Why do I need a passport?

[fleckle]

Yesterday in San Juan, two cruise ships had to depart several hours early to avoid Hurricane Irene. They left behind over 450 passengers who were arriving last minute for their cruise of a lifetime.

 

Unfortunately, most of those passengers did not have passports.

They didn't have trip insurance either.

 

Those without passports will not be able to join the ships in the next port, because they cannot fly without a passport.

The cruise lines will not refund their cruise fares, and unless they want to pay extra fees to the airlines to change their air tickets, they are going to spend lots more money for a week in a San Juan hotel.

 

So they will end up spending thousands of dollars extra and losing their cruise, in order to save $100 on a passport.

There is another thread on Cruise Critic right now that addresses this very issue:

 

1 reason why you need a passport on a Caribbean cruise

[PennyAgain]

The worst place for a ship to be during a bad storm is at a dock!

 

Ships do much better at sea and fleeing from the storm, which is what they did.

[greatam]

Apparently you've never read what the details of Choice Air bring you. It is travel insurance to make sure you get to your cruiseship on time and if you don't then they fly you to the next port. They were honoring a legal contract and not peforming special favors like you seem to be implying. They didn't "decide" to help or not to help. The consumer made that decision for them when they purchased airfare. This is why I purchased mine through their program and not independently.

 

Choice Air is NOT travel insurance in any way shape or form. And there is NO GUARANTEE you will make the ship. READ the fine print. "Work with" offers no more protection than REAL travel insurance and a passport. In fact, I will wager an airline saavy person will be able to re-accommodate themselves before a Choice Air passenger. I KNOW for a fact this happened when the plane made an emergency landing in Nebraska and someone with Choice Air totally missed their cruise.

 

This from Troy Martin, Director of Travel Services, RCI posted in the cruise air forum:

 

"RCCL is very interested in ensuring you get to your Cruise, and takes advantage of knowing your travel arrangements to monitor your flights, intervening when possible to avert delays due to airline schedule changes, delays, and cancellations. When they are unable to act pre-emptively, they will continue to work with the traveler and airline to find an alternate route - even on another airline - at no additional cost to the guest. This service includes getting the guest to the original embarkation port, or the next available port whenever it is practical. They cover the modified airline ticket, hotels en route (when necessary) and ground transfers. At times, there is controversy over whether this is a guarantee. The truth is... it's not a guarantee."

[icat2000]

Some tours I have taken has required to sight your insurance policy before you even commence your travel. I wouldn't dare to even think about taking one step on US soil without having a really good insurance policy.

 

I do think there is an opportunity for cruise lines to highlight the importance of having a passport and appropriate level of travel insurance.