Passports vs passport cards for minors

[stellarose]

Which is better? The lady at rccl suggested just a birth certificate and no passports for the minors.

 

The post office suggested a passport card (good for land and sea) since kids are 10 and 12.

 

Plus we need ease with check in and ease at each port.

Edited October 16, 2014 by stellarose

[Clarea]

Which is better? The lady at rccl suggested just a birth certificate and no passports for the minors.

 

The post office suggested a passport card (good for land and sea) since kids are 10 and 12.

 

Plus we need ease with check in and ease at each port.

Best is passport booklet, which will allow flights into the US from a foreign country.

 

I can't think of any advantage between a passport card and birth certificate. Either works for closed loop cruises.

[WisconsinFan]

I wouldn't go for the cost of a passport card if you have the birth certificate. They both do the same thing and you can not fly back with either.

[stellarose]

No flights needed. Just baltimore and back via grandeur. Thought the card would be cheaper and it make online check in easier.

[Clarea]

No flights needed. Just baltimore and back via grandeur. Thought the card would be cheaper and it make online check in easier.

No flights needed normally. However, if you miss the ship for some reason while out of the country, it would be nice to have a passport booklet.

[bouhunter]

The answer to which is "better" is very easy - a real passport.:)

 

Only reason to get the card is to save a few dollars.

[cb at sea]

For that particular cruise, all they need is their BC...no need to spend money on a card.

[Sitzmark]

I don't see much advantage to the card. Having a passport book on the other hand would allow easy travel home by air if there was some emergency or mishap that required it. You can get emergency passports but it takes time and has additional cost. We have regular passports for everyone in the family.

 

As others have stated though, you don't technically need one at all.

[cherylandtk]

If you are going to spend money on something, get the passbook book. The card will not get you anything that you cannot get with the BC (on a cruise). Both take the same amount of time at check in or return. Neither will get you home quickly in an emergency. Do you have passports for the adults? If so, I recommend passports for the kids. Saves you having to decide who stays with the kids in an emergency and who flies home.

[stellarose]

Hubby and I both have passports. Might as well pay the higher price for passports for the two kids.

 

So if I have my passport, I would not need my license when in port.. Correct??

[denamo]

Living along the border of TX and Mexico, many have opted for the cards only since they are crossing by land.

 

For a cruise, I would recommend the passport booklet due to not knowing if an emergency situation might arise. We didn't do this early on, but on an Alaskan cruise, customs was so picky about just a birth certificate, we opted for the regular passport. The card was no even an option at that time.

 

You might need to check the government website to see if a minor could fly with a parent with a passport, provided a birth certificate was available, in the event of an emergency.

Edited October 16, 2014 by denamo

[denamo]

Hubby and I both have passports. Might as well pay the higher price for passports for the two kids.

 

So if I have my passport, I would not need my license when in port.. Correct??

 

 

We rarely take our passports into port. Someone here on CC long ago suggested making a photo copy of the passport in the event you were stranded and needed to get to a US government office as definitive proof of having a passport. We have those. It's not official as far as getting on a plane, but might help in an emergency in port. Typically take our drivers license for photo id. Lot easier to replace than a passport.

Edited October 16, 2014 by denamo

[dadroy]

In general, I agree with getting a passport. With children though, the passport is only good for 5 years and the odds of having a medical emergency or missing the ship is so small, I would just use the BC.

 

If you begin cruising often, you would need two more passports for the kids in 5 years.

[brenderlou]

We were on the Oasis last month. Our passports (myself, husband and daughter) had expired so I brought our birth certs an daughters US certificate of citizenship (adopted from China). I also brought along our expired passports just in case.

 

When going thru customs at the end of the cruise I presented our birth certs and certificate. Customs agent asked if we had passports. I said yes but they were expired. He said it's ok since it does prove citizenship and is alot easier then processing w/ birth certs. Showed them to him and we were on our merry way.

 

Needless to say, we sent off for new passports that week!

 

 

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[MrsPete]

Birth certificates: Cheapest option by far, especially since they never expire. They're just as quick as the other options for check-in. People will wail about, "What if you have to fly home?", which is true -- but an incredibly remote possibility. Kids are not allowed to fly internationally with birth certificates only (even if their parents have passports).

 

Passport cards: Designed for people who live near the Mexican or Canadian border, who want to be able to drive across the border, these are the clear losers for cruises. They are not accepted for international flights. For a cruise, they give you no benefit above the birth certificate, yet they cost money. Like passports, they also expire.

