Passport help

[minniegidget]

I am going on Carnival Miracle in Nov 2014 my passport expires Feb 2015. I have asked a few people and they say because I am just doing Mexico I will be fine. Then I was reading today that the passport has to be good for 6 months after travel. You guys are the experts so tell you what you think.

[jsfromsc]

You've got plenty of time before the cruise to renew it. I would just renew it. It's still the best form of ID for travel, especially international travel. See if you can find out anything on the passport web site or call them and ask if you have doubts. But, frankly, I would just renew.

[loxley]

I am going on Carnival Miracle in Nov 2014 my passport expires Feb 2015. I have asked a few people and they say because I am just doing Mexico I will be fine. Then I was reading today that the passport has to be good for 6 months after travel. You guys are the experts so tell you what you think.

 

As long as it is valid the day you return from the cruise, you will be fine.

[SadieN]

My take on it--

Even though Mexico requires 6 mos validity on your passport, closed-loop cruises from the US only require a BC and ID for travel. So your passport will be good.

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/mexico.html

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/do-i-need.html

[S.S.Oceanlover]

the 6 month rule is for travelers doing land vacations and not cruise pax.

 

Loxley has it right.:)

 

Bill

[Need-a-vacation]

You may not need to do it for your cruise, but I would just go ahead and get it done over the summer. No point in pushing it to the last month and you're covered if something else comes up. Mine was expiring in August this year, but I just went ahead and got a new one in January so I would be free to travel anytime.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[sparks1093]

As long as it is valid the day you return from the cruise, you will be fine.

 

This. I'm in the "why renew it early if you don't have to" camp.

[dobiemom]

As long as it is valid the day you return from the cruise, you will be fine.

 

This. I'm in the "why renew it early if you don't have to" camp.

And remember, your new passport will expire 10 years from the time you renew NOT 10 years from the time the old one expires. So if you're used to remembering that your passport expires on a "5" year (2015), it will now be a "4" year (2024) if you renew now. Just my crazy opinion.

Edited April 22, 2014 by dobiemom

[JLee1973]

I would simply renew it. Your going to have to do it anyway.

 

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[SunshineCruiser24]

Personally, I would just renew my passport to be safe. It has to be done, the prices don't really change, might as well do it for peace of mind.

 

BUT if you are really firmly against it, bring your birth certificate and photo ID to be sure. I always bring both, for some silly reason!

[zqvol]

I am going on Carnival Miracle in Nov 2014 my passport expires Feb 2015. I have asked a few people and they say because I am just doing Mexico I will be fine. Then I was reading today that the passport has to be good for 6 months after travel. You guys are the experts so tell you what you think.

 

 

As long as your passport is valid on the day you return to the US you are fine. Once you check in no one sees your passport until you leave the ship at the end of your cruise. If it makes you feel any better you don't even need a passport for your cruise, a BC and DL work fine. Since you don't need a passport as long as it is valid when you come home you are fine.

[RWolver672]

the 6 month rule is for travelers doing land vacations and not cruise pax.

 

Loxley has it right.:)

 

Bill

Just curious. Does the six month rule apply if you have to fly home from one of those ports? Is it the cruise line that makes those rules or the ports or the US? Edited April 22, 2014 by RWolver672
spelling

[ccruisequeen]

Passports make checking in at customs upon arrival faster. You don't need them to get your SS card, but you do have to show it when you go back to the port to get your luggage, at least in Long Beach.

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just curious. Does the six month rule apply if you have to fly home from one of those ports? Is it the cruise line that makes those rules or the ports or the US?

 

No. As long as your passport is valid, even with less than 6 months you can fly home to the U.S. from a foreign port.

 

The 6 month rule is for land vacations. In case something happens while you are there and you need to stay additional time they want to make sure you have ample time on your passport.

 

Bill

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Passports make checking in at customs upon arrival faster. You don't need them to get your SS card, but you do have to show it when you go back to the port to get your luggage, at least in Long Beach.

 

 

Why is it faster? Do they make people with birth certificates wait until all the passport or something? I don't think it takes more than a few more seconds to look at a BC and a driver license.

