Princess Cruise "Secrets" 2019

[MamaDeb]

So just to confirm, if getting off the ship in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s best to take my passport in case I have to fly back to the US for an emergency. Please just a yes or no. There’s no need for discussion of citizenship. I am a US citizen. 

[julie3fan]

Deb, there will be legitimate arguments for either.  Cruising to Canada is a little different than cruising in Europe.  If you fail to reboard the ship in Canada and they leave without you, they will very likely get into your safe to look for your passport to leave with the port agent.  So you'll be able to get it if you need to fly home.  Only you will know if there are legitimate fears that you won't return to the ship.  Sorry there won't be a firm yes or no answer. 

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, MamaDeb said:

So just to confirm, if getting off the ship in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s best to take my passport in case I have to fly back to the US for an emergency. Please just a yes or no. There’s no need for discussion of citizenship. I am a US citizen. 

Yes. You have to bring it because you are in a foreign country.

 

[Papa Yoda]

On 1/27/2019 at 1:17 PM, TheRabbit said:

There are a few exceptions such as the Coral/Island center lifts (Not the glass Atrium elevators) face aft.

 

So that's why I always got lost using those elevators...

[PekingeseLady]

2 hours ago, suzyed said:

Yes. You have to bring it because you are in a foreign country.

 

No you don't have to bring it.  I don't have one, just birth certificate and DL.  I know I need one and am getting a new one soon, but I do not need one to get off the ship in Victoria, or Mexico for that matter.  Everyone will tell you that it is better to travel with a passport an I totally agree, but you do not need one.

[julie3fan]

2 hours ago, suzyed said:

Yes. You have to bring it because you are in a foreign country.

 

 

If you HAD to bring it, cruise ships wouldn't allow you to board with just a drivers license and birth certificate.  It could be argued having a passport is better, but it's not required.

[Anubi]

10 hours ago, MamaDeb said:

So just to confirm, if getting off the ship in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s best to take my passport in case I have to fly back to the US for an emergency. Please just a yes or no. There’s no need for discussion of citizenship. I am a US citizen. 

Yes you will need your passport.  Crossing the border is no longer quick and easy.  We have had to show our passports while crossing into the US for years; no passport, no entry, no argument or discussion allowed.  The US border guards are VERY strict about that, no matter your nationality.  

[Almighty188]

Duplicate Post.  Mods, please delete
 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Almighty188

[Almighty188]

Duplicate Reply...  
 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Almighty188

[Almighty188]

13 hours ago, RRFan said:

I'm not sure why you are so worried about proof of citizenship.  That's not the issue of what I was talking about at all.  The issue is that when in port, the ship will announce that you take a government-issued ID when going ashore.  The purpose of that is that SOME (not all) port security personnel want to see a picture because when they see your cabin card, they only see a name and no picture.  The DL (or passport) shows a picture and the name, which they can then look at you and verify that you are indeed permitted to approach the ship.  Your citizenship is not their concern.  If you don't have a picture ID, you hold up the line.  And I've never had to prove my citizenship in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, or any other state!!   Geeze-Louise!!  Lighten up Almighty and feel free to carry that passport with you at all times!  

I am not concerned about proof of citizenship, all I am saying is it is better than not having it as you missed the other part I was saying, I was saying the ship is fine but when you have a problem elsewhere while in the foreign country, the passport will be better than the DL when getting assistance.  Basically, the bottom line is whatever government-issued ID whether passport or DL, you lose it and you basically have no photo ID of any type.  Otherwise you might as well just leave your passport at home since there is always a risk with everything.  As for holding up the line, if they don't have a picture ID, just do the common courtesy and let the people behind them go first.  As for proving your citizenship, I never said that was a requirement but I remember a few years ago, there was discussion of that in the news for the state of Arizona atleast.  I never said I was worried either, I was just saying it's a Passport is always a better document than a DL as one is more for traveling and issued by the country, the other is more for driving which is issued by the state.  As for whether or not you had anyone asking to prove your citizenship in any state, that has more to do with your ethnicity which is all I will say as I was borned in Mississippi and people had always view people from East Asia differently.  And finally, I am talking about the good points and bad points, not trying to start a flame war so shouldn't you be the one who should lighten up as using exclamation marks is no different than shouting which is against netiquette which is the standard for online communications that has been used for almost the last 40 years:
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

 

When you read something, try to read it in a neutral manner instead of treating it like you were being personally attacked.  My apologies if you took it the wrong way.

 

13 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Paragraphs make reading easier. 

