Carnival replied, yes, you will need a passport!?

[lizardhowson]

Look at Carnivals NEW FAQ, they fixed it. What do I win for posting it :D.

 

Quote and link: http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/New_Passport_Requirements.aspx

 

CRUISE TRAVEL

 

U.S. citizens traveling on cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port must show proof of citizenship (such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate) and a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license). Effective June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens traveling on cruises that begin and end in different U.S. ports, or begin or end in a foreign port, must have a valid passport or recognized WHTI-compliant document. For a complete list of accepted documents, see www.travel.state.gov.

 

I knew someone would post the Carnival FAQ again.... (see my earlier post)

This entire thread is way too funny.....

 

ok who is the poster that said go to the source for the correct information the government LMAO!!!!!!!!! Seriously how many of us have known the government to be RIGHT?????? LOL

 

Look at the bickering here, people posting Carnival FAQ, Cruise Critic members with 20 zillion posts arguing with each other. There's your LMAO....

 

I said that and stand by it. My wife's sister and brother in law are cruising with us in September 09 (yes, it's after June) I read the info on GOVERNMENT site. They can just use their Ohio Driver's licenses and birth certificates with seals to re-enter the US. And, I went to the websites of the 7 ports and if they are US citizens, all 7 countries will accept the government picture ID and birth certificate.

 

The information is right there, one just has to look.

[Cruise, J.D.]

When we got off the Norwegian Pearl in January all the people that were leaving the ship and had traveled on birth certificates were sent to an immigration official. My youngest was one and I went with him and his girlfriend to the officier. The officer told us that this year they could do the cruise (stopped in Belize and Roatan) but that next year they would need a passport to do the same cruise. He told me where to look on the website for the list of countries that were considered permissable for the closed loop exception and emphasized that Belize was definitely not on the list.

 

Thanks. This report appears to confirm that the supplemental definition of "closed-loop cruise" issued by DHS does apply to U.S. citizens. The WHTI final rule did not contain this limitation.

 

The interesting question is how this will affect Western Caribbean itineraries.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I would personally never travel without my passport because I know that it will be accepted anywhere, and will be mandatory soon.

(emphasis added)

 

Citation to any authority to back up this claim?

[Jeffski]

beach410...quit being stubborn and go get a passport.

 

 

 

 

 

:p :D

[cherylandtk]

Cruise, J.D. and Slim and others,

I have submitted the following question to CBP and await their answer:

 

Do RT (closed loop) cruises which stop at Belize, Roatan (Honduras), Costa Rica or Panama require a passport to re-enter the US for US citizens after June 1, 2009. (Not asking about other country's requirements, just the US re-entry requirement)

 

I ask because the WHTI says any Western Hemisphere country, but this page on CPB.gov

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/inspections_carriers_facilities/closed_loop_faq.xml

limits it to contiguous countries and adjacent islands, but it is not clear to me if this applies to just non-citizens or all travelers.

 

Answer 905 does not address closed loop cruises and passport requirements, or the passport exception granted those cruises for US citizens in the WHTI. [/Quote]

 

After multiple phone attempts (which ended either in an endless loop menu option or said to "press 0 for live assistance" and then HANGS UP on you when you press "0") over the past two days, not to mention endless links and loops within the CBP website itself, I have finally been able to submit said question, received a refernce number and should get an answer via e-mail and my CBP account in a few days. I'll let ya'll know what they say.

 

Cheryl

 

P.S. In one of the endless phone menu options, they stated that certified BC were not required for proof of citizenship at land and sea borders, that plain ol' photocopies were being accepted as valid proof of citizenship. ! :eek: ! Not that I am suggesting folks use photocopies, but if you want to hear it for yourself, call the CBP at 1-877-CBP-5511, option 4 (Passport) and listen through the entire several-minutes-long tape. (Theron is gonna get a kick out of this one)

[leosrule22]

I see there are a lot of posts about this and I had the same question as well. I have a passport, but my Hubby dosent. He needs to go to the Mexican Consulate to get one and the appointments are 8-11 months down the road. This is what Carnival emailed me. .

 

Hi Christina,

All your husband needs to travel is his green card and Drivers ID. He will be able to do everything that your family is doing for your vacation because passports are not required for cruising yet. Thank you

 

| Personal Vacation Planner | Carnival Cruise Lines

 

 

He's got the appointment and we might just need to change our anniversary cruise to next year. We are going to check back after June 2009 to see what Carnival says

[Thirsty Cruiser]

...

