Passport-less Family with Sick Child Stuck Aboard Norwegian Ship

[jetsfan]

Having a passport now for every traveler is expensive, but I believe crucial for the crazy things that can and do happen on vacation. Real ID (which will be mandatory) and Global Entry (which is great) are another aspect of our changing world. 
 

Things will change again in 2021 when ETIAS is required by US citizens to travel to the Schengen area. 

[BoughtMyPoints]

The lady's behavior suggests  Munchausen by proxy syndrome.   She isn't the first mother to play hero.

[em-sk]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:25 PM, Shayhooper said:

To be fair, the Facebook fundraiser has just over $10k in donation as of a few minutes ago, which will likely go toward the $13k accrued in medical costs on the ship and the additional cost for the land based hospital they have been in for a few days.  Also, I've watched all the videos she has posted and read all of her posts and she has always said that the cut happened the night before embarking.  Additionally, she has always been clear that being medevaced was not an option because they didn't have passports.

 

That said, I agree with everyone else that NCL did all they could with their limited abilities in the ship medical facility.  They are also well within their rights to ask for payment for services rendered before the family disembarked.  Knowing their capabilities, I'm not surprised that NCL also recommended that they seek medical care from a hospital in Mexico.  Hopefully with some time this family will come to appreciate what NCL did to provide medical care with the limited resources they had.

 

BUT, I also understand that this family is traumatized and they deserve a little grace.  Given the choice between medical care in Mexico which still would have have needed to be paid in full before leaving while also being stranded there for an indefinite amount of time while passports were worked out, and staying on the ship knowing they would be back in the states in a few days, I'm not sure what I would have chosen.  Of course the options would have been different if they had passports but they didn't.  Monday morning quarterbacking the choices they did have with comments like money grab and CPS needs to be involved is simply unwarranted.  

 

 

 

This just all weird.  Had they gone to the hospital in Mexico, in all likelihood the travel insurance company would be able to co-ordinate payment with the hospital.  This kind of thing happens all the time and Hospitals and Insurance companies know how to handle the bookkeeping.  

 

We are talking about an family out of the US.  Their local national insurance system in their home country is quite different than what we have in the rest of the western world.  This family could easily be hit with much higher medical bills if they try to get medical attention of this child in their home country.   I could see the go fund being needed as it looks like they planned to return home for treatment. 

[ducklite]

On 2/14/2020 at 10:54 AM, GA Dave said:

She wanted them to provide Level 1 trauma center care to her child on a cruise ship for free. 

And she wants NCL to pay off her student loans, her mortgage, and buy her a new puppy.

 

🤣

Don't forget the free Disney cruise in the Royal Suite.

[ducklite]

On 2/14/2020 at 4:33 PM, jetsfan said:

Having a passport now for every traveler is expensive, but I believe crucial for the crazy things that can and do happen on vacation. Real ID (which will be mandatory) and Global Entry (which is great) are another aspect of our changing world. 
 

Things will change again in 2021 when ETIAS is required by US citizens to travel to the Schengen area. 

I've already signed up to get alerted once I'm able to register.  Factored into the entire cost of going to Europe, it's a negligible part of the budget.   Anyone who can't afford that absolutely can't afford to be traveling.  

[ducklite]

15 hours ago, BoughtMyPoints said:

The lady's behavior suggests  Munchausen by proxy syndrome.   She isn't the first mother to play hero.

Very keen observation.

[ducklite]

13 hours ago, em-sk said:

 

This just all weird.  Had they gone to the hospital in Mexico, in all likelihood the travel insurance company would be able to co-ordinate payment with the hospital.  This kind of thing happens all the time and Hospitals and Insurance companies know how to handle the bookkeeping.  

 

We are talking about an family out of the US.  Their local national insurance system in their home country is quite different than what we have in the rest of the western world.  This family could easily be hit with much higher medical bills if they try to get medical attention of this child in their home country.   I could see the go fund being needed as it looks like they planned to return home for treatment. 

If she didn't have health insurance she shouldn't have been taking a vacation.  Talk about screwed up priorities.

[Harratine]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:33 PM, hallux said:

EVERY state should be participating in Real ID.  Are you aware of any NOT issuing Real ID-compliant documents still?

Virginia has Real ID but still issues non Real (unreal?) IDs

[julig22]

8 hours ago, Harratine said:

Virginia has Real ID but still issues non Real (unreal?) IDs

In states that issue a DL without regard to legal status, a person without sufficient documentation would be issued a regular DL because they don't have the documentation necessary for real ID.

[julig22]

8 hours ago, ducklite said:

Don't forget the free Disney cruise in the Royal Suite.

And of course Disney should also pay for the passports for the entire family/friends group that will invariably plan to get in on the money grab.

[cruisequeen4ever]

If you don’t consider a passport a necessity to leave the country, you probably don’t consider getting travel insurance either. I know that’s an assumption, but just saying. I do hope this serves as an example to people who wanna role the dice on not paying for a passport. Buy one less drink a day on your cruise, and your passport is paid for for the next 10 years!

[mjkacmom]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:33 PM, hallux said:

EVERY state should be participating in Real ID.  Are you aware of any NOT issuing Real ID-compliant documents still?

My state is not participating in real ID yet, my license is expiring this month, I have to wait in line for hours just to get a regular drivers license, and then do it again when they offer real ID.