It would but I don't have all day to reply to a post as I typed everything in my reply within 3 minutes flat since I also have time constraints as my cruise travels is in 20 days from now and I still have not even done the excursions yet among other things to prepare for the trip.  I am only getting 1 hour of sleep per day and tons of things to do.  I also am reading a few 100's of posts a day and replying on various channels on the internet.  I am also a scientist, not a liberal arts major.  Not to mention, everyone has their own writing style and I always like to be detailed about things.  Otherwise, there will be the Grammar police and everything else for that matter since quoting excessively and using either a one liner or less for a response is also considered bad.  
 

[Almighty188]

12 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Expressions of coherent thinking also make for easier reading.  But some people's posts can simply be skipped.

Like the saying goes, it's a free country or a free world.  You can choose to read or not read what you want as that's a personal choice.  But instead of making it a personal discussion which should really be done via PM as this would be basically getting off-topic.  

[Almighty188]

7 hours ago, julie3fan said:

 

If you HAD to bring it, cruise ships wouldn't allow you to board with just a drivers license and birth certificate.  It could be argued having a passport is better, but it's not required.

Good points.  Cruise Ships requires ID and Proof of Citizenship.  A Passport would serve both purposes instead of having a separate ID/Driver License which some people don't have.  Wouldn't a birth certificate be pretty difficult to carry around compared to a Passport though?  For females that got married, I would think the name on the ID would not match the name on the birth certificate.  In my case being male, the person at the hospital spelled my first name wrong so it's way different than what's on the passport and driver's license which was based on the passport that was used for the ID and proof of citizenship to obtain the driver's license.  I know there are even people from the Flyertalk forums who said their names on the passport was not exactly the same as what's on the driver's license.  The US State Department's answer is probably the best one:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html

as the FAQ says:
I am taking a cruise, do I need a passport?
"We recommend that everyone taking a cruise from the United States have a passport book. Though some “closed-loop” cruises may not require a U.S. passport, we recommend bringing yours in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected medical air evacuation or the ship docking at an alternate port. Also, your cruise company may require you to have a passport, even if U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not."
 

This URL probably says why it's best to have the passport with you instead of leaving it on the ship as your only risk is the chance of losing it while the benefits are many:
https://www.*****.com/questions/when-getting-the-ship-shore-excursions-should-we-leave-our-passports-onboard-or-bring-them

 

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Almighty188

[Thrak]

On 1/31/2019 at 6:57 PM, suzyed said:

Yes. You have to bring it because you are in a foreign country.

 

 

I never take my passport ashore. I haven't needed it in any country so far. If I do get to a country where that is required Princess will take the passports and handle things. I know that Princess did collect our passports for one port but can't remember which port it was. I didn't have to carry it with me though and I certainly don't want to risk having it get lost in some other country. When we've had to show ID my driver's license and cruise card were all that was required.

[suzyed]

2 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I never take my passport ashore. I haven't needed it in any country so far. If I do get to a country where that is required Princess will take the passports and handle things. I know that Princess did collect our passports for one port but can't remember which port it was. I didn't have to carry it with me though and I certainly don't want to risk having it get lost in some other country. When we've had to show ID my driver's license and cruise card were all that was required.

Princess collected our passports when we were in Ireland.
When we were on an Alaska cruise, we made a stop in Canada, of course.  We were told to bring our ID/Passports and we had to show them before we entered.   This was back in 2008 and 2010 so maybe it has changed since then. 
We sometimes, but not always, talk our passports with us when we go ashore.

 

[suzyed]

On 2/1/2019 at 8:00 AM, Almighty188 said:

Good points.  Cruise Ships requires ID and Proof of Citizenship.  A Passport would serve both purposes instead of having a separate ID/Driver License which some people don't have.  Wouldn't a birth certificate be pretty difficult to carry around compared to a Passport though?  For females that got married, I would think the name on the ID would not match the name on the birth certificate.  In my case being male, the person at the hospital spelled my first name wrong so it's way different than what's on the passport and driver's license which was based on the passport that was used for the ID and proof of citizenship to obtain the driver's license.  I know there are even people from the Flyertalk forums who said their names on the passport was not exactly the same as what's on the driver's license.  The US State Department's answer is probably the best one:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html

as the FAQ says:
I am taking a cruise, do I need a passport?
"We recommend that everyone taking a cruise from the United States have a passport book. Though some “closed-loop” cruises may not require a U.S. passport, we recommend bringing yours in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected medical air evacuation or the ship docking at an alternate port. Also, your cruise company may require you to have a passport, even if U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not."
 

