Im so upset...please help!

[J and G]

 

Here is what RCCL says about travel docs on thier web site

 

Anticipated Implementation

 

June 8, 2007 - The departments of State and Homeland Security relaxed the valid passport rule for air travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda provided travelers can show (a) a government-issued photo identification and (b) an official proof of application for a U.S. passport from the U.S. Department of State which can be secured from http:/travel.state.gov. Children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents or legal guardian will be permitted to travel with the child's proof of application.

 

Note: Travelers who have not applied for a passport should not expect to be accommodated.

 

I got my passport in person, so I don't know that one can apply online or that a verification is provided, but here's a thought.......

 

If the OP were to apply online for a passport, print some sort of verification that the application had been received, and bring her driver's license ("government-issued photo identification"), it seems she should be allowed to board.

 

It might be worth looking into, at least...

[Sue L]

I got my passport in person, so I don't know that one can apply online or that a verification is provided, but here's a thought.......

 

If the OP were to apply online for a passport, print some sort of verification that the application had been received, and bring her driver's license ("government-issued photo identification"), it seems she should be allowed to board.

 

It might be worth looking into, at least...

 

 

Nope won't work as it takes a week to a couple of weeks for it to show up in the system as being in process. Plus I don't think you can apply online, everything needs to be mailed in.

[J and G]

You are right...it says for first-time passport applicants, application must be made in person.

 

I went to http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx , put in my zip code, and asked for the nearest 100 passport application locations. I found that there are some locations open on Saturday. The OP might be able to apply in person today at one such location in her area, get some sort of verification that she has applied, and use that along with her driver's license to board the ship.

 

She will have to work fast! What a predicament!

[Amy from Delaware]

You are right...it says for first-time passport applicants, application must be made in person.

 

I went to http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx , put in my zip code, and asked for the nearest 100 passport application locations. I found that there are some locations open on Saturday. The OP might be able to apply in person today at one such location in her area, get some sort of verification that she has applied, and use that along with her driver's license to board the ship.

 

She will have to work fast! What a predicament!

 

She would need her birth certificate in order to apply for a passport.

[bulldog12]

This is easy, I work for the corporate office of a company who owns seven hostitals , 4 in the Baltimore area and 3 in DC, call administration today if you can and tell them your situation they can fed ex the certificate with in 24hrs they will ask you for sensitive information that only you would know, if you can drive to the hospital do it now, you can make this happen.

[GJClay]

Couldn't agree more. As a British citizen I always find it hard to understand why so many US citizens seem so determined to resist getting passports. We have to have them for leaving the country anyway, but a passport is such a useful document for proving your identity.

 

I know they cost plenty, but they do here too, and we have no option - if we want to travel we have to have one. I've had one for more than forty years and there's no way I'd ever be without it.

 

However, this doesn't help the OP. I do hope she manages to get something sorted out and has a wonderful wedding.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. As a lifelong US Citizen I use my passport, which I've had and kept currrent for thirty years, for even domestic travel (thanks to the advice of my father). It just feels more official. Plus, you never know when I may win a trip or the lottery, right? I insist that my husband and both of my children have current passports also.

 

Now that travel to the Caribbean and Mexico is going to require passports in the VERY near future, the backlog on passport app's in the US is astronomical.

 

However, I have many friends and family members who have not traveled outside the US and this situation OP is facing could have easily happened to any of them. Some of my friends here in the midwest have not even seen the ocean. I feel so sorry for OP. I can't imagine what she must be going through.

 

On a side note, I love your country. I've had the opportunity to visit twice, and may be coming again with my daugther's theater group. Can't wait!!

[PrettyLA]

I wish the OP would explain if she has used the options of calling family members, etc. instead of just saying that she is just going to try to get on. To me that makes it seem like she hasn't done anything other than just hope she will get on.

 

Good luck in the outcome of this though.

[BethCarp]

This is easy, I work for the corporate office of a company who owns seven hostitals , 4 in the Baltimore area and 3 in DC, call administration today if you can and tell them your situation they can fed ex the certificate with in 24hrs they will ask you for sensitive information that only you would know, if you can drive to the hospital do it now, you can make this happen.

That's not going to work. She has the birth certificate from the hospital which isn't the right thing. She needs the official state-issued certificate.

[BethCarp]

True, unless you forget your passport as a friend of ours did!

That's not the problem here. Anyone can forget to bring a passport or a birth certificate. The problem here is that the OP has the WRONG document. You can't have a wrong document if you have a passport. There was a story here a few weeks ago about people being denied boarding because they had the hospital certificates and not the certified ones. They legitimately thought they had the right thing, but they were wrong. If you have a passport then you KNOW that you have the right document.

