on Dream -no passports

[Boytjie]

The US Government will not strand a US Citizen in a foreign place without a passport when there are extenuating circumstances...

 

a little googling will get you to the part of the state department's website that says, to paraphrase and condense, the local Embassy will assist...heck they'll even get you a loan if needed...

 

so...the guests without passports will be fine...no worries...

 

There is no local embassy in St. Maarten ;) It will be a bit more complicated/time consuming.

 

U.S. Embassies, Missions and Consulates: http://www.usembassy.gov/

[Warm Breezes]

Now lets see, an upgraded cabin for a week ($600 down a rat hole) or passports that last 10 years? Sounds like a pretty simple value choice to me. 600/4/10= $15 per person per year; a couple of Starbucks coffees. I'm glad you're not my financial planner.

 

My guess is that pretty soon we will all need them, one way or another. Or, we can wait for our Federally issued travel papers coming soon to a trip near you.:rolleyes:

 

That is wrong. It should be divided by the number of trips requiring a passport in the next 10 years because that is why it is being purchased. If you only sail once in the next 10 years that is a $600 cost added to your next trip period. On the other hand, we have been sailing 12 years (9 cruises) without passports starting when our kids were 4 and 7. We have saved around $1000 in not purchasing passports that we did not need even once in those 12 years. I'm glad you're not my financial planner.

 

FWIW DH and I will be getting passports this month. We will not be getting them for our DD(16) and DS(18) who will be with us on our next cruise. DH and I are getting them because our cruise style, and assumed risk, will be changing for our 2nd planned cruise this fall. We will be sailing without kids for the first time. Those kids, who are both relatively new drivers, will be home on their own. IMO the risks just increased dramatically that something can go wrong at home that I would want to get back for as quickly as possible. That is the only reason we are getting them.

 

Right now, as the law stands, it is a choice to get a passport for a closed loop cruise if you are a US citizen. It shouldn't matter to you or anyone else why someone chooses to get one or not...it is their right to choose based on their own travel needs, risk aversion, budget, etc. I personally do not like to spend my money on things I don't need or want.

[MrPete]

Now lets see, an upgraded cabin for a week ($600 down a rat hole) or passports that last 10 years? Sounds like a pretty simple value choice to me. 600/4/10= $15 per person per year; a couple of Starbucks coffees. I'm glad you're not my financial planner.

 

My guess is that pretty soon we will all need them, one way or another. Or, we can wait for our Federally issued travel papers coming soon to a trip near you.:rolleyes:

 

 

And I'm glad you're not mine. If I go on one cruise in ten years, closed loop,and no where else, it's a waste of $600 I never needed to spend.

[cruzincurt]

 

I personally do not like to spend my money on things I don't need.

But instead spending an extra $600 for a cabin upgrade is the better choice if you have to choose where to spend that money? I guess you are right, spend for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

[All4fun&fun4all]

I made it through the line just as fast as everyone else.

 

I have made it through the line on every single cruise I have been on in 2 minutes or less. They look at my birth certficate and my DL, ask me a few questions and I go right through. Maybe I just have an honest face. :o

[Warm Breezes]

Well it does, it slows down and clogs up the line when I'm trying to get off the ship.

 

It has never taken us longer to be processed getting off the ship than those with passports. In fact when we got off the Destiny the couple in front of us with passports took longer than the 4 of us with BC and DL.

[Warm Breezes]

But instead spending an extra $600 for a cabin upgrade is the better choice if you have to choose where to spend that money? I guess you are right, spend for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

 

 

Personally I have never spent $600 on a cabin upgrade either....but if someone else wants to, who am I or you to tell them how to spend their hard earned money????

[FloridaGram]

The worst that would happen is that they will be delayed getting through customs a little bit. I would hope that they have a line for those with passports and without so that those with passports will not be delayed, but knowing how our government works that probably won't happen. These will be charter flights that they know are coming and the circumstances so my guess is it will go pretty smoothly.

 

When it would be more of an issue not to have a passport would be if you were the only passenger coming in because of a personal issue. But when it is a large group like this I doubt it will be a problem.

 

Won't it be fun when the Dream pax get back and start posting what REALLY happened so we can stop our suppositions?

[Snowmeo]

Hypothetically, what if you don't want to go back to the original port and just want to fly directly home? A passport gives you a bit more freedom of choice. You always have the option of just booking your own flight and going home anytime you want. You don't have that option when you cruise with no passport.

 

Hypothetically, why would I want do that in a first place?

 

I saved up for my vacation, waited months to a year to go on this vacation and I am finally at a tropical destination.. and I want to fly home? Perhaps I shouldn't have went on vacation to begin with if I am so flaky. A last minute flight on top of the money I wasted by deciding to abandon my vacation sounds really expensive.

 

I am on *vacation*. My cell phone is *off*. So hypothetically I just decide to fly home cause I have the freedom?

