Ever forget your passport?

[shofer]

We were booked on the Grand Princess to leave 2/2/08 from Ft. Lauderdale traveling with our adult children and their spouses. The plan was to leave Chicago on Friday, 2/1/08 and stay overnight one night pre-cruise to allow for any weather delays. It started snowing on Thursday and continued for 24 hours, dumping about a foot of snow in Chicago, canceling 600 flights on Thursday and continuing on Friday. Lucky for us, we were flying United which has its hub in Chicago and we not only had an aircraft at our gate but our flight was on time. The anxiety over the weather had overshadowed everything else on our minds.

 

As we winged our way to Ft. Lauderdale, I turned to my DH and asked if he had brought the passports as they had been sitting on his dresser. The horrified look that he gave me confirmed my fears. We weren't going to land for another 2 hours and we frantically discussed this with the kids.

 

The girl sitting next to me suggested that we have someone go to the house and FEDEX them to us. The problem was that no one else had a key to the house. She suggested that we get a friend to get a locksmith to open the house and then send the passports. This sounded like a good idea to me but DH felt that there were too many parts to the plan that could go wrong and his plan was to fly immediately back to Chicago and come back the next day.

 

We called Donna, our trusty travel agent for advice and she called Princess to confirm that we needed passports or a certified copy of your birth certificate which you could get from a national data base here in the States. The fly in the ointment for that idea was that DH was not born in the USA.

 

She started checking flights from Ft. Lauderdale when I mentioned the locksmith idea. She became very excited and said that she had a good friend who was a locksmith and she would call him and ask if he would do this for her. While we went down to baggage claim, we also talked to the Princess rep who met us for the bus transfer to the hotel and told her that DH might not be coming with us.

 

Donna called back and said that while the locksmith would open the house, he would not go in it because of the liability. His best friend however was Donna's ex-boyfriend and he agreed to go along and get the documents off DH's dresser and take them to a FEDEX-KINKOS for next day delivery.

 

We boarded the bus to the hotel and Donna called us about 10 minutes later and conferenced us in with the locksmith who was having trouble opening the lock and he said that he had to make a key and did my key have a number on it. It did and he was able to open the door. We gave Donna the hotel address and she called us later to confirm that the package was on the way and should be delivered by noon, guaranteed.

 

Our SIL asked us to get the tracking number and he would check it for us the next day. Donna called us back that evening with it and we all breathed a sigh of relief. We were so grateful to her for going above and beyond for us, we could not thank her enough! You would not get someone to do this for you from an online agency. She charged the locksmith fee, about $100 and the FEDEX fee about $44 to our credit card. This was a small price to pay for our stupidity.

 

The next day, Jeremy checked the tracking number and said it was in Pompano Beach which was the next town away. We went in for breakfast anticipating that it would be there shortly. By eleven it was still not there and I asked him to check it again and it came up with an "exception". I called 1-800-GOFEDEX and they told me that the address was incorrect! But the package was on the truck and I could pick it up at the facility when the driver came back and they were open until 7:00 PM. Small comfort when the ship was sailing @ 5:00! They asked for the correct address and said that they would leave a message for the driver.

 

The hotel had given us a letter telling us to meet downstairs @ 11:30-12:00 for "pre-check-in". We sent the kids down and checked out of our room and anxiously awaited a call back from FEDEX. Unbeknownst to us, Donna had also noticed the incorrect address that morning and was also calling FEDEX.

 

I tried again around 12:15 and got the same response, that they would send a message to the driver. In the meantime, we pulled our luggage out of the Princess pile so it wouldn't get on the ship without us and waited while the Holland America reps boarded about 12 buses for their cruise.

 

We discussed our problem with the hotel manager and he assured us that the FEDEX depot was only 10 minutes away and most Saturday deliveries were over by 1:00 so we should have no problem getting there to get our package and making it to the ship on time. He even said that he would arrange a towncar for us that would be the same cost as a cab and would wait for us. So we had an alternate plan. Meanwhile, DH was waiting outside looking for any FEDEX truck that came by so he could throw his body in its path just in case it was the one with our passports.

 

We tried to call again @ 12:50 and the FEDEX person noticed a message that said that the driver would be there in 15 minutes! As soon as I hung up, Donna was calling us with the same news. She was feeling responsible since it was her friend who had put down the wrong address!

 

DH, DS, DIL, SIL all waited outside for the FEDEX truck to make an appearance while DD stayed with me calming my frazzeled nerves. A few minutes later, FEDEX pulled up and DH ran to him to claim our envelope. The driver questioned him because our name was spelled incorrectly but DH pulled out his drivers license to prove it was him and then tipped the guy.

 

And yes, inside were the passports, the bill for the locksmith and the key he had made to get into the house. Princess was still boarding buses and had not yet called our color. Our luggage went back into the pile and we were finally on our way!

