Royal Caribbean enforcing passports?

[dachshunddoglover]

I don't mind the hassle of getting a passport but what I think is very unfair is how much they cost. Our family has 6 members. It was almost $600. :eek: :eek: It seems if the government is requiring us to have them they should come up with a way to make them less exspensive. Families who are on a really tight budget and can't afford them will not be traveling I guess.

[schnell]

I think if you can afford a cruise for 6 people then you can afford the extra hundred bucks for each person. Its not like you have to renew it every year, its good for like 10 years ;)

 

People just need to get one, it is much easier to go through any security with a passport, just get one and try it. Much easier to keep in in a pocket and hide your ID away in a bag. Don't have to worry about keeping track of your ID and birth cert. while going through security. Now that I have my passport I will be traveling with that everywhere I go, either international or domestic.

 

Oh and I got mine in about a month or so and it was not really a pain, was very easy except for the trip to the post office from 9-3 monday thru friday. Those hours are terrible :mad:

[uksimonusa]

 

I wasn't complaining about the regulations at all. I understand them and have no problem with them. Just was a tiny bit worried about my honeymoon.

 

Just a quick thought here, having read the entire post, I get the impression that your upcoming cruise is your honeymoon. Are you male of female, if you're female and are going to change your name after marraige, make sure the booking name corresponds to your passport name, otherwise you will need your passport and marriage certificate, which in some jurisdictions can take a while after the wedding to obtain.

 

Have a great cruise, wedding and honeymoon:)

[AlDubya]

Just a quick thought here, having read the entire post, I get the impression that your upcoming cruise is your honeymoon. Are you male of female, if you're female and are going to change your name after marraige, make sure the booking name corresponds to your passport name, otherwise you will need your passport and marriage certificate, which in some jurisdictions can take a while after the wedding to obtain.

 

Have a great cruise, wedding and honeymoon:)

 

I'm the lucky one... I'm male. ;)

 

Yeah, we had thought of that. She is changing her name (I'm not going the progressive route and changing my name :p) and we had thought of that, so we booked everything under her maiden name. Definitely much easier than having to carry around a marriage license.

 

Thanks for the well wishes. I know we're both very excited.

 

It's funny, but the year leading up this point has gone by so fast, but it feels as though the last few weeks are really starting to drag. The day really can't get here fast enough.

[pixie123]

You do not need a passport yet. I just got off Explorer of the Seas on sunday. All we needed to check in was a photo ID and a birth certificate. I also brought along my marriage certificate and was never asked for it.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

My 2 cents worth! :D

I can't wait till 12/31/06. Because then all this will be over :eek:

 

In reading these posts and other similar threads , its almost comical that some people are just not getting it and think it won't apply to them, it cost too much for my entire family, just haven't gotten around to aplying or this excuse and that excuse. The rules and regulations are plain and simple set forth by our government, not the cruise line. I for one just can't wait till this deadline arrives and see how many "complain" that they were denied boarding because they didn't have a passport. :eek:

 

 

***

[negc]

My 2 cents worth! :D

 

I can't wait till 12/31/06. Because then all this will be over :eek:

 

In reading these posts and other similar threads , its almost comical that some people are just not getting it and think it won't apply to them, it cost too much for my entire family, just haven't gotten around to aplying or this excuse and that excuse. The rules and regulations are plain and simple set forth by our government, not the cruise line. I for one just can't wait till this deadline arrives and see how many "complain" that they were denied boarding because they didn't have a passport. :eek:

 

 

***

 

And I can almost guarantee that many of them will ask "why didn't someone tell me?":rolleyes:

[xpcdoojk]

And I can almost guarantee that many of them will ask "why didn't someone tell me?":rolleyes:

 

I for one am going to be LMAO!:D

 

jc

[Fran Harp]

Royal Caribbean does not have that kind of power. You will not need one until the end of this year.

