Passport Expires while On Cruise.

[LadyBeBop]

Here's an unusual one.

 

Fall 2007, my husband and I got passports in anticipation of a trip to Nassau in Spring 2008. We applied together, but he received his passport a week earlier. Expiration date on his passport is October 25, 2017; expiration date on mine is October 30, 2017.

 

Fast forward nine years. We just booked a closed-loop Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Magic. Leaves Port Canaveral on October 21, 2017, arrives back on the 28th.

 

Meaning my husband's passport expires on the cruise, and mine doesn't.

 

Is my husband's passport really no good for the cruise? (I'm thinking yes.) I know we can use our birth certificates, but they won't work for a medical emergency. I also know about the six-month suggestion. Should I renew my passport as well, since mine expires two days later?

 

PS: I'm not going to complain that we applied for our passports too early. Since we got our passports in October, we were able to fly to Europe on our anniversary in early November 2008. At the time, my daughter worked for the airlines, and we got greatly discounted flight tickets.

Edited February 28, 2016 by LadyBeBop

[Clarea]

I would renew both passports before the cruise.

[Keith1010]

If you are concerned about a medical emergency which we would be I would renew your passports.

 

If he had to fly home at the time his passport expired the passport is no good. And, let's say there was a medical emergency and you both had to say for a few days on land your passport could expire.

 

I would renew them so you will have no worries.

 

Give yourself plenty of time to get them when you are ready to do this.

 

Keith

[sparks1093]

Here's an unusual one.

 

Fall 2007, my husband and I got passports in anticipation of a trip to Nassau in Spring 2008. We applied together, but he received his passport a week earlier. Expiration date on his passport is October 25, 2017; expiration date on mine is October 30, 2017.

 

Fast forward nine years. We just booked a closed-loop Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Magic. Leaves Port Canaveral on October 21, 2017, arrives back on the 28th.

 

Meaning my husband's passport expires on the cruise, and mine doesn't.

 

Is my husband's passport really no good for the cruise? (I'm thinking yes.) I know we can use our birth certificates, but they won't work for a medical emergency. I also know about the six-month suggestion. Should I renew my passport as well, since mine expires two days later?

 

PS: I'm not going to complain that we applied for our passports too early. Since we got our passports in October, we were able to fly to Europe on our anniversary in early November 2008. At the time, my daughter worked for the airlines, and we got greatly discounted flight tickets.

 

How likely is a medical emergency? Yes, I know that emergencies happen without warning but if you have no known medical conditions and are in good overall health and don't plan on doing anything too dangerous you are probably fine with using your birth certificates. Should something happen the Embassy/Consulate would be able to help you quickly since you are already in their system (maybe take some new photos with you just in case and to have one less thing to have to do). Personally I would let my future travel plans dictate whether or not we renewed- if we were looking at a trip via international air in the near future I would be more likely to renew than if the cruise were the only thing we were doing.

[luvscruising2007]

Yes, I would renew both passports before your cruise. You have plenty of time to get that done. Also, so that you don't have all of the expense in one month, you can renew them one at a time.

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

[Essiesmom]

I will bet that if you do online checkin using his passport, it will not take it. Therefore, he wouldn't be able to use it to get ON the ship, much less back into the country. EM

[LHT28]

Unless you plan on never needing a passport for future travel then just renew them

so you lose a month or two of your 10yr passport ...seriously it it that big of a deal :rolleyes:

[MommaBear55]

Renew them both! That way you have them if needed.

[Host Sharon]

In the UK you can renew up to 6 months or so before they expire and have that time added onto the new one - so your new passport lasts 10 yrs and 6 months. Can't you do that Stateside?

[Clarea]

In the UK you can renew up to 6 months or so before they expire and have that time added onto the new one - so your new passport lasts 10 yrs and 6 months. Can't you do that Stateside?

The last time we renewed our US passports, we got expiration dates 10 years from a couple of weeks after our application date. So it was not related to the expiration date of our previous passports, and we ended up losing a month.

[newport dave]

In the UK you can renew up to 6 months or so before they expire and have that time added onto the new one - so your new passport lasts 10 yrs and 6 months. Can't you do that Stateside?

9 months not 6.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[DocF]

Unless they have changed the policy, neither passport is going to accepted by Carnival for that cruise as they require at least 6 weeks of life left in a passport.

 

Get them both renewed now. If you guys figure you will never need them again, opt for the cheap passport card which will do for a cruise or going to Mexico or Canada.

 

Doc

[sparks1093]

Unless they have changed the policy, neither passport is going to accepted by Carnival for that cruise as they require at least 6 weeks of life left in a passport.

 

Get them both renewed now. If you guys figure you will never need them again, opt for the cheap passport card which will do for a cruise or going to Mexico or Canada.

 

Doc

 

No, CCL recommends 6 months of time remaining after a cruise but it is only a recommendation. Her passport will be accepted because it expires after the cruise, his probably won't (but he could use a birth certificate to board so there are alternatives).

