Do we need a passport?

[island lady]

3 minutes ago, voyager70 said:

 

Friday happy hour has already started here in New England!  Cheers!

 

 

Cheers indeed!  🍷 Bucky just poured my wine...have to join him.  Tootles!  😉 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

Sign of the times of things to come?  

Doubt it.

[Charles4515]

24 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

Martinique does...see post #23 quote from Royal.  

Martinique is a outlier in many ways. It was never part of the WHTI and it is a department of France. When I was in Martinique it was apparent they are not as dependent on the cruise business as other islands.  

 

Martinique has nothing to do with the question. As has been answered the OP does not need a passport for her cruise. Would it be a good idea to get them,  yes. Are they needed, no. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Charles4515

[KittenDad]

6 hours ago, JEN5508 said:

I booked the Symphony of the Seas out of Miami for June 2020.   I forgot to ask the booking agent if we needed passports??

 

Jennifer

 

YES  YES

Disregard any no response!

 

You will have problems getting off the ship without a passport if the ship had to divert to any other port that what you left at.  An emergency could cause this without niotice!

[Charles4515]

24 minutes ago, KittenDad said:

 

YES  YES

Disregard any no response!

 

You will have problems getting off the ship without a passport if the ship had to divert to any other port that what you left at.  An emergency could cause this without niotice!

Nice try to spread fear but no they won’t. On the rare occasions when that has happened an emergency waiver was issued for passengers without passports. 
 

 

[mugtech]

Here in PA we do not have enhanced driver's license, must use our passports for any and all flights, even Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. 

[voyager70]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Nice try to spread fear but no they won’t. On the rare occasions when that has happened an emergency waiver was issued for passengers without passports. 
 

 

 

Not always.  I would never leave the country without a passport.  Not that difficult.

 

[Charles4515]

50 minutes ago, mugtech said:

Here in PA we do not have enhanced driver's license, must use our passports for any and all flights, even Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. 

 

And you are not going to have them there. Enhanced driver’s licenses are only issued in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. What you will need in October 2020 is a Real ID license for domestic flights. You have until October 2020 to obtain one. Until then you may fly with your drivers license as ID. Don’t confuse EDL with Real ID. 

[njkruzer]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Nice try to spread fear but no they won’t. On the rare occasions when that has happened an emergency waiver was issued for passengers without passports. 
 

baca

Do you recall the Carnival ship stuck in the Gulf that had to be towed bback to port?  If I remember correctly a Mexican port was closer but because of the number of US citizens without passports they spent an extra day being towed because those people wouldn't be able to fly home.

 

Also, US consulates are not in every port.  You may have to get to another island to find a consulate to get help. Getting a temporary passport is not easy, especially on a weekend.   I know.  Been there, done that.  Never again. Lost a passport on a Friday afternoon in Copenhagen.  Embassy closed.  Ship scheduled to leave Sunday. 

[Charles4515]

29 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Do you recall the Carnival ship stuck in the Gulf that had to be towed bback to port?  If I remember correctly a Mexican port was closer but because of the number of US citizens without passports they spent an extra day being towed because those people wouldn't be able to fly home.

 

Also, US consulates are not in every port.  You may have to get to another island to find a consulate to get help. Getting a temporary passport is not easy, especially on a weekend.   I know.  Been there, done that.  Never again. Lost a passport on a Friday afternoon in Copenhagen.  Embassy closed.  Ship scheduled to leave Sunday. 

Yes, but they were towed to a US port that was not the port they left from. It was no longer a closed loop cruise. So having a passport to return thru immigration was waived. 
 

People should get a passport book but don’t lie to them and tell them they have to have it for every cruise. We should tell the truth.The US government permits not having a passport to certain destinations. Most Caribbean ports allow passengers arriving on a ship not to have a passport. No Caribbean port has ever made me show a passport arriving on a ship. The cruise lines allow passengers to board without them on certain types of sailings. But we can explain why it is not a good idea to travel on those cruises without a passport book without deceiving them. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Charles4515

[njkruzer]

Agreed, you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise.  Having a passport is a smart idea though.  I remember sailing with a voter registration card!  Also note, check the ports you are visiting.  It seems Martinique just announced that passports are required.  There's a recent thread that Royal informed passengers that passports are now required for an upcoming stop in Martinique.   I would assume passengers are busy getting passports.   All I'm saying is that the safe, prepared way to travel is with a passport.   

[mayleeman]

Besides helping in emergencies on a cruise, having a passport also enables you to take last-minute trips if the opportunity arises.

 

The thing about unexpected circumstances is that they are...um...literally something you can't expect. You can, however, prepare for them in many ways. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, njkruzer said:

Agreed, you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise.  Having a passport is a smart idea though.  I remember sailing with a voter registration card!  Also note, check the ports you are visiting.  It seems Martinique just announced that passports are required.  There's a recent thread that Royal informed passengers that passports are now required for an upcoming stop in Martinique.   I would assume passengers are busy getting passports.   All I'm saying is that the safe, prepared way to travel is with a passport.   

Martinique announced the change several months ago so there has been time for passengers on sailings stopping there to get passports.
 

