Question on minors

[flowers44]

We are booked on a cruise to Bermuda from Boston next July. We have 2 twelve year olds and two 15 year olds in our party. They do not have passports. Is it necessary to get passports for them or would we be safe with just the raised seal birth certificates and picture ID's. Especailly, with the 15 year olds, who will be 16 shortly after the cruise, it seems like a waste of money for a couple of months. I know the theory of having to be air lifted back to the US and having trouble getting home again but just wondering what would be best.

 

Also, do we need notorized letters from divorced parents, letting the other parent take the child on the cruise?

 

Not cruising till next July but want to get things in order so we are ready to go.

[rvsullivan]

Since you already know the downside to not having a passport, the answer is the birth certificate and id are all that's required.

They will need the form on the NCL website for the other parent to give travel permission.

[flowers44]

I just looked on the passport site and if the passport is bought when the child is 15, it is still good for five years. It doesn't have to be updated on the 16th birthday.

 

I also found a form on another thread for the other parent to sign and have notorized for the kids to travel out of the country.

[willysgrandma]

The issue many parents have with getting a 15 y/o a passport is that the pp is only good for 5 years. If they wait until they are 16 it is good for 10 years. Since they are paying so much, it is better to wait until they are 16 so they are getting more of their money's worth with the pp.

 

My grandson is 15 and going to Spain with his school next year and DD is waiting until he turns 16 on Oct. to get his pp.

 

The know the only downside with not having the pp is if anything happens and you have to fly home from Bermuda for an emergency, the kids can't fly without the passport. You have to make the decision on whether it is worth the risk or not.

[flowers44]

Love to wait until the two 15 year olds turn 16 but they would miss the trip since we are going in July and they turn 16 in November and December. I don't think they would be happy if we left them home because their birthdays were too late in the year.

[luv2cruise53]

Passports are not needed to go to Bermuda.:eek: The birth certificate w/raised seal is enough for children. See NCL site www.2ncl.com for reqirements. You do not need one either as this trip constitutes a closed loop. If you are not concerned with air from Bermuda etc...then you are fine.

 

This issue comes up so frequently and it is amazing how many cruisers do NOT know they do not need a passpot on closed loops.:eek:

[flowers44]

I know about no need for passports on closed loop cruises. The real risk is if you have to fly back home, that is where the trouble begins. Since I found out that the passports are good for five years, even after the child turns 16, that makes the investment more acceptible. I think it is better to be safe than sorry in case of an accident.

[sdmike]

passports are not an investment, they are an expense...and not a very large one to incur once every 5 years IMO