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

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

If you’re on a trans-Atlantic cruise, you’ll have a passport, end of story.

 

As to some of your other points, again it is a personal choice and should be considered by each person in light of their own feelings. I know I wouldn’t want news kept from me. The RIGHT CHOICE for you may not be right for someone else.

 

You respond as if you have experience about getting home in an emergency but I’m not sure you do. From my actual experience, assuming you have all your travel documentation in order, most airlines will bend over backward to help get you home in a true emergency.
 

 

One of my grandmother’s passed on my birthday (2nd relative who passed on my birthday in 3 consecutive years). I was on a ski trip so I was told when I got home. My other grandmother passed 15 minutes before my family arrived at the nursing home for a visit, she was there for a week while her live in had surgery, we had no idea she was close to passing (besides being 91). My daughters missed their grandmother’s passing by 15 minutes (at dance class, spent the day with her). My sons were there. My FIL just passed (96), my husband was there, his sister 15 minutes away, 4 hour drive. Having a passport for this reason wouldn’t even cross my mind.

[Toofarfromthesea]

3 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Of course, IF it is actually needed. Spending $850 for a 4 day cruise for our family when we didn't need to spend it didn't make sense for us. Another family may have determined otherwise. Both options were legitimate. 

 

What is unfortunate is that some people believe so strongly that their way is the only way that they have to label people who choose differently as some form of loser.  These are frequently the same folks who delight in putting down mass market ships and the people who cruise on them.

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

If you’re on a trans-Atlantic cruise, you’ll have a passport, end of story.

 

As to some of your other points, again it is a personal choice and should be considered by each person in light of their own feelings. I know I wouldn’t want news kept from me. The RIGHT CHOICE for you may not be right for someone else.

 

You respond as if you have experience about getting home in an emergency but I’m not sure you do. From my actual experience, assuming you have all your travel documentation in order, most airlines will bend over backward to help get you home in a true emergency.
 

 

 

That is the whole crux of this discussion.  Something that some folks have a hard time accepting.

[Hlitner]

As long time independent travelers, we have a few basic personal pet peeves which impacts some of our travel/cruise decision making.  A major issue is one's "risk tolerance" and like many independent travelers we easily accept some risk.  But we couple this with what I called "unforced errors" which is a term that speaks for itself.  To us, traveling outside the USA, without a valid Passport, falls into that latter "unforced error" category.  That being said, we do understand that for folks that only take closed loop cruises (subject to the WHTI rules) it is an option to accept the risk of not carrying a valid Passport.  

 

We agree with the posts that talk about folks trying to push their own degree of risk tolerance on others.  It is no different than some cruisers, we have met, who are unwilling to ever accept the risk of getting off a ship on their own (these folks only take cruise line excursions).  

 

Those of us who have a lot of travel experience can only offer up recommendations/suggestions based on our experience.  But in the final analysis all travelers will ultimately make their own choices and must live/adapt with the results.  And no, DW and I would not even dream of going on any cruise without having valid Passports.

 

Hank

[Mum2Mercury]

7 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

$165 for adults, $130 for children. I think there are a lot of cruisers not part of families. The biggest expense of not having a passport would be hotel costs, one would still need to pay for flights even with passports. Taxi costs to the consulate? Meals? I believe theses costs (pretty insignificant) would be covered by insurance.

Wow, higher prices than I googled this morning. 

You're right about those extra costs, which would add up.  As a part of "doing your homework", you should consider your own ability to pay these costs, if you should be delayed.  Money can smooth a lot of paths.  

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

If you’re on a trans-Atlantic cruise, you’ll have a passport, end of story.

Yeah, you're right about that.  

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

As to some of your other points, again it is a personal choice and should be considered by each person in light of their own feelings.

Yep, that's pretty much my theme here:  Do your homework, assess your own risk, make your decisions based upon facts.  

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I know I wouldn’t want news kept from me. The RIGHT CHOICE for you may not be right for someone else.

Depends upon the situation, but in the two situations I described, I think the people "in the know" made the right decisions.  Nothing was to be gained by upsetting people who were on the road /could not have done a single thing if they'd been home.  

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

You respond as if you have experience about getting home in an emergency but I’m not sure you do. From my actual experience, assuming you have all your travel documentation in order, most airlines will bend over backward to help get you home in a true emergency.

My parents both worked for the airlines; you might be surprised at how many stories I've heard and my experiences with flying "space available" /changing plans at the last minute.  

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

A major issue is one's "risk tolerance" and like many independent travelers we easily accept some risk ... It is no different than some cruisers, we have met, who are unwilling to ever accept the risk of getting off a ship on their own (these folks only take cruise line excursions).  