 

Uhhhh No. I think I will stay and spend the money I saved on a passport and have a few drinks on the beach. Thankyouverymuch. :cool:

[sparks1093]

But instead spending an extra $600 for a cabin upgrade is the better choice if you have to choose where to spend that money? I guess you are right, spend for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

 

If I didn't have to spend it then I would invest it, I wouldn't find something else to spend it on.

[dwjoe]

Just my opinion, but I think it's long overdue for passports to be required for all cruises and travel out of the country. I probably have a bit of a different take on it than others, because we lived in Europe for several years when I was growing up, so I've had a passport for many decades!:rolleyes:

Passports requirements are not about to change. There was a push for increased border controls after 9/11, that resulted in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. In response to feedback from border states and Canada, the passport card was created as a lower cost alternative to the passport and is valid for land and sea. Further, the cruise industry lobbied and the government agreed that US citizens travelling on round-trip voyages present a lower security risk and the closed loop exception was created. That is not about to change either.

 

Things are different in Europe. The US is a continent-sized country with many more domestic travel options than other nations so it can be argued that Americans have less need for international travel.

 

 

Serious question...aside from cost, why are so many people reluctant to get a passport?

I think cost is the main factor, but it's not my business. It's their decision. I think the discussion on Cruise Critic should focus on informing folks of their documentation options and pros/cons, not lecturing them.

[dwjoe]

But instead spending an extra $600 for a cabin upgrade is the better choice if you have to choose where to spend that money? I guess you are right, spend for today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

It's not your business how someone else chooses to spend their $600, and you have no business lecturing them over it.

[CRUZBUDS]

Here is the best example why having a passport is a wise idea. Granted you may never need it.

 

When Royal and Carnival both left San Juan early to avoid Hurricane Irene, Carnival put the stranded passengers up in hotels for two days and offered to fly them to Barbados to catch the ship. Of course that only applied to passengers with passports -- those without them were flown home. They couldn't fly to a foreign country without a passport.

 

The Royal Caribbean passengers where just left stranded except for the 15 people that booked air through the cruise line.

[Snowmeo]

My guess is that pretty soon we will all need them, one way or another. Or, we can wait for our Federally issued travel papers coming soon to a trip near you.:rolleyes:

 

My guess is that your guess is way off. Millions of Passport Cards have been issued. They are not just for cruise travelers but for land crossing borders where commerce was the driving force behind them.

Unless a terrorist somehow subverts the process and something horrible happens, why would the State Department or Homeland Security change policy because of a couple of cruises that had issues? And if a terrorist did subvert the process, it is the same process full passports use so even them would be suspect at that point.

In the 5 years the cards have been issued millions have used the card on and off of cruises without incident.

[celticd1]

Well it does, it slows down and clogs up the line when I'm trying to get off the ship.

 

Oh please! :rolleyes: It does not take me any longer to get through customs than it does my SO who does have a passport. Save the drama.

[Boytjie]

I only got passports becasue I went to Europe. Leaving on a cruise, from Florida, to some neighbor islands was never a justification to pay $600.00 for a family of 4. The fear of being stranded on a tropical island, never happened in my mind. However, visions of being stuck on a beach, sipping a tropical drink, while the state department worked on getting me home was always a hope of mine. I never understand why these threads turn into people trying to convince others the horror of not spending hundreds of dollars for something that is not required or needed.

 

So while the state department is working on getting you home ( :eek: ) and you and your family are sipping cocktails on the beach, how much are you paying for hotels and flights back home? Most likely more than $600. ;)

 

The Caribbean island you may be stranded on might not have a US consulate to issue a passport, so now you have to figure out how to arrange it in a consulate somewhere else. But I guess, you don't have to worry since the state department will do all the work, you will just be sipping cocktails.

[dwjoe]

That is wrong. It should be divided by the number of trips requiring a passport in the next 10 years because that is why it is being purchased. If you only sail once in the next 10 years that is a $600 cost added to your next trip period. On the other hand, we have been sailing 12 years (9 cruises) without passports starting when our kids were 4 and 7. We have saved around $1000 in not purchasing passports that we did not need even once in those 12 years. I'm glad you're not my financial planner.

 

FWIW DH and I will be getting passports this month. We will not be getting them for our DD(16) and DS(18) who will be with us on our next cruise. DH and I are getting them because our cruise style, and assumed risk, will be changing for our 2nd planned cruise this fall. We will be sailing without kids for the first time. Those kids, who are both relatively new drivers, will be home on their own. IMO the risks just increased dramatically that something can go wrong at home that I would want to get back for as quickly as possible. That is the only reason we are getting them.

 

Right now, as the law stands, it is a choice to get a passport for a closed loop cruise if you are a US citizen. It shouldn't matter to you or anyone else why someone chooses to get one or not...it is their right to choose based on their own travel needs, risk aversion, budget, etc. I personally do not like to spend my money on things I don't need or want.

