Passport Question

[Susan in Maine]

Before everyone gets upset with me, I have nothing against getting a passport - my daughter and I both keep ours current at all times.

 

I'm looking into taking my elderly mother on a cruise with my daughter and I in November. It will be a 5 day closed loop out of Port Canaveral to Bahamas, Bimini, and possibly Grand Turk. She (my mother) will be 89 by the time we sail. She will have no opportunity to travel anywhere after that.

 

How important would a passport be for her? Can we get away with just her driver's license and birth certificate. If I have to I'll get her the passport, but I'd rather not.

 

Thanks for the help!

Susan in Maine

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, Susan in Maine said:

How important would a passport be for her? Can we get away with just her driver's license and birth certificate. If I have to I'll get her the passport, but I'd rather not.

 

You can but if your 89 year old mother has a medical emergency she would have to get an emergency passport to fly back to the US. 

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

You can but if your 89 year old mother has a medical emergency she would have to get an emergency passport to fly back to the US. 

Not necessarily, the regulations that give us the closed loop cruise also contain provisions to allow the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons. There will be a delay in returning home, which will be dependent on the facts of each individual situation. From what I've read the delay is usually measured in hours but it could be longer.

 

OP, you could use her birth certificate and government issued ID. If her name on the two documents is different then she should bring a bridging document if possible. What is your mother's state of health? When was the last time she had a medical emergency related to her health? This is a short cruise so the odds of something happening are less than they would be for a longer cruise. You have to weight the odds of something happening against the potential delay in getting back and determine if the risk is worth it. It's a decision only you can make.

[K32682]

You can be uncertain or you can be sure. If your 89 year old mother has a medical issue maybe there'll be a waiver, maybe there'll be a delay, maybe her birth certificate will do. There are no "maybes" with a passport. You don't have to get her a passport if you can live with the uncertainty.

[BruceMuzz]

If a US Citizen without a passport has a medical emergency abroad, they need to contact a US Consulate or Embassy to get a waiver or emergency passport to fly home.

Many islands in the Caribbean do not have a US Consulate or Embassy.

Without a passport, a US Citizen cannot fly to an island that has a US Consulate or Embassy.

They can take a ferry boat if / when one is available.

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Not necessarily, the regulations that give us the closed loop cruise also contain provisions to allow the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons. There will be a delay in returning home, which will be dependent on the facts of each individual situation. From what I've read the delay is usually measured in hours but it could be longer.

 

OP, you could use her birth certificate and government issued ID. If her name on the two documents is different then she should bring a bridging document if possible. What is your mother's state of health? When was the last time she had a medical emergency related to her health? This is a short cruise so the odds of something happening are less than they would be for a longer cruise. You have to weight the odds of something happening against the potential delay in getting back and determine if the risk is worth it. It's a decision only you can make.

Whether you call it a waiver or emergency passport it is the same thing. Some US government official will have to approve it. Any airline will demand documentation. In general the odds of something happening are low but when someone is 89 that changes the odds. They are at higher risk. Her cost for travel insurance will be higher too because of her age. I hope they don’t skip that. This situation is different from when people post their cruise is in two or four weeks and they didn’t notice their passport was expired or can’t find it. The cruise is in November. They should get a passport.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Charles4515

[sparks1093]

31 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Whether you call it a waiver or emergency passport it is the same thing. Some US government official will have to approve it. Any airline will demand documentation. In general the odds of something happening are low but when someone is 89 that changes the odds. They are at higher risk. Her cost for travel insurance will be higher too because of her age. I hope they don’t skip that. This situation is different from when people post their cruise is in two or four weeks and they didn’t notice their passport was expired or can’t find it. The cruise is in November. They should get a passport.

Yes, that's why I pointed out that her health should be considered in making this decision. And you said "a passport would be needed" and that isn't the case. A government official would have to approve it, yes, but that isn't the same as a passport. If I were traveling with my 89 year old mother (which I can't since she's gone) whether or not I got her a passport for this itinerary would very much depend on how often she needs medical attention, especially on an emergent basis. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, BruceMuzz said:

If a US Citizen without a passport has a medical emergency abroad, they need to contact a US Consulate or Embassy to get a waiver or emergency passport to fly home.

Many islands in the Caribbean do not have a US Consulate or Embassy.

Without a passport, a US Citizen cannot fly to an island that has a US Consulate or Embassy.

They can take a ferry boat if / when one is available.

Absolutely false. The passenger doesn't actually do anything, the cruise line works things out with their CBP liaison. See post #5 in this thread as one instance.

 

[K32682]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

Absolutely false. The passenger doesn't actually do anything, the cruise line works things out with their CBP liaison. See post #5 in this thread as one instance.

 

 

Your choice is to put yourself at the mercy of the cruise line if a crisis arises and hope they can sort things out with the CBP on your behalf or you can be a self-reliant and have your own passport. The OP has plenty of time to get her mother a passport and she should. 