We're similar, and I'm always surprised by people who aren't even willing to take a private excursion.  

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We agree with the posts that talk about folks trying to push their own degree of risk tolerance on others. 

It's a reasonable topic of discussion.  

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

$165 for adults, $130 for children. I think there are a lot of cruisers not part of families. The biggest expense of not having a passport would be hotel costs, one would still need to pay for flights even with passports. Taxi costs to the consulate? Meals? I believe theses costs (pretty insignificant) would be covered by insurance.

Are you really suggesting that someone who opted to save money by not getting a passport would opt for the sort of premium travel insurance which would cover taxi and meals?

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Are you really suggesting that someone who opted to save money by not getting a passport would opt for the sort of premium travel insurance which would cover taxi and meals?

Just thinking that most of the Eastern Caribbean is served by the consul located in Barbados.  Wondering if they have taxis that can drive across the sea :).

[broberts]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Just thinking that most of the Eastern Caribbean is served by the consul located in Barbados.  Wondering if they have taxis that can drive across the sea :).

 

Sure do. They are known as high speed ferries.

 

While I believe in travelling with a passport, it irritates me when I see posts that suggest the end of the world when legally traveling without. I've followed CC for 17 years and cannot recall a single post about someone unable to return home in an emergency with or without a passport.

[Hlitner]

53 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Sure do. They are known as high speed ferries.

 

While I believe in travelling with a passport, it irritates me when I see posts that suggest the end of the world when legally traveling without. I've followed CC for 17 years and cannot recall a single post about someone unable to return home in an emergency with or without a passport.

1.  There are no high speed ferries (or even slow ferries) between many of the islands and Barbados.  2.  If there was such a ferry you would need a valid Passport to board that ferry since it would be international travel.

3.  I think you are correct that folks will get home in an emergency, although not having a valid Passport could delay that process for many days.

[ldubs]

On 12/31/2023 at 4:25 PM, Z'Loth said:

 

Maybe it's because I'm a member of the church of Chaos Theory and have accepted Minister Murphy and all of his laws. 😁 Either that, or that I believe that if you are prepared for something bad, it tends to avoid you. I do have hard hats and a stash of water under the sink in one of my bathrooms which is also designated a tornado shelter, plus an emergency kit. 

 

I said "travel insurance", not "trip interruption". I take non-cruiseline offered insurance (obtained at the time of booking through the travel agent) because of one critical part: the unlikely event that there is a emergency medical evacuation back to the United States which can easily cost six figures. Everyone else, whether it be lost luggage, trip interruption, or such, is gravy compared with that emergency medical evacuation.

 

Global Entry and TSA PreCheck (not to mention CLEAR) are all nice-to-have options, but aren't required for travel. They just make checking into your flight and returning to the United States quicker as long as you are aware of the quirks between TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. Thank goodness passport processing times have finally returned to normal.

 

 

 

I mentioned trip interruption to distinguish it from travel medical coverage.  Maybe the wrong term.  I carry an annual policy to cover medical while traveling out of the country.  

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

1.  There are no high speed ferries (or even slow ferries) between many of the islands and Barbados.  2.  If there was such a ferry you would need a valid Passport to board that ferry since it would be international travel.

3.  I think you are correct that folks will get home in an emergency, although not having a valid Passport could delay that process for many days.

There will be a delay, certainly but if that delay ordinarily took days I a certain that we would have read about it by now. I've read of three instances where passengers without a passport needed to disembark early from ports without any type of US government presence. It took a few hours for a waiver to travel without a passport to be issued. This was worked out between the cruise line and US authorities. The passengers boarded a plane directly to the US and when they landed they were sent to secondary inspection before they could continue their journey. Will it always be that easy? I don't know because every circumstance will be different but I have no reason at all to doubt that it is the normal procedure. 

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Are you really suggesting that someone who opted to save money by not getting a passport would opt for the sort of premium travel insurance which would cover taxi and meals?

They might. I got insurance when we traveled sans passports for the same reason I get it now- to protect against the potential cost of a medevac. Would the policy have covered taxi's and meals? I don't know but my expenses for either would be minimal, even now that we use passports. And yet again we still butt up against the same problem- the decision they make affects neither of us so why worry about it?

Edited January 2 by sparks1093

[capriccio]

8 hours ago, broberts said:

 

Sure do. They are known as high speed ferries.

 

While I believe in travelling with a passport, it irritates me when I see posts that suggest the end of the world when legally traveling without. I've followed CC for 17 years and cannot recall a single post about someone unable to return home in an emergency with or without a passport.