I agree that cruise passengers should get passport books but it is understandable that some won’t want to make the financial outlay. Think about a large family. And since there is the closed loop loophole and some cruise lines like Carnival have marketing that says you don’t need a passport to cruise it is to be expected that some will decide to do that. 
 

The way to look at it is that people can cruise without a passport on some itineraries but that does not mean they should. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Charles4515

[cruisinfanatic]

4 hours ago, KittenDad said:

 

YES  YES

Disregard any no response!

 

You will have problems getting off the ship without a passport if the ship had to divert to any other port that what you left at.  An emergency could cause this without niotice!

Please stop your nonsense!

Emergencies such as you have alarmed some about are extremely rare. If such an emergency did occur, there are provisions for it.

[KittenDad]

4 minutes ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Please stop your nonsense!

Emergencies such as you have alarmed some about are extremely rare. If such an emergency did occur, there are provisions for it.

 

No what is nonsense is to not plan for an emergency!  By your strategy getting hurt is rare so why get insurance?  Best to plan for situations yourself rather than rely on hopefully some "provision" will be made!  

[Merion_Mom]

3 hours ago, mugtech said:

Here in PA we do not have enhanced driver's license, must use our passports for any and all flights, even Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. 

 

Oops.  Never mind.  Apparently I was confused.  😉 

[Clarea]

7 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Sign of the times of things to come?  

 

Not really, as long as I can remember they required a passport.

[mugtech]

3 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

And you are not going to have them there. Enhanced driver’s licenses are only issued in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington. What you will need in October 2020 is a Real ID license for domestic flights. You have until October 2020 to obtain one. Until then you may fly with your drivers license as ID. Don’t confuse EDL with Real ID. 

Exactly, but we are not paying extra, jumping through more hoops just to get something we don't need as long as we have passports.  Waste of time and money.

[Illbcruzn4life]

5 hours ago, mugtech said:

Here in PA we do not have enhanced driver's license, must use our passports for any and all flights, even Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. 

 

I didn't know a passport was required now. When did they implement this?

[mugtech]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

I didn't know a passport was required now. When did they implement this?

I think it kicks in next year, don't know for sure we just use our passports.

[Illbcruzn4life]

11 minutes ago, mugtech said:

I think it kicks in next year, don't know for sure we just use our passports.

 

12 minutes ago, mugtech said:

I think it kicks in next year, don't know for sure we just use our passports.

Ok ty for the quick reply. I had read that you would need them next year as as well.

 

your other post confused me.

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, mugtech said:

Exactly, but we are not paying extra, jumping through more hoops just to get something we don't need as long as we have passports.  Waste of time and money.

If you don’t get a Real ID drivers license after October 1, 2020 in addition to domestic flights you will need your passport as ID to enter Federal buildings and military bases. Seems penny foolish to me not to get a Real ID license.  
 

Glad I live in a state where a Real ID drivers license is not optional for US citizens or an additional cost. I had to get a Real ID license when I renewed. It took ten minutes to provide the documents to get my license. Hardly hoops. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Charles4515

[mugtech]

47 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

If you don’t get a Real ID drivers license after October 1, 2020 in addition to domestic flights you will need your passport as ID to enter Federal buildings and military bases. Seems penny foolish to me not to get a Real ID license.  
 

Glad I live in a state where a Real ID drivers license is not optional for US citizens or an additional cost. I had to get a Real ID license when I renewed. It took ten minutes to provide the documents to get my license. Hardly hoops. 

Don't have to renew my license until 2023, have no idea where my birth certificate is, take my passport with me whenever I leave PA, which is about 7 months a year.  Good for Maryland, glad it was so easy for you.

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, mayleeman said:

Besides helping in emergencies on a cruise, having a passport also enables you to take last-minute trips if the opportunity arises.

 

The thing about unexpected circumstances is that they are...um...literally something you can't expect. You can, however, prepare for them in many ways. 

Even now that we are empty nesters we can't take a last minute trip and that pertains to many. Our trips are planned out well in advance (we're currently planning 2021). We might do a spur of the moment trip to Canada which is 8 miles from our door but even those trips are planned ahead of time. Everyone's situation is different and the need for a passport is not universal.

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Do you recall the Carnival ship stuck in the Gulf that had to be towed bback to port?  If I remember correctly a Mexican port was closer but because of the number of US citizens without passports they spent an extra day being towed because those people wouldn't be able to fly home.

 

Also, US consulates are not in every port.  You may have to get to another island to find a consulate to get help. Getting a temporary passport is not easy, especially on a weekend.   I know.  Been there, done that.  Never again. Lost a passport on a Friday afternoon in Copenhagen.  Embassy closed.  Ship scheduled to leave Sunday. 

As I recall by the time tugs arrived the ship had drifted so it was just as easy to tow it to the states. A more appropriate example is the ship that disembaked everyone at St. Martin. Those without passports were given letters from CBP allowing them to fly without passports and they boarded the same planes as those with passports. The regulations allow for the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons so if you are in a port without a consulate arrangements would be made to fly you to the states where you would be cleared at secondary inspection.

Edited December 7, 2019 by sparks1093