Cruise Doc name not identical to name on passport

[dijid]

I booked a trip for my family and my parents. We've all sailed on NCL before, and so the PCC just looked us up and everything auto-filled. I sent the reservation confirmation to my parents and assumed everything was fine. Now that final payment has been made, my father informs me that his cruise docs list him with a middle initial and his passport uses his middle name. In addition, my mother has 2 middle initials listed, only one of which matches her middle name.

 

Will this be a problem? Before I go off spending a lot of time trying to connect with my PCC and get it changed, I thought I'd see if anyone else here has dealt with a similar situation. Thanks.

[kh6275]

We had a mistake after final payment and a quick email to the TA fixed the problem. IMO: better safe then sorry.

[dwjoe]

Your dad's middle initial vs middle name sounds like a non issue. If your mom's first middle initial matches her middle name then no problem. If the second, I'd get it corrected.

[Sam The Cat]

I always just use my middlle inital instead of my middle name (as it appears on my passport) never had a problem. This time one of the people I will be traveling with has her last name spelled wrong-first time cruising-so there was no auto fill. A quick call to the PCC that are group is using and with in 10 minutes we received an email with the correct spellng of her last name. Since we are just going from NYC to the Bahamas I did not see much of a problem other than hte fact that she is traveling on her NYS drivers license and not a passsport.

[njhorseman]

I always just use my middlle inital instead of my middle name (as it appears on my passport) never had a problem. This time one of the people I will be traveling with has her last name spelled wrong-first time cruising-so there was no auto fill. A quick call to the PCC that are group is using and with in 10 minutes we received an email with the correct spellng of her last name. Since we are just going from NYC to the Bahamas I did not see much of a problem other than hte fact that she is traveling on her NYS drivers license and not a passsport.

 

If it's not an enhanced drivers license she'll need proof of citizenship (government agency-issued birth certificate if born in US, or certificate of naturalization if a naturalized citizen) in addition to the drivers license.

[dijid]

Thanks for the quick replies. Sounds like it won't be an issue, but I think I should fix it anyways.

[perkydebrajean]

I noticed that I didn't list my daughters middle name, just her middle initial on our cruise reservations but her passport had her full name. I called my PCC and she went in and changed our edocs to read correctly.

[johnsak123]

You should double double check because the last thing you need is not to be allowed to board the ship

I have heard about an issue regarding a difference between cruise documents and passport documentation and there was alot of scrambling at the pier to fix the issue

Good Luck

[blindrid]

Thanks for the quick replies. Sounds like it won't be an issue, but I think I should fix it anyways.

 

In our experiences, it seems like cruise lines and customs uses a lot more common sense than TSA in airports. You'll be fine but as you mentioned, fix if it you can.

[Cambrensis]

I booked a trip for my family and my parents. We've all sailed on NCL before, and so the PCC just looked us up and everything auto-filled. I sent the reservation confirmation to my parents and assumed everything was fine. Now that final payment has been made, my father informs me that his cruise docs list him with a middle initial and his passport uses his middle name. In addition, my mother has 2 middle initials listed, only one of which matches her middle name.

 

Will this be a problem? Before I go off spending a lot of time trying to connect with my PCC and get it changed, I thought I'd see if anyone else here has dealt with a similar situation. Thanks.

 

We just returned on the Gem. We had an almost identical scenario -- our TA left out our son's middle name from the cruise docs. I called NCL and they changed it right away, no prob -- but also said it was a good thing I had caught it. I would give them a call.

[Demonyte]

We just returned on the Gem. We had an almost identical scenario -- our TA left out our son's middle name from the cruise docs. I called NCL and they changed it right away, no prob -- but also said it was a good thing I had caught it. I would give them a call.

 

We never even add middle names to the cruise docs - has never been an issue as long as first and last name and DoB match with the passport.

[njhorseman]

We never even add middle names to the cruise docs - has never been an issue as long as first and last name and DoB match with the passport.

 

 

Same here. We use our full middle names on our passports, but not on our cruise reservations. We've never had a problem.

 

I think some people are assuming TSA regulations requiring a match that apply to airline flights also apply to cruises, which they do not.

[Vyhanek]

I'm pretty that won't be an issue. Years ago a few letters in my name were transposed and it was no big deal at all. But who knows now, it seems like things are a lot more knit picky in the past 2 years or so.

[Demonyte]

I think some people are assuming TSA regulations requiring a match that apply to airline flights also apply to cruises, which they do not.

 

We never use full names in airline tickets either and never have had any problems at airports (anywhere in the world, even with TSA) either. :D

 

The names in machine-readable passport's machine-readable section are separated in different fields so the machine will be able to match only first and last names just fine.

[njhorseman]

We never use full names in airline tickets either and never have had any problems at airports (anywhere in the world, even with TSA) either. :D

 

The names in machine-readable passport's machine-readable section are separated in different fields so the machine will be able to match only first and last names just fine.