 

You do have to provide RCI with passport information, and if I were travelling *anywhere* these days I'd carry one anyway. It's just a good idea. You are not always on the ship, and in order for you to have landing permission - even for a shore excursion - your information would need to be made available to the consular authorities in whatever country you visit. Most countries have some form of agreement with the US, and vice versa - but not all do.

 

Fran in Toronto

[KKeeganS]

Another important (and potentially volatile) piece of info....

 

Just because a passport expires on a certain date does not meant it is valid for travel until that date. Many, many countries require that your passport be valid for up to 6 months beyond when you plan on LEAVING their country.

 

Attached is a link to a list of entry requirements. As far as I know, most Caribbean destinations do not have strict entry requirements, but it is one more good thing to know about passports.

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1229.html

[seagarsmoker]

My 2 cents worth! :D

I can't wait till 12/31/06. Because then all this will be over :eek:

 

In reading these posts and other similar threads , its almost comical that some people are just not getting it and think it won't apply to them, it cost too much for my entire family, just haven't gotten around to aplying or this excuse and that excuse. The rules and regulations are plain and simple set forth by our government, not the cruise line. I for one just can't wait till this deadline arrives and see how many "complain" that they were denied boarding because they didn't have a passport. :eek:

 

 

***

 

My understanding (starting 12/31/06) is everyone will have to enter passport information for pre-boarding on the website, or send in same information in advance. If that is true, and they don't enter information (or mail it), then they will not receive a boarding pass.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

And I can almost guarantee that many of them will ask "why didn't someone tell me?":rolleyes:

 

Yep, you got it!! And like jc said....I too will be ROFLMAO.

we....better stock up on popcorn!! :D :D

 

***

[teach01]

I think if you can afford a cruise for 6 people then you can afford the extra hundred bucks for each person. Its not like you have to renew it every year, its good for like 10 years ;)

 

People just need to get one, it is much easier to go through any security with a passport, just get one and try it. Much easier to keep in in a pocket and hide your ID away in a bag. Don't have to worry about keeping track of your ID and birth cert. while going through security. Now that I have my passport I will be traveling with that everywhere I go, either international or domestic.

 

Oh and I got mine in about a month or so and it was not really a pain, was very easy except for the trip to the post office from 9-3 monday thru friday. Those hours are terrible :mad:

 

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! I was about to say the same thing!!!! People are on here complaining about the cost of passports for traveling out of the country what it is doing to their budget. Here is a news flash, if the cost of a passport is too expensive THEN DO NOT TRAVEL OUT OF THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!! there are actually plenty of Americans who do not travel out of the country, heck who do not travel at all becuase it is too expensive. WE ARE TOO SPOILED!!!!!! GET THE PASSPORT OR NOT BUT PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST!!!!!!

[H2Oregon]

Even if a passport is not required, it is good to have along. We took the 4 day Monarch of the Seas out of LA a couple of years ago. When getting off of the ship they had a passport line and a non passport line. Those of us with passports walked right off the ship and through customs. There was a very large line for those who only had birth certificates.

[Happy ks]

I was just told that, while the date for U.S. regulations on passports for the Caribbean won't take effect until January 2007, Royal Caribbean is now enforcing this on their own (i.e., you HAVE to have a passport).

 

Has anyone recently cruised in the past few weeks and, if you have, were you forced to present a passport?

 

First off, who told you this?

 

Many times I hear or read totally innacurate information on these boards, or from co-workers. I just had a discussion last week with a person telling me that the dates for passports was July 1, 2006 and she absolutely did not believe me until I printed out the gov't info from the internet. She had old info (I even think she was mistaken there as well :rolleyes: ) from a 2 year old AAA travel guide.

 

I checked the RCCL web site, there is nothing that indicates you have to have a passport before the deadline takes place. That they suggest you have one is a different story, they do indicate it will be easier to disembark. Read through the rquirements, it states that passports are required (when needed), not all cruises are in and out of the US. It also gives the correct deadline date for US re-entry with a passport.

