Lost passport

[moonhunter]

I recently scheduled a quick princess cruise in the Caribbean starting 9/29, mostly because the price was incredible. Today, went to look for our passports to complete the Princess information and could not find them. We had major damage to our house during our last cruise in May and things are still not quite in order. We are taking a longer cruise in December when we will definitely need passports. But it's late to even get expedited passports via mail so getting new passports before 9/28, when we were leaving, will require a trip to Miami plus expedited charges.

 

I called Princess this afternoon and they said we had to have passports even though the cruise begins and ends in Ft. Lauderdale and that even though we bought Princess insurance, we would only get a 25 percent refund.

 

From what I understand, cruises that begin and end in the US don't necessarily require a passport. And, yes I would much rather go with a passport. And I thought Princess insurance refunded 75 percent of your money. We do have platinum insurance.

 

I am really at the point where I would rather cancel the cruise and lose 25 percent rather than pay expedited passport fees and finance a trip to Miami. Of course, still hoping that passports will magically reappear

[SRQfireman]

I recently scheduled a quick princess cruise in the Caribbean starting 9/29, mostly because the price was incredible. Today, went to look for our passports to complete the Princess information and could not find them. We had major damage to our house during our last cruise in May and things are still not quite in order. We are taking a longer cruise in December when we will definitely need passports. But it's late to even get expedited passports via mail so getting new passports before 9/28, when we were leaving, will require a trip to Miami plus expedited charges.

 

I called Princess this afternoon and they said we had to have passports even though the cruise begins and ends in Ft. Lauderdale and that even though we bought Princess insurance, we would only get a 25 percent refund.

 

From what I understand, cruises that begin and end in the US don't necessarily require a passport. And, yes I would much rather go with a passport. And I thought Princess insurance refunded 75 percent of your money. We do have platinum insurance.

 

I am really at the point where I would rather cancel the cruise and lose 25 percent rather than pay expedited passport fees and finance a trip to Miami. Of course, still hoping that passports will magically reappear

 

somebody is full of Do-Do......you can use a certified birth certificate and pix ID !! And you're right......75%.....not 25%........you'd loose 25%.....not get 25% back (and if you had Platinum, you'd get 90% back)

Edited September 9, 2014 by SRQfireman

[PescadoAmarillo]

The rep was wrong about the passport (assuming you aren't traveling with children) but right about the cancellation fee. They only discuss what Princess will assess as a cancellation fee, not what you'll end up with after you file an insurance claim. You are in the 75% cancellation fee period; you'd get 25% of your base cruise fare plus 100% of your taxes and fees refunded to your credit card. The assessed 75% cancellation fee would be set up (in its entirety, 100% of it, not 90% or 75%, as you have Platinum insurance) as a Future Cruise Credit in your Captains Circle account, to be applied to a specific cruise by 12/31/15 but only after you file a claim with Berkeley Care insurance, the administrators of Princess Vacation Protection. You do not get the cost of your Princess Vacation Protection returned.

[Essiesmom]

Did you not have your passports with you on your May cruise? Try retracing your steps after the last cruise...EM

[Northender]

I recently scheduled a quick princess cruise in the Caribbean starting 9/29, mostly because the price was incredible. Today, went to look for our passports to complete the Princess information and could not find them. We had major damage to our house during our last cruise in May and things are still not quite in order. We are taking a longer cruise in December when we will definitely need passports. But it's late to even get expedited passports via mail so getting new passports before 9/28, when we were leaving, will require a trip to Miami plus expedited charges.

 

I called Princess this afternoon and they said we had to have passports even though the cruise begins and ends in Ft. Lauderdale and that even though we bought Princess insurance, we would only get a 25 percent refund.

 

From what I understand, cruises that begin and end in the US don't necessarily require a passport. And, yes I would much rather go with a passport. And I thought Princess insurance refunded 75 percent of your money. We do have platinum insurance.

