Having the worst feeling

[nikki303]

Has anyone ever arrived at the pier only to realize that you forgot an important document that is required for boarding like your license or passport?

 

In April, we (3 friends and myself) left our hometown on a wonderful Monday morning for our 5 hour car ride to Miami. First thing we did was stop at Panera to grab a quick breakfast. About an hour and a half into our drive (we were now on the interstate and had been for about an hour), a guy was in the lane next to us and was honking and telling us to put my window down. We all thought this guy was nuts at first until he proceeds to tell us that there was a wallet on our bumper. My heart sank as I immediately realized it was mine. I had opened the very back door to the trailblazer after coming out of Panera to grab my sweater. I must have set my wallet down on the bumper while doing this. It had everything in it. My license, money, credit cards, etc. I couldn't believe that it had stayed there for that length of time and at speeds of 70mph. Just the thought of arriving at the pier and not being able to board was horrifying.

[sailor05]

Stop it! Just stop it!:eek: I'm thinking happy thoughts. I'm thinking happy thoughts. I'm thinking happy thoughts......

 

:)

[gillmom2]

LMAOROTF- very cute:)

[emen822]

Has anyone ever arrived at the pier only to realize that you forgot an important document that is required for boarding like your license or passport?

 

In April, we (3 friends and myself) left our hometown on a wonderful Monday morning for our 5 hour car ride to Miami. First thing we did was stop at Panera to grab a quick breakfast. About an hour and a half into our drive (we were now on the interstate and had been for about an hour), a guy was in the lane next to us and was honking and telling us to put my window down. We all thought this guy was nuts at first until he proceeds to tell us that there was a wallet on our bumper. My heart sank as I immediately realized it was mine. I had opened the very back door to the trailblazer after coming out of Panera to grab my sweater. I must have set my wallet down on the bumper while doing this. It had everything in it. My license, money, credit cards, etc. I couldn't believe that it had stayed there for that length of time and at speeds of 70mph. Just the thought of arriving at the pier and not being able to board was horrifying.

 

You sure had a guardian angel with you that day! My "minor" horror story happened the day we left for our cruise. We got up early, drove to JFK for our 6:30 a.m. flight. We were flying into Tampa one day prior to the cruise to see a spring training baseball game. Everything is going smooth...until we are ready to board our flight and my husband can't find his license. We were frantic looking all over for it. I actually thought I had dropped it because I was holding all our boarding passes. So he is running all over the airport. Meanwhile, me and my two daughters had passports so we were fine, just totally stressing out. All I kept thinking was this vacation that we counted down for SO long wasn't going to happen. Turns out, the porter at the airport never gave him back his license after checking us in and he ran up and gave it to us. That was one stressful way to start out our vacation! This cruise ... passport is a MUST for him!! :p

[carbon]

My husband left carryon with all his cosmetics at the hotel taxi stand. Had to pay $20.00 round trip cab ride but it was still there. Now we do a suitcase rollcall(HeHe).

[Happy ks]

This didn't happen to me, but a fellow CC'r we met at the CC party.

 

It was a rather large family cruising on NCL Star in 2002, I believe. The cruise went to Fanning Island to satisfy the foreign port requirement and a passport was mandatory. The mans parents had left their cruise docs and passports on the table next to the front door back in New Jersey. Fortunately, they were in Honolulu a couple of days prior, they had neighbors get the documents, fax a copy (NCL was OK with this) and had the actual passports/docs overnighted to Hilo, our first stop before leaving for Fanning. I think he said it cost around $250 to get the stuff sent.

 

Even before this I have always checked, double checked and triple checked that everything is in order before leaving the house. Then, I check again in the shuttle before leaving the driveway.

 

I tape a list of to-do's on the front door, making sure to turn off what needs turning off and turning on what needs to be turned on.

[wmorrell35]

I don't think I really want to know, but your husbands cosmetics? :p I'm getting visuals, and had my chuckle for the day...:rolleyes:

[cruz1234]

My DH had gotten boarding passes for flight, we were standing in line for security and he cannot find passport! I asked if he had given it to check in at airport and he had. He looked thru everything and no passport! Went back to the girl that had checked him in, his passport was under a bunch of papers and she did not even realize she still had it :( Boy I had a pit in my stomach that day! It was a good thing he did not given license at security or else we could have ended up 1/2 way to destination w/out passport ( and it was an overseas flight so the next airport would have been the stopping point, 1/2 way between home and destination!)

[mary mary quite contrary]

We were tourists in Italy, waiting to get on a ferry to the Isle of Capri. The guy in front of us looked pretty frazzled, and we struck up a conversation. A few days before, he and his wife had flown to France to pick up a cruise, arriving a day in advance just in case. They boarded the ship, when the wife says "Oh no, I left my jewelry in the hotel!" (Must have been better jewelry than I have!).

 

So the husband runs off the ship, back to the hotel, and searches he room. No jewelry. He gets back to the pier as the ship is pulling away. When he's able to talk to his wife on the telephone, she says "Oh, I found it in my carry-on."