[sparks1093]

16 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Your choice is to put yourself at the mercy of the cruise line if a crisis arises and hope they can sort things out with the CBP on your behalf or you can be a self-reliant and have your own passport. The OP has plenty of time to get her mother a passport and she should. 

That's a judgement call only she can make and it affects only her and her mom.

[wcook]

Almost certainly will be no problem. Worst case scenario she has an emergency and gets delayed a day or two. 
 

The only thing I’d worry about is making sure her birth certificate is an official government document, especially with an older document 

[wcook]

9 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

Many islands in the Caribbean do not have a US Consulate or Embassy.

She’s thinking about a short cruise out of Florida. The Bahamas and Turks both have active US State department presence. Plus, they have pretty good medical care if it came to that. Come on people, it’s not like she’s going to Eritrea. 

Edited March 16, 2023 by wcook

[wcook]

6 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

Your choice is to put yourself at the mercy of the cruise line if a crisis arises and hope they can sort things out with the CBP on your behalf or you can be a self-reliant and have your own passport. The OP has plenty of time to get her mother a passport and she should. 

Um, if there’s a medical emergency they are going to be coordinating with the cruise line no matter what. 

[K32682]

38 minutes ago, wcook said:

Um, if there’s a medical emergency they are going to be coordinating with the cruise line no matter what. 

 

No doubt but should a passenger require a medevac not having a passport would be a needless and easily avoidable complication.  

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, wcook said:

She’s thinking about a short cruise out of Florida. The Bahamas and Turks both have active US State department presence. Plus, they have pretty good medical care if it came to that. Come on people, it’s not like she’s going to Eritrea. 

The US Embassy covering a number of the islands including Turks and Caicos is located in Nassau, The Bahamas.

 

In the case of needing an emergency evacuation, I think a day or two delay quite possibly would be a 'problem.'

 

1 hour ago, wcook said:

Almost certainly will be no problem. Worst case scenario she has an emergency and gets delayed a day or two.

Edited March 16, 2023 by capriccio

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, wcook said:

Almost certainly will be no problem. Worst case scenario she has an emergency and gets delayed a day or two. 
 

The only thing I’d worry about is making sure her birth certificate is an official government document, especially with an older document 

[emphasis added]

 

I can't tell if the second sentence is a joke or not (and if it is, it's a bit tasteless).

 

"Worst case" with an 89 year old and a medical emergency far from home!?

A delay of "a day or two" (!) could indeed be the very "worst case scenario" possible!

 

A delay could be catastrophic for anyone (and that's one of the hopefully low-risk events that tend to be in the backs of minds), but the more fragile the person, the less "leeway" there is, no surprise.

The same "problem" might occur at a nice remote cabin in the woods, too, but the complications of some "problems" such as delays overseas due to missing paperwork or such... some of those can be mitigated without interfering with the vacation itself.

 

OP might want to have Mother discuss the trip with her physician.

 

As we got older, we started traveling with a few extra "just in case" meds.  For most, we'd know when to take them.  But for a few, our physician had us agree not to take them unless/until we contacted him by email and we'd discuss it.  If there wasn't time for that, then it would be whatever emergency medical facilities were available...  That's always a risk with travel.  Each person needs to weigh the risks and benefits, etc., and that's not restricted to cruising.  That's "life".

We aren't staying home as we get older, but there are certain very out of the way destinations that we won't be going to if we haven't already... even with our passports.

 

GC

[wcook]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

The US Embassy covering a number of the islands including Turks and Caicos is located in Nassau, The Bahamas.

And there’s a US consulate in Turks that handles passports. I’m sure everybody here means well, but it’s as if you are making up problems that are extraordinarily rare, or don’t exist. 

[capriccio]

6 minutes ago, wcook said:

And there’s a US consulate in Turks that handles passports. I’m sure everybody here means well, but it’s as if you are making up problems that are extraordinarily rare, or don’t exist. 

The consulate was ‘temporarily’ closed in 2017.  Everything I see on State’s website refers citizens to the Embassy Nassau.  Maybe the State Dept needs to update their information?

[fruitmachine]

12 hours ago, wcook said:

She’s thinking about a short cruise out of Florida. The Bahamas and Turks both have active US State department presence. Plus, they have pretty good medical care if it came to that. Come on people, it’s not like she’s going to Eritrea. 

And remember that spending more on healthcare doesn't necessarily equate to better outcomes... 

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/life-expectancy-vs-health-expenditure?time=-10000..latest

 

[sparks1093]

If there is a medical issue of any kind, regardless of a person's age, they will need to receive said care locally and will need to be stabilized before being allowed to travel which can take a day or two. During that time arrangements can be made for the eventual return trip (and again, these arrangements will not be done by the passenger). If someone is concerned about the level of medical care available in the area being traveled then it's probably not a good idea for them to go there in the first place. Whether or not to get a passport is always going to be a judgement call based on the traveler's particular situation. OP hasn't enlightened us about mom's health status but many of us have said that this is the main consideration. If the OP is comfortable traveling without a passport for mom for a 5 day cruise then there is nothing else anyone can say about it.