no passport question

[gfargo53]

a friend just called me and said her 80 year old father would like to go on a cruise

but the problem is he has no passport is there anywhere that he can cruise on royal

without one they live on the east coast.sorry if this was asked before just trying

to get an answer for her

[BeachChik]

As long as you leave an return to the same US port a passport is not required. You can use a birth certificate instead. Passports are always recommended though. 

[cb at sea]

We don't have passports, either....as long as it's a "closed loop" cruise from the USA, and he's an American citizen, BC and DL or state issued ID is fine.

[Goofyfanatic]

1 hour ago, BeachChik said:

As long as you leave an return to the same US port a passport is not required. You can use a birth certificate instead. Passports are always recommended though. 

Exactly!

 

Just remember if by some chance he gets stuck in a foreign country getting back into the US will be a nightmare. While we never think it will happen it does happen from time to time. What happens if he gets sick and ends up in a hospital in the foreign country?

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, Goofyfanatic said:

Exactly!

 

Just remember if by some chance he gets stuck in a foreign country getting back into the US will be a nightmare. While we never think it will happen it does happen from time to time. What happens if he gets sick and ends up in a hospital in the foreign country?

 

Agreed. His health at 80 would be something to consider. He at least should make sure he has a good travel insurance policy for that cruise, including medivac coverage, which could cost many thousands of dollars. An elderly neighbor up the street who uses a walker broke her hip in the MDR when someone didn't see her and pushed their chair away from the table and knocked her over as she passed behind. The cost was amazingly high since they were far from shore and needed immediate attention. Fortunately, they had insurance that covered most of the expenses. 

 

Never take unnecessary chances.

Edited June 14, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[SRF]

To be accurate, a birth certificate (actual government one, not the hospital one) is only for an American citizen, born in the US.

 

If they were born outside the US to US parents, they would need a Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

 

If they were not born a US citizen, then they would need naturalization documentation.

 

And there is nothing stopping him from getting a passport before he goes.

 

My parents did their first cruise at 87, with passports (but they already had them).

[Coralc]

5 hours ago, cb at sea said:

We don't have passports, either....as long as it's a "closed loop" cruise from the USA, and he's an American citizen, BC and DL or state issued ID is fine.

 

Seriously cb? All this cruising, obviously only from the US...and you don't have passports to venture out a little? 

[Coralc]

6 hours ago, gfargo53 said:

a friend just called me and said her 80 year old father would like to go on a cruise

but the problem is he has no passport is there anywhere that he can cruise on royal

without one they live on the east coast.sorry if this was asked before just trying

to get an answer for her

 

My mom always really wanted to go to Alaska. We decided to take her and her long time companion on a cruise there. The cruise left from Vancouver, so they both had to get passports at 80 years old. They had a wonderful time. 

 

Since she had a passport, about 6 months after we returned, she had the opportunity to go to China for 3 weeks with the Chamber of Commerce group. So she did...and had a fabulous time. 

 

She was 6 days short of 90 years for a renewal, but she did make use of her passport. That said, he just needs a certified birth certificate and photo ID for a closed loop cruise from the US. 

[brillohead]

Assuming he is a US citizen born here, he will need a birth certificate and a government-issued photo identification. 

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, Coralc said:

 

Seriously cb? All this cruising, obviously only from the US...and you don't have passports to venture out a little? 

Everyone's travel patterns are different. We cruised for 6 years before we had the time and money to "venture out a little" (and waited to get our passport until we could). Many people never have the opportunity to ever "venture out a little".

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, Goofyfanatic said:

Exactly!

 

Just remember if by some chance he gets stuck in a foreign country getting back into the US will be a nightmare. While we never think it will happen it does happen from time to time. What happens if he gets sick and ends up in a hospital in the foreign country?

There are provisions in the regulations to waive the passport requirements for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons. 

[Ocean Boy]

9 hours ago, Coralc said:

 

Seriously cb? All this cruising, obviously only from the US...and you don't have passports to venture out a little? 

And how many times has she said that once you have seen one Caribbean island you have seen them all? I'm really not sure she has ever seen any of them. That could be why no need for a passport.

[Starry Eyes]

8 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

And how many times has she said that once you have seen one Caribbean island you have seen them all? I'm really not sure she has ever seen any of them. That could be why no need for a passport.

It does add a bit of perspective to her posts, doesn’t it?

 

My mother obtained her first passport at age 79 before a closed loop cruise.  My brother, who treated her to the cruise, felt better with a passport, especially since she had name changes over her life span.  Her expedited passport took about 2 weeks.  Now she is good to go if she wants to do an Alaska cruise or such.  

[Snit13]

Correct me if my memory has failed again, but at age 80 he would be on Medicare and I have always been told that Medicare does not cover me if I am out of the USA.  I am not certain but I also thought my Cigna supplement does not cover me outside USA.  I always buy the insurance and never leave the USA without my passport.  I believe I got my first passport in the 1960's.

 

OP, advise your friend to have father get a passport and spend his children's inheritance traveling and enjoying the rest of his life meeting new friends and learning about new places.

[Ocean Boy]

11 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

Correct me if my memory has failed again, but at age 80 he would be on Medicare and I have always been told that Medicare does not cover me if I am out of the USA.  I am not certain but I also thought my Cigna supplement does not cover me outside USA.  I always buy the insurance and never leave the USA without my passport.  I believe I got my first passport in the 1960's.

 

OP, advise your friend to have father get a passport and spend his children's inheritance traveling and enjoying the rest of his life meeting new friends and learning about new places.

It is true that Medicare does not cover you outside of the U.S. or its territories. Depending on your supplement plan, typically if something is not covered by Medicare it will not be covered by your supplement. Suppliment plans mostly cover Medicare deductibles and co-pays. And some don't pick up the deductible either.

[waterbug123]

On 6/14/2019 at 3:51 PM, BeachChik said:

As long as you leave an return to the same US port a passport is not required. You can use a birth certificate instead. Passports are always recommended though. 

 

Just be sure he has an official birth certificate.  If he's 80, it's quite possible that whatever he has for his BC, is not considered official by today's standards.  An official one would generally be issued by the state or local government municipality or vital records office, and include either a raised seal, stamp or watermark.   If he only has a BC issued by a hospital, it won't be accepted.

 

On 6/14/2019 at 10:20 PM, Coralc said:

 

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by waterbug123