way OT....

scanmom

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 29, 2000
My mom and dad are supposed to go on a cruise this Saturday. My dad is sick... just a virus, but he cannot be away from a restroom for more than 5-10 minutes (both ends.you know what I mean). they are actually thinking of not going, and my mom said she would let me and DH go instead if that is allowed. Is there a way to switch the ressie to our names..very last minute? And do we need a passport for a cruise? It stops in Mexico and the Bahamas for a day each. DH and I have applied for passports, but they are not here yet. We have never cruised before, and neither have my mom or dad, so we don't know the rules. Hopefully he will feel better nd be able to go, but it is killing my mom that there is a possibility of completly losing their money on it. We would pay them their out of posket cost, so they could go somewhere later. TIA!!!
 
I am going to the Bahamas in 10 days. You do not need a passport yet with Carnival for the Bahamas, but I am not certain of Mexico. Mexico will let you in with a birth certificate and driver's license/ID - the problem is the US letting you back in.

I'm sure there is a fee to transfer the reservation (if it's allowed), plus they would maybe lose any discounts specific to them (repeat cruise, ex/current military, etc.)
 
It all depends if they have already filed the passenger list with homeland security. From what I understand they aren't suppose to change names after that.

Carnival charges $50, what cruise line is it?

My TA said passports aren't required for Mexico until after Jan 30th, you are barely squeaking by! :) Did you copy your application? Couldn't hurt to bring that with you.
 
on Royal Carribean. And yes, we have copies of our passport applications. I guess tomorrow I will call the cruiseline and see if this can be done. They don't have any personal-specific discounts, just a good deal that they found. And a $50.00 change fee is doable. Thanks for the advice!! I really hope my dad is feeling better in the morning. He has been so excited about this cruise for the last few months and has been counting down the days! My mom is less than thrilled about a cruise (she wants to go back to WDW), but she is going since my dad really wants to. That is why they have been married for 42 years!!:wizard:
 


It looks like you do not need a passport for Mexico either for land and sea: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

# 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.

# LATER
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.
 
on Royal Carribean. And yes, we have copies of our passport applications. I guess tomorrow I will call the cruiseline and see if this can be done. They don't have any personal-specific discounts, just a good deal that they found. And a $50.00 change fee is doable. Thanks for the advice!! I really hope my dad is feeling better in the morning. He has been so excited about this cruise for the last few months and has been counting down the days! My mom is less than thrilled about a cruise (she wants to go back to WDW), but she is going since my dad really wants to. That is why they have been married for 42 years!!:wizard:

Would you be leaving from the US? That would be the big question for passports - you will be okay if you are.

I hope it all works out. What might need to be considered is how weak your dad is if he recovers well from this virus. He should go get his lab work done to make sure his potassium, hemoglobin, etc. is okay. Heaven forbid he got sea-sick right after such an illness.
 
that was my concern too. I am afraid he will push to go if he feels even a little better, then end up sicker on the ship. And I just saw a thing on the news the other day about how bad medical care is on a ship, and that the cruiselines are not responsible for the MD's that are on board...they are only contract labor!:scared1: And I amin the medical field, so I know how bad it can be to have an inept or negligent MD.
and yes, the cruise leaves out of New Orleans. So, it looks like the passport is a non-issue. Now to see if the ressie can be switched. And if I can take off work!
 


Tell your dad to go to the doctor and get some meds! He should feel fine by Saturday. :)
 
Don't know where dad lives, but I'm an ER nurse and the gastro bug is going around. Tel him to go to the ER-they can give him some fluid and some meds to help the nausea and diarreha. He should be ok enough to go by then an better each day.
 
Every time we have been on a cruise, they have asked if any of us have had intestinal issues in the past 72 hours. It's possible that they will deny him boarding even if he is better. Not sure how far he would have to travel to catch the ship, but it would be worth a call even if he is feeling better.

Hope he feels better soon!
 
Did your parents buy trip insurance? If they did, they should be able to get their money back that they spent on the cruise. If not, definitely go for the passenger switch.
My DH and I tried to go on a 4 day Bahamas cruise 3 years ago. It was with Royal Caribbean. We did not buy trip insurance. He started getting sick on the way down to Port Canaveral.
We boarded, and he felt so bad that we had to get him to the ship's doctor. BTW, ship's doctors do not take insurance. They charge the costs directly to your shipboard account. We wound up with an $800 onboard doctor bill, the ship redocked (not too far out), and they took him off by ambulance. The real kicker was that they kicked me off too! And I wasn't even sick. Of course, I would have followed my DH anyway.
We later contacted the cruise line and discovered that we had no chance of getting our money back, not even me, who wasn't sick. It's part of the small print on the contract. If they determine that you pose a health hazard, they can refuse to board you without any compensation. It probably has something to do with the Norovirus scares.
Anyway, DH, who is diabetic, spent that day and night and the next day in the hospital on IV antibiotics. He was in bad shape, but by the time of release was doing fine.
So there we were, in Port Canaveral, with no hotel reservations until 3 nights later, when we would be checking into our time share in Kissimmee. We made it, but we did not have the good time we had planned on!
We are going on a European cruise in April, and we have definitely purchased trip insurance. Lesson learned.
Good luck to both you and your folks.
 
Every time we have been on a cruise, they have asked if any of us have had intestinal issues in the past 72 hours. It's possible that they will deny him boarding even if he is better. Not sure how far he would have to travel to catch the ship, but it would be worth a call even if he is feeling better.

Hope he feels better soon!

I was thinking of this very same rule....We've all seen the news stories of boatloads (pun intended :) ) of cruise passengers sick. This is how it can get started.

I hope your dad feels better, and that your mom is not getting sick!
 

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