 

Passports: The most expensive option by far, especially since kids' passports are only good for five years. Kids' passports are also a pain to obtain -- both parents must appear to get the passport (or send notorized paperwork, which is also trouble). Passports are not faster at check-in/check-out. Keep in mind that having a passport is NOT a guarantee that you could fly home in case of an emergency. Why? Because you may not reach an island for a day or two, and even then a last-minute flight may be cost-prohibitive. Realistically, for a cruise vacation, a passport doesn't buy you much of anything that a simple birth certificate does.

 

 

Regardless of which option you choose, it makes sense to make the same choice for everyone in the family. And don't wait 'til the last minute.

[matj2000]

Passport cards will work fine.

 

..Because so many people miss the ship or have to fly back home..........

[waterbug123]

No flights needed. Just baltimore and back via grandeur. Thought the card would be cheaper and it make online check in easier.

 

No, it won't make any difference. If you're not going to get the passport booklet, just stick with BC.

 

 

So if I have my passport, I would not need my license when in port.. Correct??

 

Correct.

[waterbug123]

You might need to check the government website to see if a minor could fly with a parent with a passport, provided a birth certificate was available, in the event of an emergency.

 

The answer is no. Every passenger on the flight, including minor children, must have their own passport.

 

..Because so many people miss the ship or have to fly back home..........

 

It's rare but it happens. I know several people it has happened to. We were on a cruise and met a couple and the lady missed the ship at the next to last port and had to fly to Nassau to meet the ship. Another time my BIL was on a cruise and there was a death in his family. He had to fly home from a port to attend the funeral. For me, while the risk is small, I'd like to know that if I ever did need to fly home mid-cruise, the one thing I wouldn't have to worry about would be a passport. Others may feel the risk is small enough that they won't worry about it.

[shippmates]

I would get the passport book for the kids but that is my opinion. I have needed my passport to fly from Bayonne to the DR when my husband was airlifted from Haiti. To me this debate is similar as to buy travel insurance or not. If a child is almost 16, I would wait on the passport until they turn 16 then they will be considered an adult.

 

 

As they say I don't leave home without them.

[Mac303]

When we applied for our passbook renewal's, we also got the passport cards, (cost was $20) have used both, we like the convenience of the card and always carry it in our wallets .

 

Whenever the subject comes up on CC about the passport card, many of the arguments against the card is about the inability to fly home if something happens like missing the ship etc; then I read on here that many leave the passport book in the safe, and take a photocopy of the passport book with them when they go ashore.

 

While it is a fact that you can't fly using the passport card. I will bet that my official US Passport Card will carry a lot more weight with Government Officials then a photo copy of a passport book, the photo copy is not an original document, the passport card is.

[stellarose]

Thanks everyone for your input. Decisions.

[Havingfun2010]

When we applied for our passbook renewal's, we also got the passport cards, (cost was $20) have used both, we like the convenience of the card and always carry it in our wallets .

 

Whenever the subject comes up on CC about the passport card, many of the arguments against the card is about the inability to fly home if something happens like missing the ship etc; then I read on here that many leave the passport book in the safe, and take a photocopy of the passport book with them when they go ashore.

 

While it is a fact that you can't fly using the passport card. I will bet that my official US Passport Card will carry a lot more weight with Government Officials then a photo copy of a passport book, the photo copy is not an original document, the passport card is.

 

I enjoyed reading you post. I have both. My kids only had the card. When my youngest renewed he needed a book and got both (he is now an adult). The number one argument is that you can't fly home. The second most posted item is they leave it in the safe. IF you don't carry it, than it is useless. We always carry the card in my wallet, and when I fly Internationally, I still have it as a back-up in my wallet. It is still a valid ID, and will not work to fly, but I bet it is much easier to work out, when you are already in the system.

[mollyeilis]

Birth certificates:... People will wail about, "What if you have to fly home?", which is true -- but an incredibly remote possibility.

 

Kids' passports are also a pain to obtain -- both parents must appear to get the passport (or send notorized paperwork, which is also trouble).

 

I've never read or heard anyone "wail" about it. They state it, yes, as it is a true concern. Likely or not, if you are in that situation, you'd need that passport book.

 

(I'm not talking about someone at home having an emergency where it would be optional, but about someone traveling with you having an emergency, they are taken off the ship in, say, Nassau, and family either gets to go with that person because they will be able to fly home easily because they have passport books or it's not a burden to get emergency passport books OR they stay onboard and finish their cruise because of the time and expense of getting emergency passports in Nassau so they can fly home from there)

 

It's wailing to talk about something that would actually be a huge pain if it came up, but you're willing to talk about how difficult it is to get both parents together or for a parent to run to a bank for a (likely free) notary?

[lovetoteach1]

We got all 3 of our kids the passport books for their first cruise in April. I was not willing to take the risk of something happening and not being able to get on a flight. They are only good for 5 years but I'm using that to my advantage and telling my husband we need to travel often until they expire!;) That's why we have another cruise planned for next summer!