This URL probably says why it's best to have the passport with you instead of leaving it on the ship as your only risk is the chance of losing it while the benefits are many:
https://www.*****.com/questions/when-getting-the-ship-shore-excursions-should-we-leave-our-passports-onboard-or-bring-them

 

 

Totally agree with the points made above.

[gottagocit]

I thought this thread was related to “Princess Secrets”? 

 

I believe it may be worth taking the passport vs DL vs none of the above to its own thread vs having it go on for pages within this one. 

[jagsfan]

10 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

I thought this thread was related to “Princess Secrets”? 

 

I believe it may be worth taking the passport vs DL vs none of the above to its own thread vs having it go on for pages within this one. 

👍

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 1/31/2019 at 6:57 PM, suzyed said:

Yes. You have to bring it because you are in a foreign country.

 

 

While some cruise lines apparently do require you to bring a passport to go on a cruise to Alaska because you visit Canada on the cruise, most lines do not require a passport be brought, just as  Thrak said. The one downside of that is that you cannot fly back into the US if you only have a birth certificate so many people do bring one "just in case" since it could be a big hassle if you have to be medevaced  or leave the cruise early for some reason.

 

Tom

[Ep010835]

If you travel a lot, you have a passport. 

What’s the downside of having it with you on all Cruises?

I don’t see a downside. 

[OCruisers]

On 1/16/2019 at 7:50 PM, hokiefans said:

If you get a coupon book from your TA, there is often a 2 for 1 coupon for a specialty restaurant that you can use, but only on the first night of the cruise!

 

We got one and gave it to some friends who wanted to go the first night.  

[OCruisers]

If you are on a B2B and sending out cleaning/laundry the last couple of nights on your first leg, write"In Transit" on the bag.  Your cabin steward should know ... but it's still a good thing to do.   

[jimlouisesophie]

On 1/31/2019 at 5:22 PM, MamaDeb said:

So just to confirm, if getting off the ship in Victoria, British Columbia, it’s best to take my passport in case I have to fly back to the US for an emergency. Please just a yes or no. There’s no need for discussion of citizenship. I am a US citizen. 

Hi Deb, Yes....Definitely

[ukbecky]

Watch your booking closely. And babysit your TA if you have booked a Princess cruise.

 

I was  "upgraded"(from an IC to an IB), to a cabin I *never* would have chosen, and moved from the cabin I chose 6 months ago. I did not book an inside guarantee.

 

My TA didn't notify me, Princess didn't notify me, the ship is sold out and I am basically out of luck. I have called 4 times this week, but no luck so far. Both the TA and Princess keep telling me to call back in 24-72 hours. Every.time. I call either one.

 

And for everyone about to say they mark their booking no upgrades/Meta only --- know that, as far as Princess is concerned, those are requests only, not binding. 

 

Instead of looking forward to my 27-day cruise next month, I am kind of dreading it. This is my longest cruise, 5th sailing with Princess and the one that makes me Platinum.

Edited February 3, 2019 by ukbecky
typo

[Baystate]

53 minutes ago, ukbecky said:

Watch your booking closely. And babysit your TA if you have booked a Princess cruise.

 

I was  "upgraded"(from an IC to an IB), to a cabin I *never* would have chosen, and moved from the cabin I chose 6 months ago. I did not book an inside guarantee.

 

My TA didn't notify me, Princess didn't notify me, the ship is sold out and I am basically out of luck. I have called 4 times this week, but no luck so far. Both the TA and Princess keep telling me to call back in 24-72 hours. Every.time. I call either one.

 

And for everyone about to say they mark their booking no upgrades/Meta only --- know that, as far as Princess is concerned, those are requests only, not binding. 

 

Instead of looking forward to my 27-day cruise next month, I am kind of dreading it. This is my longest cruise, 5th sailing with Princess and the one that makes me Platinum.

This happened to me and after many, many phone calls I got my cabin back.  I was told by several Princess supervisors that there isn't a meta upgrade anymore. My argument was that I had specifically picked that cabin and marked meta upgrade. They didn't care so I kept telling them to give the people who got my cabin the "upgrade"  Eventually they did 

[Pierlesscruisers]

1 hour ago, ukbecky said:

And for everyone about to say they mark their booking no upgrades/Meta only --- know that, as far as Princess is concerned, those are requests only, not binding.

 

 

You might want to recheck your source on that as I do not believe that is the case.

 

Tom