Passport Cards and Medical Evacuation?

[LAWTONCRUISE]

Our passports have expired and we thinking about going with the Cards since we only travel out of the country now on cruises.

 

My question is simple. Since the Passport Cards say travel is limited to land and sea what happens if you have a medical emergency and have to be airlifted back home?

 

Has anyone had this happen, or does anyone know if someone has had problems returning to the states in a situation like this?

 

Thanks in advance for responses.

[rbrugler]

Not to worry. Your ticket for travel would be on the ship, not an airline. That may not be the case if you wife wants to fly home. Why not get passports and avoid any issues?

[njhorseman]

Not to worry. Your ticket for travel would be on the ship, not an airline. That may not be the case if you wife wants to fly home. Why not get passports and avoid any issues?

 

OP is asking about a medical emergency requiring an airlift home. They know they can use the passport cards for the cruise.

 

The answer is yes, there will be a problem if an airlift is needed because a passport card is not valid for international airline travel. They'll either have to obtain passports or be issued an authorization letter to fly home without them. Either will require time and paperwork to obtain.

Edited May 18, 2014 by njhorseman

[garycarla]

If you back home for any reason by any other method than the ship, you will have issues with the card.

 

Just renew the passport.

[bobg529]

Passport cards ARE a great convenience, and I have one myself. But that being said, I would not feel it wise to travel outside the USA without my passport. Both can be purchased at the same time and they are good for a decent period of time so it might be prudent to put out the extra cash. When I was in London recently I carried my passport card as ID along with one credit card and some currency. I left my wallet and passport locked in my safe at the hotel. Enjoy your vacation, and be sure that your travel insurance includes coverage for medical evacuation!

[Kamloops50]

Passport Cards are really only designed for crossing by car or foot the Canadian and Mexican borders . T fly across any border you require a passport . You can't even use the Passport card to cross into Canada from Skagway .

[Sauer-kraut]

For med evac you will have to contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for that country. They will issue a travel document or passport that will get you back into the U.S.A. but it is not instantaneous, it will take time.

[garycarla]

For med evac you will have to contact the U.S. embassy or consulate for that country. They will issue a travel document or passport that will get you back into the U.S.A. but it is not instantaneous, it will take time.

 

The medical evac gets thrown around loosely (no offense to anyone here). You could easily have medical "challenge" that would eventually you to just fly commercial home, and that would not be a true medical evac. Just going home. But, no passport, well....

[njhorseman]

Passport Cards are really only designed for crossing by car or foot the Canadian and Mexican borders . T fly across any border you require a passport . You can't even use the Passport card to cross into Canada from Skagway .

 

That's incorrect on both counts. Passport cards are also valid for entry to the US by sea...such as on a cruise ship or ferry. They're also valid for any land crossing, including bus and rail...not just crossing by car or foot.

 

Also you certainly can do the land crossing between Skagway and Canada with a passport card. To begin with Canada doesn't require US citizens to have anything more than a birth certificate to enter the country...it's the US that requires something more, and a land crossing between Canada and Skagway is no different than a land crossing between the state of Washington and the province of British Columbia...a passport card is perfectly OK. Any cruise line requiring you to have a passport book is doing something not actually required by law (which is their right...but the question is why they would do it).

Edited May 19, 2014 by njhorseman

[conandrob240]

Don't other with the cards. All you are saving is a tiny bit of $ that isn't worth the limitation.

[matj2000]

Medical evacuations are for very sick people and the last thing to worry about is a Passport.

Not some nonchalant everyday procedure.

They are expensive, risky, and dangerous for everyone involved.

And also a huge inconvenience for thousands of others whose vacation may be altered.

I wouldn't set foot on a ship if you have any sort of inkling that you may have a condition that would put you in this type of situation.

 

Just the fact that you are talking about this makes me want to be on a different ship..

..

Edited May 19, 2014 by matj2000

[Vacation Master]

Hopefully no one will feel so selfish as having their vacation "inconvenienced" when you or a loved one has a heart attack or a serious life threatening ACCIDENT while onboard. Seriously....do you people think before posting? Gosh.

