Are passports worth it?

[14Terry]

They were worth it to us. Couldn't imagine us cruising without them.

 

 

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[$hip$hape]

Oh phooey.....just get the passports.

That way you will not be limiting yourself for travel because you have no passports.

There could very well be a time in the near future where passports will be required no matter where you travel.;)

We've been all over the world, and are going back.

However, my Father-in-law, who passed away a few months ago, would always ask,"Why go there when you can read about it in a book?".

I never understood a person that was proud that they never went anywhere.

[Talisker92]

We've been all over the world, and are going back.

However, my Father-in-law, who passed away a few months ago, would always ask,"Why go there when you can read about it in a book?".

I never understood a person that was proud that they never went anywhere.

That sounds like my father. He would never take my mother on a cruise. He said, "what will I do, go down to the engine room and watch it?"

Edited July 28, 2015 by Talisker92

[sparks1093]

We've been all over the world, and are going back.

However, my Father-in-law, who passed away a few months ago, would always ask,"Why go there when you can read about it in a book?".

I never understood a person that was proud that they never went anywhere.

 

People have the travel bug or they don't and if they don't then you shouldn't try to force them to because they'll just be miserable the whole time they are gone.

[kcwingwalker]

Are passports worth it?

 

 

This question, along with "Do I need traveler's insurance?" come up quite often. Most (but not all) of us will say "Yes." There are some willing to gamble that all will go well, and that you'll never need a passport or traveler's insurance. 99% of the time, you may be lucky enough to never need either. But, there is always that possibility that you will. How much of a gambler are you? Is a passport worth it? Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

Having been onboard when an emergency occurred, I can only say that without our entire family having valid passport and insurance what was already a dreadful experience would have been so much worse. You just never know how quickly your well planned vacation can become endless red tape and so expensive. Why take the risk?

[AprilJ]

DH'S came in the mail Friday! I will apply for mine this week. 👍

[notentirelynormal]

Here is a good reason to get a passport. I just booked a cruise for spring break when we are apparently looking after the grand kids. No passport, no travel.

[SweetPea1027]

Wow I didn't know this has gotten so many replies. I only got a few notifications in my email.

 

We did end up applying for passports, just in case. And as for some of the money questions - yes, $270 (which is what it ended up costing) can be a big expense if you haven't planned for it. We take vacations only by planning and budgeting. I wish we had the resources to just pick up and go but alas we don't, especially with work as well.

[Flatbush Flyer]

People have the travel bug or they don't and if they don't then you shouldn't try to force them to because they'll just be miserable the whole time they are gone.

 

 

I agree with you that travel is not for everyone.

 

Do they miss once-in-a-lifetime experiences (e.g., Pompeii, calving glaciers, St. Peter's basilica, sailing into San Francisco or Sydney Harbor, etc.)? Yes.

 

On the other hand, technology now works wonders. Just yesterday I was in our local Costco and my wife finally had to drag me away from a 60" ultra HD 4k TV displaying a flyover of European landmarks. We've come a long way from the Viewmasters that may have helped start our own travel bug.

 

We were recently in Rome. Wonderful visit in that we got to see the Sistine Chapel and many other exquisite antiquities while hearing their stories from our 40 year veteran guide. At the same time, however, we had to brave 105 F temps while standing in a VERY long, recently introduced, security line for the Colosseum (despite having the "no line" tix). Of course, we also had to deal with the beggars, pickpockets, line cutters, scam "guides" and, eventually, the reality that the Colosseum is often upstaged by far better examples of this architecture (e.g., the Roman Amphitheater in Taormina, Sicily).

 

Given the opportunity to do it again, I'd still want to personally stand beneath The Creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or view David in Florence. As for the Colosseum and quite a few other "must see" locations (not just in Rome): That ultra HD 4k has certainly raised my eyebrows!

[TAD2005]

I was vacationing in St. Maarten in March 2013, and while I was there, the Carnival Dream had an engine problem and wisely decided to not chance heading back to Port Canaveral with this problem. So, for the next 3 days, the ship was tied up at the pier, and Carnival chartered planes to get the passengers back home. The passengers with passports were quickly transported back home. Those with passport cards and birth certificates were delayed because of St. Maarten and US immigration clearance.

