Refused Boarding on Princess after ID Stolen

[Janan]

SLC Cruiser,

 

It is unfortunate that this happened to you and your family (I'll explain after this comment)

 

Alot of the people on this Board most empathetic, some sympathetic and others just glad it didn't happen to them. I can't add to the suggestions that you've been given on how to proceed recouping anything you might from princess,travel insurance, etc.

 

Now to Explain why I said this happened to you and your family.......Identity theft affects everyone in the family, from the stress it causes trying to get stops on all identification to the problems it may cause (operative word may) with your credit standing and possibly causing more heartache than you know by holding you responsible for the mischeif (mild word) caused by the person who stole your stuff. I hope you have taken steps to make sure you're not put in the awkward position having to pay money or time for someones criminal act. PLEASE,PLEASE PLEASE Keep that police report for a very long time (years)....keep it on your person...you never know when you might have to explain yourself (to a merchant,or to the police) please contact a consumer advocate or group and ask what to do about having your Identity potentially stolen.....I hope it's still potentially .

 

I know I didn't answer your question...and I'm sorry for that, and no matter How much it may hurt you can go on from the disappointment of missing the cruise. Identity theft cannot only ruin your weekend (military expression) but a whole lot of future weekends.

 

Please take care of yourself and I hope all goes well

 

P.S. now everyone can Flame me for my off subject post

 

Andy

[Jacqueline]

How awful to have a crime committed against you and then to be denied boarding. Best of luck getting things straightened out. Unfortunately, in this day and age, there is no predicting how the people who are in charge of making these decisions will go.

As a previous poster stated, there is always one jerk with a worthless response.

[MercedMike]

The requirement to have valid ID is not just a disclaimer and will hold water.

 

And the issue is not whether the OP was at fault. Princess doesn't have to pick up the bill just because the OP was not at fault. The key is that Princess was not at fault in any way.

 

Remember, if Princess picks up the bill for this, who pays? It's all the rest of us who pay our cruise fares.

 

BINGO!

 

The ID requirement is for security purposes and is very very clear. Princess acted absolutely properly and in the interests of the safety of everyone on board. Security is not a whim.

 

The OP had bad luck. Being the victim of a crime is not fun. They have my heartfelt sympathy. But why in the world should Princess have any need to compensate them in any way? It is absolutely true that all of the rest of us would be paying for it that way.

[spingal]

I am so sorry to hear what happened and am amazed by your great attitude! :) I (and I am sure you were too) would have been devastated if I was told I could not go on the cruise. I hope you can book another cruise SOON! :D

[happy cruzer]

SLC, Thankyou forsharing the details.

do you think if you had a library card, Sam's card or something like that with your picture and your faxed paperwork, they would have let you on?

 

Sharing your experience will help alot of us. My DH gives me the passports, he keeps his DL. He has told me no matter what don't let the passports out of sight. Many times he has been fighting the luggage carrousel with one bag when the second has come out. I have to just watch while he struggles through the mess because I am in charge of the paperwork and am to stay put. It is always so tempting to go help him. So I know exactly what you are talking about. You have just re=emphazed what he has always said.

 

Also your story is not that unusual, you just had bad luck like many of us do. One couple were leaving from Barcelona on a cruise. They left the US when they got to their connecting flight in Spain, they could not continue; one traveling was a Mexican citizen with clean paperwork for the US but not good enough for Spain. There was some discussion that the flight checkin should have prevented them traveling out of the US without proper paperwork and that their TA should have checked all their paperwork before booking their cruise. But they too were stuck, one could have traveled on but not the Mexican citizen. So these things do rarely happen.

 

You have a good attitude. I never take insurance on trips that cost less than $1000 and if this happened to me, I too would have to make lemonade.

 

Thanks for sharing and I still think you may get an OBC for your bad experience.

[from the desert]

SLCcruiser...

 

Sorry for your horrible experience and I hope that someday soon you will be able to take a cruise, they are wonderful and worth the money and effort.

 

My comments are directed to other posters who feel that somehow the OP was victimized by the cruise line. As the OP indicated she fully understands that the loss of the cruise was not the fault of anyone but the individual who stole her identity. The cruise line did not deny her access to the ship for any reason other than she did not have "original" copies of Identification with a photo ID. Birth certificates are basically useless unless you have photo ID to back them up. Copies of any forms, especially ones where photos are not clear, are not proper ID, as the OP knows.

