NCL passport policy

[Former Goalie]

Here is the passport requirement for NCL posted on the NCL web site:

 

"The following regulations are currently in effect for all sailings as of JANUARY 1, 2008.

 

As of January 1, 2008, a valid passport is required for all guests (whether already en route on a cruise or just departing) for any itinerary where there is a stop in a foreign port."

 

This is a change from when I booked our western Mexican cruise in July, when birth certificates backed up by a photo ID were sufficient. And, NCL seems to require passports while Homeland Security/Dept. of State do not. Reading the following, it seems the only thing that has changed is the requirement for LAND crossings as of 1/31/08:

 

 

"LAND AND SEA TRAVEL

The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

 

JANUARY 31, 2008

U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document, or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, plus proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. DHS also proposes to begin alternative procedures for U.S. and Canadian children at that time.

 

 

SUMMER 2008

At a later date, to be determined, the departments will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have either a U.S. passport; a U.S. passport card; a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, FAST, or SENTRI; a valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or a valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders.

 

The implementation date will be determined based on a number of factors, including the progress of actions undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security to implement the WHTI requirements and the availability of WHTI compliant documents on both sides of the border. DHS and DOS expect the date of full WHTI implementation to be in the summer of 2008. The precise implementation date will be formally announced with at least 60 days notice."

 

I don't think the other mass market lines are requiring passports as of 1/1/08, I'm perplexed why NCL has chosen to go this route.

I had filled out our Advanced Guest Registration in late September, and had checked birth certificates as means of identification for our daughter, which the system accepted. It showed "registered" then, as it does now. The only problem with that, is that, when I go to the actual form now, the option for birth certificates has been eliminated, and there are now two boxes, one for passport, one for ARC, neither of which is checked....yet we were still listed as "registered". In other words, the form has been changed, unbeknownst to us.

I don't understand why NCL did not inform us of what I feel was a pretty significant change, which happened very quickly.

 

I know some will say "Just get a passport", but in our case, it's not all that simple.

Plus, if I hadn't stumbled upon this new policy, we would have showed up at the pier, and been denied boarding. I'm sure we are not the only ones like this.

Plus, if I can't get a passport, I face a substantial penalty, because NCL abruptly decided to change its policy to what it appears to be a much more restrictive policy than the government.

 

Just me griping, plus a heads up for others who may face the same situation.

[Former Goalie]

Correction:

 

"I don't think the other mass market lines are requiring passports as of 1/1/08,"

 

That should read "Some mass market lines are requiring passports as of 1/1/08, others aren't". That appears to be the case.

 

There seem so to be policies which vary by cruise line.

[Philob]

Its a matter of sooner or later; and they chose sooner...:cool:

 

It makes sense from a procedural standpoint, less documentation to review and if they install passport "readers" like they do at airports checkin/out will be that much faster (yeah right):rolleyes:

[Former Goalie]

Its a matter of sooner or later; and they chose sooner...:cool:

 

It makes sense from a procedural standpoint, less documentation to review and if they install passport "readers" like they do at airports checkin/out will be that much faster (yeah right):rolleyes:

I agree it makes sense. My gripe is that they abruptly changed policy, and this information wasn't widely distributed.

Plus, they arbitrarily changed the information I had provided, without notifying me.

[Philob]

I agree it makes sense. My gripe is that they abruptly changed policy, and this information wasn't widely distributed.

Plus, they arbitrarily changed the information I had provided, without notifying me.

 

I agree with you 1000%, they should have posted a "as of" date but that'll been too easy for NCL Home Office to do...:D

[krisj]

I'd like to know what the deal is with this too. I booked our Jan. 11 , 2008 cruise after looking at the Dept. of Homeland security site that said for my kids, or anyone for that matter, in Jan. a birth certificate would do. My husband works M-F out of town and our passport agency is only open M-F. It will be a royal pain to get get my 5 kids passports, let alone expensive. We chose a cruise in the Caribbena over one in Europe because of the cost of passports right now.

