Full Name requirements ?

[Embracedbylife]

I noticed that a new regulation came out in the past year for booking flights - that you need to book your tickets including all given names (first and middle names) as it matches your passport. I used to just buy airline tickets using my first and last name and it seems now we have to provide our second given name also (middle name). Can anyone confirm this?

 

Also when booking with Princess do we need to give our second given name (middle name) for the booking itself? I see under the personalizer you can enter your middle name in the immigration part, but should I have them include my middle name on the booking itself? Just checking!

 

Thanks again!

[Nanatravel]

Airlines - Yes full name including Middle = just as it appears on your Passport or Legal ID needed to board your flights. Ship - some require full name including Middle, others do not. If your currect reservation has a space to include your middle name, you could input it as long as it matches your Legal ID.

[Embracedbylife]

Thanks. I'll be sure to book airline tickets using my first and middle names.

 

The cruise is with Princess and I don't see a way to add it to the booking itself, but I can add a middle name to the passport information part in the cruise personalizer. Is this sufficient?

[janina]

Use whatever is on your passport. You also now have to give your birth date to book airline tickets...new TSA guidelines.:)

[Loonbeam]

Should be sufficient as long as it matches your ID you will use for boarding.

 

Thanks. I'll be sure to book airline tickets using my first and middle names.

 

The cruise is with Princess and I don't see a way to add it to the booking itself, but I can add a middle name to the passport information part in the cruise personalizer. Is this sufficient?

[Pam in CA]

It's a Homeland Security regulation. Whatever is your legal name per your passport, passport card or birth certificate/driver's license is what you must use to book your flight. Cruiselines are working towards requiring the same "identical name" requirement so it makes sense to use your legal name on your booking. Not sure why anyone wouldn't want to.

[Embracedbylife]

Not sure why anyone wouldn't want to.

 

 

I never said I didn't want to do it, perhaps my post was confusing? I wanted to find out if it's required because I was having a hard time adding my middle name to my princess booking online. I finally figured out how to do it after about an hour on the personalizer page. I finally went into the princess captain's circle profile and changed it there, then after a half hour or so it converted onto my booking so now I can finally print out my princess boarding passes with my full name, including my middle name (as I thought was appropriate, and thus the reason for my posting).

 

Thanks again everyone for your input. I just never used my middle name before to book airline tickets or for princess bookings, but it's a new thing some people are unaware of. Hoping someone else benefits from this post also! thanks again for the input!

[itsajoke]

As of now you only need your first and last names for the cruise booking, although Princess prefers that you provide them with the names as they appear on your passport.

 

For your airline tickets, the names must match as your passport reads and you also much provide your birthdates.

[more cruises]

I always use my full name for the airlines and the cruiselines but I HATE it when they use my middle name on any of the printed material. At least it's not on the sign and sail cards.

[gmros]

I didn't know that middle names need to be included. I always just use my first name. Thank you for starting this thread.

[Embracedbylife]

you are welcome! I'm glad someone else is able to benefit from it too.

[pms4104]

I never said I didn't want to do it, perhaps my post was confusing? I wanted to find out if it's required because I was having a hard time adding my middle name to my princess booking online. I finally figured out how to do it after about an hour on the personalizer page. I finally went into the princess captain's circle profile and changed it there, then after a half hour or so it converted onto my booking so now I can finally print out my princess boarding passes with my full name, including my middle name (as I thought was appropriate, and thus the reason for my posting).

Interesting ... my middle name has been shown on My Princess and on the Captain's Circle info of the site since day one, yet my confirmations show only first and last name. I have no concern, as on the site middle name is not asterisked as mandatory.

 

I think the main issue for everyone is the real first and last name ... not Manny or Bubba or Sissy or Missy on one's cruise docs. Well, unless those are the legal names on one's legal ID.

[small talk]

Interesting ... my middle name has been shown on My Princess and on the Captain's Circle info of the site since day one, yet my confirmations show only first and last name. I have no concern, as on the site middle name is not asterisked as mandatory.

