Passport Requirements for Intra-Australia Cruise

[Bubbeh]

41 minutes ago, Pushka said:

My mum didn't have a passport nor drivers license but simply used a Govt identity card (looks like a drivers licence - she's never driven a car) and this was fine for a Princess cruise within Australian ports.

I'm trying to put this as politely as possible because it may sound offensive but that's not my intention:

 

Was there a reason your mother didn't drive or ever travel overseas?  Our younger daughter is epileptic and can't drive for that reason so she's never had a licence but has a circle of friends who often give her lifts and also she's regular Uber etc user. 

 

I can't imagine not being able to drive myself, it must make life quite difficult in some ways.  I'm probably going to end up being one of those old ladies that mistakes the accelerator for the brake and smashes through the window of a hairdresser killing a dozen customers.  To paraphrase Clint Eastwood; they'll take my licence from my cold dead hand.  

[Pushka]

3 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

I'm trying to put this as politely as possible because it may sound offensive but that's not my intention:

 

Was there a reason your mother didn't drive or ever travel overseas?  Our younger daughter is epileptic and can't drive for that reason so she's never had a licence but has a circle of friends who often give her lifts and also she's regular Uber etc user. 

 

I can't imagine not being able to drive myself, it must make life quite difficult in some ways.  I'm probably going to end up being one of those old ladies that mistakes the accelerator for the brake and smashes through the window of a hairdresser killing a dozen customers.  To paraphrase Clint Eastwood; they'll take my licence from my cold dead hand.  

When I took her on Princess she was 82 and not going to travel overseas again. She had been overseas multiple times but her passport had expired and didn't want to renew it as being a pensioner it wasn't going to happen.  I took her overseas when she was 80 to Hong Kong and Singapore and then her passport expired. She loved travel. She went into China long before most tourists were able to as her friend was a TA and had special connection in China 
 

She also became legally blind in her fifties. So not able to drive at that age. Before then, she simply didn't need to drive so never got a licence. I had my full license by the time I was 17 as we could back in those days. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

56 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

I'm trying to put this as politely as possible because it may sound offensive but that's not my intention:

 

Was there a reason your mother didn't drive or ever travel overseas?  Our younger daughter is epileptic and can't drive for that reason so she's never had a licence but has a circle of friends who often give her lifts and also she's regular Uber etc user. 

 

I can't imagine not being able to drive myself, it must make life quite difficult in some ways.  I'm probably going to end up being one of those old ladies that mistakes the accelerator for the brake and smashes through the window of a hairdresser killing a dozen customers.  To paraphrase Clint Eastwood; they'll take my licence from my cold dead hand.  

My mother never drove and the only overseas trip she ever did after settling in NZ was to Australia before passports were required. So she never had a drivers licence or passport. 

[ceeceeDee]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

My mother never drove and the only overseas trip she ever did after settling in NZ was to Australia before passports were required. So she never had a drivers licence or passport. 

I suppose it is not all THAT unusual for some older people not to have a drivers licence. My late mother in law never held one. I don't know if it was true or a family joke, but the story went that she just couldn't get the hang of driving no matter how many times people tried to teach her. She did, however, travel extensively overseas, though in her later years her passport had long expired and her health prevented her travelling anyway.

[arxcards]

3 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

I suppose it is not all THAT unusual for some older people not to have a drivers licence. My late mother in law never held one. I don't know if it was true or a family joke, but the story went that she just couldn't get the hang of driving no matter how many times people tried to teach her. She did, however, travel extensively overseas, though in her later years her passport had long expired and her health prevented her travelling anyway.

Barb doesn't have a drivers licence and has never driven, as I drive her up the wall daily. Without the necessity to have a licence, she is otherwise a bit nervous to try as she was a passenger in a horrific accident when she was a child. My father has never had a licence, and has never been inclined to travel overseas (best country in the world, why would you ever leave it).

 

Oh the fun to get Barb's passport. We had to get a replacement for her birth certificate, and we only every had a commemorative copy of our marriage certificate so we then had to pay for the official copy to prove change of name. That gave her enough points to get a drivers learners permit which in turn gave her enough ID for a passport.

 

The government photo IDs have since come along, and have the same ID integrity as a drivers licence, but without the permission to drive.

[Gwendy]

23 hours ago, arxcards said:

Barb doesn't have a drivers licence and has never driven, as I drive her up the wall daily. Without the necessity to have a licence, she is otherwise a bit nervous to try as she was a passenger in a horrific accident when she was a child. My father has never had a licence, and has never been inclined to travel overseas (best country in the world, why would you ever leave it).

