sparks1093

That is true.

They do charge for it, but it's not a lot and it definitely beats having to wait in line.

With the hubapp other foods are available, such as quesadillas, chicken tenders, etc. (a bit more than munchies for sure). Also with the hubapp you can order a pizza to be delivered anywhere on the ship, including your cabin. We grabbed a drink at Alchemy one night and had a seat nearby and had our pizza in about 30 minutes (as opposed to standing in line for 30 minutes at that time of night).

They manage to keep the Eggs Benedict at temperature without the yolks getting hard, I'm sure they could figure out a way to keep the corn at temp as well. And now I have to buy some corn to cook at camp this weekend. (And the problem with the corn on the cob on ship is similar to that with lobster- it's being cooked from a frozen state and if it's not done properly the result is unappetizing.)

I've cleared from cruises with and without passports, the time for both (i.e. in front of the agent) was relatively the same. There might be many people in the line but it moves quickly in my experience. In New Orleans a couple months ago DW and I went through the passport line and our travel companions went through the non-passport line. We all arrived at the other side at the same time. (And I found it interesting that holders of passport cards went through the passport line and those with Enhanced Licenses went through the other. Weird because the EDL functions exactly the same as a passport card, down to having a machine readable chip, but it is what it is.)

All that is needed for closed loop cruises is a valid government issued photo ID, local, state or federal. REAL ID is not needed.

I know, hence the 😉. And whether or not there is a different line depends on the port, some ports have only one line, some ports have multiple lines.

They are 1 liter.

They might have to go through a different line at Customs (it depends on the port) but everyone exits the ship in the same line 😉.

That is all she needs, then.

We don't cruise for the food, so it doesn't matter to us.

I was always able to present both cards and get two drinks for us. She was always in the bar so I could point her out. I don't think there is a restriction on paying for drinks regarding how many you can get.

Many cruise lines offer the same itineraries from the same US ports so it's not just Carnival. Just because someone chooses a different form of documentation then you do does not make them "naïve".

The same name change requirements are/were true of non-REAL ID compliant licenses and that information also had to be filed with the DMV, so again REAL ID has no bearing. The only license from any state that is proof of citizenship is an Enhanced Drivers License (which I do have). A REAL ID compliant license is only proof that the holder submitted documentation showing legal presence in the US and does not prove citizenship. ETA- I just read one report on this and it specifies that the licenses are not valid if the driver is in the US illegally. Big difference.

I haven't read that thread but most ships will give out ice from any bar. As long as you are bringing on the allowed amount in your carryon there should be no question of confiscation.

As you say it's entirely subjective. In your case you would only need it for the first leg of your B2B since you'll receive special handling on the second leg (I believe you disembark and then are the first to embark). It also comes (as I recall) with a special line at guest services, priority tender and maybe priority disembark? I was one and done with it myself, especially since the price went up, but everyone views these things differently.

Passports definitely have their place but for many folks it is overkill for what their travel needs are. I live 8 miles from the border and many in community frequently travel to Canada for many reasons. Yes, they could get a passport, but there are less expensive alternatives for them and many (most?) chose those alternatives since it fully fits their travel needs. For closed loop cruises most US Citizens already have in their possession what they need in order to take the cruise without spending extra money- a birth certificate and government issued photo ID. If they are only cruising once every year or so and that is the only form of foreign travel they are likely to do then it makes sense for them to forego a passport. There are provisions in the regulations that give us the closed loop exception that allow for the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons. One has to look at one's individual risk factors in determining whether or not the risk warrants having a passport. The risk for most travelers on a closed loop cruise is low. We're planning a cruise with a bunch of families for next April. One of the families would need to purchase 3 passports which would cost around $500. One of the members of the family hates flying and is not sure he will like the cruise, so this may be a one and done thing for them as a family, so they've decided to wait on getting passports.

Color me not surprised.

REAL ID is irrelevant for closed loop cruises, any government issued photo ID is sufficient. (Your comment about flying to the cruise is accurate, though.)

If anyone is being driven to the competition they are likely going to be faced with the same thing, and likely paying more in the process. While I can't see anyone being driven away solely for this I can see it as a "last straw" kind of situation, but again, the changes that Carnival has made is consistent with what is going on with other cruise lines.

While you should be fine with DL and birth certificate many people bring a copy of the "bridge" documents supporting the name change, just in case. Since you have the divorce papers that may be sufficient but if you want to be 100% sure having the marriage license wouldn't be a bad thing. For what it's worth, we always brought the bridging document but were never asked for it, which is typical for a great many passengers. I do not believe that I have ever read of someone being denied boarding for lack of the documents.

That's what I get for posting before the coffee kicked in, completely misread your message. Sorry about that!

REAL ID only applies to air travel, not to cruises, so as long as she is driving to the port she'll be fine.

As long as it is a government issued photo ID it should work.

No, the limit is one bottle per adult.