Denied Boarding

[sdmike]

I called NCL and they made it clear to me that it would be customs denying boarding...not them. It turns out that 2 of the 3 kids BC are STATE ISSUED CERTIFIED (whew) The other one is county issued and certifed. I will be sending her to the town to get the correct one!

Again...I'm glad I read this.... TY :)

 

The "County" one might be perfectly fine. In some states the management of these records is at the county level. My daughter's birth certificate is issued by the County of San Diego and is as official as they get.

 

What's NOT fine are hospital issued certificates of live birth. We have these for all our kids, and they are issued by the hospital (has the hospital name at the top) and are not from any government agency (city, county, state, etc.). Ours have the kid's weight, a footprint, and things like that. It's not an official document, just a record.

[mypleasure]

I would NEVER ever even consider taking a cruise without my passport. Never. EVER! :eek:

 

Me neither but I am British so my opinion don't count.

[Aquahound]

This isn't correct. The people working on the pier are either Port Authority or CBP employees. You don't deal with cruise line personnel until you are onboard ship. It would be CBP that denies your boarding, not the cruise line.

 

Sorry, but you are wrong. The people working at the check in counters are cruise line employees. When there is an issue with documents, it's often the Guest Services Manager from aboard the ship that has to make the final determination on the pier.

 

I know this to be true not only from experience, but also because my career deals with the cruise lines and I have a close connection with CBP. When embarking, you clear CBP by manifest only, not in person.

[mi3stooges]

The "County" one might be perfectly fine. In some states the management of these records is at the county level. My daughter's birth certificate is issued by the County of San Diego and is as official as they get.

 

What's NOT fine are hospital issued certificates of live birth. We have these for all our kids, and they are issued by the hospital (has the hospital name at the top) and are not from any government agency (city, county, state, etc.). Ours have the kid's weight, a footprint, and things like that. It's not an official document, just a record.

 

I wonder if it would work. It says certifiedwith the seal and the county and town etc... and all match the criteria on the other BC's. The other children BC's have all the vital info.(weight etc.) I will have my passport (the kids WILL get theirs ASAP...now lol, but I went thru a long difficult divorce. Two are not minors and one will be 18 in 6 mos) So if you put all that info together, it all configures. BUT, I don't know if we want to chance them saying "It's NOT State issued :/ For a few min of her time and a couple of dollars, its worth the peace of mind to get a state issued one!

[roger001]

As was Mike's, mine is issued by the Co. of San Diego, not the State of Calif. I went to the state first to get an "official" one. The said they would get it from the County for me and the backlog was about 5 months....or I could go direct to the County and get it myself. I did that and it took two weeks. My County one is the official one for me........and it does have a seal..... But I'll say again..........in this day and age.....Passport....which by the way only took about two weeks to get. I was very surprised.

[sparks1093]

I wonder if it would work. It says certifiedwith the seal and the county and town etc... and all match the criteria on the other BC's. The other children BC's have all the vital info.(weight etc.) I will have my passport (the kids WILL get theirs ASAP...now lol, but I went thru a long difficult divorce. Two are not minors and one will be 18 in 6 mos) So if you put all that info together, it all configures. BUT, I don't know if we want to chance them saying "It's NOT State issued :/ For a few min of her time and a couple of dollars, its worth the peace of mind to get a state issued one!

 

FWIW for our first cruise our middle DS had only the certificate originally issued by the town clerk. It was on plain white paper and had been folded repeatedly and while it did have a seal you had to look closely at it in order to see it. Neither the cruise line employee checking us in nor the CBP officer that cleared us on return said anything about it.

 

Also FWIW I read a thread recently where the poster's husband had only the handwritten birth certificate issued to him by the local authority. They were allowed boarding without an issue.

 

As you say it is better safe than sorry but if for some reason you can't get a new one it sounds like what you have will work.

[camz]

Wow, it amazes me that people capable of getting an expedited passport while out of town, arranging a flight and flying to meet a ship are not capable of checking the requirements before the cruise.

 

Brenda = As usual, I like the way you think. :D

[mi3stooges]

FWIW for our first cruise our middle DS had only the certificate originally issued by the town clerk. It was on plain white paper and had been folded repeatedly and while it did have a seal you had to look closely at it in order to see it. Neither the cruise line employee checking us in nor the CBP officer that cleared us on return said anything about it.

 

Also FWIW I read a thread recently where the poster's husband had only the handwritten birth certificate issued to him by the local authority. They were allowed boarding without an issue.