[Amy from Delaware]

This is easy, I work for the corporate office of a company who owns seven hostitals , 4 in the Baltimore area and 3 in DC, call administration today if you can and tell them your situation they can fed ex the certificate with in 24hrs they will ask you for sensitive information that only you would know, if you can drive to the hospital do it now, you can make this happen.

 

:confused: What administrative office? What questions could they ask that *they* would know the answers to, if all they have is the record of someone's birth? :confused:

 

By the way....

 

Fedex and UPS will not be delivering on Labor Day.

 

Fedex does not deliver to residences on Mondays anyway.

 

Express Mail from the US Post Office will be delivered 365 days a year to most locations. The URL for express mail is www.usps.com/shipping/expressmail.htm Click on the link for "express mail service commitments" for more details.

[J and G]

While I totally agree with those who have said that the OP should have checked into the necessary documentation LONG before the Friday prior to the wedding/cruise date, it seems that the cruise line wedding planner should have been explicit about the type documentation that each passenger would need, as part of the wedding planning process. I know that it is in their passenger information, but it is part of good customer service to point that out to someone who is in the throes of planning a wedding and cruising with 30 other people.

 

Yes, it is the OP's responsibility to have found out what she and her guests needed and to make sure that she had it all taken care of in advance, but now that she is where she is, I'm glad everyone is trying to help.

 

I would like to know if she has tried any of the options offered here.

[SlightDraw]

Our last cruise was in March of this year. DH heard it was a good idea to copy passports. He had all the copies with us but left original of DS in printer at home. Didn't realize until we got to airport 100 miles away. Airline let us use the copy (maybe because he was a minor and we had ours) Cruise line made us wait in another room until it was cleared with immigration in St.Thomas. Again, only let us use a copy because he was a minor and we had our originals. Believe me the copy was a problem everytime we had to present ourselves with documents. I don't think it is gonna fly for her.

[Sea Island Lady]

That's not the problem here. Anyone can forget to bring a passport or a birth certificate. The problem here is that the OP has the WRONG document. You can't have a wrong document if you have a passport. There was a story here a few weeks ago about people being denied boarding because they had the hospital certificates and not the certified ones. They legitimately thought they had the right thing, but they were wrong. If you have a passport then you KNOW that you have the right document.

:confused: I understand perfectly well what the OP's problem is. I was just relaying a little humorous story to point out that it doesn't matter IF you have a passport, IF you forget it. Having a passport will do no good if you forget it like my friend did. :D Go read my post again.

 

SlightDraw - That sounds like something that I would do. :D

[vacation fool]

If the OP would have checked her docs weeks instead of days before the cruise/wedding there would be no problem here. In a post 9/11 world it is more important than ever to make sure one has their correct docs when traveling. Tears are no substitute for proper ID. Go ahead flame away.

 

Although i was thinking the exact same thing, i am astounded that it took 44 posts for someone to flame:D Usually it is by post #3. lol

[BethCarp]

 

I would like to know if she has tried any of the options offered here.

She's probably doing all that right now. Hopefully her parents have the original. That seems like the only thing that's going to work for her right now.

[BethCarp]

:confused: I understand perfectly well what the OP's problem is. I was just relaying a little humorous story to point out that it doesn't matter IF you have a passport, IF you forget it. Having a passport will do no good if you forget it like my friend did. :D Go read my post again.

I understood your story, I don't need to read it twice. It still doesn't pertain to the OP. People were saying that passports prevent things like having wrong documents. No one said, it's a guarantee to get on the ship if you leave it at home. Forgetting your document, be it passport, BC or whatever, is a completley different thread.

Although i was thinking the exact same thing, i am astounded that it took 44 posts for someone to flame:D Usually it is by post #3. lol

I guess we were trying to be nice. It isn't helpful to say well you should have checked before. She can't change that. Hopefully though other people will read this and think "gee maybe I should check my documents before it's time to leave."

[vmom]

This is easy, I work for the corporate office of a company who owns seven hostitals , 4 in the Baltimore area and 3 in DC, call administration today if you can and tell them your situation they can fed ex the certificate with in 24hrs they will ask you for sensitive information that only you would know, if you can drive to the hospital do it now, you can make this happen.

 

Won't work.

 

Its NOT the hosptial certificate that you need, its the certificate from the county office with the raised seal. Hospitals give out certificates of birth, but they are not considered the official certificate. You need the one issued from the county.

[SheriNtexas]

She's probably doing all that right now. Hopefully her parents have the original. That seems like the only thing that's going to work for her right now.

 

 

I wish she would pop back in here and let us know what she is doing! She posted a thread with 'help' in the title, we are involved now, and I personally HAVE to know the outcome of this to be able to get on with my weekend!:D Seriously, i'm sure she has lots of help and they are doing whatever they can think of!! What a nightmare...