 

I am really at the point where I would rather cancel the cruise and lose 25 percent rather than pay expedited passport fees and finance a trip to Miami. Of course, still hoping that passports will magically reappear

 

I don't know how far it is to Miami for you, but I would take the trip.:):)

[TLC535]

Although we also much prefer traveling with passports...it is NOT mandatory (yet) for a closed-loop cruise originating from the US....drivers license & certified birth certificate is accepted and is what our BIL & SIL used.

 

Hopefully they will turn up ;)

Edited September 9, 2014 by TLC535

[islandatsea]

I don't know how far it is to Miami for you, but I would take the trip.:):)

 

I agree with going to Miami to get it done there, why wait?

[dfields1814]

It is simple to find the missing passports. All you got to do is spend your time driving to Miami and paying a couple hundred dollars for replacements. As soon as you do that the lost passports will reappear. It works every time.

 

It is always better to travel with passports. But my daughter used a birth certificate for her passport less husband for a cruise from LA and back again. There was no problem. But the certificate had to have the raise seal. IE no copies.

[Loonbeam]

As far as CBP goes, since its round trip it should be fine to have a CERTIFIED BC and state issued ID.

 

Princess is free to impose any additional rules, but they typically have not. Also, per the CBP:

 

"HOWEVER, it is possible that one or more of the Caribbean Islands on your itinerary, does require you to have a passport to enter their country. In that case, it is very possible that the cruise line will require you to have a passport to board, even if it is not a U.S. requirement. You should always check with your cruise ship, travel agent and or destination country to confirm the requirements for entry into the foreign countries you will be visiting. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides document requirements for entry into the United States only"

Edited September 9, 2014 by Loonbeam

[moonhunter]

Thanks for all the replies. Finally got a more competent a princess agent who said we could travel with our birth certificates and drivers licensees. He even put in the info into our itinerary. Then this afternoon when I was filling out passport forms, my husband found our passports in a most improbable place. The only thing I can say is that after our last trip we came home to a condo that had been flooded and everything was in disarray. But I can't help but thing it was gremlins who put our passport in such an unlikely place.

[timetravler]

So glad you found your passports. I have heard of people loosing their passport 3 days before a cruise. They DID drive to Miami and waited all day but did get new passports the same day. BTW, they never did find the old ones.

[Mary Ellen1]

Thanks for all the replies. Finally got a more competent a princess agent who said we could travel with our birth certificates and drivers licensees. He even put in the info into our itinerary. Then this afternoon when I was filling out passport forms, my husband found our passports in a most improbable place. The only thing I can say is that after our last trip we came home to a condo that had been flooded and everything was in disarray. But I can't help but thing it was gremlins who put our passport in such an unlikely place.

 

So glad you found them!!!

 

And thanks for the cautionary tale. I just made DH trek to the basement and open his gun safe :eek: to make sure our passports were still in there. And that the expiration dates hadn't been mysteriously changed by the same gremlins who hid your passports! ;)

[ggprincess2004]

Thanks for all the replies. Finally got a more competent a princess agent who said we could travel with our birth certificates and drivers licensees. He even put in the info into our itinerary. Then this afternoon when I was filling out passport forms, my husband found our passports in a most improbable place. The only thing I can say is that after our last trip we came home to a condo that had been flooded and everything was in disarray. But I can't help but thing it was gremlins who put our passport in such an unlikely place.

 

Glad you found them! The rules still work - substitute and/or replace and the missing item will appear, but only afterwards!

 

I hope you have recovered from the flooding - so sorry you had to come home to a situation like that.

[LovetheSea]

My mother lost her Passport the day before we were to leave for a 17 night S America cruise. We tore her house apart looking for it. Looked in every suitcase she owned . Every nook and cranny. She finally found it in her purse! She forgot she went to Canada and hadn't put it back in her safe afterwards. UGH!

