Confusing Info From Princess Re: New Passport "Cards" vs. Old School Passport Books

[OptionAnon]

My Passport will be expired before my next cruise, and I'm trying to decide between the Passport "Book" that we all know (and some of us can easily lose) or the new Passport Card, which has a Low-frequency radio chip in it that holds no data, but rather, let's a customs officer know who we are just by scanning us from a few feet away. It transmits a number that directs them to our file on their computer system...the chip holds no personal info.

 

I like the high-tech option, it sounds as though it could really speed the process of disembarkation...but then...

 

I noticed that on my itinerary, it says, "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security enforces secure document requirements. Only passports or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant documents are accepted to embark your cruise. U.S. and Canadian passport holders must present one of the following valid documents: Passport Book (RECOMMENDED); U.S. Passport Card; U.S. or Canadian issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)..."

 

Princess still "RECOMMENDS" the old kind of Passport.

 

I called Princess and asked why...the woman with whom I spoke seemed to me to not know what she was talking about, but she said "Well, if you were to come home from a country in Europe, you would need a Passport, so we recommend having a passport". I explained that this new Passport Card is supposed to replace a passport. She said "since you're just going to Alaska, for this itinerary you don't even need a Passport".

 

Ugh. She didn't grasp that I want whatever I get to serve all my travel needs for ten years. So, is anyone familiar with this Passport "Card"...and, if so, are there down-sides?

[sminfiddle]

You can't use the Passport Card to enter the US by plane.

 

Get the Book, or Book And Card.

 

Enjoy Alaska!!

[OptionAnon]

That's frustrating. So much for new technology. And a Passport that would always be at home in my wallet. Sigh.

 

Thanks for the info though.

[capriccio]

The Passport Card is very limited (from the State Dept's web site, including the highlight):

 

"The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air."

 

In the next 10 years might you want to travel somewhere else in the world? If so, go with the traditional Passport Book (or both is so inclined).

 

Happy travels!

[thinfool]

Lets say that you had booked a Caribbean cruise from New York City last week and, due to flight cancellations (big storm and bad weather), you missed the ship and all you had was the 'card' (or just a birth certificate, as some do).

 

You would have a nice week at home. You could not catch up (air trip to the Bahamas) with the ship unless you had a passport. The card doesnt' work for that.

 

BTW, the passport book also has a rfid chip in it....and is shielded from snoopy sensors.

 

I don't know your itinerary for Alaska, but if you wanted to fly into Vancouver you would need a passport (book).

 

As you say, they are both good for 10 years, but the card is very limited whereas the 'book' opens all doors.

[Shake]

What's so confusing. Princess recommends the Passport Book.

 

Hope this helps and have fun in Alaska. :cool:

[Kamloops50]

In Canada we only have Passports . This year they have a new one with the embedded chip as well. The new ones are available for a 5 or ten year period.

[cherylandtk]

And the new passport books also have an embedded chip. Get the book, skip the card unless you need an extra ID in your wallet.

[UpcountryTravelers]

..... So, is anyone familiar with this Passport "Card"...and, if so, are there down-sides?

 

I have both. I carry both on Caribbean cruises. The card is convenient to carry on shore excursions, when I only have the card, my cruise card, and a bit of cash, but I always have the book in the onboard safe for emergencies. I predict the card will be accepted for air travel in the not too distant future.

[fishywood]

The Passport Card is used for land border crossings only (ie Mexico and Canada).

 

The note on your itinerary--admittedly a mess of legalese--does correctly convey that Princess will accept the passport card just as it accepts a birth certificate for closed-loop cruises from the US.

 

If you fly internationally, or will possibly be taking an open-jaw cruise, the passport book is essential. Consider the card only if you regularly drive to Canada or Mexico; it may speed up processing time at the border by, oh, a few seconds. (But also know that the card is prone to getting demagnitized, rendering it unacceptable until you pay the full price for a replacement).

 

Ugh. She didn't grasp that I want whatever I get to serve all my travel needs for ten years.

 

How on earth is this the business of the Princess rep :confused:

[fishywood]

I predict the card will be accepted for air travel in the not too distant future.

