smart money cruises ~ the scoop

I can’t think of a better example than the following to explain the importance of securing a passport and travel insurance before you cruise.

A husband and wife traveling with three young children, including a baby, made headlines recently when the 7-month-old daughter became ill.  A doctor at the Royal Caribbean ship’s medical facility feared the dreaded norovirus so the family was dropped off and obtained medical assistance in the Bahamas.  The illness reportedly turned out to be a cold.  So now we’re thinking, oh my gosh.  Not a good experience.  To make matters worse, we learn the family had no passports or trip cancellation insurance. 

So, the family had to contact the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas for emergency passports and find transportation home.  Out of pocket cost, a reported $1700.  The cruise line has since stepped in to assist the family with a credit for a future cruise but was under no obligation to do so.

First of all, I can’t imagine cruising without a passport.  In this case, passports weren’t required because the ship left and returned to a U.S. port.  However, it did visit foreign ports and, just as this story indicates, if you end up returning home from a foreign stop, you need a passport.  Simple as that.  Also, three kids?  No travel insurance?  If they were trying to save a few bucks, they learned a tough lesson.  That’s not where you want to cut financial corners.

Even when it’s just my husband and myself traveling, we still purchase trip cancellation insurance.  We have a daughter, and elderly parents.  If they get sick and we can’t go, we’re covered.  Peace of mind and common sense.

So, before you cruise, be prepared.  I’ve provided some links to answer some of your passport and travel insurance questions:

us passport

how to get a passport

travel insurance

These websites should get you started.  Keep in mind it can take several weeks to obtain a passport once you’ve sent in all the correct paperwork, particularly during the summer when travel is at its peak.

Cruise lines also offer their own insurance but its fine to book elsewhere.  Just do your research.

Happy travels! 

US Passport, Travel Insurance, Royal Caribbean, Trip Insurance, Passport

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2008 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Passports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.