Passport required!

[caribill]

On 8/23/2019 at 7:28 AM, Daniel A said:

Barbados, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago are places not covered by WHTI.  So the WHTI compliant documentation doesn't apply to cruises stopping at those and about nine other Caribbean destinations.

 

Some Caribbean countries -- Barbados, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Martin (but not Dutch St. Maarten), and Trinidad & Tobago -- will require you to have a passport to enter or exit.

 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/visit-caribbean-without-passport-1487918

[indygirl99]

59 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Along with the EDL she should have also needed a birth certificate according to closed loop rules.

Nope no birth certificate needed with the EDL. It is looked at the same way a passport card is. I used my EDL for my most recent flight to Alaska and cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. Went to the Summit on the Canadian side from Skagway and no problems there either.

 

The process to get your EDL (at least in Washington state) is similar to a passport. You show up at the DMV with your certified birth certificate and they take your picture and an extra $30 and 5 minute later you walk out with a temporary license and 5-10 days later your permanent one shows up in the mail. Hubby and I had ours in the mail 2 days later. I was impressed.

[cougaraz]

9 hours ago, indygirl99 said:

And again you have given incorrect or at least not complete information.

 

I crossed the boarder just today and did it WITHOUT a passport, passport card or NEXUS card. The border agent wished me a happy day and said he would see me in a few weeks.

 

I cross semi frequently both by car and by ferry and do it with my EDL, never have had any problems.

 

One of the ladies at church was complaining to me about how she read on Cruise Critic that they had to have a passport to cruise to Alaska only to find out when great grandma misplaced her passport and found out her EDL was acceptable at check in in Seattle that they were given miss information.

 

They had a family reunion on the Ruby and had 10 family members that paid for a company to do their expedited passport based on information from this site. 6 of those 10 family members are in their 70/80's and have no desire to travel abroad and have no need for a passport so they could have saved a good deal of money.

 

Now I know the OP was about the Caribbean cruises and I have no experience with that. I do know an EDL is good for Canada and Alaska unless you plan to fly to/from Canada.

Being in your 70s and 80s and traveling to Alaska without a passport is even riskier.  I can't imagine making that trip without a passport.  One slip, one trip and you have a broken bone, you are evacuated to a Canadian hospital and now stuck in the morass of administration required to get a passport so you can fly home to the United States. 

 

I simply do not understand the continued intransigence about getting a passport.  They are inexpensive, easy to obtain and should you find yourself in a foreign hospital and desperate to get home without one, you would be willing to pay 10 times what it costs to have one in your hand.  Or, should someone at home unexpectedly become ill or pass away and you wish to rush home to be at their bedside or funeral service, you will be out of luck, for not obtaining a passport that basically costs about $1 per month.

[indygirl99]

1 hour ago, cougaraz said:

Being in your 70s and 80s and traveling to Alaska without a passport is even riskier.  I can't imagine making that trip without a passport.  One slip, one trip and you have a broken bone, you are evacuated to a Canadian hospital and now stuck in the morass of administration required to get a passport so you can fly home to the United States. 

 

I simply do not understand the continued intransigence about getting a passport.  They are inexpensive, easy to obtain and should you find yourself in a foreign hospital and desperate to get home without one, you would be willing to pay 10 times what it costs to have one in your hand.  Or, should someone at home unexpectedly become ill or pass away and you wish to rush home to be at their bedside or funeral service, you will be out of luck, for not obtaining a passport that basically costs about $1 per month.

Last time I looked Alaska was still part of the United States of America. AND they do have hospitals there so no need to transfer to a Canadian hospital. Plus their health insurance pays quite well for procedures in Canada hence the reason they have EDL.

The assumptions some people make are astonishing.

[cougaraz]

15 minutes ago, indygirl99 said:

Last time I looked Alaska was still part of the United States of America. AND they do have hospitals there so no need to transfer to a Canadian hospital. Plus their health insurance pays quite well for procedures in Canada hence the reason they have EDL.

The assumptions some people make are astonishing.

The closest hospital to Skagway is in Whitehorse, which is in Canada.  On the Grand Princess sailing three weeks ago a patient was airlifted off of the ship via a Canadian helicopter to a hospital in Canada.  On the most recent Grand Princess sailing, an ambulance was waiting for a passenger as soon as we arrived in Victoria to transfer a patient to a Canadian hospital.

 

It doesn't matter how good your health insurance is, if you have a broken leg, a broken arm or a heart attack and end up in a Canadian hospital without a passport, whether for a day, a week or a month, you will not be able to fly home until you get one.

