New passport/birth certificate policy for cruise lines?

[douglinc@msn.com]

PS Freedom isnt free as you say and all those who died making sure we have these freedoms should be honored by us making sure we retain these same freedoms for generations to come so we dont end up like other countries where people have no rights..are we under seize from illegal or borderline searches, no we are not, but are illegal or borderline searches carried out every day, yes they are and if we turn a blind eye to them than they will only increase and become more commonplace rather than just an isolated circumstance. The ole give em an inch they will take a yard saying is very true here, The ACLU reconizes this and fights against it every day...

 

Now I understand your problem........ACLU! Enough said.

 

Doug

[mafig]

Now I understand your problem........ACLU! Enough said.

 

Doug

 

Agree with you there. Used to be ACLU was respected. Not anymore. At least not by me. They seem to forget what the first letter represents.

[L2J]

Agree with you there. Used to be ACLU was respected. Not anymore. At least not by me. They seem to forget what the first letter represents.

 

He shoots....HE SCORES....

[GoinCruisin]

I whole heartedly agree :D

[tef43]

*NOW* it all becomes crystal clear.

[ciship]

Got my cruise docs today in the mail. A slip of paper was included in there that stated:

 

"Passengers traveling to non-U.S. destination (we are going to Mexico) will be required to have a valid passport that does not expire within six months of their travel date".

 

HUH??? I'm only 5 weeks away from my cruise and they are NOW telling me I MUST have a passport? When did this change? What did I miss? When did they make this announcement? My TA told me when I booked that my BC and DL would be all I would need.

 

I'm confused.........say, all you smart guys help me out!!!

[L2J]

Got my cruise docs today in the mail. A slip of paper was included in there that stated:

 

"Passengers traveling to non-U.S. destination (we are going to Mexico) will be required to have a valid passport that does not expire within six months of their travel date".

 

HUH??? I'm only 5 weeks away from my cruise and they are NOW telling me I MUST have a passport? When did this change? What did I miss? When did they make this announcement? My TA told me when I booked that my BC and DL would be all I would need.

 

I'm confused.........say, all you smart guys help me out!!!

 

Sounds like you need to get on the horn to CCL

[BND]

No different than getting on a plane to any foreign country. No big deal. I'm patiently awaiting my renewed passport and my DH already has one. You dont' often see conservative and ACLU from the same person. I'm conservative, but dont' tout the ACLU.

[halos]

Maybe someone should get him a cup of TEA?

 

 

GOOD LORD! Make sure it's DECAF! :eek:

[cruzzza]

If you are going to afford $3000 for a cruise, then you should be able to afford the expense of the passports to travel. ... Priorities people, if you can't afford the passport, then you couldn't afford the cruise.

 

I heartily disagree. I paid $1500 pp for my first cruise, BUT, other than that, I've taken 3 more cruises and paid ON AVERAGE $289 pp including port charges (but not taxes which were usually about $20). So, when you look at it like that, the average price for two people to cruise was $578. If you look at it as two newbies taking a cruise for $578, and they have to add passport fees, then suddenly two passports would make up a very large chunk of the cruise costs, and could possibly deter them from cruising. BTW, after that first cruise, we got passports, and love having them, but I'm just agreeing that for newbies, it would be an expensive requirement and could deter them from cruising at all.

[JenX]

We do not have passports yet, either.

 

I'm sure you already did this, but I just called Carnival and they assured me you do not need a passport for Mexico, although they would prefer one. BC and ID will work fine.

 

Chill out and think of the big drink you'll have! ;)

[momof4boys]

My family of six applied for passports and received them regular mail in exactly two weeks. No problem. Easy to do...and we did it, so in the event an emergancy occurs when on foreign soil, (Mexico and Belize), we will have our government's protection and aid.

[ciship]

We do not have passports yet, either.

 

I'm sure you already did this, but I just called Carnival and they assured me you do not need a passport for Mexico, although they would prefer one. BC and ID will work fine.

 

Chill out and think of the big drink you'll have! ;)

 

Yes...thanks JenX....I also called and was assured of the same thing. The documentation on travel documents is tricky wording on my docs, but on the Carnival website it is very clear and concise.

 

whoooo! I feel much better now and am celebrating with a Martini!

[lcpagejr]

I am cruising on the Legend with port of calls in Belize, Costa Rica and Panama... Below is the response I received yesterday from Carnival when validating whether a Passport is required. Currently a passport is only mandatory for European Cruises on Carnival.

 

_________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your e-mail. We are forwarding the information you

requested below.

 

 

 

Travel Documentation

 

 

U.S. Immigrations determines the correct documents guests must have in

their possession in order to travel. Proper travel documentation is

required throughout the cruise and is the responsibility of the guest.

 

The U.S. security procedures require all airline and cruise line

passengers 16 years or older to present official photo I.D. upon check-in.

