Passport needed?

[jrcruise210]

We are cruising with our 2 children (11 & 9) in March. My husband and I have passports, but our children do not. We are sailing from Miami to Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya... I don't think that our children are REQUIRED to hold passports, but I'm curious about other people's opinions on this matter.

[cherylandtk]

You are correct that passports are not required for this type of cruise; but will find that the vast majority hold the opinion that you should get them for the kids even if not required. While chances are low, you MUST have passports to fly to or from any of your ports of call in case of missed departures, emergencies back home or accidents while on vacation.

[sockmonkeygirl]

Make sure your husband is their real father. If another father is listed on their birth certificate, you'll need a permission letter from the absent parent.

 

That's why we are cruising without our children. My husband is their step-dad. :(

[kf657]

We have had passports or ALL our children for every cruise we have been on, I feel it is well worth the expense and then I do not have to worry. They have used it for other things besides travel.

They have used them for getting licenses, permits, and jobs.

 

Although may not pertain to all people- I travel with a handicapped child(now 22) and since he will never have a license, the passport is a great advantage to him- he used it to get a temp job, and a non-driver id card.

 

Better safe then sorry...

[cruiser:)]

No if you are on a closed looped cruise, which means that your returning to the same port that you left from, then you don't need one. So your kids should be fine :) Have fun

[MMMD]

Unfortunately when someone states that you should be fine, that doesn't mean that you will be fine.

 

Many, many unforeseen things can go wrong, and I wouldn't ever want to travel out of the country without a passport, especially for my children.

 

I realize that there is an expense attached to them, but in my opinion the security they give me out weighs that.

 

They are processed pretty quickly and I believe will give you peace of mind.

 

Whatever you decide, have a great time.:)

[paul929207]

You are not required ot have a passport, but if you needed to fly from or to a foriegn country, you would have to get one. This would mean getting to a US embassy or consulate, which could be across the country and waiting for the request to be processed. It is unlikely that the embassy personnel will see the request as the priority that you do.

[sail7seas]

Given the world we live in today, I can't imagine leaving the U.S. without everyone in our party having a valid passport. What if there is an emergency and you need to fly home for some reason? What if (certainly we hope not), one of the children has an accident and is injured? Do you really need the hassle of trying to get a passport while you are out of the country with an injured child?

 

Sure...... the odds are small but if you plan for your children to travel with you, you might want to give serious thought to getting them passports. It's an added cost to the expense of travel and a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

 

IMO....