 

Again, passports are cheap and easy to obtain.  Why take the risk?

[broberts]

49 minutes ago, cougaraz said:

without a passport, whether for a day, a week or a month, you will not be able to fly home until you get one.

 

Not strictly true. One can get emergency travel authorization when necessary. A search of the boards will turn up a number of first hand accounts.

[LoriPhil]

Risking the barrage of negatives, I gotta weigh-in on the side of getting a passport.  Powerful little document to have proving identity and citizenship and if you get one on a timely basis, no additional "expedite" fees.  Personally, I don't want to carry an original of my birth certificate, which would be way harder to replace if lost or damaged during travels - it stays in the safe deposit box.  😱

[capriccio]

37 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Not strictly true. One can get emergency travel authorization when necessary. A search of the boards will turn up a number of first hand accounts.

 

I don't remember any of those postings (other than a gentleman who missed the ship in Nassau without his passport and had to go to the Embassy and get a new one IIRC) and couldn't find any using the search engine (which is admittedly weak) but here is what the US State Department recommends for cruise ship passengers on https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html

 

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.

If I’m not required to have a passport for my cruise, why should I get one?

Unexpected circumstances can come up that make it impossible to return to the United States on the cruise ship. Here are some examples:

1. Illness or Injury – Depending on the severity of your illness or injury, you may have to be admitted to a local hospital overseas. If you cannot be discharged before the cruise ship is scheduled to depart, the cruise ship may leave without you. In this case, you would need a U.S. passport to fly home upon clearance from your doctor.
2. Damage to cruise ship – Occasionally cruise ships are damaged or have mechanical issues that cannot be fixed during your trip. In these cases, you might need to go ashore in a country which requires a passport and/or you would need a U.S passport book to fly home.

Edited August 25, 2019 by capriccio

[indygirl99]

1 hour ago, cougaraz said:

The closest hospital to Skagway is in Whitehorse, which is in Canada.  On the Grand Princess sailing three weeks ago a patient was airlifted off of the ship via a Canadian helicopter to a hospital in Canada.  On the most recent Grand Princess sailing, an ambulance was waiting for a passenger as soon as we arrived in Victoria to transfer a patient to a Canadian hospital.

 

It doesn't matter how good your health insurance is, if you have a broken leg, a broken arm or a heart attack and end up in a Canadian hospital without a passport, whether for a day, a week or a month, you will not be able to fly home until you get one.

 

Again, passports are cheap and easy to obtain.  Why take the risk?

Why pay $145 for a passport that is good for 10 years when you can pay $35 for an EDL that is good for 7 years?

 

I don't think you fully read my post. They live in Washington state and have traveled to Canada for medical care on more than one occasion, that is the reason they got the EDL. They have no desire to travel abroad so they had no need to pay the sky high amount they paid to expedite their passports.

 

We get patients all the time in Anchorage from Skagway. Patients only get sent to Whitehorse if they are Canadian citizens. Victoria is just  a short ferry ride home to Washington state so again no need for a passport.

[Daniel A]

2 minutes ago, indygirl99 said:

Why pay $145 for a passport that is good for 10 years when you can pay $35 for an EDL that is good for 7 years?

 

The large majority of people who follow Cruise Critic Boards do not have Enhanced Driver Licenses available.  Currently, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington are the only states that issue EDLs.  Only two Canadian Provinces currently issue EDLs, British Columbia and Manitoba.  I’ve seen people posting from other states believing they have an Enhanced Driver License but in reality they are only ‘Real ID’ documents which are not good for border crossings.  A lot of people confuse Real IDs with EDLs.  I have a New York EDL, Global Entry card and a passport.  Even though I could cross borders with any one of those forms of ID, I always take my passport with me whenever I leave the US even if it’s just a short trip to Bahamas, Niagara Falls, Ontario or formerly to Tijuana, Mexico.  Taking the passport and a high credit limit credit card satisfies my comfort level when I travel.  If only taking your EDL with you on a cruise satisfies your comfort level then good for you.  You aren’t going to convince the others out of bringing their passports and they won’t talk you into taking a passport with you.  I don’t want to need to get involved with an embassy or consulate to (maybe) get an Emergency Travel Authorization if an emergency arose and I needed to fly home for some reason.

[K.T.B.]

14 hours ago, indygirl99 said:

And again you have given incorrect or at least not complete information.

 

I crossed the boarder just today and did it WITHOUT a passport, passport card or NEXUS card. The border agent wished me a happy day and said he would see me in a few weeks.