[croozer]

My brother arrived in Seattle for an Alaska trip last month without a passport. He did have a Global Entry Card and other identification...the cruise rep said this was good enough for them for boarding the ship, but the final decision would be up to the port authority. The port authority was fine with the Global Entry Card, so remember this as a distant possibility if all else fails, although it's not a guarantee for all ports and all port authorities.

[RetiredNTraveling]

Being that I have always been a creature of habit, I check the location for my passport while reading this posting! Luckily they were there. ;)

My DW says that I'm so OBC about things that she wasn't worried. :confused: I guess that was a compliment! :rolleyes: :D

[Treven]

Thanks for all the replies. Finally got a more competent a princess agent who said we could travel with our birth certificates and drivers licensees. He even put in the info into our itinerary. Then this afternoon when I was filling out passport forms, my husband found our passports in a most improbable place. The only thing I can say is that after our last trip we came home to a condo that had been flooded and everything was in disarray. But I can't help but thing it was gremlins who put our passport in such an unlikely place.

Oh sure, blame your hubby for putting the passports in an unprobbable place. :-)))

I think I know where mine is.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Treven

[SLCfirsttimer]

Glad to hear you found them! I had a similar experience prior to my first cruise. I usually put the passports in our safe, but I had scanned them and left them on the scanner.

 

Emptied the safe 3 different times, going through every document in there. Tore apart the sock drawer, still nothing. Went through every drawer in my desk, still empty handed. I needed to copy something, so I opened the lid on the scanner/copier and there they were!

[Stevesan]

A safety deposit box at your bank is an essential.

I keep all important documents.

A partial example: Birth certificates, last will & testament, Power of attorney, title for house, marriage certificate and passports.

 

We can cruise with a birth certificate as proof of citizenship. But be darn sure not to miss a sail away.

It's gonna be a long swim home.:p

Edited September 16, 2014 by Stevesan

[Thrak]

Thanks for all the replies. Finally got a more competent a princess agent who said we could travel with our birth certificates and drivers licensees. He even put in the info into our itinerary. Then this afternoon when I was filling out passport forms, my husband found our passports in a most improbable place. The only thing I can say is that after our last trip we came home to a condo that had been flooded and everything was in disarray. But I can't help but thing it was gremlins who put our passport in such an unlikely place.

 

Found them in the freezer?

[iceleven]

Glad to hear you found them! I had a similar experience prior to my first cruise. I usually put the passports in our safe, but I had scanned them and left them on the scanner.

 

Emptied the safe 3 different times, going through every document in there. Tore apart the sock drawer, still nothing. Went through every drawer in my desk, still empty handed. I needed to copy something, so I opened the lid on the scanner/copier and there they were!

 

Now that is probably how I would lose ours. I've "lost" important documents before that way.:mad:

[redtogo]

A safety deposit box at your bank is an essential.

I keep all important documents.

A partial example: Birth certificates, last will & testament, Power of attorney, title for house, marriage certificate and passports.

 

We can cruise with a birth certificate as proof of citizenship. But be darn sure not to miss a sail away.

It's gonna be a long swim home.:p

 

I think about safe deposit boxes.....they are safe keeping all our valuable so we can retrieve them on a moments notice. Very nice, very useful, very safe.

 

How many of us have a co- owner/signer on the box contract,so that in the event of a terrific accident that cause both husband and wife to lose their lives, a survivor can access those important documents?

[SLCfirsttimer]

Now that is probably how I would lose ours. I've "lost" important documents before that way.:mad:

 

It was definitely one of those "I'm an idiot" moments. Still not sure what prompted me to look there.

[Geldhart]

Your executor should be able to open the box. They are the representative of the estate.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[pablo222]

I think about safe deposit boxes.....they are safe keeping all our valuable so we can retrieve them on a moments notice. Very nice, very useful, very safe.

 

But then, instead of having to find your passport, you have to

find the safe deposit box key.