Passports vs. Birth Certificates

[GypRasc]

Just an FYI for those wondering why bother getting passports when you can cruise with just your birth certificate(s).

 

I was just on a cruise and at our first port in Nassau 4 people from my group missed getting back on the ship. When the cruiseline realized it didn't look like they were going to get back to the ship on time the cruiseline personnel went through their rooms, got all their important documentation (birth certificates, cash & credit cards) and had someone from the cruiseline waiting at the dock for them when they showed up.

 

Long story short, because they had birth certificates and not passports the govt. in Nassau would not give them permission to fly to the next port where our ship would be docking. Instead my friends spent 4 hrs at the American Embassy having to get temporary (30 day) passports but the govt. of Nassau would only let them return back to the US & not go to any other ports. Had they had passports they would have been permitted to fly directly to the next port that we docked at & rejoined the cruise. Unfortunately, this was a VERY expensive lesson.

 

They had to stay on Nassau for 2 days with no clothes or toiletries, at their expense, catch the next ship from the cruiseline we were on that was heading directly back to the port we left from which was Port Canaveral. They then had to stay at this port for 3 more days (again at their expense) until our ship came back to port and they could then collect their luggage & belongings. The cruiseline was willing to ship their belongings to their home but, again, at their expense and since they had a flight and didn't want to pay extra charges for changing the flight they opted to simply stay in Port Canaveral until our ship docked.

 

The moral of the story is...take passports to avoid this mess. Obviously, making sure you don't miss the ship should be the priority but, since accidents do happen, I suggest taking passports instead of birth certificates.

[hannibal54]

Expensive lesson.

Remember birth certificates are only good on closed loop cruises.

[Colorado Kat]

Scary story. Feeling safe is worth the price of the passports.

[vabchtraveler]

Definitely travel with a passport -- you can get on the ship in the US with a birth certificate but it's not so easy to get back home (or catch the ship) if anything goes wrong. Hope for and count on the best, but be prepared for the worst! What the heck, it works out money-wise to about a $12 a year investment! :)

[TravelDiva88]

Or you can just make sure you don't miss the ship. If you miss the ship for medical reasons I'm sure the last thing on your mind will be getting to the next port.

 

 

I've been on 5 cruises in the last 20 months. I haven't had a passport on any of them. I just make sure that we have ample time to get back to the ship.

 

Even if they *had* passports they'd still have the expense of flying to the next island. Or flying home and having their luggage shipped. They did not *have* to stay in Nassau with no clothes or toilitries for 2 extra days, nor did they *have* to stay in port Canaveral at their expense to wait for their luggage. They could have caught a flight back to the US the same day, or the next day at the latest, paid to change their return tickets home, and then paid to have their luggage shipped back.

 

Either way, missing the ship is an expensive option.

Edited November 17, 2013 by TravelDiva88

[pecandelight]

How would ship personnel go through their room and get their CASH? You mean they rummaged through their belongings and looked for valuables? That doesn't make sense.

 

 

What does that mean and why would they be waiting for them at the dock? I am confused. If they made it to the dock, why would they need their passports?

[GypRasc]

How would ship personnel go through their room and get their CASH? You mean they rummaged through their belongings and looked for valuables? That doesn't make sense.

 

 

What does that mean and why would they be waiting for them at the dock? I am confused. If they made it to the dock, why would they need their passports?

I'm not sure what you're confused with. They did get back to the dock but the ship was no longer there. It had already left Port. They needed their Passports/birth certificates to get back into the US either by taking another ship or flying home.

 

I promise you the cruiseline personnel did indeed go through their belongings & search for their valuables so they could have them to get back home or do anything else they might need them for while on the island. And yes, they also got into their safe. Believe me, if you were left behind I'm pretty sure you would be thankful they were handing over your valuables to you at the Port.

 

Remember, the ship was no longer in Port so having someone from the cruiseline waiting for them there with their valuables was a service that could only help them in the long run.

 

This happens more often than you might think and the cruiseline is very familiar with what to do to assist those left behind. I know if this had happened to me I would be very grateful that they had someone waiting there for me to help guide me in where to go to get back to the ship or back home.

 

When it came time for the ships personnel to pack their belongings they actually had someone from our group stay in the room with them to witness the packing.

 

Also just an FYI - flying from one island to another isn't really that expensive so if they had had Passports it would have saved them a great deal of aggravation and money.