Denied boarding

[Sadsailer]

This was going to be my 3rd cruise, second with carnival.
This isnt meant to be a sob story at all just....need to explain.
I lost both parents before 16 without a birth certificate or knowing where I was born.
I used my school records to get my first license and went on with life. Fast forward to 9/11 and to get my license renewed I needed a certified certificate....long story short I got one.
It has a different year on it, its 1966 instead of ALL my life's records of 1965.
I used my state issued license and my certified birth certificate for my first cruise (princess)
And my second (carnival) not even 2 years later carnival denied my boarding. I also had my daughter with her certificate with my information.
I had used these 2 completely legal documents (both mine and both certified) plus I had A VIP or "return customer code"
I only feel like I should get a new cruise because I did have the proper documentation and I had just cruised with carnival without issue.
I'm crushed😥

[Mike M]

I'm sorry you got denied boarding. I would contact Carnival and inform them of the issue and see what can be done.

Did you book with an agent? If so, then have them go to bat for you.

For the future, I would take your documentation and get a passport. With a passport you can go anywhere and there is no issue with age or birth certificate. For your situation, it would be well worth the expense.

Take care,
Mike

[lulu48]

Originally Posted by Sadsailer

I used my state issued license and my certified birth certificate for my first cruise (princess)
And my second (carnival) not even 2 years later carnival denied my boarding. I also had my daughter with her certificate with my information.
I had used these 2 completely legal documents (both mine and both certified)

What reason did they give you at check in to deny your boarding???


I agree get a passport

[Sadsailer]

Originally Posted by lulu48

What reason did they give you at check in to deny your boarding???


I agree get a passport

My birth certificate says 9/19/1966
My driver's license says 9/19/1965
The reason they gave was " insufficient travel documentation"
They didn't want to even look at anything else I had and basically"put me out on the curb.
My 18 year old daughter and her friend went ahead (I insisted) of course but the supervisor said my brother would have to be financially responsible for them.....in the end they charged MY credit card😭

[lulu48]

Originally Posted by Sadsailer

My birth certificate says 9/19/1966
My driver's license says 9/19/1965
The reason they gave was " insufficient travel documentation"

That is too bad they could not let you pass

I would get your DL fixed soon at least before you travel again

[Trip]

Falling through the cracks, in this day and age is so difficult..I'm sorry this happened...please do get a passport, so this will never happen again....

[Sadsailer]

After a ton of research I've found out that it doesn't even need to be "fixed"
See, as I think I mentioned (or maybe not) when I was put in school at 5, I lived until @40 before I moved to a new state and had to re new my license after 9/11 in Virginia no less, so I was 40 when I found out the one year age difference YAY! I got to be a year younger!!....no, not really😥
I took my new certified birth certificate to DMV with my un expired Arizona license (they last 25 years) and DMV put the 1965 on my licence😏
I came home and put my birth certificate away and didn't even look at it again until my first and second cruises and had no issues at all.
Having dug a little deeper it seems my daughters birth certificate also has 1965 as mother's birth date and THAT is where I get the 5+, years of using that date of birth😁
SOOO, while counter lady was right when she shouted at me "this!" ( holding my DL & CBC) "won't even get you a passport!!"
The things she refused to see was enough to get a passport a few times over.

[lulu48]

So are you saying you could have used your AZ DL without a problem ?

I would have played stupid at the port & say I did not notice the year was wrong ..I mean really it could have been a typo at the DMV since your name & other dates were the same


One year my DH was checked by police & his DL did not have the apt # on it Mine did so the nice police officer gave him a $120 ticket
truthfully neither of us noticed the apt # was omitted on his DL
Now I check everything carefully
lesson learned

[Sadsailer]

Yes in fact I had several things I could have used but they refused to even look.
I'm a very reasonable person and I admit when I'm wrong.
If I had never used this cruise line or if I didn't have " the proper documentation" I would have taken the loss and done better next time (if there ever is a next time)
But I did have not only the right documentation but also plenty of extra. I even knew at the time but they REFUSED to even look at it.
I was afraid to speak up because I didn't want to get denied (stupid I know) I've read the contract a thousand times and it say NAME MUST MATCH and CARNIVAL WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ON BOARD. She asked me nothing....wouldn't except anything else I had. She was very busy with employees asking her a million questions.
I think I was in shock having spent a small fortune (for me) only to be put on the curb.... literally.
I read it here someplace
"Just because you've never seen it, doesn't mean it isn't legit"
Cruisers need to know all the little things that can keep you from your vacation and speak up!
DMV is not changing the date that they have had in their system for 45 years and the state of Michigan is not going to change anything on an original certified birth record.
So you need to be able to "bridge" the discrepancy by 5 years and that's where my daughter's birth certificate, a person whose known me more than 2 years and my Arizona non expired drivers license comes in. That's what I'd need for a passport buy only ONE of those things besides my VA. Driver's license and my Michigan certified birth certificate.
I'm spelling it out so that maybe it will help someone else facing the same issues.