Passport - why so scary

[Goldwolf]

When we cruised the Middle East a few years ago they took your passports off you when you checked in and they issued your stateroom cards. At the various ports you used your room cards as ID and only got your passports back at the end of the cruise.

 

The passports were full of immigration stamps for the UAE, Oman and Bahrain, so obviously in the background they were being processed by the various countries and you were given short term entry visas. The one for Bahrain was just for 24 hours, presumably aimed at cruisers.

 

The good thing is, you didn't have to worry about losing your passport! I can't remember what happened in Europe, whether they took them off you or not because they aren't stamped, but you used you cruise card for entry and exit at the ports.

 

By logical extension, since they have your passport I assume if you did miss the ship they would find a way to get it to you so you could catch up or head home.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Goldwolf

[BeachChik]

People are cheap when given the chance the us should make a law requiring passports.... But I'm sure 1/2 the people who say they are to $$$ doesn't miss a stop to Starbucks or the tanning bed

 

Does it matter if their reasoning is that they are cheap? I don't really get why people get so worked up that a random stranger has chosen not to purchase a passport. If they get left behind it in no way affects you. I have one because we have done land vacations that require it but I would have no problem sailing without one.

 

It's funny because everyone uses the what if you need to fly home. Yet I have been reading these boards for three years and have not once read a post where someone was without a passport and stranded in a foreign country.

 

It would be very easy for the rule to change and require passports. However they have determined that it is not necessary and as such people will continue to sail without one.

[Rockee4055]

I look at it as a safety net I guess. Why not have it if you travel a lot?

 

One day they will require one even to sail and the last thing I want to have to go through is a million people running to get them at the same time. That would be 6 months or more to get it.

 

I always copy mine as well and carry that with me. Not that they would allow me back in with it but it's just another secure document to prove who we are.

[Haoie]

You think American passports are expensive? NZ passports cost 1/3 as much more than the sates and are only valid, get this, for 5 years.

 

Costs more and lasts half as long? Ripoff city.

 

But since I can't leave the country without one, there's not much choice is there?

[Aplmac]

For the type of travel that I am able to do right now, neither the US government

nor the governments of any of the countries that I visit require me to have a passport,

so I don't have one.

In the next ten years, that will likely be grinding to a halt

as security restrictions/paranoia only get tighter and tighter. ;)

 

 

You might also look out for the microchip implanted

somewhere in that web of skin between thumb and forefinger.

 

At least they'll give you a choice: left hand? or right? :)

.

[sparks1093]

In the next ten years, that will likely be grinding to a halt

as security restrictions/paranoia only get tighter and tighter. ;)

 

 

You might also look out for the microchip implanted

somewhere in that web of skin between thumb and forefinger.

 

At least they'll give you a choice: left hand? or right? :)

 

.

 

Maybe they will change the regulations, maybe they won't. In any event if they do there will be more than enough time to obtain one then.

 

The aliens placed their microchip decades ago and the interference from that would completely prevent the government's micorchip from working.:D

[frayedend]

Maybe they will change the regulations, maybe they won't. In any event if they do there will be more than enough time to obtain one then.

 

The aliens placed their microchip decades ago and the interference from that would completely prevent the government's micorchip from working.:D

 

You have your tinfoil hat on backwards. That wasn't aliens. The government has already put a chip in you. They just used government proctologists dressed up like aliens to fool you into thinking it wasn't them. :D

[LibratPDX]

I find it odd that some adults do not have passports, but I understand economic issues.

 

I am a military brat, so I've had a passport since I was six years old. I consider it the same as my driver's license, I have to keep an updated passport for my own peace of mind :)

 

Now I'm just waiting for my TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) to make a difference when I travel!

Edited April 29, 2013 by LibratPDX

[songbird1329]

Maybe they will change the regulations, maybe they won't. In any event if they do there will be more than enough time to obtain one then.