 

Had we ever discussed our passports before leaving? Yes, a few days earlier I had asked where they were thinking that if they were in the bank vault, I would have to go get them. But DH had assured me that they were on his dresser. And we then promptly forgot about them with all the anxiety over the weather. From now on, they will be the first thing on my list! Donna saved us from having to make another flight back home and saved our vacation with our children.

[cruisinjudy]

OMG what a story! You must have been really frantic!! Glad it all worked out OK. Amazing!

[Jade13]

Wonderful travel agent! Hope you brought her something from your travels.

 

Btw, we aren't leaving for almost a week but the passports are sitting in my back pack on a couch near the door. You can go most places in the world with a passport and credit card.

[CathyK2]

Wow, I can FEEL the anxiety that all of you must have been going through in this situation!!!!! I've had "nightmares" of something like this happening, but so far, (KNOCK ON WOOD), we haven't forgotten anything this important in our travels. Always forgetting something though, but this would be a doozie.

 

Glad to hear that you made it. Must have been one heck of a feeling to actually get on THAT ship. :)

 

Cathy

[Lsimon]

Glad things worked out for you in the end. What a stressful time it must have been before you finally got your passports. I bet that first drink on board when down real nice!

 

Never forgot our travel documents, but it reminds me of the time in the late 80's we were 2/3 of the way along a 5 hour drive to a summer rental cottage when my wife asked "did you remember the key". We were traveling with our three young children who didn't do well on long car rides. We decided to push on hoping a neighbor would have a key for the cottage, owed by someone out of state, and fortunately they did. Although having a locksmith break in and paying for the costs was one option we'd thought about as being more favorable to going back for the key.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

I lost my driver's liscence right before my husband and I were married. His parents had booked us on a cruise for our honeymoon. I had to go to the state representative's office to get the whole thing rushed through. I called the post office every day...waiting and waiting. They came to know me just by my voice on the phone. The day of the wedding, frantic, not knowing what we were going to do, the post office called me. "Donna! We got it!" I ran down picked it up, and had my new picture taken right before getting my hair done. I've always regretted not getting my hair done and my wedding gown on before going for the new driver's liscense. Now that would have been a good DMV picture!!! :D (We had a great honeymoon by-the-way.)

[Sea Island Lady]

Glad it worked out for you.

 

I don't know if this would help get someone on a ship, but we always take a photo copy of our passports and store it in a different bag from where our passports are kept. I guess a copy could go further than no passport at all! We also have a personal friend in Congress that could possibly help sift through red tape in an emergency.

[Frecklezchick]

OMG - I was getting nervous and frantic just READING that... I can't imagine what you went through. Thank heavens (and an AWESOME TA) that it got worked out just in time! I'm still taking deep breaths to calm down, lol.

 

Since this TOTALLY sounds like something we'd get into the middle of, and I'm already packing for our 3/9/08 cruise, the passports are in the envelope with the tickets and all of our other paperwork.

[kitty9]

So happy that worked for you.

 

I do have one question. Do you think they allow passengers to board without any identifying info? The reason I ask is this: On our recent Constellation cruise, a couple were standing next to us and the woman was very upset. They just got off the bus from the airport to the terminal and realized they had nothing---no passport, no birth certificate just a California driver's license. We had to stand in a long line to check and and saw the couple talking to numerous Celebrity staff. She was very upset as was her husband. The Celebrity staff person who assisted us with the wheelchairs said that without any information identifying their citizenship, they wouldn't be allowed on board. But guess what? At dinner that night, there they were, sitting at a table directly below us. I wonder how they were able to board the ship? Unlike the OP, there wasn't time for Fed Ex to come to the rescue.

[Pontius Navigator]

It has happened in UK too on one of the reality TV programmes. "Our stars" arrived at the airport without passports. And to a friend of ours as well. She had to pay for a return taxi fare 70 miles and rebook a flight etc.

 

But how about our SiL on a Caribbean cruise. Three Sisters and us, their spouses.

 

We stayed overnight at the airport and arrived at the airport good and early. Checked in we had ample time for shopping, coffees and breakfasts etc. Pleasant flight across to Fort Lauderdale and an overnight on the ship before a shopping expedition in the nearby Mall.

 

No Credit Cards.

 

She last had them at the airport in UK. Finally she confessed to DH who, with the help of the ship staff, cancelled all the cards. I think it stopped a few of his too.

 

Two weeks later, back home, safe opened to put the passports away AND there were the credit cards!

 

And our story - we used our driving licences to hire a car in October. Then the night before another holiday in January I realised NO DRIVING LICENCES.

 

We turned the house upside down, even cleared out the paper recycling bin. We considered cancelling as no car was not an option. Then at the last minute, brain in replay, I remembered putting them in an outdoor jacket pocket at the airport. Phew!

