Passport Confusion

[Biker19]

9 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

(And itinerary is also important, on our upcoming cruise our first stop is in Florida after a day sea, so if something happened at the beginning of the cruise we could disembark there with no need for passports.)

Unless you got special dispensation, it would cost you $778pp to leave at the Florida stop.

 

Biker, who is going off on a tangent.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Biker19

[sparks1093]

30 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

It's not a rip off, it's common sense.  2 year olds do not look even remotely the same at age 12.

 

 

True, the odds of something happening for the average cruiser are slim.  Also true- it only needs to happen once.  I'm walking proof that even the healthiest person can end up hospitalized without notice...at age 39 when otherwise the picture of good health, I ended up in the ER, and subsequently being admitted, due to a hemorrhaging kidney tumor that I previously had no idea even existed.  Fortunately I was not on a cruise at the time, but it's a prime example of how things can happen that are completely unexpected.  Off the top of my head I can think of 3 instances I know of in which someone I know personally (never mind all the stories of strangers on the internet!) had to take an unexpected flight mid-cruise.  One was a lady we met on the cruise, who missed the ship in port one day and had to fly to the next port 2 days later after an intervening sea day.  Another was my brother in law, who had to fly home mid cruise due to a death in his family.  Another was my uncle, who unexpectedly ended up in a hospital in Mexico mid-cruise and had to be flown to a hospital in Florida for specialized cardiac care.  So is it rare that things happen?  Of course it is, but things DO happen, and that rare event takes on a whole new level of concern if/when it happens to happen to you. 

Yes, things can happen which to me (and not to everyone obviously) is a stronger case for having travel insurance. 

Edited December 13, 2018 by sparks1093

[sparks1093]

27 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Unless you got special dispensation, it would cost you $778pp to leave at the Florida stop.

 

Biker, who is going off on a tangent.

If it's serious enough to warrant leaving the cruise at that stop then it's serious enough for a waiver to be granted (or to be worth it regardless). And it would cost you that whether or not you had a passport.

[LuckyStar]

On 12/10/2018 at 11:22 AM, apratt said:

My husband, myself, & our 2 daughters are cruising in April to Roatan, Belize City, & Cozumel. My husband is the only one of us who has a passport right now. I was going to get passports for everyone, but it is quite expensive & my husband says we will only need a birth certificate for this closed loop cruise. I was worried about what the procedure would be during an emergency so I called Royal Caribbean and asked if there was an emergency if we would be able to fly home without a passport. The gentleman I spoke to said yes, but that doesn't sound right to me. Don't you always need a passport to fly in/out of the country (United States)? I know it's always a good idea to have passports, but I would rather use that money on excursions.

 

If it were me in your shoes,  I would make sure the adults have passports and the kids just have their birth certificates.  I think that if the adults have their passports, that would ease a lot of channels in the case of needing the embassy to help get you home.  It is expensive to get kids passports that don't last as long as 10 years.  It's also a lot of trouble to actually get them.  But it is an interesting experience.  Both parents have to be there.  We were in line early on a Saturday morning.  Right behind a divorced couple who were arguing about the hubby taking his kids and his young girlfriend to Mexico.  It was hilarious, uncomfortable and sad all at the same time.  

[Biker19]

9 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

If it's serious enough to warrant leaving the cruise at that stop then it's serious enough for a waiver to be granted.

Not sure CPB would grant you a waiver of the PVSA fine for any kind of personal issue. For your own medical issue, maybe, but for something that happened to someone else and you choose to leave the cruise early, unlikely.

[apratt]

5 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, things can happen which to me (and not to everyone obviously) is a stronger case for having travel insurance. 

 

I total get what they were saying about 2 year olds not looking the same as 12 year olds, but sure would be nice if they cut the cost in half since it it only good for half as long! Lol we can dream....

 

We have insurance we purchased when we bought the cruise, but is the travelers insurance that y'all are talking about something different?

[broberts]

There are a number of posts on this board reporting about someone or several someones that had to interrupt a closed loop cruise and return to the US with only birth certificates and government issued photo id. Suggesting this is not possible is simply fear mongering. 

 

Officials and airline employees do recognize emergency situations and do handle them appropriately. 

[sparks1093]

11 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Not sure CPB would grant you a waiver of the PVSA fine for any kind of personal issue. For your own medical issue, maybe, but for something that happened to someone else and you choose to leave the cruise early, unlikely.

They have the authority to waive the fine and as I understand it they routinely do for emergency situations. 

[amybk27]

I just got the passport card for my daughter and I.  Much cheaper.  It's only good for travel by car and sea, but fine for cruises.  