 

The aliens placed their microchip decades ago and the interference from that would completely prevent the government's micorchip from working.:D

 

 

The regs will very likely change eventually. but when they do, you'll have plenty of warning.

[songbird1329]

I thought the stats from the Carnival Triumph were very interesting. The media kept talking about having the ship towed to Mobile as opposed to Mexico. There were well over 3,000 passengers on board but there were only about 800 of them lacking passports.

 

I didn't hear the stats on the Dream, when all those folks had to fly home from St. Maarten -- they were all given passport waivers.

 

I wonder what the stats are on every cruise...obviously there are passengers who cannot sail with just a birth certificate, such as non-US citizens.

 

but of those who could sail without a passport, how many actually choose to do so?

[bitemyfly]

I have had a passport for 30 yrs

I got one cause it was required

Right now to on some cruises it's not

So when it's not required people don't need to get one

It might be money thing or it might be some have passports , spent thier money and realize that where they are going they don't need them . Wait yea

it's still a money thing

[Crusin6]

It does nothing that a birth certificate doesn't do, and it takes just as much work to get as a passport book, so I guess it's the cost difference. Cost is why my DH may get the enhanced DL instead of renewing his passport right now.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I don't get the point of that, either. I've seen so many people say they lock them in the safe as soon as they're on board. That won't help you if you miss the ship.

I wonder what happens to the cash and other valuables that you left in the cabin safe when they go into it to get your ID? and what if I take my PP with me, miss the ship..then what do they do..pack my bags and leave them on the dock as well?

 

just wondering.

 

btw...any thoughts on what to do for the port call in Nassau..going to the Atlantis..would you put your pp in the Atlantis locker? leave on the ship?

 

the waterproof money belt is not of interest to me.

[railroader]

I've always used one of the plastic cases with a rope on it that they sell on the ships. It's big enough for a wallet. I put it around my neck when snorkeling. Never had a problem, stays watertight. It was a hard plastic case. I see a few other options on amazon. They make a lot of stuff that is even good for phones.

 

Ha here we go, thanks for the info. Thats what I need to get. Going to amazon now.

[jocap]

I wonder what happens to the cash and other valuables that you left in the cabin safe when they go into it to get your ID? and what if I take my PP with me, miss the ship..then what do they do..pack my bags and leave them on the dock as well?

 

just wondering.

 

btw...any thoughts on what to do for the port call in Nassau..going to the Atlantis..would you put your pp in the Atlantis locker? leave on the ship?

 

the waterproof money belt is not of interest to me.

I think they clear out your safe, then hand the contents to the Port Agent.

About taking your passport ashore.....very few Europeans would do that, and most will have had a passport from birth. Robbing folk of passports is big business nowadays, and your passport number and place of issue is all that's required in most places for a temporary replacement- for one flight under controlled circumstances. Wherever you go, make sure it's safe and well-hidden.

[Warm Breezes]

I thought the stats from the Carnival Triumph were very interesting. The media kept talking about having the ship towed to Mobile as opposed to Mexico. There were well over 3,000 passengers on board but there were only about 800 of them lacking passports.

 

I didn't hear the stats on the Dream, when all those folks had to fly home from St. Maarten -- they were all given passport waivers.

 

I wonder what the stats are on every cruise...obviously there are passengers who cannot sail with just a birth certificate, such as non-US citizens.

 

but of those who could sail without a passport, how many actually choose to do so?

 

One of the passengers without passports posted a copy of the letter they received from the government on here. It was dated the same day that Carnival decided not to sail waiving the passport requirement for passengers without passports. They all got home at the same time as everyone else with no problems.

[boogs]

And you never know when the chance to travel abroad may occur and then you've already got your passport.

 

My wife's mother was seriously injured from a fall caused by uneven cobblestones while on a tour vacation in Greece. Without her valid passport, my wife would have had to wait unnecessarily while she obtained one before rushing to be by her mother's side. Time that would have been hell to wait for, with her mother alone in a hospital in a foreign country for who knows how many days.

