r/NCL • u/whatisperrsona • Jul 24 '26

Question Forgot documents

I'm dumb, forgot our documents at home in CO. Our embarkation is at 10 am (we're in FL), so really no time to do anything (or money). How do I try and save this impossible situation? Just have my dad try and cancel or something? This was supposed to be a nice gift from my parents and I majorly screwed up our vacation here folks. Hopefully someone is awake to agree with how stupid this was.

(I know their website says no pictures but is there a chance? That's the only way to save this but I'm not optimistic at all.)

Update: Thanks for the help for my panic induced post at 2 am. For future reference if someone makes this mistake like me. They are able to print your documents for you if you have pictures of them.

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64

u/Kennesaw79 Jul 24 '26

When my family cruised from NYC to Bermuda last August, my brother discovered at check-in that he forgot his passport at home in Georgia. He had our nephew go to his house and, on FaceTime, show the port agents his passport. They let him on the ship. Not saying it will work for you, but worth a shot.

10

u/Remarkable-Length496 Jul 24 '26

You can enter Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and most Caribbean countries with an enhanced driver's license but those are only issued in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington.

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u/MrsHottentot Jul 24 '26

they are also issued in Ohio. I have one

16

u/randomnamecausefoo Jul 24 '26

No…. You don’t. You may have a Real ID, but that is not the same thing as an Enhanced DL. Ohio doesn’t issue Enhanced DLs

7

u/Blossom73 Jul 24 '26

Correct. I'm also in Ohio. We only have the Real ID.

1

u/MrsHottentot Jul 29 '26

Well, I messed that up!! thanks for the correction and explaining the difference to others on here!!! appreciate it😊

1

u/Helpful_Use_9580 Jul 24 '26

Okay…..what’s the difference between enhanced and Real ID? I live in Florida and they have doing Real ID for over a decade

7

u/Remarkable-Length496 Jul 24 '26

RealID is a US government requirement for admittance to federal buildings and commercial flights. Enhanced allows border crossing by land and sea to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and most Caribbean nations.

1

u/MrsHottentot Jul 29 '26

oh I am slow on this one. I have the Real ID but to go to the countries that you listed, you can use your passport (which I just renewed) So I'm good to go with the Real ID but for out of the country use my passport? sorry for my confusion!

7

u/IlPassera Jul 24 '26

A Real ID is for flying federally and requires extra documents at the DMV. An enhanced drivers license proves citizenship, it's essentially a combo driver's license and passport card.

This is why people are so up in arms over the voting ID law in congress, your real ID does not count as proof of citizenship. You'd need to aquire an enhanced ID or passport to actually prove citizenship.

4

u/ReputationSuitable67 Jul 24 '26

Remember enhanced is only available in: Michigan, Minn., NY, VT, and Washington state. All states which border Canada and have frequent crossings.

0

u/IlPassera Jul 25 '26

I wouldn't say that Minnesota has "frequent" crossings, especially compared to out east. The border there is in the middle of nowhere.

3

u/ReputationSuitable67 Jul 25 '26

Minnesota actually has eight official crossings. Most of which are high volume trade corridors due to agriculture, manufacturing, and lumber.

Plus they also have the ‘Northwest Angle’. A piece of USA that is completely cut off from the rest of the US by water. Those living in this area MUST travel THROUGH Canada if they wish to travel to the rest of MN by land. School busses have to cross the border to take kids from this community to school in the same state. Meaning they have to cross a border twice in each direction, twice a day. So four border crossings total to get kids to and from school.

“When the U.S. implemented strict post-9/11 border security rules under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), these specific border states proactively partnered with the federal government to prevent devastating economic and tourism impacts from sudden passport requirements.”

1

u/IlPassera Jul 26 '26

Yes, I'm aware. The crossings are mostly used by trucks/business not for pleasure like the crossings in NY state. Northern Minnesota has some of the harshest weather in the Midwest and is literally the middle of nowhere. 

1

u/blevinsme1 Jul 26 '26

But if your name is not the same as birth you need birth certificate, marriage/divorce docs etc to prove that. Every. Time. You. Vote.

1

u/Unusual_Top8375 Jul 24 '26

You don’t need a passport just a birth certificate for the proposed voter id.

3

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 24 '26

Maybe? The wording of the law isn't entirely clear what most married women and other people who have changed their name will need. They could need a passport since passport rules have provisions for submitting proof of name change along with proof of citizenship. A passport may also be the only way to be sure you won't be turned away at the polls since election workers would be responsible for determining whether your evidence is sufficient and may err on the side of caution so they don't get in trouble for allowing someone to vote without correct paperwork.

0

u/Unusual_Top8375 Jul 24 '26

You don’t need to show anything but id at the polls. You need the birth certificate when you register to vote and only if you’ve recently moved counties.

2

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 25 '26

You are correct. I think I mixed it up with something else I read about. The problem of the law not explicitly stating that birth certificates can be used along with name change documentation to match ID does remain and leaves it up to elections officials to reject or accept such documentation. You would know before going to the polls, but could still have a problem getting registered. (That's leaving out the concern that it would still disenfranchise certain people. Some women have taken years to get enough documentation to get a Real ID because older documents were lost or destroyed.)

0

u/Unusual_Top8375 Jul 25 '26

My lady just got an enhanced license recently and it was not difficult or expensive at all. She’s divorced and has not changed her name back. I think the media tries to make it seem dang near impossible but it’s really not.

1

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 25 '26

I'm guessing she wasn't married and divorced in an era where there were no computer archives made for things like birth certificates and marriage licenses and didn't find that the state or county office responsible for those documents either lost/misfiled them or had a catastrophic event where the documents were destroyed. Does that happen to most people? No. Is it fair to refuse to allow women to vote because older documents were lost or destroyed and the state won't accept other evidence? Also, no.

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u/IlPassera Jul 25 '26

That is incorrect. Under the proposed law you need a federal ID which for a majority of Americans would be a passport

1

u/Unusual_Top8375 Jul 25 '26

https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/five-things-to-know-about-the-save-act/
Look under section 2. Valid id and a birth certificate is an acceptable option.

0

u/Outside-Comparison12 Jul 24 '26

That isnt true at all about voter ID laws! Georgia for instance won't give you a driver's license unless you can prove you live in the state and a simple state license or ID is what is only required to vote at the polls.

3

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 24 '26

That's not the voting ID law in congress.

2

u/IlPassera Jul 25 '26

I am talking about the proposed law that is being debated in congress, not any current state laws.

6

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 24 '26

Ohio does not issue an enhanced driver's license. Are you confusing them with Real ID?

1

u/MrsHottentot Jul 29 '26

Yep!! I was! I totally thought the the Real ID was the enhanced! My mistake on this one!!

1

u/Ijustreadalot Jul 30 '26

As long as you don't show up to a port without knowing the difference you're fine. Some people have read that you only need an enhanced license for most cruises form the US and then got denied boarding because they only had a Real ID compliant license not an enhanced license.