Carnival cruiser, do you have a valid passport?

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

Well, I guess the main thing this poll told us is that the majority of CC members have passports.

 

I got the Real ID last year because, at some point, it will be required to fly.  I wish we had the enhanced license in my state because I still had to submit a birth certificate, proof of residency, and proof of social security number for the Real ID.  I can't imagine what else I would have needed to provide if my state offered the enhanced license.

I don't think you would have needed to provide anything else, but you would have been subjected to a background check and your license would have a machine readable chip, the same type of chip that is found in passports and passport cards.

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, breakiron said:

I was told here in Virginia when my drivers license was about to expire I had to get the Real ID license.  The cost was the same as the license before.  I have a passport, Real ID, and a Global Entry Card.  Actually global entry is worth it if you're flying in from another country.  Last time I flew back from Panama there was a huge line going through immigration and I was the only person in the global entry line, put the passport into the machine, machine read it and printed a receipt, gave the receipt to the immigration person and walked right through.  Also a few years ago returning from a cruise in Fort Lauderdale there was a global entry line and it was much shorter then the normal line going through immigration.  You pay $100 for Global Entry for 5 years.  Also good for TSA pre check and not taking off your shoes, etc.

 

I have thought about GE, but when DW and I fly to Europe it is usually to and from Montreal. We do have pre-check for any domestic flights we take. Possibly when we start traveling more we might because sometimes we fly from Montreal to the US and it might help then.

 

 

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, AHS123 said:

Here's where he says he got lucky. I'll say, this was my concern: " Did it cause a HUGE problem, not having one, as someone mentioned? No! Reason: The embassy was close. I can imagine it being a HUGE ordeal if it was a larger country or if the embassy was far away."

Thanks again, this was helpful.

You are welcome and if he had been in a port without an embassy he wouldn't have been able to catch up to the ship as his only option would have been a flight to the US (although at that point he might have been able to get a passport from a local passport office). That's one of the reasons why when we traveled with our kids we never, ever split up. 

[BoozinCroozin]

I will not go to a foreign country without one. You have no clue what could happen and getting back would be a nightmare unless you could get to the Southern border yourseld.

[JRL81]

On 4/12/2021 at 9:37 PM, mek said:

Starting this October I will not be able to fly from Ohio w/o an enhanced DL or a passport.  Additionally, I would never step on a ship and not have my passport with me - domestic travel and cruising - two different things entirely.

The new federal mandate is not actually about enhanced DL’s.. (currently only 5 states offer them) Otis for what is called REAL ID which will be the only way you can bored planes or enter government buildings.

[Jobeth66]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I have thought about GE, but when DW and I fly to Europe it is usually to and from Montreal. We do have pre-check for any domestic flights we take. Possibly when we start traveling more we might because sometimes we fly from Montreal to the US and it might help then.

 

 

You might want to look at NEXUS.  It's $50 per person (instead of $100) and it gets you GE/TSA Pre as well - it's essentially GE for Canada.  It's a little more involved to get because you have to be interviewed by both the US & Canadian CBP, but if you're flying out of Montreal it's awesome to just go through the Nexus lanes - and you can use the Nexus lanes when you drive through the border as well.  If you're in VT, you're close enough to the border that it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to get interviews set up (once everything opens back up).

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

You might want to look at NEXUS.  It's $50 per person (instead of $100) and it gets you GE/TSA Pre as well - it's essentially GE for Canada.  It's a little more involved to get because you have to be interviewed by both the US & Canadian CBP, but if you're flying out of Montreal it's awesome to just go through the Nexus lanes - and you can use the Nexus lanes when you drive through the border as well.  If you're in VT, you're close enough to the border that it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to get interviews set up (once everything opens back up).

Thanks, I'll look into that. We only have one lane at the border crossing that we use but the rest of it sounds great. 🙂

[bitemyfly]

23 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

You might want to look at NEXUS.  It's $50 per person (instead of $100) and it gets you GE/TSA Pre as well - it's essentially GE for Canada.  It's a little more involved to get because you have to be interviewed by both the US & Canadian CBP, but if you're flying out of Montreal it's awesome to just go through the Nexus lanes - and you can use the Nexus lanes when you drive through the border as well.  If you're in VT, you're close enough to the border that it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to get interviews set up (once everything opens back up).

Yes also many credit cards now offer it free,its buried and not often advertised  perk.  you sign up charge the card and they credit the full amount , I did my first on pre check and another I received global entry ( which also give you precheck).. the only issue I found was I had to go to a airport location for processing and needed to make an appoint which was 2 months out .. that was years ago 

[Moviela]

On 4/13/2021 at 8:53 AM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

People always bring up these hearsay second hand stories when the truth is that you can be issued an emergency passport in 30 min or less if needed. 

That is not the situation today. A life or death emergency passport needs a minimum of 24 hours, after you contact the state department by phone and they agree to issue one on an emergency basis. Expect to pay a huge fee, plus about $450 to Fedex for schlepping the book. Other emergencies take about 72 hours minimum, and also are much more expensive than getting the passport in the first place.  

[sparks1093]

23 minutes ago, Moviela said:

That is not the situation today. A life or death emergency passport needs a minimum of 24 hours, after you contact the state department by phone and they agree to issue one on an emergency basis. Expect to pay a huge fee, plus about $450 to Fedex for schlepping the book. Other emergencies take about 72 hours minimum, and also are much more expensive than getting the passport in the first place.  

Not so for a passenger on a closed loop cruise where the regulations allow for the waiver of the passport requirement. I believe what you are referring to is a non-passport holder needing a passport to travel overseas for an emergency.

[Moviela]

19 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Not so for a passenger on a closed loop cruise where the regulations allow for the waiver of the passport requirement.