[shofer]

So happy that worked for you.

 

I do have one question. Do you think they allow passengers to board without any identifying info? The reason I ask is this: On our recent Constellation cruise, a couple were standing next to us and the woman was very upset. They just got off the bus from the airport to the terminal and realized they had nothing---no passport, no birth certificate just a California driver's license. We had to stand in a long line to check and and saw the couple talking to numerous Celebrity staff. She was very upset as was her husband. The Celebrity staff person who assisted us with the wheelchairs said that without any information identifying their citizenship, they wouldn't be allowed on board. But guess what? At dinner that night, there they were, sitting at a table directly below us. I wonder how they were able to board the ship? Unlike the OP, there wasn't time for Fed Ex to come to the rescue.

 

I wonder if they were able to get copies of their birth certificates from the national data base? The idea of having a color copy of your passports is a good one. I think I will take ours to KINKOS and have it done.

[rebeccalouise]

We lucked out. ON our honeymoon in 1996 we did a four night cruise on the Sovereign of the Seas. When we checked in we didn't know we needed our birth certificates. All we had were out our drivers licenses. In 1996 they let us sign an affidavit that we were indeed American citizens. This would never happen today.

[Jsipes]

No Passport, No fun. I have never ever forgotten my passport, although I have forgotten my meds ...

[Squirrel's Mom]

Oh heavens! Glad this worked out for you. But what it must have done to your stress levels. I can't imagine.

 

I'm putting ours in my purse tonight!

[Kathie44]

Yikes! My stomach was churning just reading the saga.

I'm the one who makes sure I have the passports, documents, boarding passes, extra money, etc. DH constantly asks me if I have everything and now I just show him everything before he goes into the panic mode. I give him his passport before we leave for the airport and keep mine in my purse and the other stuff in my carry-on.

One time I tried to leave with two carry-ons and DH had a fit, so I crammed everything into one, but forgot the travelers' checks were in a side pocket of the now empty bag. Fortunately we were plenty early for our flight and our son was able to zip back to our house (15 min away) and get the checks. Of course, I told DH it was his fault for making me deviate from my original plan, lol.

We have a humorous story of forgetting something that happened over 20 yrs ago. We were on the way to a campground for a family campout and realized we had forgotten to pack the potato salad. I had made it in my gigantic Tupperware bowl. My side of the family was counting on me, so as soon as we arrived I went to the pay phone and called my sister, who hadn't left yet due to her work sched. She and her DH broke into our house using a credit card and got the bowl out of the fridge. This was our dearly departed Mom's potato salad that everyone was hooked on. They decided to taste it on the way to "make sure it was the right stuff" and got forks out of their camping supplies. It was a miracle there was enough left for the large group later that night. :eek: :D

[Johanna7]

That certainly was an adventure and I am glad to learn it finally turned out all right although I am sure you could have done without the stress it caused on the plane and afterwards.

 

We keep ours in a certain place and always return them there. We are in Canada and needed passports for cruises long before Americans did.

 

Before we go on a trip, usually the evening before, I always put a yellow sticky on the inside of the front door with things like, remember passports, cash, tickets (okay, you can now forget your airline tickets and that is okay with e-tickets) and credit cards. Also cruise documents. So far it has worked.

 

I will keep in mind the hassle of forgetting it though.

[SheriNtexas]

Wow, it made me nervous just reading that! :eek: So glad it all worked out for y'all!

[mstea]

:o I feel your stress, we had also had a stress max once before the vacation started.

Was going to Disney, DH and small children (3) (5) (8). Had everything packed, I had all the documents ,Disney tickets, transfers, air line tickets, travelers cheques, etc... in a bag in our bedroom with all the other bags ready to go... .Or so I thought...

DH grabs all the bags and we head to the airport some 45 min each way away, and we are unloading our bags, and I notice, where is the carry on bag?????:confused:

OMG :eek: my husband didn't think it was going and left it at home,:mad: now this was back when you had to have TICKETS !!! for everything. !!!!! Talk about STRESS !!!!

As luck would have it our flight was over sold and delayed !!!! Devine intervention..??? Called my dad, he went to our house, drove 90 miles an hour :eek: but he got our bag to us in plenty of time..

Now the tickets, passports, etc. are in my PURSE in the car the night before... that was just too horrible, I really think I lost a year or 2 on that one....

now it seems funny, but not then....:eek:

[CathyCruises]

OMG--I have had nightmares about just such a thing happening! But your story inspired me to run upstairs and put our passports in my carry-on for our trip to Costa Rica next week--not a cruise (sigh) but it IS a freebie! I thank you for the timeliness--you may not ever know how many people you will save with your story!

 

Now, if we just remember the carry-on!