 

I think the main issue for everyone is the real first and last name ... not Manny or Bubba or Sissy or Missy on one's cruise docs. Well, unless those are the legal names on one's legal ID.

 

Agree. This thread has concerned and worried me, although it shouldn't. I have ALWAYS used only my forename and surname, never my middle name to book flight tickets. Yes, Princess are aware of my middle name but I have always been booked onto flights as "Mrs. Sarah Anderson" never "Sarah Michelle Anderson" as it is on my passport.

 

Note: Sarah Anderson and Sarah Michelle Anderson are not my real names!!

[pms4104]

Agree. This thread has concerned and worried me, although it shouldn't. I have ALWAYS used only my forename and surname, never my middle name to book flight tickets. Yes, Princess are aware of my middle name but I have always been booked onto flights as "Mrs. Sarah Anderson" never "Sarah Michelle Anderson" as it is on my passport.

 

Note: Sarah Anderson and Sarah Michelle Anderson are not my real names!!

But with the Secure Flight mandate that now, I think, is fully implemented, the Feds expect that airline tickets reflect one's legal name as shown on the legal ID used to book and board the flights. For a time, I think they will grant some leeway ... but eventually I suspect the name on air tickets will need to agree with what is on the ID.

[Embracedbylife]

Agree. This thread has concerned and worried me, although it shouldn't. I have ALWAYS used only my forename and surname, never my middle name to book flight tickets. Yes, Princess are aware of my middle name but I have always been booked onto flights as "Mrs. Sarah Anderson" never "Sarah Michelle Anderson" as it is on my passport.

 

Note: Sarah Anderson and Sarah Michelle Anderson are not my real names!!

 

 

That's just the thing - from what I understand effective this past Sept or November or something, they are actively enforcing the TSA regulations that require you to include your middle name(s) if you have them - I found this out when booking tickets for my cousins. They have 3 middle names, and they wanted all 3 - same as it appears on their passports. So you should just call your airline and ask them before flying if you've already booked your ticket but with only your first and last names (like I always used to do to). It's not a new regulation, but it is being newly enforced effective fall of 2010. At least that's what I understood so I was concerned at some point it'll be the same for our cruise boarding docs - but it isn't yet a requirement just to clarify from what others have said on this posting.

[shellbeachjim]

As someone who has a first name/last name combination of someone else on the no fly list, I have used my middle name for airline bookings for a few years now. This has made my air travels much easier. I have no problem using my middle name. Although I didn't appreciate it while growing up, thank you Mom for giving me an unusual middle name! ;) It's only taken me 50-something years to get to this point!

 

Now if only the airline websites would make it easier to book flights this way. Unfortunately some require me to enter both names in the "first name" field and then their software scrunches them together into a single word. Yes, Virgin Atlantic, I'm referring to you... :eek:

[snoodqueen]

I have the opposite problem. My first name is two names combined with a space in between (ie: Mary Jane), no middle name or initial. Inevitably whoever I am registering with wants to split the names into first and middle. A Circle Host finally figured out that deleting the space gave me a 'real' first name. It may not be written 100% accurately but at least I get addressed correctly onboard! For everything else, I have to be sure to add in 'no middle initial' and it works.

[DocM4]

My husband has a problem with having to list his name as printed on his passport. His first name is Roy, second Malcolm. Problem is, no one, not even his parents, ever called him Roy! So when he is on board every one refers to him by a name he doesn't actually respond to - His legal signature is R.Malcolm ....... and his passport is signed in that manner.

 

As he has said "I doub't anyone ever questioned J.Paul Getty" - I am going to see if there is a way that he can be listed on board as "Malcolm.....". Anyone else with a similar problem???

[UpcountryTravelers]

My husband has a problem with having to list his name as printed on his passport. His first name is Roy, second Malcolm. Problem is, no one, not even his parents, ever called him Roy! So when he is on board every one refers to him by a name he doesn't actually respond to - His legal signature is R.Malcolm ....... and his passport is signed in that manner.

 

As he has said "I doubt anyone ever questioned J.Paul Getty" - I am going to see if there is a way that he can be listed on board as "Malcolm.....". Anyone else with a similar problem???