 

The following documentation is required in order to sail on ALL cruise

departures, including Cruises-to-Nowhere.

 

Note: For cruises departing from Europe, see below: Europe Cruises,

Miscellaneous Procedures and Policies.

 

United States Citizens:

 

Anyone not having proper documentation will be denied boarding at the

port of embarkation without the benefit of a refund; one of the

following forms of documentation is required:

 

.. Passport, valid or expired (cannot be expired more than ten years)

OR

.. Original Birth Certificate and a Photo I.D.

.. A certified, state issued copy of a Birth Certificate and a Photo

I.D.

.. U.S. Military I.D., valid or expired, and a Photo I.D.

.. Original Naturalization Papers and a Photo I.D.

 

Note: A Photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age or older;

the Photo I.D. does NOT have to be issued by a Driver's License Bureau

nor any type of Government Office.

Note: As long as the Original Birth Certificate or the Certified Copy

have been issued by the state of birth, it does not matter whether there

is a raised seal or if the Birth Certificate is in the form of a

plastic card.

Note: The name on the photo I.D. must be identical to the name on the

proof of citizenship document. In the even of a name change,

documentation supporting the change is required.

 

Canadian Citizens:

 

Anyone not having proper documentation will be denied boarding at the

port of embarkation without the benefit of a refund; one of the

following forms of documentation is required:

 

.. Passport, valid

.. Original Birth Certificate and a Photo I.D.

.. A certified, state issued copy of a Birth Certificate and a Photo

I.D.

.. Original Naturalization Papers and a Photo I.D.

 

Note: A Photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age or older;

the Photo I.D. does NOT have to be issued by a Driver's License Bureau

nor any type of government Office.

Note: As long as the Original Birth Certificate or the Certified Copy

have been issued by the state of birth, it does not matter whether there

is a raised seal or if the Birth Certificate is in the form of a

plastic card.

 

 

Resident Aliens of the United States:

 

Anyone not having proper documentation will be denied boarding at the

port of embarkation without the benefit of a refund:

 

Resident Aliens must surrender their green card at embarkation and it

will be returned at Immigration Check-In upon arrival back into the

United States.

 

 

... Valid Alien Resident Card (green card) with a Photo I.D.

 

... Photo I.D. (if not on the Alien Resident Card)

... A Photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age or older.

... A Photo I.D. does NOT have to be state-issued but must show a clear

picture of the guest with the corresponding name.

... Sources of Photo I.D.'s:

... Driver's License

... Police Department-issued identification card

... Student I.D.

... Company I.D.

... Membership I.D.

 

 

... Guests should contact the consulates of the islands/countries which

they will be visiting, to inquire about necessary travel documentation.

 

Immigrations determines the proper documents which guests must have

available in order to sail.

 

Note: For cruises that visit or transit in Canada, citizens of some

countries may require a Visa; the guest must check with the Canadian

Consulate for documentation requirements. This includes cruises to Canada

(from New York) and Alaska cruises.

 

 

Aliens (Non-U.S. Citizens):

 

Anyone not having proper documentation will be denied boarding at the

port of embarkation without the benefit of a refund:

 

Aliens must surrender their passport at embarkation and these documents

will be returned at Immigration Check-In upon arrival back into the

United States.

 

.. Valid Passport

.. Valid, un-expired U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa

.. Aliens eligible to apply for admission under the Visa Waiver Pilot

Program, must have a valid, un-expired Passport.

 

.. Guests should contact the consulates of the islands/countries which

they will be visiting, to inquire about necessary travel documentation.

 

Immigrations determines the proper documents which guests must have

available in order to sail.

 

Note: For cruises that visit or transit in Canada, citizens of some

countries may require a Visa; guests must check with the Canadian

Consulate for documentation requirements. This includes cruises to Canada (from

New York) and Alaska cruises.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Guests who are disembarking in Mexico:

 

To disembark for more than 24 hours in Mexico, guests must have a

Mexican Tourist Card obtained prior to departure from either a travel

consultant or the Mexican Consulate - AND - if disembarking with children,

you must have a notarized affidavit from any absent parent indicating

permission to travel with the accompanying adult.

 

 

European Itineraries

 

Travel Documentation

 

ALL guests must carry a VALID passport for the duration of the cruise.

 

Non-U.S. citizens who have previously been admitted to the U.S. for

permanent residence must carry a VALID passport and Alien Registration

Receipt Card, I-551.

 

For Russia, if guests do not have a Russian Visa in advance, they will

only be permitted to debark in St. Petersburg, Russia on organized ship

shore excursions. In other words, guests do not have to obtain a

Russian Visa in advance if they plan to take organized ship shore excursions.

 

To obtain a Visa for Russia, the guest must contact the Russian

Consulate in their area; they are usually located in most major cities and can

be found in the telephone book.