Now I'm stuck trying to figure out what to do and how to get the kids passports. Everyone says it takes 3 mos or more and now we are less than 3 mos away!

Frankly, I don't see how NCL can require passports when officially it isn't required through the government.

[Former Goalie]

I'd like to know what the deal is with this too. I booked our Jan. 11 , 2008 cruise after looking at the Dept. of Homeland security site that said for my kids, or anyone for that matter, in Jan. a birth certificate would do. My husband works M-F out of town and our passport agency is only open M-F. It will be a royal pain to get get my 5 kids passports, let alone expensive. We chose a cruise in the Caribbena over one in Europe because of the cost of passports right now.

Now I'm stuck trying to figure out what to do and how to get the kids passports. Everyone says it takes 3 mos or more and now we are less than 3 mos away!

Frankly, I don't see how NCL can require passports when officially it isn't required through the government.

I've been over this many, many times, talked with NCL, no one seems to listen, nor care.

You are 100% correct, NCL is requiring passports while the govt. will only start requiring them for Carib. cruise travel June 2008 or thereabouts. Curiously, Royal Carib. and sister lines appear to have the same Jan. 1 policy. Carnival Corp. big three Carnival, Holland America, and Princess don't!

It will be a pain, and expensive, for you and your family, but it is possible to get the passports in time. For five kids under 16, with expedited service which gets the docs to you in three weeks estimated, the cost would be ($82+$60) times 5, for a grand total of a modest $710! If any kids are 16 or over, the cost goes up slightly. If your husband can't be present, there is a form he would fill out and get notarized, which you could bring in his absence. Your kids must be present, with you.

I'm still working on all angles with my travel agent, and we may call NCL up for the third time today. For the life of me, I don't why NCL would make it more difficult for anyone in the embarkation process, but it looks like they are.

[Images]

Receiving your passport is only taking about 4 weeks right now. The back up has cleared up.

[krisj]

I got mine and my oldest son's passports. Now I have to go through all the paperwork to get my youngest 4 kids' passports done. I've decided to just go ahead and do it. It will cost me a ton of money I wasn't planning on spending just yet. That is what makes me the most mad. I was going by what the governement rules were, not the NCL ones.

[Holg]

I swear, this conversation could have been avoided if people would have just listened to what I posted on this board nearly two years ago when all this started: "Get a passport. It's good for ten years. Then you don't have to worry about it."

 

That's what I did and I've only done one cruise so far that required it.

 

However, I was sure glad I had it when about a year ago there was a crazy last minute airfare deal to Munich (rt for less than $500)

[Former Goalie]

I swear, this conversation could have been avoided if people would have just listened to what I posted on this board nearly two years ago when all this started: "Get a passport. It's good for ten years. Then you don't have to worry about it."

 

That's what I did and I've only done one cruise so far that required it.

 

However, I was sure glad I had it when about a year ago there was a crazy last minute airfare deal to Munich (rt for less than $500)

PLEASE, read my OP again!! It's easy, very easy, for you and others to casually say, "Get a passport. It's good for ten years. Then you don't have to worry about it."

 

It is NOT easy, in our instance, to get the documents needed to get a passport for my wife's thirteen year old. I would GLADLY march down to the local post office to get passports, and pay extra for expedited service, if we could get cooperation from all the parties that we need to get cooperation from!

Please realize that not all people have the same domestic situation as you do, and everyone's circumstance is different.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

PLEASE, read my OP again!! It's easy, very easy, for you and others to casually say, "Get a passport. It's good for ten years. Then you don't have to worry about it."

 

It is NOT easy, in our instance, to get the documents needed to get a passport for my wife's thirteen year old. I would GLADLY march down to the local post office to get passports, and pay extra for expedited service, if we could get cooperation from all the parties that we need to get cooperation from!

Please realize that not all people have the same domestic situation as you do, and everyone's circumstance is different.

 

I feel for you in this situation. It used to be that the legal guardian or custodian of the child would be the one who could be able to get a passport as long as a divorce decree or other court paperwork that spelled out whom had physical custody.