 

Oh the fun to get Barb's passport. We had to get a replacement for her birth certificate, and we only every had a commemorative copy of our marriage certificate so we then had to pay for the official copy to prove change of name. That gave her enough points to get a drivers learners permit which in turn gave her enough ID for a passport.

 

The government photo IDs have since come along, and have the same ID integrity as a drivers licence, but without the permission to drive.

My Mum got her driver’s licence at 65 after my Dad died.  She drove for a couple of years.  When she decided not to drive anymore it was safe to say the population of the country town she lived in cheered. Lol

[LittleFish1976]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:05 AM, rwmiller said:

@ceeceeDee Were you on Princess or another line? I want to be able to argue with them with facts as they are just going back to the book. 

 

I am also trying to figure out how to book online. I started a trial booking and the first page (name / address) only gave me the option of United States for country. 

 

Bob

Why not have your wife's aunt who is in Queensland do the booking so she will be able to access the Australian version of the Princess website? Or am I misunderstanding something?

 

Sorry I posted this before I finished reading the thread!

Edited January 31 by LittleFish1976

[christodan]

I recently came back from a Queensland cruise with RCI and they said we needed passports. And maybe this is why. We sailed out of Australian waters past Willis Island. They told they do this because then technically they are doing an OS cruise and they can charge duty free. So if it is technically an OS cruise then yes you probably do need a passport.

[Aus Traveller]

24 minutes ago, christodan said:

I recently came back from a Queensland cruise with RCI and they said we needed passports. And maybe this is why. We sailed out of Australian waters past Willis Island. They told they do this because then technically they are doing an OS cruise and they can charge duty free. So if it is technically an OS cruise then yes you probably do need a passport.

No. All North Queensland cruises go past Willis Island so they can sell duty free, but for many years now, Princess and P&O have not required passports.

[christodan]

2 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

No. All North Queensland cruises go past Willis Island so they can sell duty free, but for many years now, Princess and P&O have not required passports.

Yes but maybe it's a new requirement. I didn't question RCI as I had one, but things do change. Can't always assume things stay the same.

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, christodan said:

Yes but maybe it's a new requirement. I didn't question RCI as I had one, but things do change. Can't always assume things stay the same.

We didn't need passports three months ago so I don't think it is a new requirement. 🙂

[possum52]

As p

5 minutes ago, christodan said:

Yes but maybe it's a new requirement. I didn't question RCI as I had one, but things do change. Can't always assume things stay the same.

As per post 12 - from the Carnival website -

[arxcards]

13 hours ago, christodan said:

Yes but maybe it's a new requirement. I didn't question RCI as I had one, but things do change. Can't always assume things stay the same.

No, it isn't a new requirement. It is a domestic cruise, and Willis Island is part of Australia. The whole Willis Island arrangement is purely about allowing the sale of duty free goods on the ship.

 

A couple of possibilities - Do you book your cruise via the US? Are you a resident with an overseas (ie, British) passport?

[christodan]

16 minutes ago, arxcards said:

No, it isn't a new requirement. It is a domestic cruise, and Willis Island is part of Australia. The whole Willis Island arrangement is purely about allowing the sale of duty free goods on the ship.

 

A couple of possibilities - Do you book your cruise via the US? Are you a resident with an overseas (ie, British) passport?

No. Booked on the Australian website and I am born in Australia -, Aussie citizen. But they said on the cruise, Willis Island belongs to the Coral Sea Territory, not Australia (technically)., i.e. enough to say it is doing an OS cruise).

Edited February 1 by christodan

[arxcards]

57 minutes ago, christodan said:

No. Booked on the Australian website and I am born in Australia -, Aussie citizen. But they said on the cruise, Willis Island belongs to the Coral Sea Territory, not Australia (technically)., i.e. enough to say it is doing an OS cruise).

What travel documents are required to board? | Royal Caribbean Cruises

[MMDown Under]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:05 AM, rwmiller said:

@ceeceeDee Were you on Princess or another line? I want to be able to argue with them with facts as they are just going back to the book. 

 

I am also trying to figure out how to book online. I started a trial booking and the first page (name / address) only gave me the option of United States for country. 

 

Bob

You are talking to Australians who don’t need a passport to cruise in Australian waters.

Just book with Australian company

[rwmiller]

We have finished the cruise and it was fantastic. As the responses here stated, our uncle was able to board with just his drivers license and check in was very easy. They loved the cruise and we had a great time hosting them. I greatly appreciate your insight as I was able to not worry. 
 

Bob

[Aus Traveller]

4 hours ago, rwmiller said:

We have finished the cruise and it was fantastic. As the responses here stated, our uncle was able to board with just his drivers license and check in was very easy. They loved the cruise and we had a great time hosting them. I greatly appreciate your insight as I was able to not worry. 
 

Bob

Great feed-back. Thanks.