[PelicanBill]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:33 PM, hallux said:

EVERY state should be participating in Real ID.  Are you aware of any NOT issuing Real ID-compliant documents still?

New York was late implementing so the normal roll of renewals still have a year or two to complete for all residents.

 

But, when you renew your license they do not make it clear and they offer a cheaper non-Real renewal and a more expensive Real ID renewal.  So many people people choose the cheaper one not understanding they MUST have the real ID to fly.

 

My wife got tricked by this and must pay the fee AGAIN to get a new license or must use her passport to fly now.

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, PelicanBill said:

New York was late implementing so the normal roll of renewals still have a year or two to complete for all residents.

 

But, when you renew your license they do not make it clear and they offer a cheaper non-Real renewal and a more expensive Real ID renewal.  So many people people choose the cheaper one not understanding they MUST have the real ID to fly.

 

My wife got tricked by this and must pay the fee AGAIN to get a new license or must use her passport to fly now.

 

I am not sure what the incentive would be to pay the extra for the Read ID if your wife already has a passport. I am in NYS and my license expires next month. I have had an Enhanced License since they originally started those with the post-911 border crossing requirements into Canada (I live in Rochester, like you).  When I started cruising two years ago, I got my passport and passport card and now I am thinking when I go to renew my license, I will just opt for the cheap one. I keep my passport card in my wallet for those Canada border crossings and I can just bring my passport if/when I fly anywhere....

[hallux]

54 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I have had an Enhanced License since they originally started those

As have I, renewed it in the last couple years actually.  I don't have the passport card though, I don't think it was an option when I got my passport 7 years ago.  I don't think I'll bother with that when I renew, I'm not as close to the border as you (Albany area).

[ColeThornton]

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

As have I, renewed it in the last couple years actually.  I don't have the passport card though, I don't think it was an option when I got my passport 7 years ago.  I don't think I'll bother with that when I renew, I'm not as close to the border as you (Albany area).

 

 

Useless trivia:   Passport cards were first issued in the summer of 2008.   🙂

[esm54687]

19 minutes ago, hallux said:

As have I, renewed it in the last couple years actually.  I don't have the passport card though, I don't think it was an option when I got my passport 7 years ago.  I don't think I'll bother with that when I renew, I'm not as close to the border as you (Albany area).

EDL has the same "rights" as a Passport Card so if you have the EDL you arent getting anything more with the Passport Card.

 

Massachusetts also has the option to get the non-REAL IDs for those who don't need it. 

 

One REAL ID compliant ID that is consistently overlooked by government employees is the ability to use your employee badge (HSPD-12 PIV card) to fly domestically etc.

 

But, my opinion is the Passport Book will always work anywhere in the world so it should be in everyone's safe for a ton of reasons not just travel. 

[StackSkipton]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I keep my passport card in my wallet for those Canada border crossings and I can just bring my passport if/when I fly anywhere....

Why bring your passport? Passport Card is acceptable for TSA.

[mjkacmom]

8 hours ago, StackSkipton said:

Why bring your passport? Passport Card is acceptable for TSA.

Passport card is not acceptable for flying in and out of the US.

[RedwingHockeyFan]

38 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Passport card is not acceptable for flying in and out of the US.

 

No but neither is a Real ID compliant driver's license.  Both will get you through security at the airport for domestic flights.

[A&L_Ont]

9 hours ago, StackSkipton said:

Why bring your passport? Passport Card is acceptable for TSA.

 

If you have one why would you not?  It is paid for and can expedite your travels home, especially as in case.  That is they had them.

 

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

Passport card is not acceptable for flying in and out of the US.

 

Agreed 100% and I have a story to go along with that.

 

We met a family as we were disembarking our Alaska south bound cruise, that only brought their passport cards.  They left their passports at home (Florida) but the cruise ended in Vancouver Canada.  I'm not sure why they thought Vancouver was the US, but they said they had a moment of forgetfulness. 

 

They were allowed into Canada by the ship, but could not fly from Vancouver to Seattle.  Their flights then continued from LA, and finally Florida.  On a side note, they had a red eye taking 24 hours to get home.  They had to take a taxi to the airport, one had stop at the flight counter to explain why they were not on board the first leg of their flights while the other was renting a car.  They then had to drive to Seattle to make the next leg of their flights and their time was tight.

 

I often wonder if they made it successfully.  I can bet you they will always travel with their passports from that day on, even when cruising in the Caribbean. 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2020 by A&L_Ont

[PelicanBill]

19 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I am not sure what the incentive would be to pay the extra for the Read ID if your wife already has a passport. I am in NYS and my license expires next month. I have had an Enhanced License since they originally started those with the post-911 border crossing requirements into Canada (I live in Rochester, like you).  When I started cruising two years ago, I got my passport and passport card and now I am thinking when I go to renew my license, I will just opt for the cheap one. I keep my passport card in my wallet for those Canada border crossings and I can just bring my passport if/when I fly anywhere....

 True which is why it has been a year and she hasn't gone to fix it.  But I prefer not to travel domestically with our passports to avoid losing them.  She had her purse stolen with passport and driver's license 2 years ago. A mistake to keep them both in her purse which won't get repeated.  But the passport is too big and awkward to keep in a pocket.