 

The big issue is not getting onto the boat, but what happens when the pax wants to return to the United States. Much bigger issue. When I leave a glance at my ID is made, but when I return the customs officials check everything and verify that you are you. If the cruiseline lets someone on how are they going to guarantee they can get off?

 

Thank you SLCcruiser for posting. This will make me considerably more cautious as I travel with my documentation. My daughter laughs at the stylish absurdity of my "around the neck" document holder but I'm sure (after reading this post) she understands it's value. Did you get to do some slick rock mountain bike rides or jeep tours on your visit to Moab?

[willysgrandma]

I hope Princess will give you a future cruise credit. I can't imagine how horrible this must have been for you. This isn't a normal occurance - you did all you could with getting faxes, etc. to try and resolve the situation. I'd like to think Princess would be open minded about what happened, especially with a police report, and do the right thing and give you a credit, regardless of whether you purchased insurance or not.

 

But I can certainly understand Princess' issue - they have to deal with Customs.

 

I always use those document thingies, but I leave it around my neck at all times. I am way OCD about my docs and i.d. - this was a good reminder to make sure I do leave it around my neck and don't take it out to put in my purse, or a backpack. Who would imagine something like this would happen.

 

I do like the point someone made about seeing if your homeowners would cover you if Princess won't budge.

 

It will probably take 8 weeks to get a real response from Princess - let us know how it turns out.

[digitalgirl]

I keep a scanned color copy of my passport and other documents in my luggage. I also email it to a friend who could send it to me if needed. It may seem a bit obsessive, but you can travel with lost luggage, lost money, but not without documents.

Thanks for sharing, it teaches others how to prepare.

Caly

[Jacqueline]

I have extra laminated copies, but I guess it depends where the ship is heading in terms of whether this would help. Techically for our So Carib cruise since it is in and out of SJ there is no REQUIREMENT to have a passport to board, - even so, one does need picture ID (like a license).

The lesson I learned from this is to be EXTRA careful. Maybe I am a bit less vigilent recently since I have had no events. Not any more.

Bad luck happens and it did to OP. Its not just the time and money and expense but the dissapointment and hassle factor...

BTW Andy- I was not in any way referring to you or your post..

[pg.]

I totally feel sorry for you, but, here it comes. How could you leave a bag out of your hand for one second !! In an airport no less! Never do that again, it is so incredibly dangerous, people can take things out of your bag, and they can put things IN!! I am serious, things can be put into your bag by others, to retrieved later( if it makes it) or for even worse reasons.

I first travelled on my own at 13 when I was sent overseas by myself to meet relatives, my mom and dad made it very very clear to never never never let my purse ( which had my passport in it) out of my hands. I stayed with 4 or 5 different families during the next two months, and at no point did I not know exactly where my passport was, and while actually travelling, I never put my purse down period.

 

I learned that over 30 yrs ago. I don't think it is a new idea. I think people can be careless while travelling because on vacation nothing bad is supposed to happen. Unfortunately it can and does.

 

I do think this is a great illustration of why we need trip cancellation/interuption insurance. .. but I am sorry, I mean your special trip was ruined by one split second of misjudgement.

 

PS I don't ue the neck pouch in Europe, theives know about it and can just cut the cord around your next and pull it off you. I use a money belt, custom made to fit my passport as well as CC and money. I always carry the amount of money I need for ONE day in my purse, so if purse is stolen , no big deal. . If I need to retrieve more money from pouch, I do it in a washroom, NEVER in public.

 

Hope you will get an opportunity to try a cruise in the future, they are fun, and the most relaxing way to travel.

[PTC]

I get it that one should never carry there two pieces of picture ID together in one place. I foolishly was using one of those passport travel packets with my passport and drivers license and boarding pass for my flight from SLC to LA on 2/9. I tucked it into an outer pocket of the backpack I carried on the plane after boarding at SLC. I was in possession of my ID at that time. (ALthough I did check with SLC airport on the chance that I was wrong and it was located there - not!). My cash and credit were separte, but I had noo other ID.

 

I realized I no longer had my passport packet within 15 minutes of arriving in LAX at the baggage claims area. I admit that I had left my backpack alone for a few minutes to help my husband with the bags. It was close, within eyesight, but I soon realized the packet was gone. Assumed I had left it on the plane or lost it in the airport. Our cruise left 24 hours later on 2/10 so the entire time was spent tracing the planse to 4 cities, searching various lost and founds, dealing with Delta lost and found, finally getting a police report. The LAX police were able to look up my UT license online and print out a confirmation report, but it does not contain a picture.

