Refused Boarding on Princess after ID Stolen

[Globaliser]

When you have the luxury of 24 hours before sailing, contact the nearest US Embassy. There is one in LA.

So it's true, then, that California is a foreign country? ;) :D

 

I think that the local Passport Agency office might be a better bet.

[happy cruzer]

Ok, I thought insurance may not have covered this incident. Everyone kept saying insurance was the answer.

 

Sooooo, I took a look at insure my trip and got a quote for 4 different companies. One covered stolen travel docs, and three did NOT.

 

Fyi, read your policies carefully.

:)

[Suzanne123]

happy cruzr - I couldn't find it in my travel insurance, either. Do you remember which insurance did have the coverage for theft of documents?

 

To the OP -I don't think you should beat yourself up over a "stupid mistake." The only bad guy (or girl) in this situation was the creep who robbed you. My heart goes out to you, and thank you for taking the time to tell your story.

[happy cruzer]

c s a

[Suzanne123]

Thanks!

[FuzzyMelton]

SLC

 

Happy Anniversary!

I have learned quite a bit from this post and will use it to reduce my susceptibility to this type of crime.

 

Things I have learned,

 

Make good legible copies of passports, DL, and birth certificates prior to leaving. Have them electronically for better clarity. DO NOT MAKE THEM COLOR (US law)

One person should not carry all the documents, but they should be split between travelers. Passports by one, DL's by another.

Carry copies with you, on a CD, usb thumb drive, laptop, or paper version

Do not carry documents anywhere else than on your person. The popular Cargo pants are great for this, large pockets on your leg. Hides passports very well

ALWAYS buy travel insurance (we use STA Travel) and make sure it covers loss of travel documents (not sure yet if STA does or not, but you can bet I will check).

If travel docs are lost contact the US Embassy (even if still in US) ASAP. It might be expensive but they can help and not as expensive as losing the trip).

 

SLC, I would try the Homeowners Policy, I think you may have the best luck there and good luck.

And please keep us informed to the outcome of this, whether it is your homeowners, Princess, or both that provides some relief.

[nrdsb4]

SLC

 

Happy Anniversary!

I have learned quite a bit from this post and will use it to reduce my susceptibility to this type of crime.

 

Things I have learned,

 

Make good legible copies of passports, DL, and birth certificates prior to leaving. Have them electronically for better clarity. DO NOT MAKE THEM COLOR (US law)

 

One person should not carry all the documents, but they should be split between travelers. Passports by one, DL's by another.

 

Carry copies with you, on a CD, usb thumb drive, laptop, or paper version

 

Do not carry documents anywhere else than on your person. The popular Cargo pants are great for this, large pockets on your leg. Hides passports very well

 

ALWAYS buy travel insurance (we use STA Travel) and make sure it covers loss of travel documents (not sure yet if STA does or not, but you can bet I will check).

 

If travel docs are lost contact the US Embassy (even if still in US) ASAP. It might be expensive but they can help and not as expensive as losing the trip).

 

SLC, I would try the Homeowners Policy, I think you may have the best luck there and good luck.

And please keep us informed to the outcome of this, whether it is your homeowners, Princess, or both that provides some relief.

 

 

With all due respect, this doesn't make any sense to me. US Embassies are only located in foreign countries. Their purpose, among others, is to help US citizens abroad who find themselves in some kind of trouble. If you were in a foreign country and lost your passport, the US Embassy would be the place to go for help. But in the United States, you would need to go to the closest PASSPORT Agency, as there are no US Embassies located within the United States (I think there may be some form of US Embassy which serves the UN in some capacity, not sure).

 

Of course, if I'm mistaken, I'm sure someone will correct me!:)

[LARGIN]

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

 

Cannot find any reference to a law that says you cannot make a color photocopy of an US passport identification page.. Can you provide?

[talosian]

I have to side with the cruise line on this one. It's a matter of security and "better safe than sorry."

 

One question that has not been asked here is your ethnic origin. I say this because it appears from your post that English may not be your first language and it may well be that there was some (unofficial) racial profiling here. Is that right? No! Does it happen? Yes.

 

Make enough reasonably noise and even if you don't get a refund, you may get 100% (or close) credit toward another cruise. After all, this is a service business and the companies want to keep the people happy and create good P.R.

 

Best of luck.

[Colo Cruiser]

One question that has not been asked here is your ethnic origin. I say this because it appears from your post that English may not be your first language and it may well be that there was some (unofficial) racial profiling here. Is that right? No! Does it happen? Yes.

 

 

Huh??? :confused:

[nschurr]

Huh??? :confused:

 

I agree.

[nrdsb4]

Cannot find any reference to a law that says you cannot make a color photocopy of an US passport identification page.. Can you provide?

