Passports

[mammajett]

It has been several years since my last cruise. Before, when getting back on the ship at a port of call, you presented your sign and sail card and driver's license. Has that changed? We will be bringing passports of course but would rather just carry the S&S card and driver's license when off the ship--if we have to use our passports, so be it......just needing to know.

[scchasgal]

It has been several years since my last cruise. Before, when getting back on the ship at a port of call, you presented your sign and sail card and driver's license. Has that changed? We will be bringing passports of course but would rather just carry the S&S card and driver's license when off the ship--if we have to use our passports, so be it......just needing to know.

 

 

Same as the last time you cruised sail and sign card and gov't issued photo ID

 

Happy cruising

[mammajett]

Thanks!

[bobmal99]

Can you cruise without a Passport??

 

Is just a Birth Certificate enough to get

you on a cruise ship???

[loveJake]

Can you cruise without a Passport??

 

Is just a Birth Certificate enough to get

you on a cruise ship???

 

Yes, when cruising on a closed loop cruise in the US.

[Tbay-eh]

Can you cruise without a Passport??

 

Is just a Birth Certificate enough to get

you on a cruise ship???

 

A BC if fine along with government issued photo ID. Just make sure that the BC is official (with raised seal in most cases) - not a copy - not a hospital birth record - etc. I personally take my passport when I go ashore as that is the reason I paid for it.

[noblepa]

What everyone has said so far is true.

 

A government issued photo-id, such as a driver's license, and your S & S card will get you back on the ship in ports of call.

 

A certified copy of your birth certificate is sufficient for a closed-loop cruise leaving from and returning to the same US port.

 

What HAS changed since your last cruise, is that the re-entry requirements for other forms of transportation have changed. Should you miss the ship in a foreign port, for whatever reason, and you need to fly home, it will be much more difficult without a passport.

 

Personally, I take our passports ashore with us and leave our birth certificates in the cabin safe. If we miss the ship, we can fly home, or to the next port of call, without the hassle of replacing the passports. If the passports are lost or stolen, we can still return home with our birth certificates. If you ever find yourself in a situation where a passport is needed, nothing else will do.

 

To me, having a passport and leaving in onboard, is the same as leaving it on your kitchen table. You won't have it when you need it most. Granted, the chances that you will need it are remote, but if you already have it, why take that chance? Foreign travel is the entire reason for the existence of a passport.

 

I understand the reluctance of those who do not yet have one. If you're going on a cruise, with a family of four or five, the extra $135 per person is a lot of money.

 

Others will disagree. The choice is yours, since you already have a passport. Just understand the risk.

 

Paul