 

Having one was priceless in this case, a situation that could happen to anyone who has loved ones that travel outside the country, so it's not just about your own convenience.

Edited April 29, 2013 by boogs

[MrsPete]

The answer has been given over and over: It's about money. When the choice is $100+ or NOTHING; well, nothing looks pretty good. It's not about not having the money; rather, it's about whether spending it on passports is a good value for the family in question.

 

It's about risk vs. reward: The risk of not having a passport is very, very small. To hear the Passport Faithful tell it, you'd think 10% of every cruise ship experiences an emergency of some type on every cruise. In reality, of all the people who cruise every year, only a miniscule percentage are stupid enough to get themselves left on an island, and only a miniscule percentage will experience an emergency that will necessitate the need to fly home. The vast, vast majority of travelers will be just fine with a birth certificate and driver's license. Thus, the risk of not having a passport is very small, while the reward of keeping $100+ (per person) in your pocket is moderately large.

 

It's a decision that each family should make for itself, but it should be made by looking at the facts -- it should not be made out of paranoia or fear, and those are the emotions many people attempt to engender on these threads.

[navybankerteacher]

I think they clear out your safe, then hand the contents to the Port Agent.

About taking your passport ashore.....very few Europeans would do that, and most will have had a passport from birth. Robbing folk of passports is big business nowadays, and your passport number and place of issue is all that's required in most places for a temporary replacement- for one flight under controlled circumstances. Wherever you go, make sure it's safe and well-hidden.

 

Does anyone know - for a fact - the actual policy of cruise lines in the event a passenger misses the ship. I have twice seen passengers left behind, and while I was watching the pier, I did not see anything that looked like a ships officer handing anything to someone. I may have missed it, so I cannot swear that it does not happen.

 

In any event, a passport could be anywhere in a cabin, not just in the safe, so the notion of checking the safe may or may not accomplish anything.

 

The sharing of CERTAIN knowledge would be appreciated.

[SantaFeFan]

It's about risk vs. reward: The risk of not having a passport is very, very small. To hear the Passport Faithful tell it, you'd think 10% of every cruise ship experiences an emergency of some type on every cruise. In reality, of all the people who cruise every year, only a miniscule percentage are stupid enough to get themselves left on an island, and only a miniscule percentage will experience an emergency that will necessitate the need to fly home. The vast, vast majority of travelers will be just fine with a birth certificate and driver's license. Thus, the risk of not having a passport is very small, while the reward of keeping $100+ (per person) in your pocket is moderately large.

 

It's a decision that each family should make for itself, but it should be made by looking at the facts -- it should not be made out of paranoia or fear, and those are the emotions many people attempt to engender on these threads.

 

Yes, it is about risk vs reward. But be reminded that the birth certificate you need in place of a passport is an official government document with the raised seal, not the form the hospital hands out. The risk here is losing it for some reason. My experience has been that it is much more difficult to replace a government issued birth certificate than a government issued passport. Of the two, I would rather lose my passport, which I can get replaced in a matter of days, if not hours, than the birth certificate, which will take months.

 

Like you said - it's all about how much risk is a person willing to take. For me, I take enough risks going about my daily life than to deliberately subject myself to even more of it while on vacation. It's a personal choice, so do whatever you feel is worth the risk to you. I prefer to travel with as low a risk quotient as possible.

[fortinweb]

Does anyone know - for a fact - the actual policy of cruise lines in the event a passenger misses the ship. I have twice seen passengers left behind, and while I was watching the pier, I did not see anything that looked like a ships officer handing anything to someone. I may have missed it, so I cannot swear that it does not happen.

 

In any event, a passport could be anywhere in a cabin, not just in the safe, so the notion of checking the safe may or may not accomplish anything.

 

The sharing of CERTAIN knowledge would be appreciated.

 

Celebrity will give the passport to the shore representative. This happened once to a couple we shared a table with on a prior cruise. It didn't solve all their problems caused by missing the ship, but things were certainly made easier because they were handed their passports.

