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Perfect example of why you should get a passport.


Sue L

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Some TAs will even go so far as to turn away business if a client refuses to buy insurance. They saying something to the effect of:

 

'I just don't feel comfortable assisting you in leaving the country without having travel insurance.'

 

Same for those who refuse to get a passport. Clients will say "But not spending that money on a passport for my family means I can spend that much more on shopping, on excursions, the casino or drinking!"

 

 

Mine has a plaque on her desk that says basically buy insurance and travel with a passport. She has anyone not doing one or both sign a waiver. From a post back a couple pages sounds like Sue L does, too.

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Back in 2005, we went got our Passports as we were flying into Canada and a good friend told us the problem won't be going in but coming back into the states and a Passport is highly recommended, also we decided we would be cruising more and when we check into our Airport our PP are swiped, so much easier. Our friend is from Canada and has to show his going back.

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Group of friends, 12 of them supposed to board a ship this past Tuesday. Blizzard hit the northeast so their flight was cancelled. First two days at sea.

 

Ten members of the group just took off for their first port of call in Aruba and will board the ship with likely hundreds of others who missed because of flights. . 2 were tearfully left behind because they didn't want the expense of getting a passport. VERY expensive lesson learned as they didn't buy the insurance either. So for saving $300 they are out several thousand.

 

GET a PASSPORT!!!!

Great example. Never thought of it .

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Or you could do what the vast, vast, vast masses of cruisers do: You could have absolutely no problems coming and going...Yes, things could happen, but they are very, very unlikely.

 

So, an analogy: I've been a homeowner for nearly 40 years and in all that time I've NEVER needed to make a claim on my homeowner's insurance. Is that enough reason to make me think I'll never need it and should feel safe in not having any? I think NOT! I have a passport, and I ALWAYS purchase travel insurance.

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Let me see if I have this straight. You are demanding - all caps, multiple explanation marks - that people get a passport. Why? Because if they don't spend the $300 on passports, there is a one-in-a-thousand (one in 10,000? one in 100,000?) chance that they will miss their cruise and lose a few thousand.

 

Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense. There are many good reasons to get a passport. This isn't one of them.

 

 

She is making a lot of sense, there are a ton of things in this world that their is a slim chance that it will happen to us but we still buy house, car and medical insurance to protect against those rare events, no difference then in this case.

 

I don't take her caps and exclamation points as a demand, but just an alert. If you don't like the topic you didn't have to respond in such a rude manner.

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I'd say the real lesson here is a little different: Don't wait 'til the last minute to travel to your port, especially in the winter.

 

My parents will disembark from their long-awaited European cruise tomorrow. About two weeks ago -- when they had only 2-3 days remaining before their flight -- they realized that the weather might prevent them from meeting their ship. They live in the mountains and are frequently snowed in (they don't mind this -- they have a wood stove and keep lots of food in the house). Showing good sense, they finished their packing and got off the mountain earlier than planned. If they'd waited 'til their originally-agreed upon time, they absolutely would have missed their flight and their ship.

 

If the group you're describing had paid attention and accelerated their travel plans, their problem could've been avoided. Personally, I'd be very upset to have missed the first two days of the cruise, and I'd consider being able to "catch up" to the ship a bandaid on the real problem.

 

 

They would have had to leave 3 days early, then..the blizzard came on Sunday ! If the cruise left Tuesday...well, most of us would have flown in on Monday. But even as early as Christmas night flights were cancelled...so they would have had to leave Christmas Eve...and it is not always possible to change to earlier flights because it might snow! My forecast was for a blizzard, I got NOTHING!!!! But the forecast only came out the night before it was supposed to snow.

 

 

 

After I posted I noted all the other posts saying the same thing...

Sorry! And there is NO WAY to get a last minute flight change over the Christmas weekend..we had to try it for a death in the family last year...ended u driving. No flights available!

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We also always use our passports for ID. But when moving to South Carolina, I went to the DMV to get my SC driver license, thinking my Passport covered my ID. NO, not in South Carolina! They did not recognize a passport even though you can't get a passport with out proper ID and birth certificate. They wanted to see my Social Security card, which I left at home. I had to go home, could not find my SS card and had to make a trip to the SS office to get a new card. Hello, South Carolina get with the times!

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I even use it to travel withoin the country. Nothing seems to work better as a form of I.D. in an airport.

 

We're thinking about starting this as well. We've done it a few times while flying within the country to board the cruise.

 

We flew out to Utah for vacation in May. We used a travel voucher to partially pay for the tickets so I had to actually call the airline to book. They didn't spell my name correctly. I caught it when they sent the confirmation and called immediately. The noted it in their system (but didn't actually change it...). We were on the way to the airport seven months later, and I told my husband that I felt like I needed my passport. Checked in and that's when I found out the name was noted in the system but not changed. TSA agent gave me hell about it (this was after he'd already seen the airline's screen with confirmation of the misspelled name). He asked for my passport (ahhh...that's why I felt I needed it...). I ended up pulling out my license, a few credit/debit cards. He still wasn't easing up. He asked for my voters registration. Luckily, I had that with me and all was well. It was not a fun experience at 5:30 in the morning. We will probably always travel with the passports now...