 

I was also able to contact a friend at home in SLC. They had a key to my house, were able to retrive copies of my documents that I keep for emergencies (fires,etc - not this type!). She faxed me at my hotel a birth certificate, copy of my UT driver's license, and a current passport. She faxed several times, but the quality remained poor with lettering legible, but pictures fuzzy.

 

I brought this packet of info to the port - we had princess tranfers from the Marriott. (Our luggage was on the ship before we were and later had to be retrieved.) My husband did have all his ID. I had done all the appropriate things to pre-register our ID, etc online with princess weeks before the cruise.

 

After 3 hours of deliberation with port authority, Princess, and customs officials they said no. I understand that the reason was not the passport which is not required for transporation by ship yet, only air travel. The reason was that I dd not have one piece of orignal picture identification and they were willing to board me, but were afraid they would be fined if a custom official on the return to US felt Princess had made an exception to the

ID guidelines.

 

So that's the story. Stuck in LA, missed the cruise, flew home at additional expense. No travel insurance. That was a poor decision. I agree with those of you who have stated - just a bad thing happened, no recourse, why blame Princess, (I mostly blame myself and some back luck), just move on.

 

But did want to say for the record to who ever may still be reading at this point, I didn't understand the "there must be more to this story" ..... There's no big lie here. It may sound like a stupid mistake, but it really happened just like this and I tried for 24 hours to fix it so I could go on a cruise I had planned for and paid for - and I don't have any plans to sue Princess! Guess I'm still just angry that I couldn't fix this one.

 

As I said, there is always more to the story. This explains some of your post. Now how/when did the Princess Rep tell you to bring the police report to the port with you? Just trying to understand why Princess would tell you to do that?

It's important for clarification when asking for a refund to include all these details otherwise your not giving them the whole story.

 

PTC

[nrdsb4]

I keep a scanned color copy of my passport and other documents in my luggage. I also email it to a friend who could send it to me if needed. It may seem a bit obsessive, but you can travel with lost luggage, lost money, but not without documents.

Thanks for sharing, it teaches others how to prepare.

Caly

 

 

Just to clarify, if you are ever traveling where you need a passport, having a copy of your passport will not suffice to get you back on a plane. It will, however, help you in your quest to get a replacement passport. This could still take awhile, depending on the circumstances and where you are.

[SLCcruiser]

As I said, there is always more to the story. This explains some of your post. Now how/when did the Princess Rep tell you to bring the police report to the port with you? Just trying to understand why Princess would tell you to do that?

It's important for clarification when asking for a refund to include all these details otherwise your not giving them the whole story.

 

PTC

 

I arrived at LAX approx 2:20 pm Fri 2/9. Spoke to Princess rep by phone around 5:00 pm to ask for advise and was told to lodge a police report re my stolen and/or lost ID with airport police and bring the original report and copies of any documents I could obtain from home to the port the next day. She had seen this work in the past. Confirmed with police and customs officials at LAX that this was the procedure that was utilized when someone lost their ID and needed to reboard a plane (and in fact, was what I needed to show to be allowed to board a flight home the following day when I could not board the cruise). Perhaps it was the mixed messages of hope and then finally "no way" that made this a particularly hard pill to swallow.

[Coral]

On a similiar story - some friends drove from PA to Miami to cruise on Celebrity. The wife hates to fly so they drive all the time. They do not have passports and once in FL, realized that they left their birth certificates at their home. The husband ended up flying the day before the cruise back home and then flew back the day of the cruise so that they would have proper documentation for the cruise. They had consulted Celebrity to see if a faxed birth certificate would work and Celebrity said no. Thankfully they realized their mistake a day before the cruise.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

SLC Cruiser; Thanks for posting the "rest of the story". I know it must have been a terribly stressful 24 hours for you and your spouse. I am truly sorry that that happened to you and applaud your common sense assesment of your situation.

 

Because the theft was the cause of your loss, check your homeowners policy, which may have a coverage for theft. Your credit card may have some coverage for travel situations. You have had a very expensive lesson about travel insurance and I hope others learn from your experience.

 

Fair winds

Dave

 

I was also thinking homeowners may cover this, please keep us posted

[tequilasunrise]

It's really sad that you can't even trust your possessions a few feet away from you---but unfortunately you can't.

