Agent: Bad passport advice forced needless reimbursement to client

I booked a family of six on a Holland America Line Caribbean cruise, which included stops in Belize and Guatemala. Because of bad advice from HAL, I was forced to take responsibility for getting last-minute passports for the six travelers, to the tune of $2,424 -- passports that, it turned out, they did not need.

I had told my clients that the passport card was sufficient based on information at the websites of the State Department and Homeland Security and following a brief conversation with HAL. However, five days before departure, one traveler found she could not obtain her travel documents online and that the HAL system advised that the passport card was not a valid document for the cruise.

A call to HAL then produced the advice that the passport cards were not sufficient because of the Belize stop. I then took responsibility for having relayed incorrect information and paid for the last-minute passports.

I also called the Passport Office to complain that the State Department's website had not prominently displayed its list of 17 countries in the Caribbean covered by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that allow travelers to re-enter the U.S. with a passport card.

I was advised that for customers like mine who were on a closed-loop cruise, the State Department's list of 17 countries is not an exhaustive list. I learned the final rule on this subject was issued by Homeland Security last year and can be downloaded from Homeland Security's website. Under its terms, customers can return to the U.S. from any country in the Western Hemisphere if on a closed-loop cruise. A passport book is needed only if the host countries require it (and Belize is no problem for a cruiser's stay of less than 12 hours).

The HAL reservations agent and the cruise line itself are looking at the State Department's list of 17 Caribbean destinations as if those were the only countries covered by the WHTI language allowing for use of passport cards to re-enter the U.S. on such cruises. They are forcing people to get passports unnecessarily. After a few more calls, I learned that other cruise lines -- Carnival and Princess -- have got this right.

Other travel agents need to be aware of the issue; in the meantime, I am seeking to recover my losses from HAL because of its mistake. If I, as a one-person business, was willing to take on the liability when I thought I had made an error, I think a big company like HAL could do the same thing.

Pat Saizan
Saizan's Travel
Altamonte Springs, Fla.

HAL responds:

Holland America Line relies on both published Customs and Border Protection information and input from the local homeport offices and adopted a conservative approach. However, we are looking into the concerns raised by Ms. Saizan. We have heard from and are responding to her directly. Holland America Line strongly recommends guests always carry a passport in the event of an emergency situation that would require a guest to end their trip early. Without a passport, guests would be unable to disembark the ship in order to return to the United States in most countries.

Sally Andrews, vice president, public relations
Holland America Line
Seattle