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We also always use our passports for ID. But when moving to South Carolina, I went to the DMV to get my SC driver license, thinking my Passport covered my ID. NO, not in South Carolina! They did not recognize a passport even though you can't get a passport with out proper ID and birth certificate. They wanted to see my Social Security card, which I left at home. I had to go home, could not find my SS card and had to make a trip to the SS office to get a new card. Hello, South Carolina get with the times!

I personally think they try to be as annoying and difficult as possible. :D

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Maybe this will take a little heat off of those of us who feel that you shouldn't leave the country without a passport. But then there seem to be some around here you just don't buy into the argument.

 

I even use it to travel withoin the country. Nothing seems to work better as a form of I.D. in an airport.

Totally agree,so much easier and safer than a DL.
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Wrong

(Edited.) "...their is a slim chance that it will happen to us but we still buy house, car and medical insurance to protect against those rare events...."

 

We consider travel, house, car, medical, etc., insurance expenses as investments to cover what might prove to be a once in a lifetime event. Sometimes we lose and sometimes we win when investing. While a missed cruise would not send us to the poor farm, we personally would be in bankruptcy right now if we had not insured against unlikely serious financial losses. I apologize for dragging this away from the original "missed cruise" topic. But, darn, we have learned that insurance expenses, including travel are an essential part of our living expenses.

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its weird as most of us irish or uk people have a passport. its strange that people dont think its a good idea to travel with one

 

Do you have an option? ;)

 

We have the option around here. And that's the issue/problem. We can choose to cruise with one or without one. Correct me if I am wrong but once you hop on a cruise ship you are pretty much going to need a passport, correct?

 

We don't have that in the US due to the closed loop cruise loophole. :)

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Sue, I wonder if even with Travel Insurnace it would have paid given that they failed to have appropriate travel documents which resulted in the total loss as opposed to being able to join the cruise down line on a missed connection basis.

 

I've had a passport since I was very young and DD since she was 10 months old...her first foreign trip when she was 11 months old...which reminds me hers is due for renewal in March, so if she changes her mind to go with me on the Dubai cruise I will have to get it on express basis downtown same day service (thankfully it can be done in Houston).

 

I strongly recommend using a passport when traveling.

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me before getting a passport: reading RCI's site endlessly to figure out if a birth certificate was sufficient for such and such a cruise. What if we miss the ship?? Reading all the passport/BC/driver's license info on cruise critic I could find. My original NJ birth certificate is weird...it just has my name and date...is that a BC or a certificate of live birth....is there a difference???? Do I need to bring my marriage license??? What about my 2 year old...is a birth certificate OK? But, it's my married name as her mother, will they accept me as her mother since the names don't match....etc. etc. etc.

 

 

me after getting a passport: spending all my time on the Antigua boards to figure out which beach to go to.

 

 

I like the second way better. Plus, my 2 year old's passport picture is ADORABLE.

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Let me see if I have this straight. You are demanding - all caps, multiple explanation marks - that people get a passport. Why? Because if they don't spend the $300 on passports, there is a one-in-a-thousand (one in 10,000? one in 100,000?) chance that they will miss their cruise and lose a few thousand.

 

Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense. There are many good reasons to get a passport. This isn't one of them.

Give her a break, she is just trying to help the folks who think it can't happen to me!!
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me before getting a passport: reading RCI's site endlessly to figure out if a birth certificate was sufficient for such and such a cruise. What if we miss the ship?? Reading all the passport/BC/driver's license info on cruise critic I could find. My original NJ birth certificate is weird...it just has my name and date...is that a BC or a certificate of live birth....is there a difference???? Do I need to bring my marriage license??? What about my 2 year old...is a birth certificate OK? But, it's my married name as her mother, will they accept me as her mother since the names don't match....etc. etc. etc.

 

 

me after getting a passport: spending all my time on the Antigua boards to figure out which beach to go to.

 

 

I like the second way better. Plus, my 2 year old's passport picture is ADORABLE.

 

Our daughter -- now 4 years old -- is on her 3rd passport, one from Guatemala when we adopted her, and two from the United States. We recently updated the US one because she's grown so much that she's her "original" US passport photo doesn't do her justice.

 

Do my wife, daughter and I always have plans to travel internationally? Nope, but having our Passports gives us the freedom and flexibility to do so on a moments notice.

 

To paraphrase Karl Maldon -- "Passports: Don't Leave Home Without It".

 

Michael

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Sue, I wonder if even with Travel Insurnace it would have paid given that they failed to have appropriate travel documents which resulted in the total loss as opposed to being able to join the cruise down line on a missed connection basis.

