passport expiration date a problem with online check in

[NownZen]

2 hours ago, susiesan said:

 

I've had bad luck with these expedite services, 2 times in the last 20 years they have lost my documents, passports sent in for visas, causing me to scramble at the last minute and save my vacation.

 

I'll bet the passport expiration loophole catches more people than you think. If as a very savvy global world traveller it caught me, imagine how many other "clueless" cruisers get snagged.

Very clearly you are not a "very savvy" global world traveler or this would be second nature for you to check your passport. It is not a "loophole", it is a requirement.

You think you are special and the rules do not apply to you. They think otherwise.

[kibutzer]

6 hours ago, susiesan said:

My TA got through to Oceania. They will not budge. Because my passport expires 6 days after the return date O will not waive their policy and allow us to board the ship. Again, there is no regulation that says there must be 6 months left on a passport to enter any of the Caribbean countries or to return to the US.

 

I am working with an expediting service to rush through the passport renewals within the remaining time frame. They should be doing it in 6-8 business days. This is costing me over $700 for the service plus extra for the expedited renewal fee of $208 each. If the passports make it back on time we will be on the cruise.

 

This will be my last Oceania cruise, they have lost a long time customer due to their inflexible position on this passport expiration issue. I made an honest mistake that O has the power to make right but they refuse to do so. I know all the haters here will say it's my fault, I should have read the fine print. But how many of you have made a similar mistake with a business you purchase from and that company makes it right to keep a happy customer? 

Sorry, but you created the problem. Not Os fault.

[kibutzer]

4 hours ago, susiesan said:

Sure they do. Any business can make an exception to their policy, but Oceania is choosing not to. I owned a business for 39 years, just recently sold it. I had company policies in place but when good loyal customers asked me to make special accommodations for mistakes they made, I did what I could to make them happy. It's called customer service and it buys a business a loyal customer for life.

 

I've had bad luck with these expedite services, 2 times in the last 20 years they have lost my documents, passports sent in for visas, causing me to scramble at the last minute and save my vacation.

 

I'll bet the passport expiration loophole catches more people than you think. If as a very savvy global world traveller it caught me, imagine how many other "clueless" cruisers get snagged.

 

Interesting, sister line NCL does not require a passport at all, let alone having 6 months on it. Here's their language:

For Cruises Leaving From a U.S. Port to the Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal

You’re required to carry:

A Valid Passport

OR

Proof of Citizenship (see below) AND Government-issued photo ID 

(Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth, and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.)

• State certified U.S. birth certificate
• Original certificate of U.S. naturalization
• Original certificate of U.S. citizenship
• U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad

NCL eleven advertises no passport cruises they off. So yes O has the power to make it right.

 This us not an O issue. It is a State Dept issue, they are required to follow.

[edgee]

3 minutes ago, kibutzer said:

 This us not an O issue. It is a State Dept issue, they are required to follow.

Not exactly in the case if this closed loop Caribbean cruise. 

[the more ports the better]

SusieSan I have used these guys to process a visa to Brazil with no issue.  They also expedite passports.  They may be worth a call.
 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/irenelevine/2019/07/11/a-new-way-to-get-a-passport-in-a-hurry/?sh=a8e432122ec7

 

The article is from 2019 and the soonest to get one now is 5 business days with all the new COVID policies but still very doable for you.

 

In May, my son lost his passport and told me the Sat before he, myself, my mom and my daughter, were leaving for a Riveria cruise out of Venice.  (My son is autistic hence the lack of communication) Our flight was Monday, needless to say, he didn’t make the flight but he did fly to Venice on Thursday, with his new passport in hand, and he made the Sat sailing thanks to my wonderful sister who kept him for me after we left, took him to the passport office then to the airport.
 

We ended up going directly through the US state dept passport office as we needed one sooner than the expeditor could process it.  We went to the passport office and begged to no avail Monday morning.  The security guard was super helpful and told us all to call the 800 number as they always have cancellations.  He said hang up and call back until you get an appointment that works.  
 

It took about a dozen calls but we finally got an appointment that Thursday and he was on a flight Thursday evening.  It took about three hours at the passport office.  You can get an appointment in Miami the day or two before your cruise and have your passport in hand the next day.  If travel is on the same day as the appointment, you will get it that same day.

 

An expeditor service would be easier but it is also possible at the passport office in Miami.

 

Don't be discouraged, there is almost always a path forward!

 

Good luck!!!

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Not exactly in the case if this closed loop Caribbean cruise. 

Depends on ports being visited.  Not all follow the NHTI.

[edgee]

Just now, 1985rz1 said:

Depends on ports being visited.  Not all follow the NHTI.

I believe that all ports in this situation do, with possible exception of Guadeloupe and they have a 3 month passport expiration rule for which the passenger would be in compliance. 

