Carnival just told me passport mandatory

[StuartLittle]

If you travel abroad and do not have a passport, you are giving your life to the government(or lack thereof) of whereever you visit. While a drivers license or birth certificate used to be enough to get you back "across the border", they offer no international legal status. U.S. Customs recognized them as legal documents, but other countries are under no obligation to do so.

 

A passport is an undisputable LEGAL document issued by the US Government, not by some county in the cornfields of some state called Kansas. Because of this FACT, your passport entitles you to legal protections that no other document can offer. Your passport is your "ticket" to the US embassy or consulate should you encounter troubles. Keep in mind that there are countries on this planet where showing the soles of your shoes can get you imprisoned....for a damn long time. Your blue booklet is your ticket to assistance. Even the US Embassy may question your DL, birth cert, ad nauseum. Your passport can be authenticated rather quickly to prove you are a US Citizen.

 

DO NOT leave it in your roomsafe when you are on shore. It does you no good there. If you cannot afford 100.00, your well-being is clearly not important to you...and when you are rotting in some Mexican or Jamaican jail for months without legal representation, well... maybe you will think twice.

 

The US State Department has always urged US travelers to carry a passport for these reasons. Only recently has Homeland Security said " You can't get home without one."

 

OMG, Doom, gloom and hysteria.

 

This post is such an over reaction its almost funny.

 

Do you really think that if one were to commit a crime in a foreign land (no mater how minor), that got them in jail for "months" as you said, that a passport would get them out of it?

 

It's not a magic document that gets you a "get out of jail free card".

 

The need for the passport is to re-enter the US and can be used to determine if you are a US Citizen in a foreign land. It doesn't get you special treatment from the get go. In some countries, it can make you a "mark" to the bad guys.

[Smiling Cruiser]

As previously posted, you may have the state department intervene in an emergency situation if you cruise without a passport. I don't recommend that option. To paraphrase a famous commercial, the price of a passport-$100.00. The amount of time necessary to bypass the passport-irreplaceable-and not in a good way! No matter how helpful everyone is, any unnecessary delay during a family crisis adds stress to an already stressful situation. Many years ago, family members on vacation in another country, were in a fatal car accident. The time from when we received the phone call until we arrived at the vacation site seemed endless for us and the survivors. We didn't need a passport at that time but had the misfortune to have a flight that missed the only connecting flight due to an engine problem. Get the passport and be grateful if you never need to use it until 2009!

[gammaf]

We are booked in June and I was also told by our TA and Carnival that we did not need passports. They are not required until 2008.

[mrdood]

Keep in mind that there are countries on this planet where showing the soles of your shoes can get you imprisoned....for a damn long time.

 

Yes, and lots of cruise ships go to all those countries, this is the cruise chat right? :rolleyes:

 

Good grief! Where are all those thousands of cruiser trapped in prisons:confused: :p

[BarJen]

Yes, and lots of cruise ships go to all those countries, this is the cruise chat right? :rolleyes:

 

Good grief! Where are all those thousands of cruiser trapped in prisons:confused: :p

 

 

I hope they serve chocolate melting cake!! :D

[LegalCat]

For years, I had a passport and my husband used his drivers license/birth cert... it was sooo much easier with the passport so he ended up getting his a couple of years ago.... we will be bringing our teenage daughter on the cruise with us in may and I think the $97 is more than worth it .. I think its good for 10 years? Thats under $10 a year and we usually cruise at least twice a year so thats realy $5 a cruise... if you really wanna try to justify it, lol

[ParrotRob]

Can/would Carnival require one, even if the US does not?

Just wondering.

 

Sure they could. They could require you to stand on your head and wear a pink tutu if they WANTED to, but it wouldn't be a very good business decision.

[Jacky4]

I booked my cruise in 2006 and was also told several times by Carnival we needed a passport for any cruise as of January 2007. I also saw on the news this week that you didn't need one until 2008. I called Carnival today and they said the rules were changed by the government. She actually said "we (meaning Carnival) look like fools for telling everyone that they needed one". She did say it's a good idea to have one anyways in case of an emergency. If you cruise out of the country and needed to fly home you wouldn't have any problems.

[cruisingjon]

We are Booked on Fanatsy on February 15 out of N.O. and when we booked we asked about the passport and was told it was only needed if you had an emergency and needed to fly back home, My wife has hers but I do not. I am in the process of getting it but will not have it by the time we cruise in February.

