A thief stole my passport, and I missed my cruise! Will insurance cover this?
If a thief clobbers you and steals your passport, causing you to miss your cruise, shouldn’t insurance cover your loss?
PASSPORT MISTAKES
These articles tell the stories of the many travelers who have contacted the Consumer Rescue team for help with passport mistakes that have caused them big — and expensive — problems.
This is how an expired green card created her worst travel nightmare
What’s the worst nightmare that could happen if you land in Mexico with expired travel documents? Kush Kanna’s wife recently found out in a most unpleasant way. She thought she was heading for a relaxing tropical vacation in Costa Rica with her family. Instead, she ended up detained in Mexico after authorities rejected her expired green card and Indian passport.
Now Kush wants to know who will pay for this awful travel nightmare.
Hint: He isn’t going to like the answer.
If you’re about to travel internationally, take heed. Customs and immigration agents abroad will not overlook expiration dates on your travel documents, so you shouldn’t either.
This simple passport mistake ended in a $17,766 travel disaster. Here’s how
Ted Kelly says his wife made a simple passport mistake last year that snowballed into a $17,766 travel disaster.
The couple had never heard of the Schengen area or its passport requirements for U.S. citizens. But when they tried to check in for their business class flight to Italy, a Lufthansa representative quickly explained the facts. Ted’s wife’s passport didn’t have the required 90-days validity from their return date, and the airline denied boarding to the couple.
You should not cruise with just a passport card. This is why
It’s never a great idea to cruise with just a passport card. If you’ve ever thought about doing it, you’ll want to read this cautionary tale.
Daniel Sellar’s cruise fiasco is an unfortunate example of what can go wrong if you decide to cruise with just a passport card. Things may go just fine. But you should consider what will happen if you miss the boat and need to take a flight to catch up with it. Because although you can cruise with just a passport card, you can’t fly anywhere internationally with one.
No, a printout from Ancestry com is not a valid ID to cruise!
Barbara Vannier’s adult daughter tried to check in for her international cruise with just a driver’s license and a printout from Ancestry com. Unfortunately, she quickly found out that this is not valid ID to cruise to Canada and the ship left without her. Now Barbara wants an apology from Royal Caribbean and a full cash refund for her daughter’s missed vacation. But is she entitled to either?
What happens if the name on your passport doesn’t match your ticket?
Can you fly off to an international destination if the name on your ticket does not match the name on your passport?
The answer to that question is “No.”
Ralph Lantz found this out in a devastating way. He booked his friend, Jackie, a ticket to meet him on a dream vacation to Greece. But his generous gesture went all wrong at the check-in counter. That’s where Jackie’s Mediterranean plans came to an abrupt end when a Virgin Atlantic agent pointed out that the name on her ticket was not the same as the one on her passport.
An Air Canada mistake caused me to be detained in Korea – for two weeks!
An Air Canada agent made a mistake that set off a terrible chain of events for Sarahy Sigie during the dark days of the pandemic. The end result? Sarahy was detained in South Korea for 15 days against her will and at her own expense.
This is what happens when you miss your cruise without a passport
Maybe you’ve taken an international cruise without a passport and it was smooth sailing all the way. But you might want to consider Earl Wentzel’s troubling tale before booking your next maritime adventure.
Earl’s case should serve as an eye-opener to anyone considering taking a cruise without a passport. When you cruise with no passport, you’re putting yourself in a precarious position that could cause you to miss your vacation completely — no refund included. Or worse. You could even find yourself stranded in a foreign country.
British Airways made a big mistake and denied boarding to me!
A British Airways employee made a mistake and refused to let Jordan Allen board his scheduled flight to Africa. That error cost him $5,754.
Jordan says he showed up at the airport ready for his flight with valid identification for the journey. But his travel plans came to an abrupt end at the check-in counter. There, an unpleasant British Airways agent incorrectly rejected his passport and visa and denied him boarding. That airline representative’s mistake cost Jordan more than just cash, and he wants our advocacy team to help right this wrong.
This tale is disheartening, to be sure. Jordan had done all of his homework for his much-anticipated international journey. But his case shows that, unfortunately, sometimes a traveler can hit an unexpected roadblock through no fault of their own.
And that’s exactly why our advocacy team is here.
Welcome to Switzerland. Now you are going to jail!
Elena Pavlova just made the worst travel mistake of her life. Before setting off for her dream vacation to Europe, she neglected to check the entry requirements for Switzerland. Then she managed to board her Swiss Air International flight (SWISS) to Zurich with an invalid passport for her itinerary to the Schengen area. Not surprisingly, her vacation plans came to a screeching halt when she landed. She was denied entry and border police took her into custody.
Now Pavlova is asking why SWISS allowed her to board the plane with an invalid passport in the first place. And she’s demanding that the airline share the $3,000 cost of this travel mistake.
It’s critical to know and possess the required entry documents for your intended destination. If you don’t, you too may take an unpleasant international round-trip odyssey — no vacation and no refund included.