 

Erm, even if this becomes true--you certainly will still need the passport book to enter the country you are travelling to.

[beg3yrs]

You can't affix entry visas to passport cards either. Get the passport. The cards might be useful to those who live near a border and travel frequently by land across the borders.

[cherylandtk]

The Passport Card is used for land border crossings only (ie Mexico and Canada).:

Not land crossings only, and not just those two countries. Also good for sea crossing to Bermuda, Caribbean, Canada and Mexico. Which are less common than land crossings, but still do happen.

[UpcountryTravelers]

You can't affix entry visas to passport cards either. Get the passport. The cards might be useful to those who live near a border and travel frequently by land across the borders.

 

I would never suggest getting the card only. But it is quite convenient for cruises, excursions, etc. I also use it for domestic air travel.

[UpcountryTravelers]

Erm, even if this becomes true--you certainly will still need the passport book to enter the country you are travelling to.

 

My point is sooner or later the other countries will catch up. And I should have said international air travel, as I already use it regularly for domestic air travel.

[fishywood]

My point is sooner or later the other countries will catch up. And I should have said international air travel, as I already use it regularly for domestic air travel.

 

With all due respect (and with apologies for the increasing thread drift) that is a very naive assumption. No countries--even our staunchest allies--will make it easier for US citizen tourists to enter unless the US does so in kind. In the current political climate that is never going to happen. It is surprising now that more of the nations of which the US requires an ESTA Waiver (with accompanying fee) from do not in turn require pre-registration and charge the same entry fee for US visitors.

[tulsacubfan]

That's frustrating. So much for new technology. And a Passport that would always be at home in my wallet. Sigh.

 

Thanks for the info though.

 

the new passports have the "new technology" chip as well. I renewed mine in 2011 and it has a chip.

[UpcountryTravelers]

With all due respect (and with apologies for the increasing thread drift) that is a very naive assumption. No countries--even our staunchest allies--will make it easier for US citizen tourists to enter unless the US does so in kind. In the current political climate that is never going to happen. It is surprising now that more of the nations of which the US requires an ESTA Waiver (with accompanying fee) from do not in turn require pre-registration and charge the same entry fee for US visitors.

 

Oh, I don't disagree with anything you said. However, we are talking about a technological advance, not "making it easier" or anything of the like. My point is that a card is the wave of the future and sooner or later it will replace the "book" for everyone. And a visa can certainly be encoded onto the card. For everyone, not just Americans or those traveling to the U.S.

[xmasteach]

I have both. I carry both on Caribbean cruises. The card is convenient to carry on shore excursions, when I only have the card, my cruise card, and a bit of cash, but I always have the book in the onboard safe for emergencies. I predict the card will be accepted for air travel in the not too distant

 

This is the exact same thing I do.:D

[piper28]

Oh, I don't disagree with anything you said. However, we are talking about a technological advance, not "making it easier" or anything of the like. My point is that a card is the wave of the future and sooner or later it will replace the "book" for everyone. And a visa can certainly be encoded onto the card. For everyone, not just Americans or those traveling to the U.S.

 

I seriously doubt it'll happen any time soon. The only reason the passport card is accepted by the countries it is now is through the WHTI. There'd have to be a *lot* of work on treaties between countries before the card would be acceptable. The passport is a worldwide, legally recognized document, not true of the card.

 

And no, as it stands now, the visa's can't be encoded onto the cards. There's no capability to write to the cards. All it really has is a pointer to the records in the government's system - and that's the key. No government is going to open that system up to every country for them to be able to look up against it. I mean, do you really think the US would open up the system to, say, Iran? And since there's no writeability, and since other countries aren't going to have access to the same system, visa's just aren't going to work.

 

The only real advantage to the card is that it's easier to carry. I don't really think the rfid chip is really going to speed things up at all, because most of the info they need can be read just by a swipe anyways. (Heck, using my phone, the passport book it actually takes a fair amount of time to read the chip, which btw, also needs info from the passport to decrypt. No idea how fast the cbp can read it though, obviously a phone wasn't primarily designed for that :) ).