 

We are cruising again in May with the kids. By then we will all have our Passports. But according to Carnival and RCCI, you can get by with Birth Cert. for now.

[feistytigger]

For years, I had a passport and my husband used his drivers license/birth cert... it was sooo much easier with the passport so he ended up getting his a couple of years ago.... we will be bringing our teenage daughter on the cruise with us in may and I think the $97 is more than worth it .. I think its good for 10 years? Thats under $10 a year and we usually cruise at least twice a year so thats realy $5 a cruise... if you really wanna try to justify it, lol

 

is your dd under 18? if so, she'll end up with a child's passport. i think those are only good for 5 yrs. double check to be sure, but that's what i remember.

[GoinCruisin]

I booked my cruise in 2006 and was also told several times by Carnival we needed a passport for any cruise as of January 2007. I also saw on the news this week that you didn't need one until 2008. I called Carnival today and they said the rules were changed by the government. She actually said "we (meaning Carnival) look like fools for telling everyone that they needed one". She did say it's a good idea to have one anyways in case of an emergency. If you cruise out of the country and needed to fly home you wouldn't have any problems.

 

Why would they look like fools??? :confused: The State Dept had it on their website for the longest time... a bill was passed that extended the date. They certainly don't look like fools... and they were right for telling everyone, at that time, that they needed one by the end of 2006, because they did.

 

I agree, it's a very good idea to have a passport... I can't imagine traveling out of the country without one. January is right around the corner, and you are going to need one as early as January... even if you have to get one family member at a time, people really should be thinking about getting them.

[sandsand]

I can tell you from personal experience that you never know when you set sail for a cruise from a US port if that is the way you'll be coming back home. My friend broke her leg on the first night of a cruise. It was a very bad break and she had to leave the ship at the first port and fly home to have surgery. I had to go with her because she was in a cast up to her thigh and on pain medicine.

 

We're going with a group in October and I'm letting everyone know that a passport is not required but I would recommend it based on this scenario alone.

[DaytonCruiser]

Best way to go is to just get a passport.

 

 

Carnival would love for everyone to get a passport now, so I can understand why they are pushing for it. I doubt they would deny anyone boarding until its actually official.

 

When that day does arrive, they will have serious problems selling the 3 and 4 day cruises. I would love to see some data on how many passengers on the shorter cruises have passports. I think you will see more people opting to stay within the US for their vacations.

 

Quite a few resorts are doing "passport inclusive"deals paying the cost of passport for a family if four.

[surfklutz]

Here is one word of warning - those coming back into the country via air will need a valid passport. Several years ago my husband and I went to Mexico and road mopeds. He got into a bad accident - and had to go to the hospital. Naturally, the ship left us and we had to fly home. With the new restrictions, I can't imagine how you get around that if you don't come home with the ship.

[mrdood]

Here is one word of warning - those coming back into the country via air will need a valid passport. Several years ago my husband and I went to Mexico and road mopeds. He got into a bad accident - and had to go to the hospital. Naturally, the ship left us and we had to fly home. With the new restrictions, I can't imagine how you get around that if you don't come home with the ship.

 

Didn't you read the posts? Here is how you get around it:

 

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2225.html#12

[sweetsixteencruisers]

With all the craziness of the world today, you really should have a passport regardless of how you are leaving the country. I think everyone should have one! This just my .02

[zqvol]

is your dd under 18? if so, she'll end up with a child's passport. i think those are only good for 5 yrs. double check to be sure, but that's what i remember.

The age for children's passports is 16 not 18 (Found out with my son recently. We waited until his 18th birthday to renew (get a new one) and found out at the passport agency that he could have gone ahead and done it sooner because the age for the "adult" 10 year passport is 16, not 18 as a lot of people believe.

 

How long is a passport valid and when should I renew my passport?

 

If you were ____ when the passport was issued

 

 

Then your passport is valid for

 

16 or Older 10 Years

 

15 or Younger 5 Years

 

If possible, you should renew your passport approximately nine (9) months before it expires. Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six (6) months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.

 

If you passport has already expired, you may still be able to renew your passport by mail.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/faq/faq_1741.html#valid

[CaFireCaptain]

Per Carnival:

Carnival strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation; and allow guests that must debark the ship before their cruise ends to fly back to the U.S. without significant delays and complications. Additionally, it will greatly help to expedite their debark process.