the port agent. The ship can overnight it from the next port in a worse case scenario. If a passport is lost you at the minimum are going to need to pay to replace it and at the worst you will be left behind in port. The port agent will assist you in getting home in any case.

That's the glass, not the tervis tumbler (although they could be the same price). We also bought a couple of the glasses to take to our camp.

Since it's a slow day due to the holidays I searched and found this. For what it's worth, of course and again, in the spirit of sharing information: Lost Passport While Traveling? It Doesn’t Have to Completely Ruin a Vacation (travelmarketreport.com)

I'm thinking in the $15 range-ish.

You are free to read the contract language as you like, but I'm pretty certain that there is a line in it somewhere that says "failure to observe these terms and conditions can result in disembarkation" or words to that affect. I also suspect that if someone were to not report the loss of travel documentation to the cruise line that there are two likely outcomes (the first being much more likely than the second)- 1) the passenger would need to be cleared in secondary inspection by CBP at disembarkation and 2) the passenger would be put on a no sail list by the cruise line for not complying with the contract and possibly subjecting them to fines and sanctions. And once more, I am simply sharing information. If you don't want to consider it then don't. The odds still remain in your favor anyway.

I believe that we purchased one of each in February but it could have changed since then, probably due to supply chain issues. I would wait until I got onboard before buying any from an after market source.

I'll take the other side and say that I would wait until after the trip to renew. Here's what Princess's FAQ says: Many countries require passports be valid for six months after the completion of your travel. Check your passport to verify it will be valid for this period of time. So what this is saying is if a country requires 6 months validity that's what you should have. The customer service agent was covering her behind with a general answer as she is trained to do. Since this is a closed loop cruise there will be many passengers onboard who are traveling with something other than a passport so it would be silly to require passport holders to have 6 months validity remaining.

Part of the total cost, yes, but I don't generally consider that when looking at the cruise fare itself because our cruises and air are booked at to different times, often over a year apart. Of course this is going to be different for each person as well, many people only have one choice of departure airport and we are fortunate to have 3 (Burlington, Montreal and Boston). This particular cruise would be a bit different though because of the two possible departure ports. Normally we are only looking at cruises from one port.

It's likely that the passports will be back but you can use the birth certificates as a back up in case they aren't (provided your cruise line allows it, since some cruise lines require passports for all cruises). I would photo copy the birth certificates before sending them off.

Probably not from Montreal but the question wasn't about flights, it was about cruise fare. That wasn't a cruise we were planning on, I was just doing some dreaming to pass some time and since someone asked for a comparison and I had just done one, I gave it. Once Princess releases their 2025 itineraries we will be doing some shopping and comparing. ETA that I just checked fares and roundtrip to Vancouver from Montreal was $250, to Seattle from Montreal $420.

Actually I said "will likely" and based on the contract language that I quoted I expect in most cases that would be the most likely outcome. The story was posted on CC several years ago and I don't have a link. As I said, I am simply sharing information.

I have read of that exact thing happening. The law of every country that I'm aware of has a requirement that all providers of travel ensure that passengers have the correct travel documents available and if they don't then they cannot transport the traveler, barring any exceptions. In the case I read of it happened in Europe and the passengers were put ashore after their passports were stolen. You can be as confident as you like and if you won't even factor any of this into your decision that's fine, what you do has no impact on me. I'm just sharing information. (And the cruise line won't desert you, the port agent is there for this and would assist you in getting you either back to the ship or home, as need be.)

Overseas is such a nebulous term but within the area covered by the WHTI and for closed loop cruises emergencies are handled differently than they would be in Europe (which is what I think of when I hear "overseas"). The regulations that give us the closed loop exception also have provisions that allow the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies or humanitarian reasons. Yes, there may be a bit of a delay (dictated by the individual facts and circumstances) while things are sorted but passengers are repatriated as timely as they can be, as outlined in post #11.

As Cheng mentioned she is a check in agent in Seattle. Of course she can only outline procedures for her particular port, but that information is most helpful since other ports would have similar protocols when it comes to which documents are acceptable.

Highly doubtful for a couple of reasons. First is the fact that the cruise line has to accept only documentation that is ultimately acceptable to CBP. Secondly while the cruise is ongoing CBP will be vetting all passengers through a multitude of databases. That is the check that is going to matter and those checks are done solely with the information that is on the passenger manifest. As long as those checks confirm that the passenger in question is a US citizen there won't be a problem. When we returned from our last cruise CBP didn't even make a show of checking anyone's documents, they stood outside their cubicles and watched everyone go by.

I can't do a comparison with X, but I did just price out a Princess vs Carnival cruise. Both left in 9/2024 going to Alaska. Princess leaving from Vancouver, Carnival from Seattle. Princess price for a forward balcony $4206 which includes the drink package, Wi-Fi for two, tips and a few other amenities. Carnival's price for an aft balcony was $3363. Add in gratuities of $203, Cheers at $991, Wi-Fi at $202 and the total is $4759. That's a $553 difference, so yes, it pays to shop around. Of course if someone doesn't buy Cheers the price difference may not be so much, but one should definitely look at all such factors in deciding. We will likely be looking at Princess as a possibility from now on.

Someone said that they took their passport off the ship with them and if it got lost or stolen they would sort it out once they got back aboard. I was pointing out that it may not be as simple as that since once the ship finds out that your travel docs are gone they will disembark you.

I wouldn't do it without first clearing it with the crew and I would abide by what they say.

It means that you will have available (not necessarily carrying with you every minute) the travel documents you need to be on the cruise- if you are using a passport, your passport. If you are using birth certificate/government ID then those. If you are using a passport card then that. Now, it is possible on a closed loop cruise that a passenger might have more then one form of identity/citizenship. My DW and I both have Enhanced Drivers Licenses and we bring our passports with us, so if we lost our passports we would still be able to remain on the ship since we have another acceptable document. Here is what one cruise line has to say (bolded for emphasis): Proper travel documentation and eligibility to travel is required at the embarkation and throughout the cruise. In addition to immigration and customs requirements, the U.S. government and others place restrictions on the carriage of Guests whose names appear on government watch lists or who are deemed legally ineligible to travel. It is the Guest’s sole responsibility to ensure his/her legal eligibility to travel and to bring and have available at all times all required travel documents.

All cruise lines require passengers to carry the required documentation throughout the cruise. If one loses their documentation then the cruise will likely put the passenger ashore where the passenger will have to sort things out. One could potentially hide the fact their passport is gone but I suspect that would make sorting things out more difficult.

Maybe @Ferry Watcher can chime in but for the purposes of a closed loop cruise I don't see why it wouldn't be accepted since photocopies are sufficient. (It is best to bring the original but it's also good to know what alternatives might be available just in case.)

I just read a thread (on the Ask a Cruise Question board I think) where the OP's TA passed away. The TA was a sole proprietor of a franchise and it will probably take a bit of work to get things sorted out. I have also read recent threads where a TA went out of business and left clients in the lurch. These things do happen. I tend to book my own travel although I do check with some of the online TAs to see if they can offer a better deal before dropping the hammer on a cruise.