 

Embassy of the Russian Federation 202 298-5700 telephone

2650 Wisconsin Avenue, NW 202 298-5735 fax number

Washington, DC 20007

http://www.russianembassy.org

 

The following website is for Baltic Travel, our Tour Operator in

Russia. They will be able to provide a "Reference Confirmation Letter" which

is required in order to obtain the Visa through the Consulate/Embassy.

The Reference Confirmation Letter is returned via fax to the direct

guest. To obtain this letter, the guest will be required to submit the

following information to Baltic Travel for EACH guest sailing:

 

.. Full Name . Citizenship . Passport Number

.. Gender . Date of Birth

 

Olga Beliaeva, Program Coordinator OR http://www.baltictravel.com

<http://www.baltictravel.com>

E-mail: olgad@baltic.spb.ru <mailto:olgad@baltic.spb.ru>

click on "Visa Support"

Telephone: (812) 114 99 60

Fax: (812) 327 40 70

 

 

If there is anything else we can do for you please don’t hesitate to

ask. Thank you for choosing Carnival Cruise Lines and we look forward to

welcoming you aboard.

 

Sincerely,

 

Carnival Cruise Lines

Online Community

[TNtraveler]

Un

Does any one remember when Barbados tried enforcing a Passport rule for their port of call?? they lost tons of revenue from the cruise lines passengers. It was not long at all that the governement said nevermind.

 

Barbados DOES require a passport for visitors arriving via air but, as you noted, backed off requiring it for cruise day visitors because of negative response from the cruise industry.

[TNtraveler]

As of Jan. 31, 2005, this is what the U.S. State Department (http://travel.state.gov) says about Mexico, for an example:

 

"ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: The Government of Mexico requires that all U.S. citizens present proof of citizenship and photo identification for entry into Mexico. U.S. citizenship documents such as a certified copy (not a simple photocopy) of a U.S. birth certificate, a Naturalization Certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Citizenship are acceptable. However, the U.S. Embassy recommends traveling with a valid U.S. passport to avoid delays or misunderstandings... U.S. citizens boarding flights to Mexico should be prepared to present one of these documents as proof of U.S. citizenship, along with photo identification."

 

Nor can I find any indication on the State Department site that there is any pending change for Mexico -- but each country has its own requirements, and you should research all of your possible ports before embarkation.

[BND]

A passport is just a lot easier. If you get stuck or rerouted somewhere you hadn't planned on going, it can make getting home less complicated. I'm still not sure why so many are fighting something so simple. I did the math in an earlier post and for a 10 year passport it works out to less than $10/year. How much do those of you complaining about cost spend on alcohol or gambling while you're on a cruise? Probably more than a passport would cost on just one cruise. You find the cash to do that, why not spend some before?

 

I think the laws will change and they should. Foreign travel by air requires passports, why shouldn't cruises require it also? It just makes sense.

[elliair]

The Carnival agent I spoke with when booking our cruise said that, currently, a passport can be up to 10 years expired and still be used for identification on the cruise.

 

This is true, ours expired 2 years ago, and we still were able to use it on our Mexican 1/04 cruise. We renewed our passport last year and it was nice not have to tote around a BC. I'm not surprised at the rumor as our T/A told us 3 years ago that passports were going to be the norm when traveling. Homeland Security has a lot of power.

[ConquestMike]

I've unfortuneately had what I felt were my rights "trampled" on, but what I thought really didn't matter and when I look back on it, I can understand and see the big picture. We may not always understand or necessarily agree, but there are far worse things that could be going on. They are doing the best they can in the society in which we live... not perfect by any means, but a great deal better than many other places you could live.

I agree wholeheartedly GC, but there is still much room for improvement so we can be a model to the world and show these people in the other places how things really can be if someone does something about it.. you always keep your debates respectful...To those who think because I mentioned, and only mentioned the ACLU, that they could now dismiss the argument as coming from some nut ball your sadly mistaken. I dont agree with many of the ACLU's positions but at the same time at least they stand up for their rights or how they see them and dont sit compacently around complaining about how things should be and do nothing. I can only be thankful it wasnt people such as you that were around when the Revolution was here and that the "Rebels" were because we would still be under British Rule today if left in your hands..Its easier to stand idly by and somehow justify the actions of our Government rather than stand up in a crowd, be ridiculed and do something about things,,Look at your history, the ones who started this country were "Rebels" with what many considered Radical ideas for years until their ideas caught on and others finally jumped onboard when they aslo had enough of the British. Somehow, I really dont see standing up for the rights we do have and making sure they wont be diluted is all that radical at all but rather a responsibility we all carry to insure our Freedom and the Freedom and rights for the generations to come just as our forefathers did for us..it doesnt take a strong mind or any courage to ridicule and follow along blindly

[ConquestMike]

No different than getting on a plane to any foreign country. No big deal. I'm patiently awaiting my renewed passport and my DH already has one. You dont' often see conservative and ACLU from the same person. I'm conservative, but dont' tout the ACLU.