 

As you say it is better safe than sorry but if for some reason you can't get a new one it sounds like what you have will work.

 

I'm nervous to go without the "state issued" one. Apparently the rule changed in 2010 which the BC she "had" would have been fine, but, the 20 yr almost 21 yr old DD in question, lost the one I gave her (I told her to guard with her life obviously she didn't guard it, because she's still alive! lol )

[Despegue]

Why on Earth would you travel without a passport?!

Dont people realise that they are travelling abroad?! HELLO! The Caribbean is not USA:rolleyes::eek:

Just plain stupid to travel without a passport and the cruiselines should forbid it as should the various Caribbean Islands.

[camz]

I would NEVER ever even consider taking a cruise without my passport. Never. EVER! :eek:

 

Another smart CC member I usually agree with. ;)

[njhorseman]

As some others have said, official BCs are not always issued by the state. I was born in NY City and my BC was issued by the city. I can't get a state BC because no such document exists. What is required is an official government agency issued BC, not one issued by a hospital. Nor must the BC have a raised seal. In some jurisdictions specially watermarked paper is used or the paper may have an embossed or impressed seal.

 

Unfortunately, cruise line telephone customer service representatives often give out misinformation.

[mi3stooges]

This is what I found on the CBP website....

 

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/whti_bg/land_sea/

 

 

"Closed Loop" Cruises: U.S. citizens who board a cruise ship at a port within the United States, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S. port on the same ship may present a government issued photo identification, along with proof of citizenship (an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization).

[njhorseman]

Sorry, but you are wrong. The people working at the check in counters are cruise line employees. When there is an issue with documents, it's often the Guest Services Manager from aboard the ship that has to make the final determination on the pier.

 

I know this to be true not only from experience, but also because my career deals with the cruise lines and I have a close connection with CBP. When embarking, you clear CBP by manifest only, not in person.

 

In many (if not most) ports the person handling your check in is the employee of a contractor, not actually a cruise line employee. In some cases that contractor may have been hired by the port operating authority, not directly by the cruise line. The person checking you in for an NCL cruise today may very well be checking in Carnival passengers tomorrow.They are supervised by the cruise line as you state, and in the end it will be a cruise line employee who makes the final decision about whether a passenger with questionable documentation may board, as it is the cruise line that is ultimately held responsible by CBP for following the rules. And yes, you are correct that CBP does not directly examine the documents of individual passengers upon embarkation. They clear via the information on the manifest, the final version of which must be in CBP's hands one hour prior to the ship's departure.

[njhorseman]

This is what I found on the CBP website....

 

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/whti_bg/land_sea/

 

 

"Closed Loop" Cruises: U.S. citizens who board a cruise ship at a port within the United States, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S. port on the same ship may present a government issued photo identification, along with proof of citizenship (an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization).

 

Yes...and as you can see it says nothing about the BC having to be issued by the state.

[sjbdtz]

Sorry, but you are wrong. The people working at the check in counters are cruise line employees. When there is an issue with documents, it's often the Guest Services Manager from aboard the ship that has to make the final determination on the pier.

 

.

 

 

While the latter part of your comment above is correct (although it's usually the Purser, not the GSM), the earlier part is not correct.

 

The people doing standard check-in work for the Port, and may check-in the NCL ship today and the Carnival one tomorrow.

 

Yes, if there are 'final decisions' required, they'll come from the ship....

 

 

 

.

[sparks1093]

Why on Earth would you travel without a passport?!

Dont people realise that they are travelling abroad?! HELLO! The Caribbean is not USA:rolleyes::eek:

Just plain stupid to travel without a passport and the cruiselines should forbid it as should the various Caribbean Islands.

 

Because my government allows it.

[mi3stooges]

Why on Earth would you travel without a passport?!

Dont people realise that they are travelling abroad?! HELLO! The Caribbean is not USA:rolleyes::eek:

Just plain stupid to travel without a passport and the cruiselines should forbid it as should the various Caribbean Islands.

 

If you leave for a closed loop cruise from a port in USA and NEVER get off the ship (as some don't) then it may not be to necessary. Also, when there are "ex's" involved that won't cooperate, or other personal issues, it may not be fesible at that peticular time.

[mi3stooges]

This is on Royal Cribbean website....

 

 

You MUST have one of the following:

 

 

• A valid United States or Canadian passport. For additional United States passport information visit the United States Department of State travel information website or the Passport Canada website.
  

