Passport Cards

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

State certified birth certificates may be an even cheaper alternative. But may be a risky alternative because they don't offer the same travel security as a passport.

I'm going to start by saying I haven't used one before. But I recommend against them and here is why.

The value of having a passport as ID on a cruise, in my opinion, is so if something happens you can fly back home. The passport card is not valid for air travel. I personally suggest using a full passport.

Now, if you're looking to save some money, consider a full passport for kids 16 or older since those don't expire for 10 years (as opposed to 5) and let the younger ones travel on their BC or the passport card (if the fee is worth the convenience of not having to carry around the BC).

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I just looked into passport cards for our children, but they aren't good for air travel so it's kind of like what's the point... to me anyways lol. birth certificates serve the same purpose as the card. if you're worried about having an emergency and having to fly home mid cruise, the passport book seems the best way to go. just my opinion :)

My two have expired passports but we were just weighing options. You convinced me with the emergency flight to just get the passport books again. You just never know and they will be good to go for 10 years.

Thanks for your responses!

My two have expired passports but we were just weighing options. You convinced me with the emergency flight to just get the passport books again. You just never know and they will be good to go for 10 years.

 

Thanks for your responses!

I'm a consular officer in Jamaica (which also covers cayman) and you'd be surprised how many of those flights we unfortunately handle. I'm a fan of always being prepared!

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I'm a consular officer in Jamaica (which also covers cayman) and you'd be surprised how many of those flights we unfortunately handle. I'm a fan of always being prepared!

Being a consular officer, you are an expert in the field of passports, etc. (My spouse also used to be a consular officer.) It looks like the OP took your advice and I hope others do too.

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

We have used them on our last 3 cruises, they are the size of a driver's license and convent to store in your wallet or bag.

As others have said, you can not fly with them.

We have used them for my grandsons (11,5 & 3) for an Alaskan cruise and will in March for Cozumel cruise. We will get full passports as European vacations are in our future. We had no problems and they speed things up in Galveston as the passport line is much shorter and faster at debarked!

My two have expired passports but we were just weighing options. You convinced me with the emergency flight to just get the passport books again. You just never know and they will be good to go for 10 years.

 

Thanks for your responses!

Good decision, but if your kids are under 16 when you apply their passport will only be good for 5 years.

We have used them on our last 3 cruises, they are the size of a driver's license and convent to store in your wallet or bag.

 

 

 

As others have said, you can not fly with them.

If you cannot use them to fly home, there is no reason to have it. Other forms of ID will get you on the ship.

Good decision, but if your kids are under 16 when you apply their passport will only be good for 5 years.

One is 16 in march, the other 18 next week.

One is 16 in march, the other 18 next week.

Lucky you! My son spent the summer in Israel a couple of years ago and left two weeks after his 16th birthday. Wish I could have waited to renew his passport but had to do it just a few months before he turned 16. That hurt.

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

We got them for our first cruise 4 years ago.

As others have said, if your main purpose is to be able to fly, then go for the passport (but you can search for other threads where most folks leave their passport in the safe....talk about a "whats the point" decision there).

OTOH, they are an official ID for other activities besides a cruise. And they are much easier to carry than a paper birth certificate and additional photo ID as they are a card just like a drivers license. And they get you through customs as fast a passport.

And if you live near Mexico or Canada, or plan to drive to either of those countries, you will be good to go there.

So yeah, not the full power of a Passport, but definitely not worthless either.

We have done a lot of family traveling, paaports are what are most beneficial for us and covers any issues that may arise. We don't fly or cruise without them.

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

Unless you cross the border between the US and Mexico or the US and Canada by land you don't need to get the card. You are just as good off using the children's birth certificates.

The cards are fine, but not needed, and frankly a waste of money.

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

I have a passport card that I have used on a cruise with no problem. However, as others have said, it won't get you on a plane home if you need it for emergency travel.

We are traveling NOLA to Jamaica, Cayman, and Cozumel this summer. It would be so much cheaper to get passport cards for our kids. Has anyone ever successfully used these on a cruise? Research says they are OK but I'd like to hear from someone who has used them.

You may want to redo your research. Pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line requires ALL passengers on ALL itineraries to present a passport. The lesson here is that government regulations are only one side of the coin. Read your cruise contract and if not sure about the line's document requirements, contact your TA and/or the cruise line directly.

You may want to redo your research. Pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line requires ALL passengers on ALL itineraries to present a passport. The lesson here is that government regulations are only one side of the coin. Read your cruise contract and if not sure about the line's document requirements, contact your TA and/or the cruise line directly.

This isn't true at all. If you leave from and return to the same US port, you do not need a passport. I've cruised on 4 major lines in the past 3 years with only a birth certificate.

You may want to redo your research. Pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line requires ALL passengers on ALL itineraries to present a passport. The lesson here is that government regulations are only one side of the coin. Read your cruise contract and if not sure about the line's document requirements, contact your TA and/or the cruise line directly.

This is another thread moved from the CCL board and for the cruise OP is taking his/her research is correct.

This isn't true at all. If you leave from and return to the same US port, you do not need a passport. I've cruised on 4 major lines in the past 3 years with only a birth certificate.

I believe Oceania's FAQ does state that all passengers are required to have a passport and I have read that Regent and Silversea have similar requirements, so I would say that it is true.

OP I have used an Enhanced Drivers License to board a cruise with no issues whatsoever and it has the same function and use as a passport card. On that same cruise my sons (17 and 18 at the time) used their birth certificates and government issued ID to board. They didn't have an issue either. When you consider that millions of people travel on closed loop cruises each year without a problem using an alternative to the passport it shows that for most people this is a low risk proposition. Yes, if there is an emergency or if you miss the ship you will need to receive assistance from a Consulate or Embassy, so the only real risk is the delay this would entail.

This isn't true at all. If you leave from and return to the same US port, you do not need a passport. I've cruised on 4 major lines in the past 3 years with only a birth certificate.

I'm assuming that, by "major" (and the statement that you only had a birth certificate), you mean "mass market" cruise line.

Once again: most premium and luxury lines require ALL passengers on ALL itineraries to provide a passport. No passport -no boarding.

So, whatever lines you went on, they did not include the following:

Azamara Club Cruises, Crystal, Cunard, Oceania, Paul Gauguin, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea and Windstar (and this is only a partial list).

This isn't true at all. If you leave from and return to the same US port, you do not need a passport. I've cruised on 4 major lines in the past 3 years with only a birth certificate.

I can assure you that the following lines require all passengers to have a passport no matter what type of cruise, or where it originates or where it ends:

Sea Dream

Regent

Silversea

Seabourn

and I am sure that they are others.

This isn't true at all. If you leave from and return to the same US port, you do not need a passport. I've cruised on 4 major lines in the past 3 years with only a birth certificate.

These cruise lines that have been mentioned can and do have a higher standard of documentation that the government requires.