 

I would suspect that the majority of people would keep their passports in the safe, not in a suitcase or drawer, but there is no guessing what some people may do.

Edited April 30, 2013 by fortinweb

[NMLady]

I agree that everyone should have one, but I think many peoples hesitation may be economy. I guess for some its hard to reconcile spending money for a passport when you can cruise with just a birth certificate or they may not travel enough to justify the cost. Im just making assumptions though and could be completely wrong.

 

I think you're right. People don't want to spend the money.

[Warm Breezes]

Yes, it is about risk vs reward. But be reminded that the birth certificate you need in place of a passport is an official government document with the raised seal, not the form the hospital hands out. The risk here is losing it for some reason. My experience has been that it is much more difficult to replace a government issued birth certificate than a government issued passport. Of the two, I would rather lose my passport, which I can get replaced in a matter of days, if not hours, than the birth certificate, which will take months.

 

Like you said - it's all about how much risk is a person willing to take. For me, I take enough risks going about my daily life than to deliberately subject myself to even more of it while on vacation. It's a personal choice, so do whatever you feel is worth the risk to you. I prefer to travel with as low a risk quotient as possible.

 

Each member of my family has 2 copies of their BC (which was much easier (less than 2 weeks ordered on line) and much cheaper to get than the passport I just got). One stayed home in the safe and one went with us. Very easy to replace. Plus when I had to send mine off to get a passport I still had an extra one locked safe and secure in my safe. When my kids leave home I will send one with them and keep one in my files just in case.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Warm Breezes

[jvitatoe26]

Yes, it is about risk vs reward. But be reminded that the birth certificate you need in place of a passport is an official government document with the raised seal, not the form the hospital hands out. The risk here is losing it for some reason. My experience has been that it is much more difficult to replace a government issued birth certificate than a government issued passport. Of the two, I would rather lose my passport, which I can get replaced in a matter of days, if not hours, than the birth certificate, which will take months.

 

Like you said - it's all about how much risk is a person willing to take. For me, I take enough risks going about my daily life than to deliberately subject myself to even more of it while on vacation. It's a personal choice, so do whatever you feel is worth the risk to you. I prefer to travel with as low a risk quotient as possible.

 

Im not sure where you need to obtain your bc from, but here in Ohio, you could walk in to any number of government offices and obtain a certified copy with a raised seal within a few minutes for about $20. If for some reason you couldnt go to the offices, you could order one online for about $50 overnighted.

 

I have a passport, and I am neither pro-bc/dl nor pro-passport lol - do w/e you are comfortable with and withever fits your needs (bc again there is extenuating circumstances and not everyone can get a passport) but it most definitely is not a cumbersome task here to get a bc.

[Kudos2Fly]

Regardless of the money, to me its the risk someone can handle... Some people go through life buying every insurance policy under the sun in fear of the "what if's". My husband and I do not run our lives based on the chicken littles of this world.

 

We do happen to have Passports now. Mine I got years ago because a friend and I were thinking of going to England. The trip never happen, but I went and got my passport early. My husband had one when he was 18 due to a trip he took to Europe. Well that one expired and he didn't get one until we went to Italy in 2007. We both have current ones now and will keep them current. We do take them with us when we cruise. I do have to say it does make things easier.

 

But we had cruised 4-5 times before hubby got his passport without any issues. We also never buy trip insurance and at this point in our lives don't see the need to. We have been together for 13 years and married for 8 years and have done many trips together in those years inside the US and outside and never bought any form of insurance and traveled fine without passports. Mainly Canada, Bahamas, and cruises.

 

We even flew our airplane to the Bahamas a few times. Hubby didn't have a passport then and we never had any problems getting through customs both ways.

[Sailor_Sally]

When you cruise Alaska certain excursions require you to have passports so you are really limiting yourself . Also last year I had to fly home from a cruise when my Mom was seriously injured and in critical condition so it does happen.