 

I cross semi frequently both by car and by ferry and do it with my EDL, never have had any problems.

 

One of the ladies at church was complaining to me about how she read on Cruise Critic that they had to have a passport to cruise to Alaska only to find out when great grandma misplaced her passport and found out her EDL was acceptable at check in in Seattle that they were given miss information.

 

They had a family reunion on the Ruby and had 10 family members that paid for a company to do their expedited passport based on information from this site. 6 of those 10 family members are in their 70/80's and have no desire to travel abroad and have no need for a passport so they could have saved a good deal of money.

 

Now I know the OP was about the Caribbean cruises and I have no experience with that. I do know an EDL is good for Canada and Alaska unless you plan to fly to/from Canada.

 

I'm basing my info provided by the link in terms of what one needs to go into Canada.  A link that is a US government site.  Unless that site is wrong?

[broberts]

39 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

I'm basing my info provided by the link in terms of what one needs to go into Canada.  A link that is a US government site.  Unless that site is wrong?

 

I would think the definitive site for information about entry into Canada would that of the appropriate Canadian government agency, https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html.

[K.T.B.]

1 hour ago, broberts said:

 

I would think the definitive site for information about entry into Canada would that of the appropriate Canadian government agency, https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html.

 

And from that link:   All international travellers must carry acceptable identification and a valid visa (if necessary) when entering Canada. A passport is recommended because it is the only reliable and universally-accepted travel and identification document for the purpose of international travel. International transport companies, such as airlines, must make sure that travellers have proper, valid travel documents. If you do not have the proper documents, you may be delayed or unable to board the plane. What you need will depend on where you are from, how you are travelling, and what documents you are travelling with. 

[LeeW]

Getting back to the original OP topic, we got the Princess notice for a 2021 circle Caribbean cruise.  TA says this is due to stop in Trinidad or Martinique.  We have NOT gotten a notice for a Disney cruise next summer stopping in Martinique.  They just have the normal WHTI notice for US citizens.  Younger kids on that one, so passports for them are only good for 5 years.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, LeeW said:

Getting back to the original OP topic, we got the Princess notice for a 2021 circle Caribbean cruise.  TA says this is due to stop in Trinidad or Martinique.  We have NOT gotten a notice for a Disney cruise next summer stopping in Martinique.  They just have the normal WHTI notice for US citizens.  Younger kids on that one, so passports for them are only good for 5 years.

It looks like Disney notifies you of required documents in your online reservation.  I guess it is your responsibility to look it up if you haven't already done so.  According to Disney Cruises FAQs: “To find a list of specific documents required for your itinerary, read the Passport & Travel Documentation guidelines in My Reservations.”

 

Disney Cruises FAQ Page: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/preparing-for-cruise/travel-documents/

 

Whatever, it's better to be safe and get the passports even if Disney doesn't require them.

[brisalta]

20 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Whatever, it's better to be safe and get the passports even if Disney doesn't require them.

 

Passports are the gold standard for travel and entrance to countries along with any necessary visas.

Regulations that allow other forms of identification can and do change periodically. These changes of regulations can occur at inopportune times for travelers.

Edited August 26, 2019 by brisalta

[kendon]

On 8/21/2019 at 2:26 PM, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

Do you carry your passports now on your most recent cruise?  I was told if one never intend to go ashore, a passport is not needed.

 

You never know what may occur that you would have to disembark leaving you illegally in a country not your own.  Always travel with a passport.

 

[broberts]

47 minutes ago, kendon said:

You never know what may occur that you would have to disembark leaving you illegally in a country not your own.  Always travel with a passport.

 

 

Being in possession of a passport would not change the legality of being in a country.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 8/25/2019 at 12:05 AM, indygirl99 said:

The process to get your EDL (at least in Washington state) is similar to a passport. You show up at the DMV with your certified birth certificate and they take your picture and an extra $30 and 5 minute later you walk out with a temporary license and 5-10 days later your permanent one shows up in the mail. Hubby and I had ours in the mail 2 days later. I was impressed.

 

Lucky you.

 

I needed to renew my CA DL so I thought I might as well get a REAL ID.

 

To make an appointment I had to book seven weeks out and the four DMVs closest to me didn't have ANY appointments available at any time, so I had to go to an office four cities away.

 

On the appointed day I showed up at DMV and had to stand in two lines before getting to the appointment window. That was 30 minutes. Then it took 20 minutes of going over my documents, finding a second DMV to confirm the documents. Because I was renewing there was a written test, which was a surprise since I don't ever recall a written test when renewing, but okay....