 

So you cant get your luggage without a passport or are you referring to the sign and sail card?

 

Bill

[sparks1093]

Just curious. Does the six month rule apply if you have to fly home from one of those ports? Is it the cruise line that makes those rules or the ports or the US?

 

The rules are made by the country being visited and I know of no country in the Western Hemisphere that has such a rule for a US citizen who is traveling on a cruise. Since those countries allow US citizens on a cruise to travel with birth certificate/government ID it would be a little incongruent for them to require passport holders to have 6 months left.

Edited April 22, 2014 by sparks1093

[RWolver672]

Why is it faster? Do they make people with birth certificates wait until all the passport or something? I don't think it takes more than a few more seconds to look at a BC and a driver license.

 

So you cant get your luggage without a passport or are you referring to the sign and sail card?

 

Bill

 

From what we were told by a customs agent after taking a train into Canada, then back to Michigan, it's easier to read a passport because they know exactly where to look for the info. On a birth certificate, each state is different and it takes longer for them to find the info they're looking for.

[maitlandmom]

I just had this happen. We booked a last minute cruise that included Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We sailed in March 2014 and our passports were expiring in May 2014. No problems at all. I did renew them when we returned.

[hftmrock]

just for documentation sake , Carnival highly recommends that its 6 months past the cruise date. Not sure iof the reason but if Carnival highly recommends it then its not just for land travel. Not a rule and I assume you will be fine but there is a reason Carnival highly recommends it

 

CRUISE TRAVEL

U.S. Citizens

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin & end in the same U.S. port, travelling with a passport enhances your disembarkation experience, as delays may be expected upon your return to the U.S. if you do not have one. Additionally, passports make it easier for you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

[Need-a-vacation]

From what we were told by a customs agent after taking a train into Canada, then back to Michigan, it's easier to read a passport because they know exactly where to look for the info. On a birth certificate, each state is different and it takes longer for them to find the info they're looking for.

 

Also, most recently issued passport have a chip and a barcode so they can quickly be scanned and the information pops up on their screen and the agent can quickly verify that the passport is valid and the person sorta looks like the picture submitted with the passport application.

 

I don't know for sure what they do for passengers without a passport, but they could be attempting to look people up manually to verify they aren't on a watch list or subject to a warrant or whatever. Whatever they do, it's going to take longer than scanning a passport. When we returned from our land vacation to Mexico, it literally took less than a minute for the immigration agent at the airport to go through all 4 of our passports.

[sparks1093]

just for documentation sake , Carnival highly recommends that its 6 months past the cruise date. Not sure iof the reason but if Carnival highly recommends it then its not just for land travel. Not a rule and I assume you will be fine but there is a reason Carnival highly recommends it

 

CRUISE TRAVEL

U.S. Citizens

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin & end in the same U.S. port, travelling with a passport enhances your disembarkation experience, as delays may be expected upon your return to the U.S. if you do not have one. Additionally, passports make it easier for you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

 

They recommend it because some of the ports they visit do require it and they don't want the responsibility of listing (and updating) all of them.

[lostdart1]

Just curious. Does the six month rule apply if you have to fly home from one of those ports? Is it the cruise line that makes those rules or the ports or the US?

 

The 6 month rule refers to entering the country and not leaving it.

[cruisinfanatic]

Personally, I would just renew my passport to be safe. It has to be done, the prices don't really change, might as well do it for peace of mind.

 

BUT if you are really firmly against it, bring your birth certificate and photo ID to be sure. I always bring both, for some silly reason!

Safe from what? The OP's passport expires 2 moths after the cruise.

What good is a BC? No one needs a BC with a valid passport

[dljones]

Just renew it. It is $110 bucks for renewal but I wouldn't step foot in a different country without a valid passport in my pocket, that and a credit card/driver's license. For whatever reason you miss the boat... Welcome to Mexico or wherever. Good luck getting back without proper identification. I'm a bit on the uptight side about this but better safe than sorry.

[sparks1093]

Safe from what? The OP's passport expires 2 moths after the cruise.

What good is a BC? No one needs a BC with a valid passport

 

Some like to have back up documentation available. It's not like the weight of the paper will sink the ship or anything;).