As a new Cruiser I found out some very important info!

[sparks1093]

I have now talked to 3 different Carnival agents and have read through the documentaion extensively as well as all of your posts and I am now to the conclusion that...

UNDER 16 THEY DO NOT NEED A PICTURE ID WHEN LEAVING AND RETURNING TO THE SAME U.S. PORT.

So therfore I am continuing the "surprize" factor of our trip. I know that some of you thought I should tell them, but we have found that our kids LOVE surprizes, we purposely dont give them too many and up untill a few months ago we would not have been able to give them such a "surprize".

So this time next week we will be making our way to Miami with the intent that "we found a nice little warm va-ca spot that we are gonna spend a long weekend at." This of course will be told to them the day before as to not raise too many questions before hand.

 

I will post their reaction after next week!

Thanks All!!

 

harv

 

Have a great cruise, can't wait to hear how it goes!

[deladypilot]

I think it is fantastic and I know the kids will have a great time. Please do come back and tell us what they think

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hopefully they won't mind the surprise. Maybe you can tell them ahead of time at least where they're going (what ports) so they have some idea.

 

But I know we can't do this with our daughter. A couple of cruises ago, we booked it and then told her. She wasn't pleased at all. In fact, as we neared the cruise, she had a meltdown that she wouldn't be able to do what she'll want. So I gave her brochures for each port and let her mark with post its as to which places she wanted to see (we were going on the same itinerary as the previous cruise five years before).

 

She was 13 on that cruise, but she's had a passport since she was 3 so that's the photo ID we have for her. I never heard about those under 16 needing a photo ID, unless on a cruise that requires a passport (in which case even a drivers license or state ID isn't going to cut it, especially if flying internationally).

 

I do know that her school ID is acceptable for certain cases, such as taking the SAT exam. But school IDs aren't always acceptable as a government ID, especially for proof of age. Here's an example: I went through a "TEAM" alcohol training session last month as I was going to be selling beer at the Rose Bowl game on January 1 (as part of a fund raiser). We were told that school IDs were not acceptable (we were to ask to see an ID for anyone wanting to buy beer unless we felt they looked over 35 years old). But by college, you would hope that anyone over 18 has a DL or state ID. So when our girl hits 17 next summer (or sooner) and still in the mood to avoid learning to drive, she's going to get a California ID.

[Cruisin' Chick]

So I am taking my family on our first cruise, I thought we would keep it short and sweet, so we can kinda get our feet wet. My wife and I decided to make it a surprize for our kids, Kinda just "show up" at the boat.

We knew we had to bring thier Birth Certificates but what I found out (10 days before cruise time) was that any child 13 or older MUST have a Picture ID!:confused: This was NOT told to me by my cruise director when she asked my kid's names and ages. This would have been really good info to have early!

So now today, I am scrambling to figure out how I am going to get them picture ID's and still keep it a secret...

 

grrr to you Carnival and Homeland Security!

 

 

Oh, BTW, I'm guessing you meant your travel agent (or Carnival vacation planner, if you'd booked through Carnival) didn't give you this info. A cruise director is the crew member on board the ship who plans the activities and entertainment, including the writing and distribution of the daily newsletter.

 

Definitely look on the Carnival website and read the FAQ section as well as the info about the ship you're going on. That way, you might avoid any other little surprises. But I do echo what some are saying here. Sometimes when you call the cruise line number and ask questions, the operator might not really know the right answer. A really excellent travel agent (especially if a "cruise specialist") would prove useful in this manner,or if you get paired up with an excellent Carnival Vacation Planner who has been on plenty of cruises.

[dorisis]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Since the ID must be government issued, your choices are limited for the picture ID. In most states, the Department of Motor Vehicles will issue one. There may be a small charge.

 

Many schools are now requiring a picture ID. Check to see if they have that.

[FedoraDi]

Many schools are now requiring a picture ID. Check to see if they have that.

 

 

Dorisis,

Sorry, picked your post as it mentioned school id :) Not picking on your specifically.

 

But it raises a question that some may not have thought of.. what about home schooled kids? They dont have a school persay, so would not have school issued ids.

Now, I am not a mother or a child caregiver so I may be missing something as times have changed alot from when I was a kid in the 70's.

 

I agree with those that say to get the missing child ids from the police or firefighters, or a passport. I'm fairly sure in my state you can not get kids state ids until they are 16, same age as a beginners permit for driving.

 

I do remember my niece showing me her school id quite a few years ago & it didnt have any proof of age on it. And when I was a kid I was skipped ahead a grade so I was younger than my classmates so saying I was in 6th grade didnt make me 12 like them.

 

I hope the OP made out okay, it seems so. :)

And good ideas & correction to a misinformed person at the cruise lines it seems. :p

[Shmoo here]

Dorisis,

Sorry, picked your post as it mentioned school id :) Not picking on your specifically.

 

But it raises a question that some may not have thought of.. what about home schooled kids? They dont have a school persay, so would not have school issued ids.

Now, I am not a mother or a child caregiver so I may be missing something as times have changed alot from when I was a kid in the 70's.

 

I agree with those that say to get the missing child ids from the police or firefighters, or a passport. I'm fairly sure in my state you can not get kids state ids until they are 16, same age as a beginners permit for driving.

 

I do remember my niece showing me her school id quite a few years ago & it didnt have any proof of age on it. And when I was a kid I was skipped ahead a grade so I was younger than my classmates so saying I was in 6th grade didnt make me 12 like them.

 

I hope the OP made out okay, it seems so. :)

And good ideas & correction to a misinformed person at the cruise lines it seems. :p

 

In California anyone can get a state issued ID:

 

Identification (ID) cards

 

DMV issues ID cards to persons of any age. The ID card looks like a driver license, but is used for identification purposes only. A regular ID card is valid for six years, and a senior citizen ID card is valid for 10 years. To qualify for a senior citizen ID card, you must be age 62 or older.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#idcard

[Cruisin' Chick]

Dorisis,

Sorry, picked your post as it mentioned school id :) Not picking on your specifically.

 

But it raises a question that some may not have thought of.. what about home schooled kids? They dont have a school persay, so would not have school issued ids.

Now, I am not a mother or a child caregiver so I may be missing something as times have changed alot from when I was a kid in the 70's.

 

I agree with those that say to get the missing child ids from the police or firefighters, or a passport. I'm fairly sure in my state you can not get kids state ids until they are 16, same age as a beginners permit for driving.

 

I do remember my niece showing me her school id quite a few years ago & it didnt have any proof of age on it. And when I was a kid I was skipped ahead a grade so I was younger than my classmates so saying I was in 6th grade didnt make me 12 like them.

 

I hope the OP made out okay, it seems so. :)

And good ideas & correction to a misinformed person at the cruise lines it seems. :p

 

This is a point I was making above. A school ID isn't the total solution. It's good on on-campus use (and it does have a few other acceptable uses such as an ID for the SAT and ACT), but it isn't acceptable as proof of age. The first high school my daughter attended did put her DOB on her school ID. She transferred to another school the next year, and that one does not put the DOB on it.

 

But if any parent (of homeschooled kids and otherwise) can take their child's birth certificate to a DMV and see about getting a state-issued photo ID. That is acceptable for proof of date. But I haven't checked to see what is the minimum age. My daughter has had a passport since she was 3. She's now 16, but reluctant to learn how to drive, so I think we'll get her a state ID by the time she's 17, unless she's willing to change her mind about drivers' training.