Boarding denied... insufficient documentation!!!

[MCazer]

I find that one of the good things about the Western cruise is that if for some reason you missed the ship, you could still get to Key West and not miss alot of the cruise.

Possibly enough time for someone to overnight a birth ceritifcate or wallet etc...)

Another reason to book the Western!

 

[Rootee]

I find that one of the good things about the Western cruise is that if for some reason you missed the ship, you could still get to Key West and not miss alot of the cruise.

On reviewing my cruise documents I see that this is NOT an option:

"The United States Passenger Services Act requires Disney Cruise Line to embark and disembark its Guests at the same U.S. port. Therefore, we regret that we are unable to allow Guests to board in our first port of call, Key West."

Ruth

 

[MCazer]

Wow, good thing I have my passports and we are flying a day early! Yikes!

 

[jlima]

When I changed my name on my passport a few years ago it was fairly simple, but time consuming:

-get form from passport office (I picked up at local post office that had a passport office)

-get certified copy of marriage license (DH went to county court house to request; took about 2 weeks to receive)

-mail completed form, marriage license & current passport to address on form. Can't remember if there was a fee.

-Received same passport in mail approx. 2 weeks later with one sentence typed on a page in the back of the passport something to the effect, "On (date), this passport was ameneded to change the name of the bearer from (old name) to (new name)." They did return the marriage license.

It's my understanding that the name on the form of ID you use should match your travel documents and if it doesn't then it needs to.

Maybe it was as simple as this guy's wallet was stolen & he had nothing with a picture on it to prove who he was.

We were in WDW for 4 days & then took the 7-day Magic cruise; I made a folder with PS info, maps, hotel info, car rental info, etc. I kept our passports in the folder and kept the folder in a carry-on bag. When we checked into the cruise DH was returning the rental car and wasn't even with me; I showed both of our passports to the counter agent and everything was fine. This was July 01; don't know if everybody boarding needs to be present before the agent now.

 

[mcnuss]

This is a little off the subject, but the passport discussion reminds me that it is a very good idea to make a photcopy of all of your documents, passport, DL, BC, tickets, etc... and leave them with someone who is not going with you on the trip. This could prove invaluable if something were lost or stolen once you start the trip.

 

[prymsu]

I was really worried about this when we traveled to China last year. Since we were going to be all over the place, I was worried about what i would do if something happened to our passports. What i would recommend is that once you have your passport, scan it, and then email the files to an email address that you can access from anywhere in the word.

For instance, i created an email on yahoo, and then emailed myself all our info. That did bring me peace of mind in case something happened to our originals or to all the photocopies...

 

[Deb in IA]

Sue, my parents were both born and raised in Shanghai, China. Although they immigrated to the US when the Communist Party took over and I was born here (well, in Kentucky), they speak Chinese at home.

In March, 2000, my parents, husband, and our two kids spent 2 weeks in Shanghai. It was the first time in over 50 years that my mom and dad had been back to China. We met many of my relatives that I had never seen before, visited the places where my folks had grown up, and visited the gravesites of my grandparents, whom I had never met. We were invited to give a symposium at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center, and stayed on there for a while to visit relatives and do some sightseeing. This same hospital has invited me back in September, and I will be going by myself this time. I had tried to talk my folks into going with me again, and maybe going to Bejing, but travelling is hard on them these days.

Where did you go in China?

 

[prymsu]

We spent two weeks in Hong Kong, and then one week in Beijing. A dear friend whose husband was on sabbatical to the Chinese University of Hong Kong invited my family to go for a visit. It was truly the trip of a life time. If i ever get to go again, i would skip hong kong and concentrate on Beijing and Shanghai. I have another friend, Ying Li, and her husband Ge Wang (who is a doctor at the University) who recently returned from a trip to Beijing. They lost their only child in a car accident, and traveled there to be with their family.

If you need someone to go take notes for you, let me know!!! I would love to go back there again!!!

 

[Tluvs2talk]

Our last vacation/cruise almost turned into a nightmare. We went to Epcot the night before our cruise. We had Dinner in Mexico and had a wonderful time. After Dinner we walked over to Germany just as The Tapestry Of Nations parade was begining. My husband decided to get a drink and discovered that his wallet was missing. He realized that he had left it on the table at the Mexican restaurant. My heart sank. He had all of our credit cards and his licence in the wallet. He ran back to Mexico in record time. We were very THANKFUL that the busboy found his wallet and turned it in. We told the Lady who checked us in at the Disney Cruise Line about our heart stopping experience the night before. We asked her if he would have been allowed to cruise. She said maybe since I had his birth certificate and my licence and birth certificate with me. Since we would not have had a picture I.D. without his licence, I guess we will never know. So Men!! Please keep up with your wallets.

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Just a further note on the post to make copies of critical documents and leave them with someone at home. It is also a good idea to make copies and carry them with you, but separate from the originals. Sort of like the concept of keeping your travelers check record separate from the checks themselves.

Although I have no idea if it would be good enough to board, it would expedite the process of getting critical documents replaced if lost or stolen. This is according to my travel agent buddy, especially if you are out of the country and need to replace a passport through a consulate.

One last note though, it is apparently not "legal" to make a color copy of a passport. One of those things posted on color copy machines.

 

[MCazer]

I took pictures with my digital camera, printed them off on Glossy photo paper and I am taking them with us as a precaution. I also emailed myself (as was suggested).

 

[Scratch42]

I purchased a documentation holder that specifically holds your id, plane tickets, and
any other important documents that you need but don't have to access to get to your
wallet.

Scratch

 

[candleonwater]

I have a rather random question... I have passports for both me and my 5 yo DD... easiest way to get on the ship, however, on the islands, all I was required to carry for myself was my drivers license... but since I didn't have a picture id for my daughter I carried her passport... nightmare waiting to happen as I tend to lose things easily. I was considering taking her to DMV here in Virginia to get an id card... (I realize I will still have to bring her passport, but I can leave it locked in the safe)... any thoughts on this?

 

[prymsu]

I lock all our passports in our safe, and use our photo ids for reboarding the ship with our KTTW cards. I took my son to the department of motor vehicles and got him and ID for a couple of bucks, and this worked well for this purpose.

 

[Deb in IA]

Hey Sue, I'd love to take you with me! I don't like to go overseas alone, but DH will have to stay with the kids since they are in school, and I can't seem to talk my folks into going with me this time. They have some health problems (dad has had a heart attack and triple bypass, mom has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis), and they are in their mid-70's, so travelling is hard on them.