Having trouble getting pre-cruise questions answered

[nature person]

We are going on our first cruise with royal Caribbean on April 10th from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean. very excited. We know the Serenade of the Seas is a lovely ship and we will have a great time. Trying to get any questions big or small answered over the phone by a Royal Caribbean employee has been very nerve racking though. We can get five different answers and all think they are correct or mostly no one seems to know any answers and go off to find someone and after being on hold a long time ,they will still not know or act like they care. For instance..asked about passports on excursions.i was told today that it was a personal decision whether to carry mine onto Granada, st Martin etc . Did not know if i would experience any issues coming back onboard without. They should know this. we keep being very patient on these calls,but its getting frustrating.This lack of caring personel we have experienced or knowledge of simple stuff has un-nerved us. Do you get to know the 2 formal nites as i did on past cruise? They could not tell us. has anyone else experienced this? On our first cruise last year on another line..we always could call a friendly person for questions. Taken alittle of the glow off my excitement.

[Sue L]

We are going on our first cruise with royal Caribbean on April 10th from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean. very excited. We know the Serenade of the Seas is a lovely ship and we will have a great time. Trying to get any questions big or small answered over the phone by a Royal Caribbean employee has been very nerve racking though. We can get five different answers and all think they are correct or mostly no one seems to know any answers and go off to find someone and after being on hold a long time ,they will still not know or act like they care. For instance..asked about passports on excursions.i was told today that it was a personal decision whether to carry mine onto Granada, st Martin etc . Did not know if i would experience any issues coming back onboard without. They should know this. we keep being very patient on these calls,but its getting frustrating.This lack of caring personel we have experienced or knowledge of simple stuff has un-nerved us. Do you get to know the 2 formal nites as i did on past cruise? They could not tell us. has anyone else experienced this? On our first cruise last year on another line..we always could call a friendly person for questions. Taken alittle of the glow off my excitement.

 

 

First welcome to CC and to RCCL. Formal nights are 2nd and 2nd to last night.

 

I leave my passport in my safe on the ship and bring my driver's license (plastic) for ID along with the Seapass Card. That is all you need but it is a personal decision whether or not to bring your passport ashore. You don't need to have a passport period to sail this itinerary if you are a US citizen so they can't require something at a port that is not required to board with, only a driver's license and a certified copy of your birth certificate is all you need for that.

[BecciBoo]

The agent was entirely correct, it is your choice to take it or not, some take it to get it stamped by the port authority immigration people, but it's a hassel. Most elect to leave it in your stateroom safe. There is always the risk of getting it stolen while ashore. You don't want that. Only your sea pass card and your drivers license or a photo I.D. are required for reboarding and I have never had to show the I.D. at all on any of our 11 cruises. We never take ours out of the safe once we board. The only downside I can see is if you miss the ship and she leaves port without you, then you will need your passport. So just be sure you are back on time.

[cs]

You'll probably get more information on these boards than you will from customer service reps. Some of the reps aren't experienced cruisers (like here on the boards) and/or have never come across your question before.

[Sue L]

The agent was entirely correct, it is your choice to take it or not, some take it to get it stamped by the port authority immigration people, but it's a hassel. Most elect to leave it in your stateroom safe. There is always the risk of getting it stolen while ashore. You don't want that. Only your sea pass card and your drivers license or a photo I.D. are required for reboarding and I have never had to show the I.D. at all on any of our 11 cruises. We never take ours out of the safe once we board. The only downside I can see is if you miss the ship and she leaves port without you, then you will need your passport. So just be sure you are back on time.

 

It has to be a government issued photo ID, a union card, or school ID will NOT work.

[nana541]

We are going on our first cruise with royal Caribbean on April 10th from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean. very excited. We know the Serenade of the Seas is a lovely ship and we will have a great time. Trying to get any questions big or small answered over the phone by a Royal Caribbean employee has been very nerve racking though. We can get five different answers and all think they are correct or mostly no one seems to know any answers and go off to find someone and after being on hold a long time ,they will still not know or act like they care. For instance..asked about passports on excursions.i was told today that it was a personal decision whether to carry mine onto Granada, st Martin etc . Did not know if i would experience any issues coming back onboard without. They should know this. we keep being very patient on these calls,but its getting frustrating.This lack of caring personel we have experienced or knowledge of simple stuff has un-nerved us. Do you get to know the 2 formal nites as i did on past cruise? They could not tell us. has anyone else experienced this? On our first cruise last year on another line..we always could call a friendly person for questions. Taken alittle of the glow off my excitement.

Ok first Passports:

IF you legally need to carry a passport with you at a certain port (in our case it was in Russia) the ship will advise you that you MUST carry it with you. You "ship ID" which will be issued at the time you check in/embarkation is usually what is needed to get back on the ship. We always have our State Issued Drivers Lic. with photo on it with us and we always carry a photo copy of our passport with us. Never, do we take the actual passport as we don't want to risk losing it....Keep it locked up in the safe in our cabin.