 

Of course the TSA has no jurisdiction over flights originating in countries other than the US. ;) . The US can refuse to allow overflight of the US by flights originating in other countries if the security procedures in that country are deemed to be sub par, but I doubt needing exact middle names is high on their list of security requirements.

[dwjoe]

FYI, the TSA is the baggage checking agency.

 

It is CBP regulations that count.

[njhorseman]

FYI, the TSA is the baggage checking agency.

 

It is CBP regulations that count.

 

For airline flights the TSA is more than the "baggage checking agency". They screen all the passengers too. TSA has absolutely no role or jurisdiction in the cruise industry...either over passengers or baggage.

 

You only encounter CBP when you enter the US from a foreign country, whether by air, land or sea. They are responsible for clearing entering passengers, and their belongings, from both the immigration and customs perspectives. CBP is also responsible for screening cargo entering the US by air, land and sea.

[Demonyte]

Of course the TSA has no jurisdiction over flights originating in countries other than the US. ;) . The US can refuse to allow overflight of the US by flights originating in other countries if the security procedures in that country are deemed to be sub par, but I doubt needing exact middle names is high on their list of security requirements.

 

I have to rephrase my answer a bit - you were partly right. :)

 

The middle name is not mandatory in the ticket/boarding pass itself but must be passed electronically to TSA's Secure Flight Program as part of the passenger data and I didn't remember that I already gave that extra info separately in airline's website with our passport details around christmas - the reservation was made last summer with only first names and those are what will be printed to the boarding passes too.

 

TSA's FAQ says this:

 

Boarding passes may not always display the exact name you provided when booking your travel. The name you provide is used to perform watch list matching before a boarding pass is issued, so small differences should not impact your travel.

[dwjoe]

For airline flights the TSA is more than the "baggage checking agency". They screen all the passengers too. TSA has absolutely no role or jurisdiction in the cruise industry...either over passengers or baggage.

I just googled that and learned that TSA is responsible for checking the Secure Flight data provided by airlines (e.g. against the No-Fly list) before a boarding pass is issued. I stand corrected there.

 

But TSA will not hassle you on a middle name discrep... the only exception I'm aware of is on the expedited TSA pre-screening program they have deployed to certain airlines and airports.

[njhorseman]

I just googled that and learned that TSA is responsible for checking the Secure Flight data provided by airlines (e.g. against the No-Fly list) before a boarding pass is issued. I stand corrected there.

 

But TSA will not hassle you on a middle name discrep... the only exception I'm aware of is on the expedited TSA pre-screening program they have deployed to certain airlines and airports.

 

Even if you have no baggage, it is a TSA agent who physically screens you at the airport checkpoint...so their responsibility extends beyond the Secure Flight data and baggage screening.

[luvtheships]

I booked a trip for my family and my parents. We've all sailed on NCL before, and so the PCC just looked us up and everything auto-filled. I sent the reservation confirmation to my parents and assumed everything was fine. Now that final payment has been made, my father informs me that his cruise docs list him with a middle initial and his passport uses his middle name. In addition, my mother has 2 middle initials listed, only one of which matches her middle name.

 

Will this be a problem? Before I go off spending a lot of time trying to connect with my PCC and get it changed, I thought I'd see if anyone else here has dealt with a similar situation. Thanks.

I am very cautious of this as well and my TA always tells me that the middle name/initial is not important for a cruise...but only must be an exact passport match when airline tix are concerned

[Bars7816]

Airport security is maniacal on this issue. In our experience, passport and boarding pass must match exactly. It's difficult to convince the TSA at SeaTac that you are who you claim to be even with two photo ids and your matching face! :D Common sense is totally missing with these people.

 

After our experiences with TSA, I wouldn't take a chance with mismatched docs and passport when checking in for a cruise either.

[njhorseman]

Airport security is maniacal on this issue. In our experience, passport and boarding pass must match exactly. It's difficult to convince the TSA at SeaTac that you are who you claim to be even with two photo ids and your matching face! :D Common sense is totally missing with these people.

 

After our experiences with TSA, I wouldn't take a chance with mismatched docs and passport when checking in for a cruise either.

 

I can't say why TSA agents at that airport are like that. I can say that TSA would not have allowed the airline to issue your boarding pass if you were not cleared based on the data provided by your airline under the Secure Flight program. It's very common for the airlines' data processing systems to not be able to issue a boarding pass that exactly matches your ID...and that is exactly why the passenger information is pre screened...so that TSA can accurately determine who you are.

 

Please remember that TSA is not involved in the screening of cruise ship passengers, and the person who checks you at the security checkpoint is not a TSA agent...in fact they are generally not even official law enforcement or government officers of any agency . They are generally what is known as (for lack of a better term) "rent-a-cops". As I've already stated, our passports never exactly match our cruise reservations because our passports include our full middle names, and we have never been questioned or delayed. There is no law or regulation requiring your cruise reservation to precisely match your passport, and really no one at the pier cares, nor should they.