I didnt tout the ACLU but only mentioned them so if you want to comment on my posts feel free to do so respectfully and with some intelligence and dont stoop to exagerating, changing or twisting what I wrote Please. I am a person who does not subscribe to certain idealogies just because they happen to be labeled as conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat but rather look at issues as they are and form opinions based on right or wrong regardless of what the conservative party says I should back up, in other words I dont back Partisan Politics regardless if they do the right thing for our country.

[GoinCruisin]

Mike, there is a HUGE difference in someone standing up for their rights and what the ACLU stands for... Just because someone thinks the ACLU represents a bunch of whack jobs these days, does not believe we do not believe in standing up for freedom and our rights, actually quite the contrary... You should be glad that people the likes of those that are leading the ACLU were not around during the revolution... you can be different and you can be a rebel, without being a fruitcake... just MHO of course.

[ConquestMike]

I didnt tout the ACLU but only mentioned them so if you want to comment on my posts feel free to do so respectfully and with some intelligence and dont stoop to exagerating, changing or twisting what I wrote Please. I am a person who does not subscribe to certain idealogies just because they happen to be labeled as conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat but rather look at issues as they are and form opinions based on right or wrong regardless of what the conservative party says I should back up, in other words I dont back Partisan Politics regardless if they do the right thing for our country.

That came out wrong LOL I dont back Partisan Politics because many issues get decided based only on these politics and not what is right or wrong for our country. Im not an ACLU fan but I aslo realize not all their ideas are wrong either. Im a conservative but dont think liberal opinions are all wrong either

[GoinCruisin]

I didnt tout the ACLU but only mentioned them so if you want to comment on my posts feel free to do so respectfully and with some intelligence and dont stoop to exagerating, changing or twisting what I wrote Please. I am a person who does not subscribe to certain idealogies just because they happen to be labeled as conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat but rather look at issues as they are and form opinions based on right or wrong regardless of what the conservative party says I should back up, in other words I dont back Partisan Politics regardless if they do the right thing for our country.

 

Mike, i will give you credit for putting together the longest sentences in history doll!!!!!! But I will say that you may not be a person that subscribes to "certain" idealogies... you subscribe to your own, which seem to very extremely radical, to say the least. You, in admission in your own posts, seem to think that everyone is out to get you (not just this thread, but nearly every thread you post to). Had you honestly lived during the eras you speak of, you could likely have been imprisoned or beheaded for being so outspoken about government... yet today, you have the right to speak your mind and have an opinion. Yet you seem to think we are taking a step backwards. A quick glance in your history books will show you that is quite the contrary... the government is not out to make your life miserable and take away your constitutional rights. Look at all the lawsuits of the people that keep "fighting their constitutional rights" and lose... many people interpret the constitution the way they want too, rather than realizing that in the days in was written, some of the things you make reference too were not even a twinkle in its founders eyes... times change and we have to be flexible enough to adapt. The world is a far different place and government will never be even close to perfect... but a passport is a good thing, LOL :D

[ConquestMike]

Mike, there is a HUGE difference in someone standing up for their rights and what the ACLU stands for... Just because someone thinks the ACLU represents a bunch of whack jobs these days, does not believe we do not believe in standing up for freedom and our rights, actually quite the contrary... You should be glad that people the likes of those that are leading the ACLU were not around during the revolution... you can be different and you can be a rebel, without being a fruitcake... just MHO of course.

My point was just because I mentioned the ACLU that now I could be dismissed as a whack job too, not by you and that is why I made sure I singled you out GC but in other posts that followed and you can tell by the tone of some of their posts and attepting to twist things I said into something I never said that they were itching for a way to dismiss me as a crackpot rather than comment intelligently on exactly what I said

[GoinCruisin]

Mike, I don't think you are a whack job... I think you are passionate in your beliefs and there is nothing wrong with that... but I think you should also believe that some radical beliefs can and have been some of the downfalls in this country (you are a conservative, so I know you know what I mean)... sometimes it is best to keep such views to ourselves, especially regarding some of the things you have mentioned and talked about. Without the benefit of meeting you in person and knowing that you are not a whack job.... some times posts are all anyone has to go by, and while I KNOW you are not... some of your posts can lead people to believe that (I mean NO offense, just being an honest observer here)... I know you are a good guy with a good heart and just want the best... but you know as well as I do, that sometimes radical views should be kept to yourself as generally they are not popular and will always lead to controversy, especially when you start talking about this country and where it is leading too.... I for one will defend this country and it's actions to the death... I am proud to be an American and will defend anyone talking it down. I have traveled around the world and I have seen the alternatives.... would not have it any other way!!! :D