Princess now requires Passport for Minors with only One Adult

[Loonbeam]

..adn they are getting a free onboard concert from Jon Secada (let the owl chorus commence...)

[caribill]

We're talking sea travel, not air. Although air travel requires the book (and I always have my book), I have used only the card for Princess check-in and return from the cruise for a number of years. (Including last week.) No problem.

 

 

No, we are talking about someone who started out with "closed loop" sea travel but had to leave the ship in a foreign port and thus had to fly back to the USA without a (book) passport.

[Essiesmom]

So, do you think this extends to the unrelated minors some folks take along to keep their child company? It should...EM

[Loonbeam]

As a point of interest, those Dream passengers without passports are being required to fly charters to Orlando, as opposed to those with passports who have the option to fly to originating airport where available. Only Orlando will be set up to handle waiver screenings on arrival.

[cherylandtk]

As a point of interest, those Dream passengers without passports are being required to fly charters to Orlando, as opposed to those with passports who have the option to fly to originating airport where available. Only Orlando will be set up to handle waiver screenings on arrival.

I understand this as well. Part of the issue may be that regularly scheduled commercial flights can still require that all pax have a passport or a State Dept TA letter...just as Princess can now require that single parents with minors must have passports...and the airline is on the hook to return any improperly documented pax to the point of origin. With charter flights, the chartering company (Carnival) has likely agreed in the contract to be on the hook if anyone is determined to be improperly documented. (Highly unlikely unless they lost their BC between boarding and returning to the US, though.)

[Loonbeam]

Also, since a charter will be all Carnival passengers, additional immigration resources can meet the plane. I suspect that those passengers w/o passports will be on specific flights that will have screeners at the gates so as to avoid them having to go into the general immigration queues.

 

I understand this as well. Part of the issue may be that regularly scheduled commercial flights can still require that all pax have a passport or a State Dept TA letter...just as Princess can now require that single parents with minors must have passports...and the airline is on the hook to return any improperly documented pax to the point of origin. With charter flights, the chartering company (Carnival) has likely agreed in the contract to be on the hook if anyone is determined to be improperly documented. (Highly unlikely unless they lost their BC between boarding and returning to the US, though.)

[Pam in CA]

As a point of interest, those Dream passengers without passports are being required to fly charters to Orlando, as opposed to those with passports who have the option to fly to originating airport where available. Only Orlando will be set up to handle waiver screenings on arrival.

I read that a number of passengers are very upset at having to fly on a charter as opposed to flying commercially. How much do you want to bet the "news" media will hone in on these folks?

[CantanaLobo]

... How much do you want to bet the "news" media will hone in on these folks?

 

No taker here. And the passengers will blame Carnival for not making them get passports.

[dwjoe]

As a point of interest, those Dream passengers without passports are being required to fly charters to Orlando, as opposed to those with passports who have the option to fly to originating airport where available. Only Orlando will be set up to handle waiver screenings on arrival.

Thanks for the info.

 

I thank that is fair, give that CCL's obligation probably only extends to returning them to the port of embarkation.

[Loonbeam]

In most cases, the charters will probably be on commercial airlines anyway, so not sure why they would be upset...

 

I read that a number of passengers are very upset at having to fly on a charter as opposed to flying commercially. How much do you want to bet the "news" media will hone in on these folks?

[pms4104]

In most cases, the charters will probably be on commercial airlines anyway, so not sure why they would be upset...

It isn't like they'll have to ride in the cargo hold ... they should be happy to be accommodated in such a speedy fashion.

[Pam in CA]

In most cases, the charters will probably be on commercial airlines anyway, so not sure why they would be upset...

I read subsequently that most are going on twenty Delta flights, ten flights today, six tomorrow and four on Sunday. Sometimes people are upset and take their frustration out on the nearest target. In this case, Carnival. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5258

 

The stupid networks are still reporting "widespread overflowing toilets" and other horrors whereas Carnival has reported only one public bathroom that was cleaned quickly and one passenger cabin report. The toilets were non-working for perhaps an hour. All it means is that a few passengers figured that they could continue to "go" anyway.

[Loonbeam]

More importantly.interviews with actual people on board indicated Carnival's version is closer to the truth..

 

I read subsequently that most are going on twenty Delta flights, ten flights today, six tomorrow and four on Sunday. Sometimes people are upset and take their frustration out on the nearest target. In this case, Carnival. http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5258

 

The stupid networks are still reporting "widespread overflowing toilets" and other horrors whereas Carnival has reported only one public bathroom that was cleaned quickly and one passenger cabin report. The toilets were non-working for perhaps an hour. All it means is that a few passengers figured that they could continue to "go" anyway.

[smeyer418]

I actually read all the posts. The reason why Princess is doing this may be much simpler than you think. One parent can stop the issuance of a passport for a child in someone else's custody. All they need to do is write the state department saying that they don't want a passport issued for their minor child along with a copy of the birth certificate. Those letters giving permission to take a minor child on a ship are easily forged. So Princess may have been burned by someone forging such a letter in the past and has decided to make sure there isn't a dispute going on by requiring a passport. If both parents are present no passport is required. How is the fact that both parents are present change the problem of getting home from a foreign port without a passport?

 

I don't expect the major mass market lines to change this. Seaborne and others quoted above as having universal passports requirements aren't the mass market lines and they don't cater to children any how. I would suspect that these upscale lines have relatively few people who don't have passports any way. Much time and money was spent by the cruise industry to get the exception to the passport requirement. You can see by the numbers involved that 1/3 or more of the passengers just don't have passports....and the cruise lines won't cut off their noses to spite their faces...IMO. Reasonable people can disagree, ideologues don't have an opinion they have a cause which no amount of discussion can change.

[caribill]

The reason why Princess is doing this may be much simpler than you think. One parent can stop the issuance of a passport for a child in someone else's custody. All they need to do is write the state department saying that they don't want a passport issued for their minor child along with a copy of the birth certificate. Those letters giving permission to take a minor child on a ship are easily forged. So Princess may have been burned by someone forging such a letter in the past and has decided to make sure there isn't a dispute going on by requiring a passport. If both parents are present no passport is required. How is the fact that both parents are present change the problem of getting home from a foreign port without a passport?

 

 

If this is the case, then it could be an even simpler rule saying that all children with only one traveling parent/guardian must have passports for closed-loop cruises, not every adult in a group.