 

I couldn't take the written test until after getting my photo taken, which was a fourth line and 20 more minutes. I get to the counter and it's "sorry, I don't see you in the system, can you stand over there". 10 minutes later, "okay we found you". A quick pic was taken and it was over to line #5, the exam.

 

15 more minutes in line before being assigned a computer ('written test' is a touch screen with 14 available languages). 15 minutes to answer the 17 questions and back in line to say, "I finished". That was only 10 minutes.

 

"Congratulations you passed, you'll see your new license in about two weeks".

 

So a total of two hours with an appointment. Yikes!

 

I do have to say, every employee was very friendly and sincere and doing their best, no complaints there. I just think efficiency is lacking in the CA system.

[Daniel A]

8 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

Lucky you.

 

I needed to renew my CA DL so I thought I might as well get a REAL ID.

 

To make an appointment I had to book seven weeks out and the four DMVs closest to me didn't have ANY appointments available at any time, so I had to go to an office four cities away.

 

On the appointed day I showed up at DMV and had to stand in two lines before getting to the appointment window. That was 30 minutes. Then it took 20 minutes of going over my documents, finding a second DMV to confirm the documents. Because I was renewing there was a written test, which was a surprise since I don't ever recall a written test when renewing, but okay....

 

I couldn't take the written test until after getting my photo taken, which was a fourth line and 20 more minutes. I get to the counter and it's "sorry, I don't see you in the system, can you stand over there". 10 minutes later, "okay we found you". A quick pic was taken and it was over to line #5, the exam.

 

15 more minutes in line before being assigned a computer ('written test' is a touch screen with 14 available languages). 15 minutes to answer the 17 questions and back in line to say, "I finished". That was only 10 minutes.

 

"Congratulations you passed, you'll see your new license in about two weeks".

 

So a total of two hours with an appointment. Yikes!

 

I do have to say, every employee was very friendly and sincere and doing their best, no complaints there. I just think efficiency is lacking in the CA system.

You went through all of that and it's still not enough to permit you to cross borders. 

[hbrote]

On 8/25/2019 at 2:05 PM, Daniel A said:

The large majority of people who follow Cruise Critic Boards do not have Enhanced Driver Licenses available.  Currently, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington are the only states that issue EDLs. 

 

I'm sorrry but that is not so.  I live in  Georgia and have an EDL (with the "Star" on it too).  I think most states are now offering an EDL.

A passport is the way to travel.  The way I've always looked at it, if you can afford a cruise you can

afford a passport.

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by hbrote

[capriccio]

3 minutes ago, hbrote said:

 

I'm sorrry but that is not so.  I live in  Georgia and have an EDL (with the "Star" on it too).  I think most states are now offering an EDL

 

 

That is a REAL ID license.

 

" A REAL ID-compliant driver's license or state ID card will have a star in a gold circle printed in the upper right corner of the card. Enhanced licenses and IDs, which are also REAL ID compliant, have an American flag printed on them. "

 

" Enhanced driver's licenses are available to U.S. citizens who reside in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. " (Wikepedia)

[hbrote]

31 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

That is a REAL ID license.

 

 

I stand corrected, no RFID chip included in the license.  I did have to provide my passport to obtain .

[Daniel A]

49 minutes ago, hbrote said:

I stand corrected, no RFID chip included in the license.  I did have to provide my passport to obtain .

You're certainly not alone.  This is why I wrote "I’ve seen people posting from other states believing they have an Enhanced Driver License but in reality they are only ‘Real ID’ documents which are not good for border crossings."  I have seen some states call their "Real ID" licenses as being "Enhanced Security Licenses" when they aren't the Enhanced Driver License required for border crossings.

 

You are very correct when you said "if you can afford a cruise you can afford a passport." 

 

[kendon]

On 8/23/2019 at 10:21 PM, ShawninFL said:

Everyone just needs to break down and get a passport.  Although you can do closed loops to the Caribbean from the US with a birth certificate and a state ID, it's not advisable.  In the event of an emergency, if you do not have a passport, you are very limited as to what you can do.  Emergency back home and no passport, can't fly home.  Unexpected illness or injury that causes you or travel companion to have to leave sailing for land based care, you will have a bureaucratic hill to climb with the local consulate to get you a passport so you can travel home.  Yes, these are highly unlikely, but if they happen, the last thing you want to have to deal with is figuring out how you're going to get home.

YES, EXACTLY.  Great post.