Always Travel with a Passport on Your Cruise--Even if You Don't Need One

[nelblu]

Very interesting and educational article:

 

You Should Have a Passport on Your Cruise Sailing Even If It's a Closed Loop (fodors.com)

[edrussell]

Have had our passports since we were very young, any international travel of any type, no matter even if it happened to not be required we travel with our passports.  If you travel with any degree of frequency having a passport will avoid hassle.  

[Fouremco]

I had my first passport at age 16, and I've held one continuously ever since as I approach my 76th birthday. I don't leave the country without it, just as I wouldn't get in my car and drive without my license.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Really nothing new vs what's been discussed ad nauseum on here. "Have a passport in case there's an emergency that requires you to fly home." 

[leaveitallbehind]

We always do and always will have it with us when out of the country. To some degree it falls under the saying of "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it".

[Z'Loth]

I carry my passport card with me at all times, and have my passport book and global entry card in a secure place until I travel. All have been scanned in and stored as a secure document on my mobile devices "just in case". 

[K32682]

With the exception of the USA, my passport is with me and on my person when in a foreign country. The article doesn't contained anything new for an experienced traveller but is good advice for new people. The passport is a very helpful item if you have it with you but it is generally useless if you do not. 

[SelectSys]

40 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

All have been scanned in and stored as a secure document on my mobile devices "just in case". 

I like this idea although I am not sure how secure any document really is on a mobile device.

 

As an aside, I keep my passport card and global entry in my wallet for land crossings into Mexico.  My understanding is that the passport card is limited in application to land crossings and seaport entries from certain destinations.

Edited December 28, 2023 by SelectSys

[Z'Loth]

31 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

I like this idea although I am not sure how secure any document really is on a mobile device.

 

It's a feature of the password manager I use, 1Password, and I'm sure other password managers do it as well. The document is stored in encrypted form in the cloud, and I only download it when I need it. 

[K32682]

1 hour ago, SelectSys said:

I like this idea although I am not sure how secure any document really is on a mobile device.

 

As an aside, I keep my passport card and global entry in my wallet for land crossings into Mexico.  My understanding is that the passport card is limited in application to land crossings and seaport entries from certain destinations.

 

In addition to the security, how acceptable is presenting your smart phone when a passport is being demanded? It is the same with photocopies. While there might be some appeal to carrying a photocopy and leaving your passport in cabin safe will it be accepted if the need arises? 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by K32682

[sparks1093]

16 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

In addition to the security, how acceptable is presenting your smart phone when a passport is being demanded? It is the same with photocopies. While there might be some appeal to carrying a photocopy and leaving your passport in cabin safe will it be accepted if the need arises? 

 

 

For a US citizen if you've lost your passport and need to apply for a replacement at a Consulate/Embassy the photocopy may be used as proof of citizenship for your application. Other than that I can think of no use for a photocopy.

 

OP, millions of people every year travel on closed loop cruises (defined as a cruise ship leaving and returning to the same US port and traveling entirely within the area defined by the WHTI) with something other than a passport. Our first few cruises we used birth certificates and photo ID's since it would have cost us $850 or so for passports. We are cruising in April and one of the families that is going with us is getting passports, not because they are needed for the cruise but because it is so much cheaper to fly from Montreal to Orlando that even with the passport expense they still save money (heck, I know another family did the same thing and they weren't leaving the country, they were vacationing in Florida). Every traveler should use the document that works best for their individual travel situation and that is going to vary. 

[navybankerteacher]

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford a passport, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country — an ability essentially limited to US citizens thanks to the lobbying efforts of the cruise industry.

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

how acceptable is presenting your smart phone when a passport is being demanded? It is the same with photocopies

I think it only helps as a convenience to home country immigration or consular staff in case of loss of documents.  That said,  I don't think you really to have much of anything to get back into your home country.  Based on what I have seen and heard locally crossing into the US from Mexico, the immigration officials will make you sit in secondary for a long time as a penalty as they "check out" your status - especially if you forgot your passport or passport card.

 

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

Every traveler should use the document that works best for their individual travel situation and that is going to vary.

Exactly!  100% in agreement.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford a passport, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country — an ability essentially limited to US citizens thanks to the lobbying efforts of the cruise industry.

Still haven't figured out why this gets you so wound up. If someone chooses to cruise without a passport it has no affect on you at all. For many it's not affordability at all but not wanting to spending money on something they don't need for the type of travel they can do. I can leave the country by taking a left out of my driveway and driving 8 miles and to cross the land border I can choose to use an EDL or passport card and no cruise line lobbied for that. For many of my neighbors that's the only foreign travel they'll ever do so they see no need to get a passport.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford a passport, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country — an ability essentially limited to US citizens thanks to the lobbying efforts of the cruise industry.