 

From what I read and heard from other parents this law has changed and is making it harder to get passports for some children in blended families. I don't think that some people fully understand how hard that makes this for parents who are in this situation, but it can be a nightmare.

 

Are you working with a lawyer on this? Because just from the sheer frustration of what you wrote, I'm getting that there's one parent that isn't fully cooperating. Consulting a lawyer to sort through this mess may be your only recourse.

 

Hope it works out for you.

 

-Q

[Former Goalie]

I feel for you in this situation. It used to be that the legal guardian or custodian of the child would be the one who could be able to get a passport as long as a divorce decree or other court paperwork that spelled out whom had physical custody.

 

From what I read and heard from other parents this law has changed and is making it harder to get passports for some children in blended families. I don't think that some people fully understand how hard that makes this for parents who are in this situation, but it can be a nightmare.

 

Are you working with a lawyer on this? Because just from the sheer frustration of what you wrote, I'm getting that there's one parent that isn't fully cooperating. Consulting a lawyer to sort through this mess may be your only recourse.

 

Hope it works out for you.

 

-Q

Thanks for the empathy, you've nailed the situation on the head...and, we'll probably call the lawyer next week. We gave the other parent the DOS form necessary (with a SASE returned envelope!), all that was necessary was a signature with notary. We would take care of the rest, and the child would have the passport for our upcoming trip, and the trips she would inevitably make over the coming years.

No response, as it hasn't happened yet, we're now assuming it won't happen without some nudging.

[Holg]

or you could just leave the 13-year-old home with the ex-parent who is causing the problems.

 

I guess I'm confused as to what you need... you're the kid's guardian, right? Can't you get a copy of the birth certificate from the county the kid was born in?

 

We're talking about a cruise that is after the first of the year, right? That gives you over two months to make it all happen... right?

[Queen_Of_Natick]

or you could just leave the 13-year-old home with the ex-parent who is causing the problems.

 

I guess I'm confused as to what you need... you're the kid's guardian, right? Can't you get a copy of the birth certificate from the county the kid was born in?

 

We're talking about a cruise that is after the first of the year, right? That gives you over two months to make it all happen... right?

 

Holog, its not as easy as all that, but it USED to be at one point. Now they make it harder for kids of blended families to get passports because both natural parents have to be in agreement. Custodial parent has to get noncustodial parent to sign giving consent and its got to be notarized.

 

If the noncustodial parent is being a pisshead about the whole thing has an axe to grind with the custodial parent, they can make the process a hella lot harder than it has to be.

 

That means they have to involve a lawyer and usually courts to get the issue resolved. If you've ever had to go get a court date, you'd know they don't exactly give you preferential treatment or the date you want!

 

The fact that NCL made a policy change AFTER the child was already registered and apparently paid for and, considering what federal guidelines are for passports is enough to make any parent in just this situation want to tear their hair out.

 

I would hope that NCL would honor the fact that this child was previously registered though.

 

So I see where FG is coming from and man o man does he ever have my sympathies. Its a frustrating situation to be in.

 

-Q

[Former Goalie]

Holog, its not as easy as all that, but it USED to be at one point. Now they make it harder for kids of blended families to get passports because both natural parents have to be in agreement. Custodial parent has to get noncustodial parent to sign giving consent and its got to be notarized.

 

If the noncustodial parent is being a pisshead about the whole thing has an axe to grind with the custodial parent, they can make the process a hella lot harder than it has to be.

 

That means they have to involve a lawyer and usually courts to get the issue resolved. If you've ever had to go get a court date, you'd know they don't exactly give you preferential treatment or the date you want!

 

The fact that NCL made a policy change AFTER the child was already registered and apparently paid for and, considering what federal guidelines are for passports is enough to make any parent in just this situation want to tear their hair out.

 

I would hope that NCL would honor the fact that this child was previously registered though.