 

Citation to any authority to back up this claim [that passports will be required "soon"]

I based my claim on the original legislation. If not for the travel lobby, passports would have been required several years ago. The problem is that there are too many forms of IDs out there, many of them easy to forge. This is a security flaw that having passports, passport cards, or frequent traveler cards would help eliminate.

 

You can google "passport laws" and read about it yourself, if you like. Hope that helps.:)

[Slimpickins]

Cruise, J.D. and Slim and others,

I have submitted the following question to CBP and await their answer:

 

 

 

After multiple phone attempts (which ended either in an endless loop menu option or said to "press 0 for live assistance" and then HANGS UP on you when you press "0") over the past two days, not to mention endless links and loops within the CBP website itself, I have finally been able to submit said question, received a refernce number and should get an answer via e-mail and my CBP account in a few days. I'll let ya'll know what they say.

 

Cheryl

 

P.S. In one of the endless phone menu options, they stated that certified BC were not required for proof of citizenship at land and sea borders, that plain ol' photocopies were being accepted as valid proof of citizenship. ! :eek: ! Not that I am suggesting folks use photocopies, but if you want to hear it for yourself, call the CBP at 1-877-CBP-5511, option 4 (Passport) and listen through the entire several-minutes-long tape. (Theron is gonna get a kick out of this one)

 

Cool, however I have a question. Feel free not to answer it. Did you have to create a CBP account just to submit a question??? Thanks for the leg work:).

 

P.S Dont you love phone trees:rolleyes:.

[cherylandtk]

Hi Slim,

I don't mind answering--you have to go through all sorts of hoops and pages to get to the page where the option to ask a question is available. They flat-out state you have to do a bit of research on their pages and look over some of the thousand-odd FAQ pages before you get that option. Then (as I learned via trial and error over two days) the pre-formatted question page may or may not accept your question, as in I got various error messages, one including not having an email contact even though it was there. SO I signed up and made an account. Sometime after that, next day, the website accepted my question, my email contact, the question format and the subject heading and 5 levels of sub-heading required. But no answer as of yet. :D

[bcs819]

why do so many people try to avoid getting a passport? We got ours in 1999 and use them for all travel, even domestic US.

[FantasyLineAddict]

why do so many people try to avoid getting a passport? We got ours in 1999 and use them for all travel, even domestic US.

 

a few reasons

 

1. Cost

2. Some feel passports are another level of government intrusion

3. Some people don't plan to travel outside of the limits of passport requirement, i.e. they stay in closed-loop and choose cruises that go to countries that fit the limits

 

My husband and I have passports only because a family member paid for them as a gift. We have yet to legally "need" one. I wouldn't encourage someone to get one if they didn't need to have one, but I would warn them about the off-chance of needing to fly home from a country in the closed-loop due to an emergency or a missed port.

[EASTMAN]

Hi-I tryed to post a few days ago about getting a pass port,and it didnt post.this might be good cause I was a bit angry.so ill try to explan what happened to us and it may help others.keep in mind we are from ga and this might not happen in other states.We were told when we arrived at the city hall after handing them our paper work that my wifes birth cert wasnt good enough.It had a seal from the state of NJ(home state),and was signed as all are.they said this is a hospital cert and its not usable.Maybe someone can tell me if most if not all people of the USA have this kind of birth cert. Mine was a copy from vital statistics in NJ and they said thats what they needed.Go fiqure.Sooooo the fun part started.after phone calls emails paper work and much hair pulling,not to mention $55 in fees we might get a copy from vital stats.but we are not sure yet because you have to fax a signature to someplace in Tenn(Third party paper pusher company). If anyone wants to start the process its better to get started early

[FantasyLineAddict]

Hi-i tryed to post a few days ago about getting a pass port,and it didnt post.this might be good cause i was a bit angry.so ill try to explan what happened to us and it may help others.keep in mind we are from ga and this might not happen in other states.we were told when we arrived at the city hall after handing them our paper work that my wifes birt cert wasnt good enough.it had a seal from the state of nj(home state),and was signed as all are.they said this is a hospital cert and its not usable.maybe someone can tell me if most if not all people of the us have this kind of birth cert.now mine was a copy from vital statistics in nj and they said thats what they needed.go fiqure.sooooo the fun part started.after phone calls emails paper work and much hair pulling,not to mention $55 in fees we might get a copy from vital stats.but we are not sure yet because you have to fax a signature to someplace in tenn. If anyone wants to start the process its better to get started early

 

Good point, I think that happens often in some states.

