Just curious....Has anyone ever NOT been allowed to sail b/c they forgot documents?

I was reading some posts about not finding passports or not having the right type of birth cert., and it started me wondering as to whether anyone has ever packed up, headed to the port and been turned away.

Has this nightmare ever really happened to anyone?

Lori P.

 

Oh, thats a good one. Can't wait for the answer.

 

Pre 9-11 you could get away with not having your birth certificate by taking an oath and filling out some papers. Since then it is not possible.

I have not personally had this happen, but have indeed heard of it happening at the Port. I have also heard of people having to have documents sent overnight to them in FL because they lost/forgot them in order to be able to board the ship.

Sue Ellen

 

I've heard of it happening more than once--mostly through stories told by the DCL bus drivers. It can and WILL happen--after 9/11 they aren't messing around with port security.

 

My dad went on his first cruise in 94 and while in flight realized he left his birth cert at home. When he checked in at the port, for some reason they didn't ask for it, so he got on and sailed no problem! He was soooo worried and my mom was a cussing, but it turned out ok. They went with my aunt/uncle and they did get asked for theirs, so got lucky I guess. That wouldn't happen today though.

 

okay guess what?? on the first West Coast cruise, I grabbed everyones birth certificates but my DH. I grabbed our marriage license instead. Okay, didn't realize it at all because I grabbed 6 cerficates, all official . Well, nobody caught it boarding. I didn't even realize it myself, until we were coming back in to CA, and when we got them all out, my DD21 said, oh mom, were is Dads, and I told her it was right there, see his name at the top... and she said, NO MOM, this is your marriage license.... OPPS. well, we sweated it out in line until we got up there, I purposely put it on the bottom of the stack of 5 others, and after 3 of us had shown our Drivers license, and our KTTW cards, and my boys next with their student body cards, my DH got out his drivers license, and he is 6'4" 350 pounds, hard to miss kind of guy, anyhow, he walked thru next and she glanced at the DL, and KTTW card, and peeked at the marriage license saw his name on it, and we walked on thru.... OH my goodness, did we ever nearly die over that one. All I can say is Thank you Lord... , DON'T anyone else do that, check to make sure you have EVERYONES..... I thought I had, so next time I will check and recheck

 

a fellow DISer who had cruised before was on my cruise last year and left the bag with her passports on the plane when she switched flights somewhere but they let her and her family on...i think she had to sign many documents that she truly was a US citizen or else God would strike her down etc...it probably helped that she was a castaway club member and had cruised before....

 

but denied flying...

We were at the airport, waiting to check in for a flight to the DR....

Family of 6..Mom, dad, 3 teenagers, and an elementary age child. They were on our flight, going for a week.

One of the teenaged sons, the oldest, FORGOT his passport, at home, a 4 hour drive away.

No way was he going to make the once/week charter flight...and no way was the airline agent going to allow him on the plane without it.

We were shocked - just seeing it happen was awful

The dad ended up handing the kid the keys, some cash, and off the "kid" went..planning some March Break fun of his own, we were sure.

Have your documents, in hand, checked and double checked (especially if you don't want your teenager planning parties at home without you!! LOL!)

 

Um, that would be me.

Yeah, we sweated it out, had to sign forms, swear on my DD's life, etc.

They told us the decision was up to Customs/Immigration. It was not DCL's decision. If they were in a sour mood or there was a heightened security alert, we could be denied boarding (and the CM had us prepared that it was very likely to actually happen). We meaning DD and me. DH had his passport. It was just DD's and mine that were AWOL.

I was already to get a rental car and take DD to WDW while DH cruised without us.....

 

Judy....I sent you a PM!!

MJ

 

We saw a similar but opposite situation at the White House last year. Some Dis friends were in town from England, so we had a White House tour set up. All Passports numbers, SSN's etc have to be checked out by Secret Service ahead of time.

When approved you get a list of prohibited items and a show up time.

One of the first things on the list is "No purses."

We arrive at appointed time (730 am!) and there is one family ahead of us.

Lovely family from Indiana.

One of the young women in family is holding: A Purse.

Female agent comes out and says: "You can't bring that in. Didn't you Read the list?"

"Yes", girl says, "but I didn't think it meant small purses."

What part of "No Purses" was confusing?

Dad volunteered to stay out and miss the entire tour, while family went in.

Trip to DC: $500

Hotel in DC $800

Making Dad miss the White House tour because you didn't think the Rules applied to you: Priceless.​

Jim

 

.....

 

Hint: Bring birth certificate AND a passport. And store them in different places.

I can see forgetting or losing one or the other, but intending to bring both and arriving with neither? Then it was never meant to happen...

Also, did you know you can have more than one certified copy of your birth certificate?!

 

ivanova...i knew it was you but i did not want to mention any names!

 

so if you don't get to board, due to no passport/bc...are you just out of luck?! insurance wouldn't cover that, right? that's my worry/obsession!! that i don't bring the necessary docs w/me! but it's never happened, but i still obsess over it! it's really scary!!

 

Is it measure twice and cut once.

 

Before we went on our first cruise I researched everything!! I mean everything, I found the Disboards and read them daily as well as any other sights I could find.

We had to drive 5 hours to my parents house because we were flying out of Pittsburgh with them. We drove down to their house late the night before the flight and just before going to bed my Mom and I were chatting and she said something about birth certificates. I said yeah I had my DD's. She said what about yours??

Somehow I had missed that I needed mine too. I of course fell apart immediately. We were spending a day at WDW before the cruise so at first we thought we would have my DH (it was a girls only cruise) overnight my bc to the hotel. Well, I knew I would worry for the next 2 days about it and what if it just never arrived!! So at 5:00 am the next morning I drove half way home and my Dh drove the other half and brought me my BC. I made it back to my parent's just . before we needed to leave for the airport.

 

Just talked with friends who are sailing with us on the Oct 23rd Wonder. She just informed me that the birth certificate her husband has says it is a "copy of the original document". I almost flipped. I told her to take it to a post office where you can apply for passports and find out if it is a "useable" document for travel to the Bahamas. I have a feeling it isn't. He is gonna have to act fast and get a certified copy. I'm am now glad that I am a bit of an overplanner and got our passports, at least we don't have to worry about that, I just have to worry about them having the correct stuff now.

Kris

13 days till we leave for our 30th Anniversary Tour - 4 nights on the Wonder and a few days at PO-R

 

As long as the "copy" has it's own raised seal, it's valid. My DW's Dad lost her original when she was little and had to get another when she was a teen --that's the one we currently have. It's an obvious copy, but the State of Delaware affixed an official raised seal it so it counts, we just used it to board DLC in July.

 

The good news is that most states can expedite getting you a copy of your birthcertificate. It costs more but I KNOW it can be done. As for how I know, well, grumble grumble grumble... lets just say that as long as you are paying for one copy, get two or three so you never have to do it again.