Second: Formal nites

Usually the second nite and the second to last nite on the ship...this can change but it will be announced in you daily newsletter given every evening by your room steward...the suggested evening dress for each day is listed there along with the activities available that day and the Port of the Day info.

 

Hope this helps,

Happy Cruising.....

[firefly333]

I just take my drivers license in my coin purse, because its water proof. Once took my passport and a bottle of water the lid wasnt tight and leaked on my passport, so now dont take it, leave it in the safe. A drivers license is all you need with a picture to get back on the ship from my experience.

[cruisenfever]

Hi there and welcome to Cruise Critic. Here is the link to the roll call for your sailing, Serenade of the Seas April 10, 2010 B Route which my husband and I will be on. Please stop by and say hello. There are so many wonderful people to help you with any questions you may have.

[Stags14]

You don't need your passport at the ports as many have said. You don't typically need your driver's license either but it's just always good to have some form of ID on ya. Passports are for getting back home.

 

It's been my experience that formal nights are Monday/Thursday, but they could change it to better fit your particular itinerary I suppose. Don't worry that tho - you'll know once your on the boat, and your waiter/waitress will tell you what's up.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Your formal nights will be Sunday and Thursday. The nights vary per ship/itinerary so the reps would really not have this information for every sailing.

 

Your compass (found in your cabin after dinner) will indicate what type of identification you will need to re-board the ship -- this also varies per port.

 

Have fun planning.

 

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[NurseBPS]

I have also been having problems with the customer service with RCCL. On my last cruise with Carnival the vacation planner was very helpful and was happy to answer questions. I would just drop her and email and she could reply when it was convienent for her. With RCCL my vacation planner insisted that I call, when I sent him an email and when I did call he said he did not have time to answer my questions. When I called back another time he was very rude again. It is not like I have called a bunch of times, I have maybe tried to contact him 3 times since we booked our cruise months ago. As far as the customer service before the cruise I'd have to say RCCL is not living up to the standards I have heard they are known for. I hope the service on the cruise is much better so I can enjoy cruising with RCCL in the future.

[Stags14]

I have also been having problems with the customer service with RCCL. On my last cruise with Carnival the vacation planner was very helpful and was happy to answer questions. I would just drop her and email and she could reply when it was convienent for her. With RCCL my vacation planner insisted that I call, when I sent him an email and when I did call he said he did not have time to answer my questions. When I called back another time he was very rude again. It is not like I have called a bunch of times, I have maybe tried to contact him 3 times since we booked our cruise months ago. As far as the customer service before the cruise I'd have to say RCCL is not living up to the standards I have heard they are known for. I hope the service on the cruise is much better so I can enjoy cruising with RCCL in the future.

 

You don't have to continue to speak to the same person... just ask anyone who answers the phone and they will take care of your questions. If you have any unanswered questions ask away!!!!

[janice4559]

Lots of different things to think about concerning passports. No, on a caribbean cruise you don't need a passport to get on the ship of off the ship back in the States. But......should you have to cut the cruise short for any reason and have to fly back home from somewhere in the caribbean, you do need your passport to re-enter the U.S. We always take ours and take a copy when in ports.

[Sue L]

Lots of different things to think about concerning passports. No, on a caribbean cruise you don't need a passport to get on the ship of off the ship back in the States. But......should you have to cut the cruise short for any reason and have to fly back home from somewhere in the caribbean, you do need your passport to re-enter the U.S. We always take ours and take a copy when in ports.

 

 

Just to clarify you do not need a passport on a closed loop cruise. If you say went from Boston to Caribbean and ended in Florida then you MUST have a passport even though you may have gone to the exact same ports in the Caribbean.

[Stags14]

Just to clarify you do not need a passport on a closed loop cruise. If you say went from Boston to Caribbean and ended in Florida then you MUST have a passport even though you may have gone to the exact same ports in the Caribbean.

 

You need a passport every time you leave the US and return; regardless of where you begin and end your vacation. Even when you make a loop... if you start and end your trip in Boston after visiting another country - you need your passport to get back home. You will go through customs and a passport is required. Passport thing's a no-brainer... you need it. You just don't need it to get back on the boat while your visiting ports.

 

In addition, you need to show your passport to get on the boat at the beginning of your trip so I'm not quite sure what your referring to....

[PhoenixCruiser]

You need a passport every time you leave the US and return; regardless of where you begin and end your vacation. Even when you make a loop... if you start and end your trip in Boston after visiting another country - you need your passport to get back home. You will go through customs and a passport is required. Passport thing's a no-brainer... you need it. You just don't need it to get back on the boat while your visiting ports.

 

In addition, you need to show your passport to get on the boat at the beginning of your trip so I'm not quite sure what your referring to....

 

Not yet...Right now passports are not needed for a closed-loop cruise.

 

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[Sugar*Magnolia]

We must be one of few, we have never had any issues with any reps or vacation planners we speak with when we call C&A at Royal....Actually, we always have a good time talking with them! We're alone on this, i know, lmao. Just had to mention it b/c I read so many posts about bad customer service when you call RCI..:rolleyes: As others stated, Formal nights are the second night on board (or first full day) and 2nd to the last night on board. Wether to you take your passport or not is personal choice. We do, you dont need to, take your drivers license if you're concerned.