 

Well, the Isle of Capri was the last chance this guy had of catching the ship for this week-long cruise. And he missed it.

[JerseyMom]

This seems to be a recurring nightmare for me. I spend lots of time planning and then I dream that the big day arrives and I show up without my passport.

 

This has never happened to me in real life but it did happen to DH last year. He had a conference last year in Cancun (or so he told me). He got to the airport and discovered he had left his passport at home. Since he was booked on the last flight he could take, he had to rebook for the following day. Bet he'll double check next time he has an international flight!

[cruisethecaribbean]

We have a friend who drove from Nashville to the Florida/Georgia border before they realized that their 24 year old son did not have his driver's license. They had to turn around and drive all the back and start all over again. Fortunately they had planned an overnight stop at in-laws in Lakeland, FL the night before the cruise so there was enough time built in to make that "detour". Their son was not Mr. Popularity that day!:eek:

[cruisingnewyorkers]

This past May my family was taking a cruise out of SJU. My son and his girlfriend were going with us to JFK which is 3 hours away. He was supposed to be at my house at 9:00 AM, calls me at 9:00 and says he is going to be a little late, I asked why and he says they can't find their passports. Of course they look for them when we are supposed to leave. It was a long ride to JFK.

 

I still had his BC so I brought that with me and his SO did not have hers. Other family members from the area were coming down the next day, so they spent that day tearing their house apart looking for the passports. They had no luck. Her mother had only the hospital certificate, so my sister was bringing that with her.

 

12 hours later when we got to the hotel in San Juan, they found them in another compartment of their luggage. Whew!! That sure was stressful day.

[bigscrb15]

I have also dreamed of that happening to me. I make sure I check it over and over and still I get nervouse right before I go to hand my stuff to the agent that it will be missing.

 

Also, I think it is impossible for stuff to fall off a bumper. I left a set of pliers on my bumper and it made it all the way from FL to Atlanta(7 hours). I have also left numerous items on the very back of my boat(nothing to hole it in place) and they have never fallen off in the water or on trailer.

[firstcruise05]

We were tourists in Italy, waiting to get on a ferry to the Isle of Capri. The guy in front of us looked pretty frazzled, and we struck up a conversation. A few days before, he and his wife had flown to France to pick up a cruise, arriving a day in advance just in case. They boarded the ship, when the wife says "Oh no, I left my jewelry in the hotel!" (Must have been better jewelry than I have!).

 

So the husband runs off the ship, back to the hotel, and searches he room. No jewelry. He gets back to the pier as the ship is pulling away. When he's able to talk to his wife on the telephone, she says "Oh, I found it in my carry-on."

 

Well, the Isle of Capri was the last chance this guy had of catching the ship for this week-long cruise. And he missed it.

 

 

 

Sounds to me like someone wanted to vacation solo ;)

[LaceyLady]

This doesnt have anything to do with cruising but a few years ago I drove to a friends barbecue 10 miles away with a tupperware bowl of Potato salad on the roof of my car. And it made it too!!

 

Lacey

[claven]

I was sooooo happy the other day I got my very first passport in the mail!!!! I was geeked.... I't finally here!! I have wanted one for years, but never got around to it. Now with the recent changes I guess it's time to get one.

[hdcobur]

Our last cruise was with our very good friends and their 2 daughters. All of us were doing a last minute document check (because I had been obessing over losing something), so our friends did the same. I happened to look over to my friends birth certificate:eek: and I nearly fainted when I saw that it was the hospital (fake!) birth certificate. I calmly asked her where her legal birth certificate was and she stated it was her legal birth certificate:confused: . That is the time I pulled our legal birth certificates and passports out to show her the difference (oh, I forgot, they had their daughter's state sealed birth certificates). We proceeded through the line thinking oh my god, they are not going to let her board, BUT they did?????????? I am thinking - well that made my panic seem stupid - UNTIL it was time to depart the ship on the last day and pass through customs :eek: . Fortunately, and I do mean Fortunately- we did some fancy talking and I think caught a customs worker in a respectable mood - since the original talk was detaining her until legal documentation could be produced:( . SINCE she had her driver's license AND her name was on her daughter's birth certificates - they let her go :D , but it was a close call - thankfully I did not stress about it the whole trip, but YIKES!!!!!!!!!

[Happy ks]

hdcobur, I'm a little surprised they did let her board! Citizenship documents are required to re-enter the country, not leave it.

 

I think a lot of US citizens don't realize what type of documentation they need. I've even read posts where they state "Oh, I just won't get off the ship in that port".

 

This is one of the great things about this board, I'm sure it has helped a lot of people do what they need to do before it's too late.