[dachshunddoglover]

I was taking my mom on a trip to the Bahama's. I asked her several times if she had her Birth Certificate to get on the plane. Answer was Yes. Well - when we got to the Atlanta airport, we gave it to the gentleman and he told us it was the hospital BC and not certified raised seal. We were in a panic as you can understand. He asked her if she by chance had her voter's registration card with her. By a miracle, she did. That was proof enough and they let her on the plane. Take your voters registration card if you can find it.

Good luck to you. This will be the longest weekend of your life. Please post back and let us know what happened. We really do want to know. When you get on the ship (hopefully), go to the computer lab and hop on real quick and let us know. E-Beth

[pmshirl]

First of all the Certified copy of birth is issued from the Dept. of Vital Statistics, not a Hospital, the county, or any other place! Next, if this person has a COPY of the certified ,Certification Of Birth ( Certified Copy of Birth) whatever her state may name their Original Birth Record, then the original has to be somewhere for her to be able to have the COPY! Whether she will be able to find that original, before she leaves is her only hope. The cruiselines (customs & immigration) are very particular that you have your Correct documents in order to board the Ship. She will not be able to get a NEW Certification of birth, since the Dept. of Vital is closed on Saturdays and all Holiday's in every state, and even the overnight online companies that can provide a certication of Birth overnight will not be able to offer an overnight service, due to the Vital offices being closed! You can Not mail in or apply online(can never apply online) for your 1st passport, which is totally out of the question, to fix this persons problem! Post Offices do process the Passport applications on Saturday's, but that is just the being of getting the passport. They then have to be mailed into the Passport Agency to be verified and issued (takes approx. 8-10 weeks)so no benefit with that option. Going to a notary or bank to get something notarized is only giving this person more papers (that are not the proper REQUIRED DOCUMENTS) to board a Cruise! I feel for this person and wished there was a Real option for her, but IMHO I think she is SOL! I don't even think she could get a refund ( if she had insurance) due to it being negligance on her part. Let alone the fact that this will ruin a special planned day for her a many others. I hope for the Best in this situation, but I really feel your boarding chances are limited.

[GJClay]

Although i was thinking the exact same thing, i am astounded that it took 44 posts for someone to flame:D Usually it is by post #3. lol

 

In defense of the OP, it wasn't until I took my daughter's birth certificate to the P.O. to apply for her passport that I found out that the hospital issued thing with the little footprints on it was NOT her official certificate of birth. I had no idea! I looked official, and it was then and only then that I learned it was not. She lived eleven years before I realized I didn't have her BC.

[J and G]

It still seems to me that the OP's best option is to go ahead and apply somewhere for a passport today and use her application confirmation along with her driver's license to board the ship. She does not have to have the actual passport - just proof of application for one, according to a previous post from RC's website.

 

To quote a previous post:

 

Here is what RCCL says about travel docs on thier web site

 

Anticipated Implementation

 

June 8, 2007 - The departments of State and Homeland Security relaxed the valid passport rule for air travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda provided travelers can show (a) a government-issued photo identification and (b) an official proof of application for a U.S. passport from the U.S. Department of State which can be secured from http:/travel.state.gov.

 

 

It just crossed my mind that there might not really be any such problem or person as the OP and that it was just posted to get lots of reaction....could that be?

[signman]

I predict everything will be fine. She's only going to Mexico. Even though it's a copy of a Certified Birth Certificate, add in the original hospital certificate, she will get on the ship.

 

Oh, and I loved the poster who brilliantly said, just use your passport.

 

You can't apply for a passport without an "original". The copy won't cut it.

[nrdsb4]

It still seems to me that the OP's best option is to go ahead and apply somewhere for a passport today and use her application confirmation along with her driver's license to board the ship. She does not have to have the actual passport - just proof of application for one, according to a previous post from RC's website.

 

To quote a previous post:

 

Here is what RCCL says about travel docs on thier web site

 

Anticipated Implementation

 

June 8, 2007 - The departments of State and Homeland Security relaxed the valid passport rule for air travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda provided travelers can show (a) a government-issued photo identification and (b) an official proof of application for a U.S. passport from the U.S. Department of State which can be secured from http:/travel.state.gov.

 

 

 

Well, maybe. But if the person accepting the passport is even half way on the ball, they will hand her hospital certificate or xeroxed birth certificate right back to her and tell her to come back with the proper documents. They will not accept her application without the proper documents (and therefore she will not have official proof of application). So I guess she'd better hope the person processing that day is not paying attention.

[SheriNtexas]

It just crossed my mind that there might not really be any such problem or person as the OP and that it was just posted to get lots of reaction....could that be?

 

 

Well of course anyone could do that here, but if you look back through some of her posts she is talking about wedding plans, etc. so i'm sure she is legit. As far as we know, anyway! I bet she will be able to get on that ship!!:)