 

This is an opportunity to also remind people to not make vacation plans that require a passport until you have a passport in hand.

[MICKMAC100]

I have been trying to convince my brother that he will not need a passport, not only did I call them tonight to verify verbally, I copied the info not only from Carnival Website, and from the WHTI gov page, he emailed Carnival to see if he would need a passport for his cruise, here is his question:

 

Do I neen a passport for my scheduled cruise, June 14, 2009?

 

Here is their reply:

 

Thank you for visiting carnival.com. In regards to your query, a passport will be required. If there is anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.

Carnival Cruise Lines

 

 

Why the conflicting information? I told him to call and not accept this as the final answer.

 

Why dont of you guys from the US just get passports?

[lizardhowson]

a few reasons

 

1. Cost

2. Some feel passports are another level of government intrusion

3. Some people don't plan to travel outside of the limits of passport requirement, i.e. they stay in closed-loop and choose cruises that go to countries that fit the limits

 

In this day and age, name anything else you can get for $100 and it's guaranteed to be good for 10 years !

 

Hogwash !! Government Intrusion, here's a few other examples, but I don't see many folks whinning about them. You probably buy a driver's license. That is certainly a government intrusion. You probably buy insurance since most states require it. That's certainly government intrusion. You probably file an income tax return. That's government intrusion.

 

Lots of people probably don't plan to travel outside the US. Well HELLO, cruising is almost always traveling outside the US. Someday, the rules will likely change and a passport will be required. Are you going to quit cruising ??

 

I know, not you, someone bought you passports.

[FantasyLineAddict]

In this day and age, name anything else you can get for $100 and it's guaranteed to be good for 10 years !

 

Hogwash !! Government Intrusion, here's a few other examples, but I don't see many folks whinning about them. You probably buy a driver's license. That is certainly a government intrusion. You probably buy insurance since most states require it. That's certainly government intrusion. You probably file an income tax return. That's government intrusion.

 

Lots of people probably don't plan to travel outside the US. Well HELLO, cruising is almost always traveling outside the US. Someday, the rules will likely change and a passport will be required. Are you going to quit cruising ??

 

I know, not you, someone bought you passports.

 

You don't have to remove my name, I'm not saying I agree with it, just that that are some reasons people use. I've seen them all posted here by people.

 

It's not that crazy for a person to put off getting something until they need it.

[FantasyLineAddict]

I know, not you, someone bought you passports.

 

We would have bought them ourselves, because at that time we were thinking of flying to Mexico and wanted to be ready to go at any time.

 

I don't agree with those reasons, but they are reasons. Cost is a big factor for some people, even if you factor the amount over time.

 

I don't think people should be told to get a passport unless they need one. Warning them about situations that could arise without having one is important.

[lizardhowson]

We would have bought them ourselves, because at that time we were thinking of flying to Mexico and wanted to be ready to go at any time.

 

I don't agree with those reasons, but they are reasons. Cost is a big factor for some people, even if you factor the amount over time.

 

I don't think people should be told to get a passport unless they need one. Warning them about situations that could arise without having one is important.

 

When we bought our passports, we anticipated some trips to Europe. We have taken one, hope to do more.

 

We did not anticipate more cruises, but have taken several, always take our passports ashore.

 

We have also used them for some border crossings and returns, both Canada & Mexico which were not anticipated.

 

And if we need to fly home unexpectedly or fly to catch a cruise we miss, we will not have to worry about getting "emergency passports" thru the local embassy.

 

Along the same line, look how big a percent of the population has resisted getting analog TV convertors....

 

 

There are just a whole bunch of people out there who will never do anything proactive until you hold a gun to their head (including trying to search out an answer to a crusing question or read a few pages of posts instead of just immediately starting a new post about the simpliest and most commonly asked questions)

[KCCruisin']

Whether a passport is required now or not, it's eventual requirement is eminent, just get one!