They can probably afford it but just want to spend the money on something else. Since the US allows the use of a birth certificate on closed loop cruises they probably figure there is nothing wrong with not having a passport book and they would be right. The Foder article says everyone going on a cruise should have a passport and I agree with them but there are instances where the passport has not arrived on time or has been misplaced. This seems like a difficult subject for you and for non US citizens but the vast majority using a birth certificate never have a problem. 

 

 

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, sparks1093 said:

I can leave the country by taking a left out of my driveway and driving 8 miles and to cross the land border I can choose to use an EDL or passport card and no cruise line lobbied for that.

What if you have to fly home?

[Charles4515]

21 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

What if you have to fly home?

The EDL and passport card exist for US citizens who live along the border and cross it by land for jobs, shopping, sports etc.  Why would they have to fly home after driving across the border? You think they are going to leave their car or truck in Canada? 

[sparks1093]

31 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

What if you have to fly home?

From Canada? Not likely but a ground ambulance would work in any event. 

[Kristelle]

9 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I don't leave the country without it, just as I wouldn't get in my car and drive without my license.

 

 

As an Australian,  I don't ever leave the country without my passport either - since it would be impossible to do so. 😉

 

When I am travelling though it stays in the hotel or cabin safe unless I am told I specifically need it for the day's excursion.

 

 

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

The EDL and passport card exist for US citizens who live along the border and cross it by land for jobs, shopping, sports etc.  Why would they have to fly home after driving across the border? You think they are going to leave their car or truck in Canada? 

Hmmm... I guess I should have included half a dozen emojis to convey a bit of tongue-in-cheek.

Edited December 29, 2023 by d9704011

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

…I can leave the country by taking a left out of my driveway and driving 8 miles and to cross the land border I can choose to use an EDL or passport card and no cruise line lobbied for that. For many of my neighbors that's the only foreign travel they'll ever do so they see no need to get a passport.

This is a cruise-related site,  so references to driving to Canada are irrelevant. If someone needed to fly home from an aborted cruise (it can happen) they could have real difficulty without a passport -which essentially costs $10 per year and opens up the world to them.

[sparks1093]

3 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

This is a cruise-related site,  so references to driving to Canada are irrelevant. If someone needed to fly home from an aborted cruise (it can happen) they could have real difficulty without a passport -which essentially costs $10 per year and opens up the world to them.

Which is something for them to certainly consider but what does that have to do with affordability? And my comment about land border crossing is directly related to your comment about travel out of the country and was made to show that all travel out of the country isn't created equally. It would be nice if we could pay for passports through yearly payments but alas, the total needs to be paid all at once. A lot of people don't have the means to travel the world so getting a passport wouldn't change that. And to circle back to your statement about an aborted cruise yes, it does happen but I've yet to read about a US citizen not making it home. There might certainly be delays involved but they do make it home. Would a passport prevent those delays? Yep, but like I said that's something to consider. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

6 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford a passport, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country — an ability essentially limited to US citizens thanks to the lobbying efforts of the cruise industry.

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford the drink package, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country.

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford a suite, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country.

It can be thought that if someone cannot afford the extra dining plan, he might not be considered able to afford to travel out of the country.

 

No one would be willing to say any of the above statements are true.  But for someone reason, when the subject of passports come up, people are willing to spend other's money. 

 

"It's only $10 a year..." Actually no.  It's over $15 a year.  AND, if you only use it once in those 10 years, then it's $150 PER USE.  That, if you use a BC/ID, was really "extra".

 

"It opens up the world"  For some people.  Too bad money and vacation time doesn't come with it to actually VISIT the world.   

 

That being said, do I think it's good to have?  Yes.  Would I recommend it to others going on even closed loop cruises?  Yes.  Will I criticize them for not getting one?  Nope. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

Hmmm... I guess I should have included half a dozen emojis to convey a bit of tongue-in-cheek.

You should have put one emoji. 😛 It is not always obvious on this subject. Some see it as black and white. 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

This is a cruise-related site,  so references to driving to Canada are irrelevant. If someone needed to fly home from an aborted cruise (it can happen) they could have real difficulty without a passport -which essentially costs $10 per year and opens up the world to them.

They all get home if the cruise is aborted. The CBP sends a general waiver letter.