[LHT28]

According the  USA Gov site  Grenada requires  6mths

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Grenada.html

 

It is  a moot point as Oceania  requires passports  even for  closed loop cruises

Details are in the fine print 

JMO

[Vertygo]

Passport renewals can now be done totally on-line through a pilot program. Got mine back in little over 3 weeks which is still too late for OP, but may help others. Hardest part was taking selfie I was happy with! 

[1985rz1]

24 minutes ago, edgee said:

I believe that all ports in this situation do,

I haven't found any evidence of this, no matter what government sites I visit.  

[edgee]

7 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

I haven't found any evidence of this, no matter what government sites I visit.  

This cruise line exception is not listed in most government web sites. Look at the number of ports visited by cruise lines doing closed loop cruises who do not require passports. 

[NownZen]

4 hours ago, edgee said:

Not exactly in the case if this closed loop Caribbean cruise. 

If O feels it is an issue then it is an issue. The OP is pretty clearly not an experienced traveler since she said that she had problems with expediters in the past. This shows she was not paying attention in the past and has continued that now.

[Tyskie]

Our experience:

 

My DH passport expired 9/2023

We cruised 10/2022 and will be cruising 2/2023 and again Sept 2023

Since we spend the winter NOT at our legal address - we renewed it early (very early!)

We renewed it 10/13/22 - expedited - arrived in the mail 11/5/22

 

If you want to travel you really need to stay on top of everything, especially passports and IDs

[1985rz1]

10 hours ago, edgee said:

This cruise line exception is not listed in most government web sites. Look at the number of ports visited by cruise lines doing closed loop cruises who do not require passports. 

Thanks.

[GeezerCouple]

8 hours ago, NownZen said:

If O feels it is an issue then it is an issue. The OP is pretty clearly not an experienced traveler since she said that she had problems with expediters in the past. This shows she was not paying attention in the past and has continued that now.

 

I agree that this is an issue for OP,  no question about that.

And it does seem that OP has not been paying attention in the past... and seems to be continuing that policy.

 

However, OP does seem to be an experienced traveler:

"... I've been on over 50 cruises and have never ever had this come up...." (from Post 18 in this thread), and she's been on CC since 2002, with 4k posts.

 

OP has been fortunate that not reading all of the terms and conditions of her travel agreements hasn't caused problems before now.

There have been uncountable reports here on CC about issues that have arisen when others didn't read the T&C in their various travel agreements, be they from the cruise line or perhaps travel insurance, etc.  But most others do seem to get familiarized with their documents.

 

[Note:  Reading the Terms & Conditions of *any* agreement is a good idea even when not traveling, including for things like insurance, rentals, various purchases.....]

 

GC

 

 

[susiesan]

12 hours ago, Vertygo said:

Passport renewals can now be done totally on-line through a pilot program. Got mine back in little over 3 weeks which is still too late for OP, but may help others. Hardest part was taking selfie I was happy with! 

That pilot program ended Oct. 26. had I known about it I would have availed myself of the service. I read that the official online renewal program will commence in early 2023 as the pilot program test was a success.

[Queen of DaNile]

FWIW This is in the documents for our upcoming Seabourn cruise that does the Caribbean and returns to Miami. Oceania is not the only one requiring this.

 

All guests will be required to have a passport valid for at least six months beyond the completion of the voyage with at least two completely blank, unused visa pages in each passport.

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Queen of DaNile

[NownZen]

10 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

I agree that this is an issue for OP,  no question about that.

And it does seem that OP has not been paying attention in the past... and seems to be continuing that policy.

 

However, OP does seem to be an experienced traveler:

"... I've been on over 50 cruises and have never ever had this come up...." (from Post 18 in this thread), and she's been on CC since 2002, with 4k posts.

 

OP has been fortunate that not reading all of the terms and conditions of her travel agreements hasn't caused problems before now.

There have been uncountable reports here on CC about issues that have arisen when others didn't read the T&C in their various travel agreements, be they from the cruise line or perhaps travel insurance, etc.  But most others do seem to get familiarized with their documents.

 

[Note:  Reading the Terms & Conditions of *any* agreement is a good idea even when not traveling, including for things like insurance, rentals, various purchases.....]

 

GC

 

 

What I meant was that the OP clearly had not done much in the way of doing the planning for a cruise. You can go on a lot of cruises that someone else plans and not be aware of some of the basics. Passport requirements are not new and are part of planning for any travel out of the country.

 

I also always read the Terms &  Conditions to avoid surprises.  You are very right that it is good to know what you signed up for or are getting.

[ToxM]

I can kind of understand why it could happen, the almost 2 year pause has probably caught a lot of people out with the passport info, it’s a bit of a void area for a lot of people. 