 

That is a very common problem. Many, many people are called by their middle name, my own son included. Some people (and most government people) insist on using the first name, which is NOT what his Mom and I named him. He doesn't have a middle initial, the initial is first. There is no law against that, but some people are simply too dense to realize it. (We also have the confusion in that we share a first name, but not middle.)

 

The registration documents should have a space for "preferred name", as I have occasionally seen. That would solve a large problem.

[DocM4]

I like that idea "preferred name" I hope someone at Princess is reading this and can institute it in the coming months.

[RickT]

My husband has a problem with having to list his name as printed on his passport. His first name is Roy, second Malcolm. Problem is, no one, not even his parents, ever called him Roy! So when he is on board every one refers to him by a name he doesn't actually respond to - His legal signature is R.Malcolm ....... and his passport is signed in that manner.

 

As he has said "I doub't anyone ever questioned J.Paul Getty" - I am going to see if there is a way that he can be listed on board as "Malcolm.....". Anyone else with a similar problem???

 

This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. Neither my wife nor I go by our legal first names and while I understand the need to provide these for travel (BTW, in Canada you still only need to provide your first and last name, just checked my latest plane ticket) I can't believe the cruiselines don't have a way to allow your usual name (whether it be your middle name, variation of your first name or perhaps just a name you've answered to since being a child) into your cruise file.

 

My wife and I hate hearing the servers/bartenders call us by a name we never use. I've asked while on board if I can have the first name changed on my card but am told no with some vague reference to TSA or immigration. Seriously, how hard would it be to leave my legal name in your system and use a "goes by" name on my card?

 

Oh well... enough venting for now.

[Twinkstarr]

I've always gone by my middle name, but now thanks to TSA I am now Maryanne when I travel. I just take my passport when travelling by air.

 

When the regulations went in a few years ago, I had to dig out the passport to see how to spell my first name.:D

 

As I usually sign M. middle name last name.

 

My parents gave me the traditional first name as a back up in case I wanted to use it as an adult. My middle name has always been my first name. Of course they didn't have a crystal ball to forsee TSA regs 40+ yrs in the future.

[PescadoAmarillo]

This has been an interesting post. I'm surprised, though, by the number of people who get called by their first name on a cruise. My first name bears almost no rsemblance to the name I am called, so it stands out when someone refers to me that way (usually only in doctors' offices). I don't recall ever being called that in Princess. It's always Mrs. Xxxx.

[notentirelynormal]

This has been an interesting post. I'm surprised, though, by the number of people who get called by their first name on a cruise. My first name bears almost no rsemblance to the name I am called, so it stands out when someone refers to me that way (usually only in doctors' offices). I don't recall ever being called that in Princess. It's always Mrs. Xxxx.

 

Me too. I'm always called Mrs. Xxxx. In 26 cruises with Princess I can't remember any crew member calling me by my first name.

 

My first name has a hyphen in it. I also have a middle name. Unfortunately there are many websites that consider a hyphen a "special character" and don't allow it. Please type your name EXACTLY as it appears on your ID..... well i WOULD if you accepted special characters. Therefore I have to either put my name with a space or as one word. Then I have the added issue of the space getting split into the middle name and my middle name getting dropped. Princess' website accepts the hyphen in some places and not in others so there have been times when I couldn't access my booking because the names didn't match. I'd have to go in by my husband's name then switch to my booking.

[SanDiegoCoco]

I almost made a mistake that would have cost $$$'s. I have not cruised for several years and when I booked our fall cruise through the princess web site., when I entered my companion's name, it said the middle name was optional, so I did not put it in. Then I also booked Princess Air, and it did not give me a chance to enter his middle name for the air tickets (to match his passport), it just used the name I had entered when I booked the cruise. I immediately called princess, and asked what I should do, because the fee for a name change on the air tickets was $$$ (and just adding a middle name is a name change). Fortunately, the princess rep said that since I had just made the air reservations (literally just made it minutes before), they would cancel them and allow me to make new ones after entering his middle name.

 

So to make a long story short, if you are going to book Princess Air, make sure your info matches what you are using for ID.