There was a classic one before covid of a man stuck for multiple days in Nassau which has a embassy right there!  It wasn't on the Princess board.  He wasn't complaining; it was a warning to cruisers.  IIRC he left his passport on board, missed the ship and it was over a weekend.

[broberts]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

There was a classic one before covid of a man stuck for multiple days in Nassau which has a embassy right there!  It wasn't on the Princess board.  He wasn't complaining; it was a warning to cruisers.  IIRC he left his passport on board, missed the ship and it was over a weekend.

 

Its been reported in many threads discussing the "other passport topic" 😀, (take it ashore or not), that ship will leave passports found in the safe with the port agent before departure.

 

[capriccio]

2 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Its been reported in many threads discussing the "other passport topic" 😀, (take it ashore or not), that ship will leave passports found in the safe with the port agent before departure.

 

I'm well aware of that.  In this case it didn't work.  I really wish CC had a more robust search engine so I could find it again.  It was so well written that I remember it years later.

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I'm well aware of that.  In this case it didn't work.  I really wish CC had a more robust search engine so I could find it again.  It was so well written that I remember it years later.

This wasn't the thread by klfhnger was it?

[capriccio]

1 minute ago, sparks1093 said:

This wasn't the thread by klfhnger was it?

Correct!  I just found a summary by @poutanen:

 

 

[sparks1093]

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

Correct!  I just found a summary by @poutanen:

 

 

Ok. As I recall he did have his expired passport with him, he used his birth certificate for boarding. Missed the ship because of a miscommunication with his family, he was waiting at the agreed spot and by the time he realized they weren't coming he didn't have time to make it back. Since his family was still onboard he needed to meet up with the ship. His passport was issued the next day, but he had booked his flight for the following day just to be on the safe side. 

[K32682]

2 hours ago, broberts said:

 

Its been reported in many threads discussing the "other passport topic" 😀, (take it ashore or not), that ship will leave passports found in the safe with the port agent before departure.

 

 

The ship might leave it with the port agent or they might not. You might be able to reach the port agent or you might not. You can depend on the kindness of strangers or be self-reliant and take care of yourself. 

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

The ship might leave it with the port agent or they might not. You might be able to reach the port agent or you might not. You can depend on the kindness of strangers or be self-reliant and take care of yourself. 

So here is one of my hard and fast rules!  Always put into your phone, the info and phone number of the ship's local agent (it is generally in your daily ship schedule).  Also, if your ship has a direct cell number (all ships do, but some will not give out the info) add that to your phone.  

 

And of course, this means one does need a working phone.  When we started cruising (in the 70s) there were no cell phones.  In those days, phone booths on or near the pier were quite popular:).  The modern Smartphone is a thing of beauty for travelers and those who have been slow to grasp the importance are like folks who still prefer a horse/buggy to cars.

 

Hank

[KarlK]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The modern Smartphone is a thing of beauty for travelers and those who have been slow to grasp the importance are like folks who still prefer a horse/buggy to cars.

Guilty as charged. I must sit in the bad boy corner of the classroom. Not only do I not have a passport (just to cheap to dish out 130.00 for something I only "may" need). I am also one who does not have a phone, just seems a bother and again, expensive.

 

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, KarlK said:

Guilty as charged. I must sit in the bad boy corner of the classroom. Not only do I not have a passport (just to cheap to dish out 130.00 for something I only "may" need). I am also one who does not have a phone, just seems a bother and again, expensive.

 

Curious how often you travel and where? Seems to me it’s getting very difficult to travel in some areas (e.g, Europe) without a smart phone. So much easier to navigate cities, translate language (and signs), provide an easy way to contact guides, hotels, taxis, etc…..

[Charles4515]

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Curious how often you travel and where? Seems to me it’s getting very difficult to travel in some areas (e.g, Europe) without a smart phone. So much easier to navigate cities, translate language (and signs), provide an easy way to contact guides, hotels, taxis, etc…..

Since they claim not have a passport either they won't be going to Europe. Only closed loop cruises if they are not joking. That said it is getting harder and harder to be on a cruise ship without a smartphone. However that is another discussion. 

[KarlK]

34 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Curious how often you travel and where? Seems to me it’s getting very difficult to travel in some areas (e.g, Europe) without a smart phone. So much easier to navigate cities, translate language (and signs), provide an easy way to contact guides, hotels, taxis, etc…..

I travel rarely, I used to do a vacation (cruise) every 2 years, but have not now for 9 years. But, I am booked to return to the cruising world in March 2025 on a NCL cruise. It will be my 4th. All my trips are closed loop, Europe is out of my financial realm.

[klfhngr]

I'm back and still cruising! No missed cruises since then. Lesson learned!