 

There's also a small but significant number of people out there that are freaked out by having an rfid chip in their passport book/card. These people have been known to take a hammer to the chip to destroy it. So trying to move more towards that is going to meet some resistance from these people. (Personally I think these people are really on the overly paranoid side. I've used my phone to read my wife's passport, and the info on there isn't really anything that I'd be too worried about someone getting. And on top of that, at least with the current generation, the chip can't be read with the passport closed.)

 

Personally I fully expect I'll be renewing the passport book at least a couple of times before I think it's likely to be replaced by the card. I could see that the card *might* be accepted by more "friendly" countries - but keep in mind, even right now it's not valid for air travel amongst the countries that accept it.

 

FWIW, I do have both the card and book myself. The card is useful as an id that doesn't have my address on it. It's also convenient to carry, and since I do live fairly near canada, makes it easy to head over if I decide to on a whim. Then again, I'll have a Nexus card soon too, which will reduce the usefulness of the passport card for me.

[robgvic]

You would not be able to use your passport card to enter any countries other than the US or Canada.

 

 

My Passport will be expired before my next cruise, and I'm trying to decide between the Passport "Book" that we all know (and some of us can easily lose) or the new Passport Card, which has a Low-frequency radio chip in it that holds no data, but rather, let's a customs officer know who we are just by scanning us from a few feet away. It transmits a number that directs them to our file on their computer system...the chip holds no personal info.

 

I like the high-tech option, it sounds as though it could really speed the process of disembarkation...but then...

 

I noticed that on my itinerary, it says, "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security enforces secure document requirements. Only passports or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant documents are accepted to embark your cruise. U.S. and Canadian passport holders must present one of the following valid documents: Passport Book (RECOMMENDED); U.S. Passport Card; U.S. or Canadian issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)..."

 

Princess still "RECOMMENDS" the old kind of Passport.

 

I called Princess and asked why...the woman with whom I spoke seemed to me to not know what she was talking about, but she said "Well, if you were to come home from a country in Europe, you would need a Passport, so we recommend having a passport". I explained that this new Passport Card is supposed to replace a passport. She said "since you're just going to Alaska, for this itinerary you don't even need a Passport".

 

Ugh. She didn't grasp that I want whatever I get to serve all my travel needs for ten years. So, is anyone familiar with this Passport "Card"...and, if so, are there down-sides?

[PunkiC]

Consider the card only if you regularly drive to Canada or Mexico; it may speed up processing time at the border by, oh, a few seconds.

Emphasis added.

 

We recently returned home from Mexico via land and were thrilled to have our Passport Cards, which allowed us to walk through the "Ready Line" reducing our wait at the border from over and hour and a half to about five minutes. Since we also have an RFID chip in our Passport Books, I don't understand why they wouldn't have worked for the "Ready Line" but the officials were adamant that you could only enter with a US Passport Card. We were glad we had them.

 

Like others, we also use them for domestic air travel and when we go ashore on cruises, leaving our Passport Books in our safe. They are very handy.

[dwjoe]

You can't affix entry visas to passport cards either.

That could actually be an advantage from a privacy standpoint. In cases where you can use a PP card (like to TSA at the security checkpoint) I'd just as soon not have them flip through my visa stamps and hassle me over them.

 

I have both PP book and card. The PP card is handy as a backup ID... I can more easily afford to lose it than my DL. Or for showing ID when I'd rather not give info about my address.

[dwjoe]

You would not be able to use your passport card to enter any countries other than the US or Canada.

No, the PP card can be used to enter any WHTI country by land or sea. That includes Mexico and most Caribbean countries. Full details here: http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_uspc.html

 

Locals in USVI use it to take the ferry to BVI.

[TinaLee]

I have a friend who lives in Maine, very close to the border with Canada, and uses the passport card to travel by car into Canada, but he also has a passport book which he uses for International travel by air. I also have a son-in-law who refuses to fly (period) and he also has a passport book which he uses for cruising and driving into Mexico (he lives in Nevada). So I think there are legitimate reasons some people would like the card in place of the passport book, but I always worry about having to fly home from ANY port, so I still think the passport book makes the most sense! JMHO