 

 

- OR -

 

 

• Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) or Trusted Travel Documents. Click here for a list of all approved documents.
  

 

Exceptions:

 

 

• United States citizens on cruises that begin and end at the same port in the United States can use a government-issued picture ID (i.e. driver's license) AND a government-issued birth certificate or original Naturalization Certificate.
  
• Minors under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original government-issued, original or certified copy of his or her birth certificate; a Consular Report of Birth Abroad Issued by DOA; or Certificate of Naturalization issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
  

[kba1988]

I would NEVER ever even consider taking a cruise without my passport. Never. EVER! :eek:

 

^^^^

This!! yup

[raylene5]

I think the cruise lines would save everyone a lot of grief if they just implemented their own policies requiring passports on ALL cruises, closed loop or not. It makes it all so much simpler.

 

My guess is that the vast majority of people don't get passports because they don't want to pay for them. Seriously? You spend hundreds if not thousands on a vacation and you can't buy a $100 passport which doesn't expire for many years? Doesn't make sense to me.

[newmexicoNita]

I have friends who were taking their children on the Epic last week and the dad was denied boarding because he only had his hospital issued birth certificate.

 

Long story short, they got expedited passports in Miami, flew to St. Martin and met the ship.

 

I am questioning how he was able to get a passport with that same birth certificate that NCL denied.

 

They were told by the State Department in Miami that NCL could have accepted the birth certificate.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I am totally shocked. We just ran into a similar situartion but were able to get the correct document in time for sailing. One of our group applied for a passport a few weeks prior to sailing, using her hospital birth certicate. The passport office turned her down. she was able to get a copy of her certified birth certificate just in time to saiil: she got it the Friday before we left on Sunday. so to answer your question, if the facts are totally correct the passport office should be ashamed of themselves. NCl was correct.

[newmexicoNita]

I am 100% positive he did not have a passport.

 

The BC was the hospital issued one and it did have a raised seal on it. But it was not issued by a government agency.

 

I am fully aware of what is required for cruising as we have done so many times, but this was their first time and thought what they had was what they needed. They were a group of 15 people and only one didn't have the right BC. (The rest of the group boarded because all but 4 of their 10 children and 2 grandchildren are adults.)

 

I just don't understand how he was issued a passport with it when it wasn't the "right" BC. Maybe he did get lucky, or maybe they felt sorry for him, I don't know! But when he was told that NCL should have let him board with it, he was not happy.

 

sorry, here is where the story does not jell; I do not believe for one minute he was told by the passport office that NCL should have allowed him to board. I think someone isn't telling you the entire story...

[jaja]

I would NEVER ever even consider taking a cruise without my passport. Never. EVER! :eek:

 

I totally agreee....!!!!! It is truly the easiest way have documentation to cruise/travel...and God forbid there is ever a problem and air travel is needed in an emergency...a passport makes it so much easier.....

[Hpycmpr]

if you are planning a cruise that goes out of the USA, a passport is not required however it is a suggested form of ID. I think in the near future we will need the to go from state to state, so just get one and you have no worries.

[Talex831]

I am totally shocked. We just ran into a similar situartion but were able to get the correct document in time for sailing. One of our group applied for a passport a few weeks prior to sailing, using her hospital birth certicate. The passport office turned her down. she was able to get a copy of her certified birth certificate just in time to saiil: she got it the Friday before we left on Sunday. so to answer your question, if the facts are totally correct the passport office should be ashamed of themselves. NCl was correct.

Unfortunately the family thought they had the right documentation. I'm sure this happens much more than we hear about. One thing the mom is most frustrated with is that they did not require passports to begin with. They were a family of 15 cruising and the cost of passports would have been enormous, but they would have gotten them if they were required.

sorry, here is where the story does not jell; I do not believe for one minute he was told by the passport office that NCL should have allowed him to board. I think someone isn't telling you the entire story...

I'm sorry that you don't find the story to "jell". No one is not telling the truth. This is a family with 10 children between the ages of 8 and 26. They have been on exactly one family vacation their entire lives. The youngest was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the Make-a-Wish Foundation sent them on this once-in-a-lifetime vacation. They simply did not know, they were doing what they were told to do, and have absolutely no information other than what their TA, NCL, and the State Department have told them. The BC was accepted and a passport issued, so either they took it as it was and figured NCL should have also, or he was able to produce another secondary document. No one is changing the story.