Such a pax is a non-passport holder and "missing the boat" is not a life or death emergency. In any case you must pay the full passport fee, have photos and application forms completed. Consulates and Embassies work normal business hours and never weekends or holidays. The after hours duty officer can assist, but must concentrate on life or death emergencies and victims of serious crimes. The earliest you will have a passport is the next business day. Don't expect to catch a plane waving your birth certificate at a foreign airport. 

[teknoge3k]

We have Passports but not for cruises. We have Passports because we fly Internationally to vacation also. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Moviela said:

Such a pax is a non-passport holder and "missing the boat" is not a life or death emergency. In any case you must pay the full passport fee, have photos and application forms completed. Consulates and Embassies work normal business hours and never weekends or holidays. The after hours duty officer can assist, but must concentrate on life or death emergencies and victims of serious crimes. The earliest you will have a passport is the next business day. Don't expect to catch a plane waving your birth certificate at a foreign airport. 

It doesn't need to be life or death for a waiver (humanitarian reasons is also a reason for waiver) and what does one do if on an island without a consulate? Take up residence?😉 No, the cruise line works with CBP to get the needed waiver and the passenger returns to the US (directly and not necessarily to a convenient airport for them) at which point they are put through secondary inspection (and the passenger is not involved with this process, other than waiting for the arrangements to be made).

[cruisingguy007]

21 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

It doesn't need to be life or death for a waiver (humanitarian reasons is also a reason for waiver) and what does one do if on an island without a consulate? Take up residence?😉 No, the cruise line works with CBP to get the needed waiver and the passenger returns to the US (directly and not necessarily to a convenient airport for them) at which point they are put through secondary inspection (and the passenger is not involved with this process, other than waiting for the arrangements to be made).

 

This. Plus travelers insurance would cover all the ancillary costs. Passports don't make sense for everybody and in certain situations. I'll eventually get one when it makes more sense but the doom and gloom never ceases here on CC. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

This. Plus travelers insurance would cover all the ancillary costs. Passports don't make sense for everybody and in certain situations. I'll eventually get one when it makes more sense but the doom and gloom never ceases here on CC. 

I would only modify this to say that travel insurance might cover some of the costs. If you miss the ship through your own fault (misunderstanding the time to re-board, being overserved at Senor' Frogs) then I would expect little to none from insurance company.

[gtalum]

I would never leave the country without a passport.

 

For $145 per person for 10 years, or $115 for 5 years for children, it's not worth the inconvenience that not having a passport might cause.  It's not doom and gloom so much as it's $520 is a lot cheaper than dealing with the inconvenience if something goes wrong.

 

That said, We also travel frequently by other means, so we each always have valid passports anyway.

Edited April 15, 2021 by gtalum

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, gtalum said:

I would never leave the country without a passport.

 

For $145 per person for 10 years, or $115 for 5 years for children, it's not worth the inconvenience that not having a passport might cause.  It's not doom and gloom so much as it's $520 is a lot cheaper than dealing with the inconvenience if something goes wrong.

 

That said, We also travel frequently by other means, so we each always have valid passports anyway.

Global Entry is 100 and good for 5 years.  It includes TSA Precheck and allows you to return from international travel with the swipe of a card.

[gtalum]

11 minutes ago, SNJCruisers said:

Global Entry is 100 and good for 5 years.  It includes TSA Precheck and allows you to return from international travel with the swipe of a card.

 

You need a US Passport or Permanent Resident card to use Global Entry.

[SNJCruisers]

21 minutes ago, gtalum said:

 

You need a US Passport or Permanent Resident card to use Global Entry.

Fully aware of it.  You mentioned that you have a passport and travel internationally often.  I was just letting you know about it in case by some chance you don't.

[Moviela]

5 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Global Entry is 100 and good for 5 years.  It includes TSA Precheck and allows you to return from international travel with the swipe of a card.

Some credit cards refund the $100 and I found out on my first trip through LAX that I did not even need the GE card in my pocket. The kiosk asked me to scan my passport, and it knew I had GE, then printed my exit ticket. I also found out that TSA precheck is optional with the airline, and they pay a per person fee for you. Norwegian Air was not a member and I had to do the shoes and belt dance at the xray machine.

[gtalum]

15 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Fully aware of it.  You mentioned that you have a passport and travel internationally often.  I was just letting you know about it in case by some chance you don't.

 

Oh heh, sorry I misread the point of your comment.  I was thinking you were suggesting it instead of a passport, for some reason.

 

We have never sprung for Global Entry, though I've thought about it from time to time.  

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

We just received our renewal passports a couple of weeks ago - after having our previous ones expired for a full year!

 

Getting more and more ready to get it broken in!

 

Tom

[mouche]

Would not travel anywhere out of the country without one, cruise or not.

[dan4182]

On 4/16/2021 at 8:26 AM, gtalum said:

 

Oh heh, sorry I misread the point of your comment.  I was thinking you were suggesting it instead of a passport, for some reason.

 

We have never sprung for Global Entry, though I've thought about it from time to time.  

The last time we flew back into IAH from Frankfurt it was worth every penny of the Global Entry fee to walk past a line of app 500 people to the Global Entry kiosks. The TSA pre check is just icing on the cake for us.

[Saint Greg]

On 4/11/2021 at 2:02 PM, TNcruising02 said:

Since many people assume the majority of Carnival cruisers don't use passports for cruises, I figured I would make a poll to find out.  Our family got passports for our first cruise and have used them ever since then.

I do believe the majority of cruisers don’t use passports. I don’t believe the majority of cruisers are on this message board. I think most of them cruise once, then never cruise again.