People Share Their Wild Cruise Ship Vacation Experiences

12.

“Myself, my husband, and our three kids went on our first cruise in May 2023. I did extensive research and made a list of things we needed (and some things we absolutely didn’t need, but you never know). I bought a file folder for our birth certificates and boarding passes, and I even brought our social security cards just in case.”

“We live in Wisconsin and drove 18 hours to Jacksonville, Fl., so I wanted to be prepared. Well, we make it down to Florida, and when we get to the check-in counter, I hand the lady my driver’s license and birth certificate, and she looks at me funny. It turns out I grabbed my sister’s birth certificate instead of mine. I bawled my eyes out, thinking we just spent thousands of dollars and drove 18 hours just to not be able to board the ship. Luckily, they were able to use my driver’s license and my kid’s birth certificate to verify my identity and place of birth. I just pictured the long, disappointing drive home, but thank goodness they let us on.”

—kateeshamitchell