[Sue L]

You need a passport every time you leave the US and return; regardless of where you begin and end your vacation. Even when you make a loop... if you start and end your trip in Boston after visiting another country - you need your passport to get back home. You will go through customs and a passport is required. Passport thing's a no-brainer... you need it. You just don't need it to get back on the boat while your visiting ports.

 

In addition, you need to show your passport to get on the boat at the beginning of your trip so I'm not quite sure what your referring to....

 

Sorry but your info is totally INCORRECT. If you are on a closed loop cruise leaving and returning to the same US port and you are a US citizen you can cruise with a certified birth certificate and a government issued photo ID. If you are not convinced go visit the passport website and look up closed loop cruises.

[Stags14]

Sorry but your info is totally INCORRECT. If you are on a closed loop cruise leaving and returning to the same US port and you are a US citizen you can cruise with a certified birth certificate and a government issued photo ID. If you are not convinced go visit the passport website and look up closed loop cruises.

 

If you say so... but when I was on a cruise 2 weeks ago, we needed a passport to board the boat, and to go through customs. Perhaps a birth certificate and gov't photo ID will suffice but they were not asking for either or when we boarded or went through customs. They asked for passports.

[Sue L]

If you say so... but when I was on a cruise 2 weeks ago, we needed a passport to board the boat, and to go through customs. Perhaps a birth certificate and gov't photo ID will suffice but they were not asking for either or when we boarded or went through customs. They asked for passports.

 

Go read the passport website if you don't believe me or better yet, start a new thread asking the question. Everyone will tell you the same. Just for complete disclosure I am a TA so this is my profession. A Passport is always the BEST way to travel but a birth certificate and license on a closed loop cruise is acceptable.

[Stags14]

Go read the passport website if you don't believe me or better yet, start a new thread asking the question. Everyone will tell you the same. Just for complete disclosure I am a TA so this is my profession. A Passport is always the BEST way to travel but a birth certificate and license on a closed loop cruise is acceptable.

 

I'm not going to look up anything.. I'll take your word for it. I suppose if someone wants to be 'that guy' and hold up the lines they could travel this way. But the cruiseline always tells you that you must have a passport to travel - that much i do know!! Remember that big push like 3 years ago or so that you needed a passport for ALL cruises...? What your telling me is they were basically full of it and nothing changed?

[Sue L]

I'm not going to look up anything.. I'll take your word for it. I suppose if someone wants to be 'that guy' and hold up the lines they could travel this way. But the cruiseline always tells you that you must have a passport to travel - that much i do know!! Remember that big push like 3 years ago or so that you needed a passport for ALL cruises...? What your telling me is they were basically full of it and nothing changed?

 

Yep they were full of baloney for closed loop cruises. This is from the RCCL site

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original or a certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

NO cruise line says you have to have a passport for closed loops cruises though the "strongly recommend" this again is from the RCCL site

 

Our Recommendation

 

Royal Caribbean International strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This greatly assists guests who may need to fly out of the United States to meet their ship at the next available port should they miss their scheduled embarkation in a U.S. port; guests entering the U.S. at the end of their cruise; and guests needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons.

 

If someone is traveling with their bc and license they are not "that guy" and they take absolutely no longer to check in then some one with a passport.

[PhoenixCruiser]

I'm not going to look up anything.. I'll take your word for it. I suppose if someone wants to be 'that guy' and hold up the lines they could travel this way. But the cruiseline always tells you that you must have a passport to travel - that much i do know!! Remember that big push like 3 years ago or so that you needed a passport for ALL cruises...? What your telling me is they were basically full of it and nothing changed?

 

Well actually the government changed their mind :) They did at one time threaten that passports would be needed, however. For Closed-loop cruises only a certified Birth Certificate and a Government issued ID are needed.

 

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[Darkwolfe]

OP, Welcome to CC! Have fun!

 

That's a good ship you're going on. Did a Southern on Serenade last year and would go again in a heartbeat. Probably will too.

 

Once you have your first cruise completed, make sure you go ahead and join the Crown and Anchor Society. Then you can call the C&A reps for questions and you won't have near the issues you do with regular customer service. The regular guys are nowhere near as good as the C&A folks.

 

If you are stopping in Philipsburg get the $6 water taxi ticket so you can go back and forth all day if you want to. But, don't bother buying the "St Maarten Rum". Look on the back, it'll say "bottled in Kentucky"!

[Stags14]

Well actually the government changed their mind :) They did at one time threaten that passports would be needed, however. For Closed-loop cruises only a certified Birth Certificate and a Government issued ID are needed.

 

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Well.. I'll tell ya this much. 2 years ago, I remember 'them' saying that we NEEDED passports for any sea travel that leaves the country. The only reason I have a passport is b/c i was told for a cruise 2 years ago that I wouldn't be allowed to travel w/out one.. either way, I have a passport now :)