[sparks1093]

12 minutes ago, apratt said:

 

I total get what they were saying about 2 year olds not looking the same as 12 year olds, but sure would be nice if they cut the cost in half since it it only good for half as long! Lol we can dream....

 

We have insurance we purchased when we bought the cruise, but is the travelers insurance that y'all are talking about something different?

The State Department is required to fund the passport program through the use of the fees they collect for producing them and it costs the same amount to produce a passport for a child as it does for an adult so while it is a nice dream it isn't likely to happen any time soon. It's likely the insurance you purchased is travel insurance.

[waterbug123]

27 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, things can happen which to me (and not to everyone obviously) is a stronger case for having travel insurance. 

 

Travel insurance doesn't actually help you get home i.e. it doesn't take the place of having a passport.  It simply reimburses for some or all (depending on the policy) of expenses incurred when your trip doesn't go as planned.

 

23 minutes ago, LuckyStar said:

 

If it were me in your shoes,  I would make sure the adults have passports and the kids just have their birth certificates.  I think that if the adults have their passports, that would ease a lot of channels in the case of needing the embassy to help get you home.  It is expensive to get kids passports that don't last as long as 10 years.  It's also a lot of trouble to actually get them.  But it is an interesting experience.  Both parents have to be there.  We were in line early on a Saturday morning.  Right behind a divorced couple who were arguing about the hubby taking his kids and his young girlfriend to Mexico.  It was hilarious, uncomfortable and sad all at the same time.  

 

Not exactly.  If one of the parents can't be there, they can sign a waiver and have it notarized. 

 

4 minutes ago, broberts said:

Officials and airline employees do recognize emergency situations and do handle them appropriately. 

 

My personal feeling is that if something unexpected happens and I need to fly home mid-cruise, or fly to the next port or whatever, I will have enough on my plate dealing with the situation that caused the problem in the first place.  All I want to have to worry about beyond that is physicallly getting to the airport and purchasing a ticket.  I don't want to have to be concerned, on top of all that in an already stressful situation, with finding and getting to an embassy, waiting on an emergency passport, and/or explaining myself to an airline rep, answering whatever extra questions are needed to board the plane without a passport, and subsequently going through immigration without a passport upon arrival home. 

[apratt]

6 minutes ago, amybk27 said:

I just got the passport card for my daughter and I.  Much cheaper.  It's only good for travel by car and sea, but fine for cruises.  

My main worry is if there is a medical emergency and we have to fly out. I wish those worked for that! It would be much cheaper. 

[waterbug123]

18 minutes ago, apratt said:

We have insurance we purchased when we bought the cruise, but is the travelers insurance that y'all are talking about something different?

 

Every travel insurance policy is different and they cover, or don't cover, assorted things.  Whether you purchase it from the cruise line or a 3rd party, you should read the policy carefully in advance before purchasing so you know exactly what is and isn't covered.  Some policies include trip cancellation coverage but only for certain reasons; some allow you to cancel simply because you change your mind.  Some cover medical expenses but the amounts can vary widely.  Some cover varying amounts of the cost of getting home or to the next port.  Some cover travel delays, but you may have to be delayed a certain number of hours before it kicks in.  And so on and so on.  Big differences in what's covered, the amount that you're covered for, and the conditions that have to be met before a particular part of the insurance kicks in.  Know what you're buying BEFORE you buy!   Too many people just assume "oh I bought insurance so everything will be covered." 

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Travel insurance doesn't actually help you get home i.e. it doesn't take the place of having a passport.  It simply reimburses for some or all (depending on the policy) of expenses incurred when your trip doesn't go as planned.

 

 

Not exactly.  If one of the parents can't be there, they can sign a waiver and have it notarized. 

 

 

My personal feeling is that if something unexpected happens and I need to fly home mid-cruise, or fly to the next port or whatever, I will have enough on my plate dealing with the situation that caused the problem in the first place.  All I want to have to worry about beyond that is physicallly getting to the airport and purchasing a ticket.  I don't want to have to be concerned, on top of all that in an already stressful situation, with finding and getting to an embassy, waiting on an emergency passport, and/or explaining myself to an airline rep, answering whatever extra questions are needed to board the plane without a passport, and subsequently going through immigration without a passport upon arrival home. 

I don't see a passport as something to get just to have "just in case", it's a document to have when one travels by international air. Travel insurance is what you get for "just in case". For other travel there are alternatives that are available. I understand you don't want to deal with the hassle and that's perfectly fine, you are making your decision based on what you need. But what you need isn't what someone else needs. As I've said before it's up to each person to decide what to use and your decision has no impact on me.