 

I've tried to find it as well but was unsuccessful. Seems that if this was true, the offical US passport web site would make this perfectly clear when they encourage US citizens to make a photocopy of their passport in order to expedite replacement in the unfortunate event that it is lost or stolen.

 

I have read that Kinkos and other similar type business simply have a company policy against color copying official ID's.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

SLC

 

Happy Anniversary!

I have learned quite a bit from this post and will use it to reduce my susceptibility to this type of crime.

 

Things I have learned,

 

Make good legible copies of passports, DL, and birth certificates prior to leaving. Have them electronically for better clarity. DO NOT MAKE THEM COLOR (US law)

 

One person should not carry all the documents, but they should be split between travelers. Passports by one, DL's by another.

 

Carry copies with you, on a CD, usb thumb drive, laptop, or paper version

 

Do not carry documents anywhere else than on your person. The popular Cargo pants are great for this, large pockets on your leg. Hides passports very well

 

ALWAYS buy travel insurance (we use STA Travel) and make sure it covers loss of travel documents (not sure yet if STA does or not, but you can bet I will check).

 

If travel docs are lost contact the US Embassy (even if still in US) ASAP. It might be expensive but they can help and not as expensive as losing the trip).

 

SLC, I would try the Homeowners Policy, I think you may have the best luck there and good luck.

And please keep us informed to the outcome of this, whether it is your homeowners, Princess, or both that provides some relief.

 

Is there a reason for not color copies and I would also suggest having your copies notarized.

This is on my list of things to do once I have renewed the kids passports:D

[TexasMom2]

Wow, what a terrible experience. You seem to be taking it all in stride - kudos to you. Thanks for sharing, I sure learned a lot about safeguarding ID and what to do if something happens.

[63musicgirl]

Ok, new to passport but not to cruising...

 

I do not need a passport to cruise this summer, but I have ordered my passport.

 

In many a heated discussion about how much more useful passports are over BC and DL, I thought you were better off to get the passports. I thought if a passport were stolen or lost, having the number would enable you to travel without problems since it could be replaced.

 

Was this not possible since the OP was still in the US??????

 

So basically, having a passport is no better than having a BC and DL since having either combination will not get me on the cruise if they were stolen.

 

So according to Princess, if you have the misfortune of being robbed, you will also be robbed of your vacation even if you can provide copies of your identification (while not normally accepted).

 

Personally, this is my nightmare. I am OBSESSIVE about holding onto my BC and DL until I get on the ship. It goes in the safe and stays there.

 

I have extra certified copies of my BC in a different, safe place. But what can you do if a DL is stolen?

 

I feel soooo bad for the OP. I would have been devasted.

 

Isn't it sad that no one is able to trust anyone these days?

[azsunshine]

I think we were lucky.

 

My husband and I were traveling with my step daughter who was a first time cruiser and an adult. She flew in from the Northwest, and stopped to buy a book in the book store after she had gone through security. She left her return ticket packet that had her drivers license in at the book store while looking for a book. She had no photo ID.

 

She flew in the same day we departed from San Diego on the HAL cruise. We called security at the departure airport and they were "off for the weekend" at the answering security desk, we called the book store, and they couldn't find anything. she spent 4 hours in San Diego and ended up at the passport office that referred her around the corner to an ID shop that took her picture and gave her an ID that said "not government issued" stamped across the face of it. Not only was she allowed on board, she used the same ID for the balance of the cruise in Mexico to get on the ship when ID was reguired. We were shocked she got on, but very pleased. We weren't sure for the whole cruise is we were going to be leaving her in Mexico. She returned home to find someone had found the ID and the ticket, and mailed it to her home address on the drivers license. amazing. but true!

[dforeigner]

Cannot find any reference to a law that says you cannot make a color photocopy of an US passport identification page.. Can you provide?

 

I was not able to find anywhere stating that one cannot make a color copy of a passport. I can see where it could be illegal to make a color copy of a government document because of counterfeiting laws.

 

http://search.state.gov/search?q=cache:Gk1TkYI5VfEJ:travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html+copying+passports&access=p&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&lr=lang_en&client=stategov_frontend&site=stategov%7Coig%7Cfpc%7Cbmena%7Cusawc%7Cmepi%7Ctravel%7Cexchanges%7Ccareers%7Cfoia%7Caiep%7Cpepfar&proxystylesheet=stategov_frontend&oe=ISO-8859-1

 

4. Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

[joyride]

First, I am so sorry that this happened to the OP and I'm happy to hear that you were still able to get away for your anniversary!

 

I almost was in the same situation in September. It maybe would have been EVEN worse, as I was all the way over in Europe and would not have been able to board the ship!

 

It was our first full day in Rome and we were going on a tour for the day. I ALWAYS leave my passport in the cabin or hotel safe and do not usually carry it on my person once I have reached my final destination. I guess because we were in Europe and we would be visiting the Vatican and such, for some reason I decided to take my passport with me. I did have a COLOR copy also, and left it in the hotel safe. I had a travelpro type of document folder, with my passport, some Euros and a credit card. Well, at some point during the day - my passport went missing. I still think it probably fell out at some point, because my document folder was not taken and I still had my Euros and credit card.

 

Anyway, fortunately for me - this happened on a Thursday and our ship did not leave until Saturday. So, Friday morning I was at the Embassy in Rome with my COLOR copy of my passport. My lost passport was cancelled and 1 1/2 hours and $97 later - I had a brand new passport.

 

I was not sited or fined for having a color copy of my passport. Also, I think having this copy is why it was so easy to get a replacement. I think it is probably illegal to color copy a passport and to try to pass it off as the real thing, but I can't seem to find anything that says it's illegal to copy it in color.

 

Anyway, I was very lucky. If I had not been able to get a replacement as easily as I did, it would have ruined a trip of a lifetime that we had been planning for over a year. I DID have trip insurance, but getting my money back still would not have cured the disappointment that we would have suffered if we had missed the trip!

 

I will be treating my passport like GOLD from here on out!

[Globaliser]

In many a heated discussion about how much more useful passports are over BC and DL, I thought you were better off to get the passports. I thought if a passport were stolen or lost, having the number would enable you to travel without problems since it could be replaced.

 

Was this not possible since the OP was still in the US??????

Having the number doesn't itself enable you to travel. It may help you to get the lost passport replaced quickly, but if you need documents to travel, you still need documents.

 

Lost passports can often be replaced quickly, sometimes almost immediately as a matter of emergency. But whether any particular country, or any particular office, can do so at any particular time will depend on circumstances at that time.

 

You are still better off having passports, because they're universally recognised as travel documents. Travelling without a passport usually limits you to only a handful of places to which you can go beyond the borders of your own country. And now, it's even more limiting if you travel by certain modes of transport rather than others.

[CruisinChris]

It IS possible to get a replacement passport in as few as 12 hours. A quick internet search reveals many agencies that can do this. I think the local consulate could as well (especially in a town like LA). It's unfortunate for the OP because she had all the documentation required to get the emergency passport and the time. Check out the state dept. website and do a quick search for emergency passport. You'll see what I mean. It wasn't necessary for her to lose her cruise...and that's too bad. Especially since Princess could have provided her with better advice. I guess we all live and learn through this experience...

[hrhdhd]

I've tried to find it as well but was unsuccessful. Seems that if this was true, the offical US passport web site would make this perfectly clear when they encourage US citizens to make a photocopy of their passport in order to expedite replacement in the unfortunate event that it is lost or stolen.

 

I have read that Kinkos and other similar type business simply have a company policy against color copying official ID's.

 

I e-mailed the National Passport Information Center regarding the color copy issue, and got the response below:

 

******

Hello,

 

Yes it is legal for the owner of a passport to make a color photocopy of a

passport.

 

Thanks for your inquiry,

 

National Passport Information Center 6676

1 877 487-2778

******

[nrdsb4]

I e-mailed the National Passport Information Center regarding the color copy issue, and got the response below:

 

******

Hello,

 

Yes it is legal for the owner of a passport to make a color photocopy of a

passport.

 

Thanks for your inquiry,

 

National Passport Information Center 6676

1 877 487-2778

******

 

 

There we have it.

 

I figured this "color copying of passports is illegal" was an urban legend. When I googled this subject trying to find an answer, I came upon several other travel message forums where someone INSISTED this was the case. Coincidentally, several of the most fervent in this belief also worked at KINKO's, therefore thought they had the "real" scoop.

[digitalgirl]

Thank you!!

I originally posted that I keep a color copy with me and was addressed directly in a post that it was illegal. I figured as long as it was for personal use and not sold or used illegally it was okay. Thanks for looking it up. I think it is a good idea to keep a copy in your luggage.

Caly

[Don Haynes]

I always wear a money belt when abroad. After many trips I can honesty say they work against those who pick pocket, especially for tourist who stick out....

[NavySis]

I e-mailed the National Passport Information Center regarding the color copy issue, and got the response below:

 

******

Hello,

 

Yes it is legal for the owner of a passport to make a color photocopy of a

passport.

 

Thanks for your inquiry,

 

National Passport Information Center 6676

1 877 487-2778

******

 

Could you give me more info on where you got this info please? Yes I work for FedEx Kinko's and I know it is illegal to copy any govt issued doc including dl and passorts in color, so I am wondering if this is really true. People also have to keep in mind that if we copy anything that is copyrighted or gov issued id docs in color we can loose our jobs. I would rather have a customer be mad at me becuse I told them I couldn't copy or scan their passports in color than loose my job. I really don't think it is company policy as much as gov regulations. All I know is that I am not allowed to copy these documents in color and if I do so I run the risk of loosing my job.

 

NavySis