[LHT28]

In the UK you can renew up to 6 months or so before they expire and have that time added onto the new one - so your new passport lasts 10 yrs and 6 months.

most Countries require our Passports to be valid for 6mths after the departure from the Country some require 3

so for us we will sometimes have to renew early & lose a few months off our passport expiry date in Canada they do not add any leftover months from your previous passport

To me a few $$ is worth the peace of mind

[sail7seas]

Renew his passport.

[sail7seas]

The last time we renewed our US passports, we got expiration dates 10 years from a couple of weeks after our application date. So it was not related to the expiration date of our previous passports, and we ended up losing a month.

 

I just renewed my passport for the fourth (?) time.... I've lost track.

As you say, the expiration date on my new passport is 10 years from the date of renewal, not from the date my old passport would expire.

 

[XBGuy]

I have two friends who were taken off cruise ships on a stretcher. Both of them walked onto the ship thinking that they were in excellent health. One was taken off in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with what was diagnosed in the ship's clinic as pancreatitis. The other one was taken off in Barcelona, Spain with what was diagnosed at the hospital as diverticulitis.

 

Both of these stories ended well. Although, anybody who recovers from pancreatitis can never drink alcohol.

 

Don't mess around. Renew both your passports.

 

I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for people who complain about "losing" a few months on their passport. I think the renewal fee for a U.S. passport is $110. So, you are upset about "losing" $1 a month?

[Scrapnana]

I would just renew both passports. I always lose a few months when I renew but don't consider it a big deal. Peace of mind is much more important!

[_beachgirl_]

Definitely renew. It's not worth the stress.

[sail7seas]

I have two friends who were taken off cruise ships on a stretcher. Both of them walked onto the ship thinking that they were in excellent health. One was taken off in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with what was diagnosed in the ship's clinic as pancreatitis. The other one was taken off in Barcelona, Spain with what was diagnosed at the hospital as diverticulitis.

 

Both of these stories ended well. Although, anybody who recovers from pancreatitis can never drink alcohol.

 

Don't mess around. Renew both your passports.

 

I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for people who complain about "losing" a few months on their passport. I think the renewal fee for a U.S. passport is $110. So, you are upset about "losing" $1 a month?

 

 

 

A dose of reality and good advice.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

When you check in at the port, the expiration date of your passport will be checked. Just two weeks ago we checked into a Celebrity cruise in Fort Lauderdale. Our passports expire February 2017. Guess what. The check in staff called our attention to that date and advised us to renew our passports at least six months before that date.

 

So don't take a chance. Renew your passports.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Gangway Style

[Keith1010]

In the UK you can renew up to 6 months or so before they expire and have that time added onto the new one - so your new passport lasts 10 yrs and 6 months. Can't you do that Stateside?

 

Host Sharon we can get a new passport sooner and that is going to be more frequent for those of us in the States.

 

Used to be we could add pages to the passport two times and some like myself who take very long cruises needed to do that.

 

Now we can't.

 

So for those of us who travel a lot we require new passports years before the expiration date.

 

But when we get the new passport we get no credit for that. It is 10 years from the date the passport was prepared.

 

Keith

[sparks1093]

When you check in at the port, the expiration date of your passport will be checked. Just two weeks ago we checked into a Celebrity cruise in Fort Lauderdale. Our passports expire February 2017. Guess what. The check in staff called our attention to that date and advised us to renew our passports at least six months before that date.

 

So don't take a chance. Renew your passports.

 

That's always the recommendation, it is not a requirement unless the port you are visiting happens to require it (and none of the ports in the Caribbean do require it).

[Keith1010]

Again just renew the passports.

 

It is peace of mind.

 

Things happen when we travel.

 

I would not take the risk.

 

Keith

[capriccio]

That's always the recommendation, it is not a requirement unless the port you are visiting happens to require it (and none of the ports in the Caribbean do require it).

 

Not quite true. St. Maarten, according to the US State Department, now requires a passport or passport card (not a birth certificate) even on close looped cruises. I have no idea whether that is being enforced (haven't been there since December 2013).

 

According to the extended info on the US State Dept website http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...n/country.html, (my highlights)

All U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport for all air travel, including to and from Sint Maarten.

All sea travelers must also now have a passport or passport card.

We strongly encourage all U.S. citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport or passport card well in advance of anticipated travel. U.S. citizens can call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

 

This is very different from the extended info for other Caribbean Islands that includes a discussion of requirements when on a closed loop cruise:

NOTE:

Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the United States (closed loop cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. However, should you need to disembark due to an emergency and you do not have a valid passport, you may encounter difficulties entering or remaining in a foreign country. You may also have difficulty attempting to re-enter the United States by air because many airlines will require a valid passport before allowing you to board the aircraft. As such, we strongly recommend that you always travel abroad with your valid passport.

 

Martinique has the closed loop note while St. Maarten does not.