 

There are passport carriers that strap onto your body, under your clothes, similar to the gun carriers undercover police wear. I use them, and suggest them to others. If you take passports in one, your partner takes other ID (such as driver's licenses and birth certificates) in the other, then you have a better chance of not losing all of your ID. Never let it off your own body for an instant in an airport; except to show to official agents. Our carriers have so many straps and clasps that even an expert pickpocket would have a lot of trouble getting thru. Even if they are detected, they can't be slashed like fanny packs because you can't see where the straps are--and they'd fall into my tucked in shirt anyway, under my partially zipped jacket. (Ladies, no one piece dresses, so to get it out for airport security you won't have to get completely undressed).

 

Whatever carrier you use, make sure it is very secure. Of course, you can never be 100% sure. Crooks are much better at this and might have new tricks. And nothing protects against a bona fide mugging or robbery. But although I'm no expert, from what I've read, most thieves are lazy and more interested if it's easy---if yours isn't they'll move on, because there is always an unsuspecting innocent around the corner. Who, I'm sorry to say, has their documents/money stored in an easy outside pocket of a bag that's temporarily unsupervised. It only takes a pro a couple of seconds.

 

Sorry to hear about your misfortune :(

[Embracedbylife]

Firstly, I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you. It can happen to anyone, and you did everything you could to try to fix the situation after it happened.

 

I just want to make sure you have already renewed your passport b/c it is important that you get a new one asap. What happens is when someone steels your info they will immediately try to get a new passport with their photo on it and you could end up with problems trying to get a new one now even though you are really the person you say you are. So, if you haven't already done so, get a new one asap.

 

Best of luck and tell us how it goes!

[OuiOnboard]

....I just want to make sure you have already renewed your passport b/c it is important that you get a new one asap. What happens is when someone steels your info they will immediately try to get a new passport with their photo on it and you could end up with problems trying to get a new one now even though you are really the person you say you are. So, if you haven't already done so, get a new one asap...

Thanks for a positive and constuctive comment. :)

[PTC]

I arrived at LAX approx 2:20 pm Fri 2/9. Spoke to Princess rep by phone around 5:00 pm to ask for advise and was told to lodge a police report re my stolen and/or lost ID with airport police and bring the original report and copies of any documents I could obtain from home to the port the next day. She had seen this work in the past. Confirmed with police and customs officials at LAX that this was the procedure that was utilized when someone lost their ID and needed to reboard a plane (and in fact, was what I needed to show to be allowed to board a flight home the following day when I could not board the cruise). Perhaps it was the mixed messages of hope and then finally "no way" that made this a particularly hard pill to swallow.

 

I would say that the Princess Rep should not have given you false hope that bringing these documents would gain you access to the ship...PERHAPS. Indeed false hope in that this MAY be the answer to your problem in fact was not a solution after all.

I'm sure they will check the phone records for who you spoke with. Do hope you put all of this in the letter to Princess.

 

PTC

[jlp20]

OK, sorry what happened and all kinds of suggestions were given. Bottom line is Princess (or any other cruise line) is not responsible. As the contract reads:

 

2. PASSENGER'S OBLIGATIONS.

(a) Before You board the ship, You must

(i) Pay Your Cruise Fare.

 

(ii) Bring all necessary travel documents such as passports, visas, proof of citizenship, re-entry permits, medical certificates showing all necessary vaccinations, and all other documents necessary for ports of call in the countries to which You will travel. It is Passenger’s sole responsibility to obtain and have available when necessary the appropriate valid travel documents. All passengers are advised to check with their travel agent or the appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents. Passengers will be subject to any fine or other costs incurred by Carrier which result from improper documentation or noncompliance with applicable regulations, which amount may be charged to Your stateroom account and/or credit card.

 

 

Princess sailed with an empty stateroom because of what happened.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Luckily we had not planned or prepaid for any excursions or for the anniversary package or vow renewal. We had decided to be spontanous on this trip and see what came up after the ship sailed...that may have been the one piece of good luck we actually had...plus it was sunny and warm in Moab!

 

Well . . . Moab is certainly not a cruise, but I'm glad that you had good weather there! :)

 

Thanks for sharing your story -- lots of good warnings -- and happy anniversary. :)

[HomeLover]

What you explained is the worst case scenario I have ever heard.

I am sorry it happened.

For future reference for future passengers...