 

 

[Robjame]

Two things surprise me about this thread.

 

1. Anyone who has flown or travelled out of the country knows the 6 month rule. Airlines follow it.

 

2. Why your TA didn’t catch this - one of the first conversations we have with ours when we book as well as being on hers and Oceania’s documentation.

[susiesan]

My passport renewal documents have been received at the office of the expediter I am using, Fast Passport Center. They are in Philadelphia which is where passport renewals are done.I spoke to them this morning and the company has begun the processing of my order. I am supposed to have the new passports back in 6-8 business days.

Crossing my fingers that there are no screw ups.

 

ToxM: My TA did print the 6 month info on my reservation, it was on page 2. They did not verbally mention anything about it. I had every intention of renewing the passports in January for a Botswana safari trip in May 2023. I just didn't realize how strict oceania was going to be about this, especially since their sister company NCL is not. You can take a closed loop Caribbean cruise on NCL without even having a passport. From NCL:

 

For Cruises Leaving From a U.S. Port to the Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal

You’re required to carry:

A Valid Passport

OR

Proof of Citizenship (see below) AND Government-issued photo ID 

(Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth, and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.)

• State certified U.S. birth certificate
• Original certificate of U.S. naturalization
• Original certificate of U.S. citizenship
• U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad

[njhorseman]

23 minutes ago, susiesan said:

My passport renewal documents have been received at the office of the expediter I am using, Fast Passport Center. They are in Philadelphia which is where passport renewals are done.I spoke to them this morning and the company has begun the processing of my order. I am supposed to have the new passports back in 6-8 business days.

Crossing my fingers that there are no screw ups.

 

ToxM: My TA did print the 6 month info on my reservation, it was on page 2. They did not verbally mention anything about it. I had every intention of renewing the passports in January for a Botswana safari trip in May 2023. I just didn't realize how strict oceania was going to be about this, especially since their sister company NCL is not. You can take a closed loop Caribbean cruise on NCL without even having a passport. From NCL:

 

For Cruises Leaving From a U.S. Port to the Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal

You’re required to carry:

A Valid Passport

OR

Proof of Citizenship (see below) AND Government-issued photo ID 

(Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth, and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.)

• State certified U.S. birth certificate
• Original certificate of U.S. naturalization
• Original certificate of U.S. citizenship
• U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad

 

 All the other mass market lines do the same as NCL...they only require the minimum legal documentation. However the super premium and luxury lines that are the corporate siblings of those mass market lines always require passports even if lesser documentation is legally acceptable. So If you're on Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Seabourn you're going to need a passport with six months remaining validity . Same goes for the independently owned Azamara.

 

If an NCL  closed loop cruise made a port call at Guadeloupe, as I believe yours does, you would be required to have a passport with six months validity because that island as part of the French West Indies requires it.  No cruise line can override the law. When cruises were going to Cuba NCL had to require a passport. NCL can make the blanket statement you quoted above because their Caribbean  cruises don't call on countries requiring a passport.

 

 

[edgee]

7 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

 All the other mass market lines do the same as NCL...they only require the minimum legal documentation. However the super premium and luxury lines that are the corporate siblings of those mass market lines always require passports even if lesser documentation is legally acceptable. So If you're on Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Seabourn you're going to need a passport with six months remaining validity . Same goes for the independently owned Azamara.

 

If an NCL  closed loop cruise made a port call at Guadeloupe, as I believe yours does, you would be required to have a passport with six months validity because that island as part of the French West Indies requires it.  No cruise line can override the law. When cruises were going to Cuba NCL had to require a passport. NCL can make the blanket statement you quoted above because their Caribbean  cruises don't call on countries requiring a passport.

 

 

Guadeloupe only requires 3 months validity on passports, which the OP would meet.

[LHT28]

15 minutes ago, edgee said:

Guadeloupe only requires 3 months validity on passports, which the OP would meet.

Moot point 

She is not on NCL   & hopefully in 10yrs  she will get  a new passport before  it is close to expiring or at least check if  one is needed to cover  the trip

[GeezerCouple]

18 minutes ago, edgee said:

Guadeloupe only requires 3 months validity on passports, which the OP would meet.

 

What matters is what the CRUISE LINE REQUIRES in this case.

And OP had that information, but didn't read it.

 

There is no requirement that Oceania (or any line) "only require" what some specific island requires.  They *could* require 12 months, if they wanted to do that.   However, the market place might react 🤔 such that they relax it back to the 6 months that is more conventional in some places...

 

It's the same as some lines let one bring on wine with no charge if you drink it in your cabin or suite, and other lines charge corkage for just bringing it on board, with a small limit on the amount.  That's up to each cruise line, and it doesn't even need to deal with any outside laws or regulations.  And the passengers need to abide by the terms and conditions.

GC