 

The cruiselines do not have any requirements for passports, the government does. The cruisline will require you to produce the proper identification before you board so they can make sure that they will be able to get you off the ship upon return. They don't want you stuck on their ship. Although, another weeks cruise always sounds great when you are disembarking (or any time!).

 

Bottom line, don't worry (unless you don't have proper ID right now ie B/C drivers license) except if your cruise gets back to the US after Dec. 31, 2006. Then, get your passport if you want to cruise again.

[celle]

I don't get all these 'AMENS' being handed out. And then the long post from Celle about not understanding what all the 'fuss' is about.

 

There is no 'fuss'. If either of you had actually bothered to read the actual question and my responses, as well as others responses, there is no fuss as to having to have a passport.

 

Some of us prefer not to be lectured on things we never said.

 

My apologies if you took my comments personally. They were not aimed at you in particular, but reflected my total amazement at the number of comments and complaints I have read on several threads (not just this one) concerning the need to obtain a passport. Try a search for "passport" if you wish to verify this.

 

As a non-US citizen, I was astonished to learn that the US did not already require its citizens to hold a passport. They have been part of travelling for the rest of us for a long time.

 

Yes, I did read the entire thread (including your response) before posting my reply. Some of us prefer that assumptions are not made about our ability to read or comprehend! I was not attempting to lecture you, merely to express the opinion of someone from another country, as many of the comments I have read seemed so insular.

[negc]

Don't let it get to you. The OP stated that he had been informed that RCI was already requiring US passengers to have passports even though the US government requirement doesn't go into effect until the end of the year. He asked if anyone had experienced the situation. The best answer to his question would have been to clearly state that he was misinformed and that no such thing is happening. Instead, and unfortunately, the thread devolved into a debate about the actual schedule, the cost, and the necessity or advisability etc. of requiring us to have passports.

[TahoeBob]

Why do some US citizens think they have a right to travel without a passport, when almost every other country in the world requires its citizens to have a passport, and when the US requires all non-US citizens to have a (machine readable) passport and to be fingerprinted on arrival in the US?

The reason some citizens of the US think we have a right to travel with out a passport is because in the past we have had this right. Our goverment has told us that we do not need one to go to some countries. US citizens have been told as 1-1-07 (or what ever the date is)we will need one. What ever other countries tell there citizens about passports, well thats there buisness.

[TahoeBob]

GET THE PASSPORT OR NOT BUT PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST!!!!!!

And why some people complain about people who do not want to get passports, I can not figure out why!

[briri]

Just read on the us gov site that they are delaying the passport rule untill jan 2008,also if you are a u.s resident,you will have to have fingerprints at the port you renter in.

I know RCI does not have to follow this rule.

 

I've read this also...we had no problems in July with birth certificates for our kids....No way RCCL is gonna turn away business by requiring more than customs...Good luck and have fun!

[negc]

I've read this also...we had no problems in July with birth certificates for our kids....No way RCCL is gonna turn away business by requiring more than customs...Good luck and have fun!

For what I hope is the final time. There has been no extension of the deadline for people entering the US by air or sea. Bills in the Congress to do so have not been acted upon and are unlikely to be enacted before the deadline. At the present time the deadline is December 31, 2006. The 2008 date refers to border crossings by land and is actually December 31, 2007.

Every time the misinformation about the upcoming deadline is posted, it confuses people who don't read the regulations carefully enough. No cruiseline, if it values its business, will impose the passport requirement earlier than the law requires, but if you enter or leave the United States by air or sea, on or after December 31, 2006 you WILL need to have a passport.

[briri]

For what I hope is the final time. There has been no extension of the deadline for people entering the US by air or sea. Bills in the Congress to do so have not been acted upon and are unlikely to be enacted before the deadline. At the present time the deadline is December 31, 2006. The 2008 date refers to border crossings by land and is actually December 31, 2007.

Every time the misinformation about the upcoming deadline is posted, it confuses people who don't read the regulations carefully enough. No cruiseline, if it values its business, will impose the passport requirement earlier than the law requires, but if you enter or leave the United States by air or sea, on or after December 31, 2006 you WILL need to have a passport.