When you have the luxury of 24 hours before sailing, contact the nearest US Embassy. There is one in LA. They should be able to help you get a new passport in a day (although it is expensive).

Whenever you have a major problem, always contact the nearest US Embassy. That is what they are there for.

Good luck on future travel

[NavySis]

I keep a scanned color copy of my passport and other documents in my luggage. I also email it to a friend who could send it to me if needed. It may seem a bit obsessive, but you can travel with lost luggage, lost money, but not without documents.

Thanks for sharing, it teaches others how to prepare.

Caly

 

Caly,

Just for your informaiton it is illegal to copy your passport or DL in color. Black and white copies are ok, but not color. I work for FedEx Kinko's and I know copyright laws. I know it stinks, but that is the law. It is every easy with todays technology to use color copiers for fraud that the law is in place. I have lost count of the times that I have told customers that they can't copy or scan these documents in color. I however make black and white copies and keep one in another place and give one to my mom or someone who is staying home. I am not trying to be mean or anything it is just that I think peopkle need to be aware that they can't copy gov docs in color.

 

NavySis

[dforeigner]

Well, my post on this thread was deleted for some reason. It read: OK folks, what did we learn here: Never keep your ID and passport together. Some how, I guess someone thought this was rude.

 

Now, the OP was kind enough to post the rest of the story. She explained that she understands that it is not the cruise line's fault for denying boarding. She also explains that she does not have travel insurance.

 

I guess the question here is if anyone has ever had this problem and whether or not the cruise line refunded the money for the cruise.

[GoodAsGold]

I am so sorry for what happened to you, SLCcruiser. I know I would be just crushed to experience something like this. And, what a shame that a thief could do so much to ruin your long-planned vacation. It truly feels like a violation, I know.

 

Buying that travel insurance really is a necessity, in my opinion I've always been a bit paranoid about purchasing it. I hadn't really even thought of something like having my items stolen. Another excellent reason to have it.

 

Again, I am just so sorry. :(

 

I get it that one should never carry there two pieces of picture ID together in one place. I foolishly was using one of those passport travel packets with my passport and drivers license and boarding pass for my flight from SLC to LA on 2/9. I tucked it into an outer pocket of the backpack I carried on the plane after boarding at SLC. I was in possession of my ID at that time. (ALthough I did check with SLC airport on the chance that I was wrong and it was located there - not!). My cash and credit were separte, but I had noo other ID.

 

I realized I no longer had my passport packet within 15 minutes of arriving in LAX at the baggage claims area. I admit that I had left my backpack alone for a few minutes to help my husband with the bags. It was close, within eyesight, but I soon realized the packet was gone. Assumed I had left it on the plane or lost it in the airport. Our cruise left 24 hours later on 2/10 so the entire time was spent tracing the planse to 4 cities, searching various lost and founds, dealing with Delta lost and found, finally getting a police report. The LAX police were able to look up my UT license online and print out a confirmation report, but it does not contain a picture.

 

I was also able to contact a friend at home in SLC. They had a key to my house, were able to retrive copies of my documents that I keep for emergencies (fires,etc - not this type!). She faxed me at my hotel a birth certificate, copy of my UT driver's license, and a current passport. She faxed several times, but the quality remained poor with lettering legible, but pictures fuzzy.

 

I brought this packet of info to the port - we had princess tranfers from the Marriott. (Our luggage was on the ship before we were and later had to be retrieved.) My husband did have all his ID. I had done all the appropriate things to pre-register our ID, etc online with princess weeks before the cruise.

 

After 3 hours of deliberation with port authority, Princess, and customs officials they said no. I understand that the reason was not the passport which is not required for transporation by ship yet, only air travel. The reason was that I dd not have one piece of orignal picture identification and they were willing to board me, but were afraid they would be fined if a custom official on the return to US felt Princess had made an exception to the

ID guidelines.

 

So that's the story. Stuck in LA, missed the cruise, flew home at additional expense. No travel insurance. That was a poor decision. I agree with those of you who have stated - just a bad thing happened, no recourse, why blame Princess, (I mostly blame myself and some back luck), just move on.

 

But did want to say for the record to who ever may still be reading at this point, I didn't understand the "there must be more to this story" ..... There's no big lie here. It may sound like a stupid mistake, but it really happened just like this and I tried for 24 hours to fix it so I could go on a cruise I had planned for and paid for - and I don't have any plans to sue Princess! Guess I'm still just angry that I couldn't fix this one.