 

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[Jenjer]

You never know when a medical emergency could hit, no matter what your health is to start with.

 

We will not travel outside the USA without passports period. Even our children have them and theirs are only good for 5 years. IMO its part of the cost of cruising.

 

If there was a accident or unseen problem the last thing I want to wait on is a piece of paper to get myself or family home.

[Jenjer]

Hopefully no one will feel so selfish as having their vacation "inconvenienced" when you or a loved one has a heart attack or a serious life threatening ACCIDENT while onboard. Seriously....do you people think before posting? Gosh.

 

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Agreed if they are air lifting someone my guess is its life threating.

 

How selfish to be "inconvenienced" for someone's life.

[matj2000]

Hopefully no one will feel so selfish as having their vacation "inconvenienced" when you or a loved one has a heart attack or a serious life threatening ACCIDENT while onboard. Seriously....do you people think before posting? Gosh

 

 

From the way the guy was asking the question, it seems like he is sort of predicting he may need evacuation.

And while I am sympathetic, having worked in the cath lab for many years, I know that many heart attacks could be avoided.

 

Many are self-induced from bad lifestyle choices.

Boarding a ship with unstable angina just because you paid for a cruise, which may likely cause thousands of people to change plans.

 

That is selfish...

Edited May 19, 2014 by matj2000

[dwjoe]

Medical evacuations are for very sick people and the last thing to worry about is a Passport.

 

Not some nonchalant everyday procedure.

 

They are expensive, risky, and dangerous for everyone involved.

 

And also a huge inconvenience for thousands of others whose vacation may be altered.

 

I wouldn't set foot on a ship if you have any sort of inkling that you may have a condition that would put you in this type of situation.

 

Just the fact that you are talking about this makes me want to be on a different ship

Huh??

 

The need for medical air transport back home could happen to anyone... and covering against this risk is one of the advantages to having a passport on a cruise.

Edited May 19, 2014 by dwjoe

[punkincc]

From the way the guy was asking the question, it seems like he is sort of predicting he may need evacuation.

And while I am sympathetic, having worked in the cath lab for many years, I know that many heart attacks could be avoided.

 

Many are self-induced from bad lifestyle choices.

Boarding a ship with unstable angina just because you paid for a cruise, which may likely cause thousands of people to change plans.

 

That is selfish...

 

I did not take the OP's post that way at all. I never Plan to have an illness or accident on my cruises, and don't have any unstable conditions that might make it too risky to travel, but I still buy Travel Insurance just in case and have a passport as well, although I can cruise without one.

 

The OP is just being prudent in asking about the what ifs that can occur. You could break your leg in St Thomas, miss the ship and have to fly home. Someone at home may have a sudden illness causing you to have to leave the ship and fly back. Many people never think about these possibilities.

Edited May 19, 2014 by punkincc

[mking8288]

... The need for medical air transport back home could happen to anyone... and covering against this risk is one of the advantages to having a passport on a cruise.

 

Both #thumbs up #LIKE :)

 

The marginal costs for renewal 2 U.S. Passports vs. Passport Card only are about $200 or so, more of less - and from OP's state of residency, it's pretty much of limited value unless they don't plan for flying abroad in the next 10 years. Now, what if, they were to find themselves in the shoes of those unfortunate Breakaway pax that missed their return from Bermuda last Friday - odds are that they will discovered the truely hidden costs of not being able to fly home without a valid passport, etc.

 

Medivac are NOT the only reasons to skip taking along valid passports ! Even our 5 years old grand niece had hers when we sailed with the extended families over 3 years ago, and another 2 years old grand nephew had his own US passport last month - he has yet gone onto a cruise (soon, however.) Penny pinch and save money elsewhere - skip a few drinks, play less Bingo or bypass UDP and there's your passport renewal fund & pro-rate it for 10 years, it's dirt "cheap" form of insurance.

[LAWTONCRUISE]

I find it amusing that there is one in every group seems to know everything. I'll repost my questions again to simplify so that all of us not so smart folks can understand.

 

Reason for post: Thinking of getting passport card instead of renewing passport (we're not sure how many more trips we will take and don't know if the costs of the passport outweigh the need.)