 

So I see where FG is coming from and man o man does he ever have my sympathies. Its a frustrating situation to be in.

 

-Q

Thanks for the understanding, again. You've described the situation almost exactly as it is. Unfortunately, NCL has shown no flexibility, even with our prior registration history.

 

I hope Holg might better understand the situation now.

[PianoGary]

Back to the original issue, though.

I had no idea that NCL was instituting its own rules regarding passports. How many other people are in FG's position, because they (rightly) keep up with the govt.'s ever-changing policy on this, and think that all cruise lines are doing the (right) thing?

I know I don't get to vote, but NCL should be more flexible about this - especially in cases like FG's --- it's their own company policy, for heaven's sake! They should be able to do whatever they wish in the name of customer service. Sheesh!

[beachchick]

Thanks for the empathy, you've nailed the situation on the head...and, we'll probably call the lawyer next week. We gave the other parent the DOS form necessary (with a SASE returned envelope!), all that was necessary was a signature with notary. We would take care of the rest, and the child would have the passport for our upcoming trip, and the trips she would inevitably make over the coming years.

No response, as it hasn't happened yet, we're now assuming it won't happen without some nudging.

 

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice to help you with this. I just want to say that I'm sorry you're having such a problem with the other parent involved. It really ticks me off when one parent plays these kinds of games to the detriment of the child(ren) and overall family harmony. It's childish and destructive behavior, IMO.

 

Anyway, I hope you get it worked out. (As for why NCL is requiring it earlier; they are because they can, and I suspect that they've decided that it's easier for them to just change their rules and be done with it instead this back and forth that the US government has been doing for the past few years. That's just a WAG, but it kind of seems like the logic that the cruise line management might use.)

 

beachchick

[Former Goalie]

"Anyway, I hope you get it worked out. (As for why NCL is requiring it earlier; they are because they can, and I suspect that they've decided that it's easier for them to just change their rules and be done with it instead this back and forth that the US government has been doing for the past few years. That's just a WAG, but it kind of seems like the logic that the cruise line management might use.)"

 

Thank you for your kind words, well put.

You are correct, NCl is doing this because they can, they are a private company. From a privately held business standpoint, I don't think it's advisable, as many lines in a very competitive industry are pushing back this requirement to mirror government policy.

Additionally, NCL provides links to DOS or Homeland Security websites to check for updates on requirements, which doesn't make this whole thing less confusing.

[Hflors]

I'm not traveling on NCL, but Celebrity is doing the same thing. Jan 1, 2008 passports are a must. I hope this works out for you. Sorry you are having so much trouble. Sending you good thoughts that all will be resolved and a wonderful cruise is your and your families future.

[Former Goalie]

Now I'm REALLY steamed. I went back to NCL Advance Guest Registration Forms, the ones I filled out just before final payment, the ones that said "Registered". Well, there is still an option there for "State Birth Certificate"! This, despite what it says on the website, and NCL stated policy, which I've been told way too many times by NCL reps!

How would any sane human being expect to think that Birth Certificates were not allowed when one of the forms NCL REQUIRES be filled out offers that as an option!

[kr1st1nm]

Both my Travel Agency & NCL Latitudes Rep said that I only need a Birth Certificate for my 1 year old for our upcoming cruise to Bermuda. I'm guessing it's because he's only 1 that they're not requiring it but this thread now has me worried! We leave in less than 2 weeks!

[Former Goalie]

Both my Travel Agency & NCL Latitudes Rep said that I only need a Birth Certificate for my 1 year old for our upcoming cruise to Bermuda. I'm guessing it's because he's only 1 that they're not requiring it but this thread now has me worried! We leave in less than 2 weeks!

You have nothing, I repeat nothing, to worry about for your cruise to Bermuda. If you were on a Bermuda cruise which arrived back in the US after 12/31/07, that would be a problem, per NCL policy.

[deepnite10]

realizing the glut and resulting in longer than usual wait s for passport s..all you ll need now is the documentation that you have applied for a passport, picture id and birth certificate..