[MDSue]

Hi-I tryed to post a few days ago about getting a pass port,and it didnt post.this might be good cause I was a bit angry.so ill try to explan what happened to us and it may help others.keep in mind we are from ga and this might not happen in other states.We were told when we arrived at the city hall after handing them our paper work that my wifes birth cert wasnt good enough.It had a seal from the state of NJ(home state),and was signed as all are.they said this is a hospital cert and its not usable.Maybe someone can tell me if most if not all people of the USA have this kind of birth cert. Mine was a copy from vital statistics in NJ and they said thats what they needed.Go fiqure.Sooooo the fun part started.after phone calls emails paper work and much hair pulling,not to mention $55 in fees we might get a copy from vital stats.but we are not sure yet because you have to fax a signature to someplace in Tenn(Third party paper pusher company). If anyone wants to start the process its better to get started early

This happened to me also. The "birth certificate" I had used my entire life was actually a hospital certificate. I used this to take trips to Jamaica, get my driver's license, cruises and anything else I ever needed a birth certificate for. Not until I took it to get a passport did I find out that I had a hospital certificate and that I would need to get a birth certificate. It was kind of a shocker to me. I got my birth certificate from Vitalchek online since I was born 3000 miles away. I'm so thankful that I didn't ever get turned away from a vacation for having the wrong identification. Now I have my passport. It's worth the peace of mind for me.

[FantasyLineAddict]

When we bought our passports, we anticipated some trips to Europe. We have taken one, hope to do more.

 

We did not anticipate more cruises, but have taken several, always take our passports ashore.

 

We have also used them for some border crossings and returns, both Canada & Mexico which were not anticipated.

 

And if we need to fly home unexpectedly or fly to catch a cruise we miss, we will not have to worry about getting "emergency passports" thru the local embassy.

 

Along the same line, look how big a percent of the population has resisted getting analog TV convertors....

 

 

There are just a whole bunch of people out there who will never do anything proactive until you hold a gun to their head (including trying to search out an answer to a crusing question or read a few pages of posts instead of just immediately starting a new post about the simpliest and most commonly asked questions)

 

You are right and some people are gambling. I wouldn't secure a trip without knowing the law and I would try to be aware of any complications that could happen.

 

I'm still going to be a cheapskate and not get passports for two of my kids for our closed-loop trip to Mexico (after June 1). If the law changes, I will factor that cost into the vacation cost and make sure they have them before I book.

 

Speaking of convertors, lol, I was too proactive on that one. I order the $40 coupon and it expired before the stores had them in stock.

[beach410]

There are just a whole bunch of people out there who will never do anything proactive until you hold a gun to their head (including trying to search out an answer to a crusing question or read a few pages of posts instead of just immediately starting a new post about the simpliest and most commonly asked questions)

 

 

 

Are you implying that I didnt search this website before posting? If you read the post clearly it states that Carnival replied to my brother's email that YES you DO NEED a passport, which is INCORRECT, no previous posts, and I DID plenty of homework for my brother, who in his 50's never traveled outside of the US and may never again, I have passports for my family. This thread wasnt asking your advice on whether or not HE should get one. Who are you to make judgements about people and their decision to spend $400 on passports that they may never use again?

[yakdaddy42]

hey beach410

 

You made the statement or asked the question. You have been on CC for a few years you should have known the responces you would get. After almost 100 posts on this subject, now your panties are in a bunch?

 

The passport question is a hot button topic along with skipping the muster drill and smuggling booze.

 

If your brother did not want to drop the $$$$ for a passport cool, don't.

 

I would not want to gamble on messing up my vacation for lack of a passport.

If for some reason your brother likes cruiseing and wants to go on a med or baltic cruise there is no question that you will / must have a passport.

 

Haveing a single form of ID is always a good idea I personaly would not want to risk losing my birth cert on vacation.

[aggie1]

We took family on Carnival Conquest cruise for New Years. We called Carnival a year before and were told everyone needed a passport including granddaughters. My DH, myself, and 1 son already had them but the rest all got one. Took about 10 days. All I can say is GET A PASSPORT!!!

[CruzVinnieCruz]

hey beach410

 

You made the statement or asked the question. You have been on CC for a few years you should have known the responces you would get. After almost 100 posts on this subject, now your panties are in a bunch?

 

The passport question is a hot button topic along with skipping the muster drill and smuggling booze.

 

If your brother did not want to drop the $$$$ for a passport cool, don't.

 

I would not want to gamble on messing up my vacation for lack of a passport.

If for some reason your brother likes cruiseing and wants to go on a med or baltic cruise there is no question that you will / must have a passport.

 

Haveing a single form of ID is always a good idea I personaly would not want to risk losing my birth cert on vacation.

 

Replacing a birth certificate is much easier than replacing a passport....

 

If the the time comes and they want to go to the Med, turn around for a passport is about two weeks right now. It's not that big of a deal to get them when they are needed.