 

wanna bet?

[GeoHack]

As a non-US citizen, I was astonished to learn that the US did not already require its citizens to hold a passport. They have been part of travelling for the rest of us for a long time.

 

The reason why a lot of US citizens don't have a passport is because a very high percentage of them have never left the US. Unlike some other countries, American do the majority of their vacationing in the US. Over half my daughters softball team (11-12 year olds) have never been out of the State let alone the country, and only two have ever been out of the country (including my daughter). Why would you call them spoiled and tell them they have to have passports? That's like telling someone who lives in Kansas to get Huricane insurance just in case.

 

Now that being said, I agree totally with the new rules on passports (already have one - but do have to purchase 3 for the kids). However for a very high percentage of Americans who will never leave the US, I don't see where the astonishment is coming from? My SIL and her family had never traveled more than 90 miles from her home town in Kansas until she was 35. She would have thrown away more than $1500 on passports so they could collect dust in a drawer.

 

Once again I do agree with the new passport rule, just not the fact that you are spoiled if you don't have one.

[wrp96]

Okay for the people who want to know what the regulations are today (nobody knows what they will be tomorrow), here they are direct from the U.S. Passport website.

 

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States. In order to facilitate the implementation of this requirement, the Administration is proposing to complete it in phases following a proposed timeline, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:

• December 31, 2006 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
  
• December 31, 2007 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

This is a change from prior travel requirements and will affect all United States citizens entering the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. This new requirement will also affect certain foreign nationals who currently are not required to present a passport to travel to the United States. Most Canadian citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and to a lesser degree, Mexican citizens will be affected by the implementation of this requirement.

 

 

So if the above reads correctly, then yes, the whole plan won't be fully enacted until January 2008. But you know what, if you are going on a cruise anytime in 2007, then as of now you will need a Passport to be able to return to the U.S. There is no change at this point on the deadline for when cruisers need passports.

Does that mean that the deadline might not get pushed back again? No. But does anybody really want to say that after what happened today, that our politicians are not going to take it as another excuse to put stricter restrictions on us - instead of less. Who knows?

Basically at this point if you are on a cruise on 12/31/06 or later, then you will need a U.S. Passport. Now those of you who think this will change can wait. I don't care. That's your perogative, but please don't complain here when it doesn't change and you either have to expedite your passport (and pay more money) or they decide to raise the fees for passports again before you get yours).

[celle]

The reason why a lot of US citizens don't have a passport is because a very high percentage of them have never left the US. Unlike some other countries, American do the majority of their vacationing in the US. Over half my daughters softball team (11-12 year olds) have never been out of the State let alone the country, and only two have ever been out of the country (including my daughter). Why would you call them spoiled and tell them they have to have passports? That's like telling someone who lives in Kansas to get Huricane insurance just in case.

 

Now that being said, I agree totally with the new rules on passports (already have one - but do have to purchase 3 for the kids). However for a very high percentage of Americans who will never leave the US, I don't see where the astonishment is coming from? My SIL and her family had never traveled more than 90 miles from her home town in Kansas until she was 35. She would have thrown away more than $1500 on passports so they could collect dust in a drawer.

 

Once again I do agree with the new passport rule, just not the fact that you are spoiled if you don't have one.

 

Hi GeoHack,

 

OK, let's call it quits on this one.

 

I agree that US citizens do not need a passport if they never leave the country - nor do citizens of other countries if they don't leave their country. But, to travel outside your country, it seems entirely reasonable that a passport should be required, as it is an internationally recognised form of ID. Only those planning overseas travel need to acquire a passport, so your SIL would not have had to spend that money you give as an example.

 

While you quoted part of my post, I was not the one who called anyone "spoiled", nor did I tell anyone they had to have a passport. I was the one who expressed surprise that some US citizens continue to feel they should not need a passport for international travel.