This cruise was a typical 7-day round-trip US-US. But look at the inconvenience, delays, and worries that the passengers without passports had. Always carry a passport when you travel, you never know what may happen.

And, if you have passport, always check the expiration date. To enter any country by air, your passport usually must be valid for 6 months past your date of arrival. And a non-expedited renewal can take 6 weeks.

Edited August 2, 2015 by TAD2005

[sparks1093]

I was vacationing in St. Maarten in March 2013, and while I was there, the Carnival Dream had an engine problem and wisely decided to not chance heading back to Port Canaveral with this problem. So, for the next 3 days, the ship was tied up at the pier, and Carnival chartered planes to get the passengers back home. The passengers with passports were quickly transported back home. Those with passport cards and birth certificates were delayed because of St. Maarten and US immigration clearance.

This cruise was a typical 7-day round-trip US-US. But look at the inconvenience, delays, and worries that the passengers without passports had. Always carry a passport when you travel, you never know what may happen.

And, if you have passport, always check the expiration date. To enter any country by air, your passport usually must be valid for 6 months past your date of arrival. And a non-expedited renewal can take 6 weeks.

 

This is incorrect, the passengers without a passport were given letter from CBP allowing them to board the same planes everyone else was boarding. Several of them commented on the thread that was going on during that process and one of them even posted a copy of the letter.

[sparks1093]

I agree with you that travel is not for everyone.

 

Do they miss once-in-a-lifetime experiences (e.g., Pompeii, calving glaciers, St. Peter's basilica, sailing into San Francisco or Sydney Harbor, etc.)? Yes.

 

On the other hand, technology now works wonders. Just yesterday I was in our local Costco and my wife finally had to drag me away from a 60" ultra HD 4k TV displaying a flyover of European landmarks. We've come a long way from the Viewmasters that may have helped start our own travel bug.

 

We were recently in Rome. Wonderful visit in that we got to see the Sistine Chapel and many other exquisite antiquities while hearing their stories from our 40 year veteran guide. At the same time, however, we had to brave 105 F temps while standing in a VERY long, recently introduced, security line for the Colosseum (despite having the "no line" tix). Of course, we also had to deal with the beggars, pickpockets, line cutters, scam "guides" and, eventually, the reality that the Colosseum is often upstaged by far better examples of this architecture (e.g., the Roman Amphitheater in Taormina, Sicily).

 

Given the opportunity to do it again, I'd still want to personally stand beneath The Creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or view David in Florence. As for the Colosseum and quite a few other "must see" locations (not just in Rome): That ultra HD 4k has certainly raised my eyebrows!

 

One of my favorite pictures is a picture I took of the Goodyear blimp flying above the Colosseum. I can't wait to go back to Rome to see the Sistine Chapel (closed for restoration the last time I was there). Now that the kids are grown and our golden years are approaching I am hoping to make it back to many European countries that I visited while in the Navy.

[TAD2005]

This is incorrect, the passengers without a passport were given letter from CBP allowing them to board the same planes everyone else was boarding. Several of them commented on the thread that was going on during that process and one of them even posted a copy of the letter.

I would not want to rely on the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) to draft a special permission for me to fly and re-enter the US. I would rather have a passport so there are no worries. If you need a medical evacuation, I would rather be in the air, heading back to my home country, rather than waiting for CBP to come to my rescue and provide special documents. Waiting in line for a cruise check-in while passengers drag out driver's licenses, old wrinkled birth certificates, and other proof is a pain. Get a passport in plenty of time for your cruise.

[notentirelynormal]

Heck on my next cruise I'm taking a passport from two countries.... just in case. :D

[sparks1093]

I would not want to rely on the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) to draft a special permission for me to fly and re-enter the US. I would rather have a passport so there are no worries. If you need a medical evacuation, I would rather be in the air, heading back to my home country, rather than waiting for CBP to come to my rescue and provide special documents. Waiting in line for a cruise check-in while passengers drag out driver's licenses, old wrinkled birth certificates, and other proof is a pain. Get a passport in plenty of time for your cruise.

 

That is certainly your choice and a viable option, but not everyone will make the same choice because it's not the right choice for them and their travel needs.