 

Last year I was finally in a position to take a "real" vacation after many years, due to a nasty divorce. Booked Tahiti on Princess, but I wouldn't do it until new sweetie received his passport. We booked only a month out. When I got on line with Princess to put in our passport numbers, MINE was rejected because it expired less than 6 months after our return. I wasn't worried, sent in a renewal the next day, only to end up at the height of the panic at the passport office. Almost time to leave and I still didn't have my passport! So we made an appointment at the passport office, and went to LA 2 days early (a very long and ugly story)--went to the LA Hall of Records to get a copy of my OLD marriage certificate to prove change of name from my maiden name, only to have them tell me I had been licensed in Orange County, not LA--flew down the freeway--well, bumper to bumper actually, and got there 15 minutes before close--was I ecstatic when they came out of the back room with my marriage certificate! Then about 5 hours waiting at the passport office the next day, but we walked away with it at 3 PM--as I was walking back to the car, I called the Princess rep to give them the number, and her comment was, "you left it a little late, didn't you?" But it all worked and we left the next morning, and had a wonderful trip, although it took me several days to recover from the trauma! I never want to go through THAT again!

 

Thanks again for sharing!

 

Cathy

[chrisbd1]

Before we go a trip, we always stay the night before at an airport near the airport. We had an afternoon flight to Europe and were getting ready to take the shuttle to the airport when the oher half asked if I had the passports. I had this horrible look on my face because I realized I'd left it at home. I was making a copy of the passport but had run out of paper, then the pet sitter had come by. I got distracted by that whole ordeal and had left it on my copier. Our flight was in 2 hours , so I had 1 hour to drive home and back. I broke a few land speed records getting home. Fortunatly I'd taken an alternate route, because I saw that I would have been caught in a AWFUL traffic jam getting home. I got back with about 10 minutes to spare :eek: . We now ALWAYS keep our passports in our neck pouches, in a container of travel papers.

[Amlee]

I am so glad it all worked out for yall!!!

 

My aunt and uncle are cleaning my house for me to make some extra money. My uncle has a VERY bad habit of if he doesn't know what it's he tosses it. (he thought my 2 carat alexandrite pendant was a peice of glass that had to be fished out of the trash). Our cleaning days got crossed and they came a day earlier and I didn't know it. I came home and my house was clean. A day before I was to leave last week. I hadn't thought about it until the next night, but I hadn't seen my passport. I knew it had fell in the floor by my chair a few days before, but I hadn't seen it since. So I jump up and run into my living room, start moving my foot stool to see no passport! :eek: It's now 1am and I'm leaving in 2 hours. I'm moving things around and finally spot it in a pile of stuff. I was about to have a heart attack!!!

 

 

 

 

I have two clients who were booked to do the Panama Canal last Nov (LA to FLL). My parents were also traveling with this couple. They flew into L.A. the day before, got up the next morning to board the ship, and at some point lost their passports. Now I gave this couple passport holders to go around their neck, but they refuse to wear them as they say it makes them look old. News Flash! YOU are old! My mother calls me to tell me what is going on and that they are in a panic. The man calls me yelling that someone has stolen their passport out of their luggage. After about 20 minutes his passport is turned into security. So what does he do? He boards the ship leaving his wife sitting in the terminal. She is sitting in the terminal crying because she can't board.

 

I in the mean time have taken off to their house to start hunting for birth certificates. They aren't were she said they would be, so her sons and myself are ripping their house apart. I swear this women has kept ever school artwork her now 40 something year old sons ever did. In between hunting, I was on the phone with the cruise line, the hotel, the transfer people, and the San Pedro police department. The plan was if we could find the birth certifcates we would over night fed ex to them, spend the night again and then fly to the 1st port of call. We found the husbands, but could not for the life of us find the wifes. Their room looked like a tornado had hit it. It was finally decided that we would get a certified copy of hers and do things that way. I had already set up the air and hotel for them as it was 20 minutes to sailing. But the husband refused to leave the ship as he wanted to look through his luggage. I finally tracked my mother done on the ship and had her chase the husband down and make him leave the ship to be with his wife.

 

Right before sailing someone turned in her passport and all was good. But it was a very stressful time. Their passports was never in their luggage. My mother said it was in a file folder and her thoughts is that they fell out in the hassle of getting them off the bus and checking their luggage.

[shofer]

Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes. I had posted this originally on the Princess site and it had over 800 views so I thought I would post it here as well to remind people to bring their passports. The ironic thing is that I am usually very organized and I had all my other travel documents together in a folder with a binder clip. I even had a list that I checked off each item as I packed it, except passports! We learned a valuable lesson here and thanks to Donna, the TA, not a very expensive one.

 

By the way, we sent her flowers today and I am sending her a gift card tomorrow in a thank you card.