[CrzyCallie]

My SO and I recently went on a 3 day Bahamas cruise.. I have a passport but he doesn't.. yet... I had been bugging him for 3 weeks to make sure he knew where his birth certificate was. Thank goodness I decided to pack 2 nights before we left.. his birth certificate was no where to be found. Luckily we were able to get a certified copy the next morning.. it definatly was an "i told you so" moment

[chubbycheeks]

I've told this story on here a couple of times but my friend and I were getting ready to leave for the airport on Sunday, the day of our cruise. He was getting in the car and double checking that he had his documents. He couldn't find his license...he didn't have a passport. We searched and searched but it was no where to be found. He said that he thought that maybe the bank teller forgot to give it back to him the day before. It was a Sunday and the bank was closed so was the DMV. It was Labor Day weekend so neither were open on Monday. So, he booked a flight for noon to meet up with me and the ship in San Juan on Tuesday. He went to the DMV the first thing on Tuesday morning and managed to catch the flight. He had a stopover in Miami where there was a tropical storm that was supposed to hit that afternoon. I was worried his flight would be delayed but he made it to San Juan at 6:40 pm and the ship was leaving at 8. Needless to say, with getting his luggage and catching a cab....he barely made it there. I was coming back from a ship excursion at 7:40 pm and ran into him at the elevators.....THAT was cutting it close. At least he made it. ;)

[Grayce]

I always worry about things like this. I know before I go anywhere I will have at least one nightmare where I can't find my passport and I can't go on vacation :rolleyes:

[MrsPete]

Yes, I worry about things like this! I'll never forget the family beach trip when I left my entire suitcase behind. After lots of screaming, my mom took me shopping and bought me two outfits and a bathing suit; it was all I had for a whole week. I was just a kid, and I didn't have my beach toys, my books, etc. It was a bad week.

 

My rules for vacation preparation:

 

All bags must be packed a full three-days in advance. About two weeks before a trip, I start pulling things out of the laundry and stacking them on the living room sofa (rarely used) instead of putting them into the drawers. I add toiletry bags, toys for the kids, etc. to the pile. When I'm ready to really pack, I make each family member go through his or her pile and add/subtract from the clothing. This means that I'm not rushing around the night before trying to push three loads through the washing machine, and I'm much less likely to forget something important.

 

With the idea that two heads are better than one, my husband and I always go through tickets, passports, maps, etc. together. He usually goes to the bank and picks up spending cash, which we split between us. Together we go through our wallets and leave behind unnecessary stuff like the cards to the video rental place, etc. We carry just what we'll need for the trip.

[groovy gran]

well folks this was not for a cruise but Spain this year.4 days before we go my dd new passport had not arrived.Dont worry my dh said mum and i will pick it up on saturday.<5 hour round drive>

No problem we got passport.Next day realised dgd out of date.Was on phone half night begging for an appointment to get one.No chance. Decided to drive down anyway on monday <another 5 hour drive>.

Lucky they took pity on us and she got her passport.We were so relieved to get on that flight on the tuesday i can tell you.

Could have been worse if we had noticed at airport then my dgd and her mum would have had to stay home and we would all have been upset.i guess ther is a moral to this story. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR DOCS AT LEAST I MONTH BEFORE TRAVEL.

[Max Circus]

My wife is really excellent with making sure we have "everything". On the day of embarking for a vacation, not just a cruise, she will make me physically look at her purse and verify that the passports, tickets, itineraries, etc are all there. Then we check again once we get in the car and again when we get to the airport. I know it sounds like overkill but we've never had an issue with arriving at the airport or cruise terminal without the documentation we needed to board.

[Travelgrrl]

I was in Jolly Old England with my daughter and her friend, both 11 years old. We had spent 4 days rollicking around London and I had managed to get the three of us, our copious amounts of luggage, and our passports through the Tube and to the train to Harwich. We get off the train, the pier is right there, we drop our bags, and get in a huge line to board (we were still outside, on the open pier).

 

At this point, I was so suffused with happiness to have pulled off a transatlantic flight, an educational, fun and safe London trip, a dodge across town in the tube with our bags, a train ride across country, and having made it to the pier and now just have carryons. I knew from experience that it will be easier to keep an eye on and amuse the two girls on the ship so I was started to get a bit less harried.

 

I look down, and lo and behold, there's a passport on the ground! I think: "Oh no, am I spilling passports around?" But I pick it up and it's a man's. (Ours were in a hidden bag under my clothes.) So someone in line is ready to check in and has just lost his passport in a foreign country! On that very trip, someone had told me a US passport is worth $10,000 in the UK black market (probably apocryphal, but there you are).

 

So I holler out: "Is Timothy So and So here?" And a man waaaaaay up in line says suspiciously "That's me." I bring him his passport, which he had not even realized he had lost. He sort of thanks me, and I say jokingly: "You owe me a drink, now!" and his wife just GLARES at me! Hey lady, I just saved your vacation, how about a little grin? So, whatever.

 

I ended up seeing them onboard over the next week (on a transatlantic, you get to know your fellow passengers pretty well) and he said "I still owe you that drink!" while I thought "Yes, and your horrid wife would gladly poison it!" :rolleyes: