Passports Possibly Being Required

[doone]

I thought I would share some information that my friend received when she went to AAA yesterday to book her Westerdam cruise for next year.

 

The TA at AAA said she heard a RUMOR, that beginning the first of the year, passports will be required in the caribbean, including cruises. Now she said whether or not this is true, she doesn't know, but it wouldn't surprise her if it were true. She is suggesting to all her clients booking cruises or just vacations outside the US, get passports.

 

Who knows if this is true or not, but why chance it. If you have vacation plans that will take you outside the US after the first of the year, now is the time to get your passports.

 

Just wondering is anyone else has heard this rumor???

[gizmo]

No, I haven't come across this yet. Thanks for posting this.

[jazzsea]

We started suggesting passports to our cruise clients about four months ago. We, too, had heard the rumor and thought that it made perfect sense.

 

Passports are required on Holland America Panama Canal cruises (Rotterdam).

 

My passport expires next year. I plan to renew it in September of this year as I do not want to be without it for any extended period of time. Can you imagine the waiting time if (and when) passports become mandatory?

[peaches from georgia]

I agree, jazzsea. Our passports expire early next year and we just sent them in for renewal. I know there have been discussions here about renewing 6 months before your passport is due to expire and that is what we did. Better to be safe than sorry and it looks like there might be a lot of people needing p'ports in a hurry next year. :)

[ron46936]

The HAL website sez that they are requiring passports for all except Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and New England cruises.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=documentation&topic=passports

 

Also the passport must be valid for 6 months after the cruise

[doone]

I am surprised passports haven't been required before now.

[Orcrone]

The HAL website sez that they are requiring passports for all except Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and New England cruises.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=documentation&topic=passports

 

Also the passport must be valid for 6 months after the cruise

Thanks for the tip. It looks like they're actually not required for many itineraries, just a good idea in case of an emergency, which is what many have been saying for a long time.

 

Thanks for the info Ron.

[peaches from georgia]

It looks like passports are needed for the majority of cruises; all except Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and New England. ONLY these 4 cruise destinations are allowed to use a picture ID and birth certificate (and most of these ports are US states) now according to HAL.

 

From the HAL website:

 

 

Planning & Advice:

Documentation

 

Passports

The following documents are required for U.S. and Canadian citizens:

 

Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii or New England cruises:

 

1) A valid passport ~or~

2) A U.S. or Canadian government-issued picture identification; plus an original or certified copy of a United States birth certificate, Canadian birth certificate, U.S. Naturalization Certificate, or Canadian Naturalization Certificate.

 

All other cruises: A passport valid for six months beyond the duration of the cruise and necessary visas. Expired passports are not acceptable.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

I personally think that passports should be required no matter where a person travels to. They are good for 10 years and make going through airport check-ins and security easier than a photo idea. After 9/11, our government should have required that everyone get a passport.

I really hope that this is true.

Sure, some people will argue that "I am only going on this one trip, why should I get a pasport?" They may think at the time they are only going on one trip, but who knows what they may do in the future?

GET THOSE PASSPORTS IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ONE!

:)

[ron46936]

The requirements are apparently those of the individual cruise line. Looking around the other lines websites, HAL's are the most stringent, NCL less so, and RCCL still mentions accepting a recently expired passport. I feel more comfortable with a passport plus a backup photocopy in my luggage just in case.

[Orcrone]

I wonder when they changed that. I had looked several months ago and they were not requiring passports. Additionally, I e-mailed HAL and they sent me an e-mail stating the same thing.

 

I'll double check with them, and also post a question on this board. Hate to bring the cost of our cruise up by over $300 for 4 passports.

[tomc]

I wonder why the passport would have to be valid for six months after the cruise?

[MandyGirl]

...and another copy left with someone reliable back home that could fax it in case of an emergency.

If you ever know someone who is robbed while out of the country and they are stripped of everything - passport, driver's license, credit cards, etc - you learn a lot from them. He told me it was the worst thing - having to try to prove your identity while out of the country without a single piece of identification - and thank goodness his wife and secretary had copies of everything back home. He was able to obtain an emergency passport from the US Embassy after just a couple of days. Having a passport on file is the best thing to get you back home.

[MandyGirl]

tomc - Sometimes when visiting another country they also have that same requirement of the passport being valid so many months after your visit. It can be six months... or even longer.

 

http://travel.state.gov/visa/americans1.html

 

I would assume that if you are on a cruise, you have to abide by the regulations of the ports you are visiting. If they require passports to be valid at least 6 months after your visit if you're just a regular traveler on an airplane, they probably require the same thing if visiting their country via a cruiseship. Just a different mode of transportation.

[iluvcruzin]

Thanks for the information. After many years of cruising I finally applied for one (it's been 5 weeks so I imagine it will come next week). I have mixed opinions on the need for one. Personally I agree that after 9/11 it makes sense to have one. However for those who travel with children it is a bit pricey to purchase them for the whole family. It's not so much the portion the government charges, it's that $30 the post office/government office charges to spend 5 min's to check that you filled the form out correctly, sign it and mail it in. We pay taxes which covers the salary paid to these individuals anyway. Why not reduce this service charge to make it more affoardable? It would help with homeland security as they could also require them for airtravel identification. Just my thoughts.

[tomc]

huh. So if your passport expires in, say, four months and you want to take a trip or cruise, you are stuck. I wonder if travelers with soon-to-expire passports are up to something?

[doone]

Tomc, this is correct. I had a friend of mine who was traveling abroad, her passport expired 3 months before her trip, she thought she was fine. She wasn't, she was denied boarding the plane, had to go to Boston and get her new passport. She then boarded her flight to go on vacation, 2 days later. So its true.

[tomc]

I can see if the passport expired three months before the trip, but what if it expired three months after the trip, which seems to be an issue with some countries?

[sail7seas]

The countries into which a person seeks admission sets the requirement. Every country sets their own rules for what they require in order for you to be admitted. Not long ago, Barbados said that anyone wishing to visit would be required to have a passport. Alot of pressure was put on them by "tourist interests" and they changed the rule to allow admission of cruise ship pax without a passport.

 

One can see the "writing on the wall" that all countries will start to require them....and I think they should.

 

It is beyond me how anyone in this day and age, who knows they are going to travel anywhere outside the U.S. fifty, does not have a passport. The expense is not so large that peopole who have budgeted for their cruise cannot fit it into their budget. If so, they should save a little while longer as if their budget is that tight, what would happen if they run into an emergency while traveling? If they had an accident, an illness.......if, heaven forbid, there were another attack at home that would delay their return as happened to folks who were traveling on 9-11.

 

JMHO.......

[Randyk47]

I guess living outside of the USA for several years just got us into the habit of always carrying our passports with us no matter where we went. In fact, it was so much a habit that I had to remind myself I didn't need to take it with me when I traveled within the US once we returned from Germany. As for the 6 month requirement. That's a requirement for some of the South American countries and maybe others for all I know. Part of the reason behind it was that there had to be sufficient time left on a passport for a person to visit or do their business and be able to leave the country and return to their own. Anyhow, have no problem keeping our passports current and usually renew them well before they're due to expire. Last renewal we handled through the US Post Office and it only took 4 weeks. Postal clerk coached us through part of the paperwork so we didn't have to pay any additional fee for them to handle other than the required renewal fee and the postage to get the documents to the renewal center. We took them on our last cruise though I can only remember one port where we actually took them into town with us and that was because we weren't going on any tours, just shopping and enjoying some shore time. HAL did ask for them in Ft Lauderdale when we signed in and we showed them getting off the ship when we returned to Ft Lauderdale. All in all easy and convenient way to identify yourself and it meets all the requirements. Never leave home (USA) without one. :)

[CDRMark]

Short expiry passports are the ones most frequently counterfeited.

[jazzsea]

For those of you that don't have passports..... think of getting one as a little game. Dress nicely for your passport picture. You'll also need a certified copy of your birth certificate. Once you gather the necessary papers, go to your County Court House and fill out the paperwork. Then, go out to lunch or dinner. Stop at a travel agency and pick up Europe brochures. Discuss your imaginary trip or cruise while at dinner.

 

When I took my mother for her first passport we went to dinner and discussed how much it would cost to fly to Ireland. Surprisingly, we spent two weeks in Ireland the next year. What a great trip it was and what a nice memory it is for me now.

[Leslieswiger]

Do Not Want to Upset Anyone!:(

 

Yes, passport will be needed in the very near future.:rolleyes:

Make a copy and leave with a home relative, one for each of your luggage and when off ship or out of hotel, keep copy inside your shirt.

Keep passport in safe on ship or in hotel. Your DL is of very little use any more. Things have changed and I do not want to upset anyone. Remember also that if you have problems in another country, you come under that law. NOT your home country or HAL.:eek:

[stillfrantic]

My child used one as identification for SAT's. No driver's license because too young. So yes, they do come in handy, even if not required.

[tomc]

Randyk47 --

Part of the reason behind it was that there had to be sufficient time left on a passport for a person to visit or do their business and be able to leave the country and return to their own.

Never thought of that; makes a lot of sense.