 

I've had a passport since I was very young and DD since she was 10 months old...her first foreign trip when she was 11 months old...which reminds me hers is due for renewal in March, so if she changes her mind to go with me on the Dubai cruise I will have to get it on express basis downtown same day service (thankfully it can be done in Houston).

 

I strongly recommend using a passport when traveling.

 

 

Well they had proper documents based on what they knew when they booked it.

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Let me see if I have this straight. You are demanding - all caps, multiple explanation marks - that people get a passport. Why? Because if they don't spend the $300 on passports, there is a one-in-a-thousand (one in 10,000? one in 100,000?) chance that they will miss their cruise and lose a few thousand.

 

Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense. There are many good reasons to get a passport. This isn't one of them.

 

Well with that theory, I really don't need my home owners insurance and car insurance since I have been living in my house for 14 years with no incidents or driving since the age of 17 with no accidents! Right????

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Call me extremely dense (my friends do) but wouldn't those out of luck cruise passengers needed a passport in the first place? Aruba requires it when you fly into the country - do you not need it if you're just there while on a port stop on a cruise? Please enlighten me. :-)

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Call me extremely dense (my friends do) but wouldn't those out of luck cruise passengers needed a passport in the first place? Aruba requires it when you fly into the country - do you not need it if you're just there while on a port stop on a cruise? Please enlighten me. :-)

 

That's the issue, if you are sailing from and back to a US port, a drivers license and birth certificate will get you on board. If, however, you miss the ship as this example, or need to leave the ship early for some reason you will need the passport. This is what is called a closed loop cruise.

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Call me extremely dense (my friends do) but wouldn't those out of luck cruise passengers needed a passport in the first place? Aruba requires it when you fly into the country - do you not need it if you're just there while on a port stop on a cruise? Please enlighten me. :-)

 

As long as you leave and return to the SAME US port and are a US citizen you can still sail with a birth certificate and photo ID. If you fly there you must have a passport.

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We here in Canada, need our passport to get OUT of Canada, and also to get IN, to Canada, at any time, or in any place, so whether certain Islands, different Countries, require, or not require a passport, we are like the Boy Scouts.... Always Prepared. (And ours expire every 5 years).

Our TA, will not book your trip without proper documents, and travel insurance. I would rather worry about what shoes I'm taking with me, then any travel hassel..... Oh, and we always go the day before sail date.

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Give her a break, she is just trying to help the folks who think it can't happen to me!!
Here is what she wrote, "GET a PASSPORT!!!! " Sure sounds like a demand to me.

 

And I'm not sure who these people are who think "it can't happen to me." I don't see any. Most people who travel without passports understand the risk. They look at the cost, look at the risks, and make a choice. It's a shame some people are unable to respect other people and understand they make choices that are different than what they would have.

 

I think it's awesome that people will post about the risks of traveling without passports. But not when they take the next step and make demands - in all caps with four exclamation points - of how people should deal with that risk.

 

A previous poster mentioned home insurance. The reason almost everyone insures a home is that the loss would be devastating. Those are the risks that are most important to insure.

 

With smaller risks, it's not as critical. Many renters don't get renters insurance. They know they could get robbed and be out a few thousand bucks for the value of their stuff. They would rather take the risk than pay for insurance. Or people with old not-so-valuable cars. They often just by the legal minimum amount of insurance and don't insure their older car for theft or damage.

 

Other people do buy rental insurance and full coverage for their older cars. It's their choice. They look at the risks. They look at the costs. They make a choice.

 

It's the same with passports. People look at the cost of the passport. They look at the risk of not having one. They make a choice. Not everyone will make the same choice. There is no right or wrong answer.

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Here is what she wrote, "GET a PASSPORT!!!! " Sure sounds like a demand to me.

 

And I'm not sure who these people are who think "it can't happen to me." I don't see any. Most people who travel without passports understand the risk. They look at the cost, look at the risks, and make a choice. It's a shame some people are unable to respect other people and understand they make choices that are different than what they would have.

 

I think it's awesome that people will post about the risks of traveling without passports. But not when they take the next step and make demands - in all caps with four exclamation points - of how people should deal with that risk.

 

A previous poster mentioned home insurance. The reason almost everyone insures a home is that the loss would be devastating. Those are the risks that are most important to insure.

 

With smaller risks, it's not as critical. Many renters don't get renters insurance. They know they could get robbed and be out a few thousand bucks for the value of their stuff. They would rather take the risk than pay for insurance. Or people with old not-so-valuable cars. They often just by the legal minimum amount of insurance and don't insure their older car for theft or damage.

 

Other people do buy rental insurance and full coverage for their older cars. It's their choice. They look at the risks. They look at the costs. They make a choice.

 

It's the same with passports. People look at the cost of the passport. They look at the risk of not having one. They make a choice. Not everyone will make the same choice. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

 

Well you are the only one taking it as a demand, I was doing it to warn others and sorry you were offended. I doubt it would have been as powerful if I said.....oh pretty please it is highly recommended you get a passport. :rolleyes: So you wouldn't have been offended.

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