 

Question, first part. If there is an emergency and a traveler has to be evacuated, or fly home, or whatever, is anyone aware of the consequences of having used the card and not a passport?

 

**Yes, we know all about what the cards, having done our research, and when they can and cannot be used.**

 

Question, second part. Does anyone know of a case where this has happened to a traveler, and if so, what occured?

 

BTW, we're in perfect health, for our ages, nowhere did I indicated we anticipated any type of medical problems. I simply questioned a what if.

[Kamloops50]

This year a American was injured on a local ski hill. Usually people drive here to go skiing. He was injured and his insurance required him to be medivaced to the US. The local medivac wasn't allowed to transport to the US because he didn't have a passport. An American company wasn't allowed to transport to the US either (certification of the Para Medics). The ambulance had to transport him 4 hours to the US border.

[sdmike]

This year a American was injured on a local ski hill. Usually people drive here to go skiing. He was injured and his insurance required him to be medivaced to the US. The local medivac wasn't allowed to transport to the US because he didn't have a passport. An American company wasn't allowed to transport to the US either (certification of the Para Medics). The ambulance had to transport him 4 hours to the US border.

 

wow. That really sucks, but it's a relevant example here

 

OP - I suspect that if you're off the coast of Florida and have an emergency, the coast guard would come get you and drop you off on the rooftop of a hospital in Miami without much issue. However, if in the Caribbean, Europe, Bermuda, etc., that same helo would get you to the closest hospital. Getting back to the US after that would be the problem without a passport, even if you needed urgent medical care only available in the US. It would still take some strings to be pulled at the US consulate to get you authorized to fly into the US, and I suspect that might take a couple of days.

 

I echo the others. When I was 25 and indestructible (and naive) I never thought about these situations. Now that I'm older and smarter I won't travel without a passport or trip insurance. Small amount of money for a large piece of mind.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Both #thumbs up #LIKE :)

 

The marginal costs for renewal 2 U.S. Passports vs. Passport Card only are about $200 or so, more of less - and from OP's state of residency, it's pretty much of limited value unless they don't plan for flying abroad in the next 10 years. Now, what if, they were to find themselves in the shoes of those unfortunate Breakaway pax that missed their return from Bermuda last Friday - odds are that they will discovered the truely hidden costs of not being able to fly home without a valid passport, etc.

 

Medivac are NOT the only reasons to skip taking along valid passports ! Even our 5 years old grand niece had hers when we sailed with the extended families over 3 years ago, and another 2 years old grand nephew had his own US passport last month - he has yet gone onto a cruise (soon, however.) Penny pinch and save money elsewhere - skip a few drinks, play less Bingo or bypass UDP and there's your passport renewal fund & pro-rate it for 10 years, it's dirt "cheap" form of insurance.

 

LIKE BUTTON-------Adult passports are good for ten years. Children must renew every five years, until they reach 16.

[All-ready2cruise]

Canadians are every five years too, adults & children. It's a no-brainer for us, sure we can cross over to the US with a PP card but if we want to fly from 1 US city to another, we must have a Passport.

 

I did some research as well and just don't see how you question the need for a real Passport. JMHO :)

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card/Difference-Between-Passport-Book-and-Card.html

 

Happy sailing.

[njhorseman]

Canadians are every five years too, adults & children. It's a no-brainer for us, sure we can cross over to the US with a PP card but if we want to fly from 1 US city to another, we must have a Passport.

 

I did some research as well and just don't see how you question the need for a real Passport. JMHO :)

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card/Difference-Between-Passport-Book-and-Card.html

 

Happy sailing.

 

I must have missed something. When did Canada start issuing passport cards? You can get a Nexus card and four (I believe) provinces issue enhanced drivers licenses, but I'm not aware of a Canadian passport card. Please educate me if I'm mistaken.

[All-ready2cruise]

I must have missed something. When did Canada start issuing passport cards? You can get a Nexus card and four (I believe) provinces issue enhanced drivers licenses, but I'm not aware of a Canadian passport card. Please educate me if I'm mistaken.

 

Sorry, you're correct. I was thinking of the Nexus card which is very close to a PP card for Canadians.