Thanks for sharing your well thought out rationale highlighting several factors to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to buy passports, which I think should include:

 

-cost of the passport(s) and how often your family will use them

-the risk of an issue arising requiring you to return home

-your destination (e.g. cruises to USVI and San Juan have less risk b/c you can take a domestic flight home)

-the backup plan for getting home (e.g., emergency passport from consulate, or ferry from some ports if you have a passport card)

 

Now if this seems too complicated and you'd rather not worry about it, and the cost is not a factor for you, then by all means just get the passport and have done. But that does not create a rule that all should follow, or license to lecture people on cruise critic with recycled pat answers.

[celticd1]

Passports requirements are not about to change. There was a push for increased border controls after 9/11, that resulted in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. In response to feedback from border states and Canada, the passport card was created as a lower cost alternative to the passport and is valid for land and sea. Further, the cruise industry lobbied and the government agreed that US citizens travelling on round-trip voyages present a lower security risk and the closed loop exception was created. That is not about to change either.

 

Things are different in Europe. The US is a continent-sized country with many more domestic travel options than other nations so it can be argued that Americans have less need for international travel.

 

 

I think cost is the main factor, but it's not my business. It's their decision. I think the discussion on Cruise Critic should focus on informing folks of their documentation options and pros/cons, not lecturing them.

 

Bravo!

[Warm Breezes]

Here is the best example why having a passport is a wise idea. Granted you may never need it.

 

When Royal and Carnival both left San Juan early to avoid Hurricane Irene, Carnival put the stranded passengers up in hotels for two days and offered to fly them to Barbados to catch the ship. Of course that only applied to passengers with passports -- those without them were flown home. They couldn't fly to a foreign country without a passport.

 

The Royal Caribbean passengers where just left stranded except for the 15 people that booked air through the cruise line.

 

 

Without a passport we take precautions to not be left behind. Actually we would make the same precautions even with a passport. In this case we would have flown to the island a day early, like we always do. We would have known there was a hurricane coming our way and paid attention to any and all news regarding our ship. We would have been on that ship as soon as embarkation started to make the most of our cruise. And we would have sailed away on her. In the unfortunate event we had gotten left behind, we would have found ourselves making last minute changes to our plans and enjoying San Juan for a week....Just like everything we had planned to do at Myrtle Beach last year got changed around when it rained every single day. Life happens. You can go with the flow and find ways to enjoy the changes or you can cry and whine and leave yourself and everyone else feeling miserable. Your choice.

[Warm Breezes]

So while the state department is working on getting you home ( :eek: ) and you and your family are sipping cocktails on the beach, how much are you paying for hotels and flights back home? Most likely more than $600. ;)

 

The Caribbean island you may be stranded on might not have a US consulate to issue a passport, so now you have to figure out how to arrange it in a consulate somewhere else. But I guess, you don't have to worry since the state department will do all the work, you will just be sipping cocktails.

 

Um, even if you had a passport the chances are you may not be able to immediately get off a small island and you would still have flight costs for sure and possible hotel costs if you could not get a flight immediately. You still would be out the additional money for that, passport or not so your argument holds no water....

[cruzincurt]

It's not your business how someone else chooses to spend their $600, and you have no business lecturing them over it.

So don't cry about the cost of a passport. I don't like the cost of Starbucks coffee either, so I buy McDonalds for $0.97, not cry about it.

[LittleJeanne]

In our 30+ years of marriage we have encountered more than 1 of those travel emergencies during a trip. We have experienced the extra expenses of medical flights etc.

 

We also watched a year or so ago during hurricane season when Carnival and RCL had to leave Puerto Rico early because of a hurricane, and head to their next port. Those with passports were flown to the next port to catch up with their ships. Those wiwho only traveled with a birth certificate and photo I'd were sent back home.

 

So, while I won't get "preachy" about other peoples choices. We have decided that for us, our children, and grandchildren a passport and travel insurance are in order. I'd rather pay the passport fee every 10 years than be stuck somewhere fighting a beurocratic nightmare when all I want to do is get home or get on with my vacation.

 

I am glad to know though that when its an issue caused by Carnival, they step up to the plate and do everything they can to work with our government and the foreign governments to get everyone home as comfortably and quickly as possible.

[Warm Breezes]

So don't cry about the cost of a passport. I don't like the cost of Starbucks coffee either, so I buy McDonalds for $0.97, not cry about it.

 

I haven't seen anyone crying over the cost of a passport. Just defending their right to choose not to get one...no matter what the reason.

 

Do you have people lecturing you that you should spend the additional money to purchase Starbucks because it is better for you? I bet not.

[cruzincurt]

I haven't seen anyone crying over the cost of a passport. Just defending their right to choose not to get one...no matter what the reason.

 

Do you have people lecturing you that you should spend the additional money to purchase Starbucks because it is better for you? I bet not.

 

Well yes, they say I'm cheap.:D

[azcruzers]

Is the dream returning home empty? I would have wanted to stay in St Martin til it was fixed and then sail back. Was that even an option?