[broberts]

 

3 minutes ago, apratt said:

My main worry is if there is a medical emergency and we have to fly out. I wish those worked for that! It would be much cheaper. 

 

Don't worry. In a medical emergency you will not be unduly delayed or forced to jump through hoops. The documentation used to board the ship should be quite sufficient for travel back to the US. 

[Desert Cruizers]

Sparks, thank you for your concern, sadly my husband passed a week after getting him home. Once I knew he was being brought back through our Insurance, I purchased my flight home, the Serenade of the Seas GR Supervisor notified AA  regarding our original flights home from Boston and cancelled them with a full refund.  Only thing I wasn't sure of had I chosen to fly the 12 hr flight home with my husband, through the customs check and refueling stages, is why they couldn't have taken our luggage. It may not have been a comfortable flight for me either so was better to fly home on my own. I was home the day after my husband. 

[voyager70]

I never cruise without a passport and good travel insurance.  Call me crazy but I like to have all my bases covered.

 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Desert Cruizers said:

Sparks, thank you for your concern, sadly my husband passed a week after getting him home. Once I knew he was being brought back through our Insurance, I purchased my flight home, the Serenade of the Seas GR Supervisor notified AA  regarding our original flights home from Boston and cancelled them with a full refund.  Only thing I wasn't sure of had I chosen to fly the 12 hr flight home with my husband, through the customs check and refueling stages, is why they couldn't have taken our luggage. It may not have been a comfortable flight for me either so was better to fly home on my own. I was home the day after my husband. 

My condolences.

[Arzeena]

On 12/12/2018 at 8:11 AM, sparks1093 said:

 If someone does decide to travel without a passport it is a decision that impacts no one else.

True!

And I am one who would NEVER travel without a passport.

[SRF]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, things can happen which to me (and not to everyone obviously) is a stronger case for having travel insurance. 

 

Another topic, but it does connect.

 

I always buy insurance, but I don't insure the cost of the cruise.  I have paid that, I budgeted it, I will survive.

 

A couple hundred thousand in medical and med evac bills would NOT be a good thing.

 

By insuring for $0 trip cost, it runs me $32 per trip.

[SRF]

5 hours ago, broberts said:

Officials and airline employees do recognize emergency situations and do handle them appropriately. 

 

And they are individuals.  And some will work hard to help you.  And others will do nothing for you.

 

And they are NOT always handled appropriately. 

 

It will probably work out, but you could also be dealing with delays and frustrations.  Up to you.

[Desert Cruizers]

I was shocked when I called our Insurance UHC through husbands Federal Plan on  what my co pay was to medivac him some 4300 miles back to S Calif from Newfoundland. My cost was $0 . The expense was over $50,000  I had no out of pocket expense. In contrast his medical bill for the night on the Serenade was over $12,000. The sent me a check to over that and pay the CC .

[broberts]

10 minutes ago, SRF said:

...

And they are NOT always handled appropriately. 

...

 

For that matter, carrying a valid passport does not guaranty appropriate handling.

 

[waterbug123]

21 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I don't see a passport as something to get just to have "just in case", it's a document to have when one travels by international air. Travel insurance is what you get for "just in case". For other travel there are alternatives that are available. I understand you don't want to deal with the hassle and that's perfectly fine, you are making your decision based on what you need. But what you need isn't what someone else needs. As I've said before it's up to each person to decide what to use and your decision has no impact on me.

 

1.  Again, travel insurance doesn't logistically help you get home.  It's simply a way to get reimbursed, so it's a completely different issue from the "passport or no passport" discussion.

 

2.  Your last statement is correct in the reverse as well...YOUR decision has no impact on me or anyone else, yet you seem very adamant that others shoudn't worry about getting a passport. 

[thinfool]

On 12/11/2018 at 2:47 PM, Desert Cruizers said:

Sparks for us and my husband having a hear attack 3 days out from Halifax, our next to final port,  I am glad we had our pass ports. They were picked up immediately upon getting to the pier in Newfoundland and ambulance. All I had on me during the 9 days was my DL. It cost me 1 way ( 12 min) to the airport from the hospital $40 each trip to get husbands PP. I had to go back to the airport to get mine when I left 2 days later. The medical expense on board went on my WF CC over riding that. Our insurance sent me a check to cover that. I pray nobody else ever has to endure the tragedy of having your loved one suffer an emergency on a cruise or anywhere outside the US as I did.  All I can say, the feeling that it will never happen to you or I will wait is a bigger risk then spending the money for pass ports.  

I am not taking sides here, but it's fair to say that for you, on a TA, there was no choice.  You cannot sail on a TA without a passport.

Sailings in the Caribbean, for US citizens, offer a choice.