Birth certificate or passport card?

[lovestocruise19]

My parents are coming over tomorrow and we will be booking a cruise with them! Our seventh and their very first ever! So excited!

 

I've heard you can board the ship with photo ID and a birth certificate. DH and I have never done that and had a passport card for our first couple cruises and now have full fledged passports.

 

My question is what would be best for my parents? If you go the ID and birth certificate route, do you have to carry your birth certificate to the different ports in order to be let back on the ship? I know some ports only look at your sail and sign, but some ports also like to see a passport.

[lcpagejr]

BC and DL will work just fine assuming assuming its a closed loop cruise with embarkation and disembarkation in US.

 

When off ship you only need your sail/sign card and DL (picture ID) to reboard

 

As a fyi....You do say your traveling with your parents and I'm not sure which ports your traveling to. Please note: If there was a family emergency and cruise was interrupted and/or medical related emergency... return to US would be more complicated and likely delayed without a Passport if you need to fly back to US from another country.

[firemanbobswife]

They will only need to bring their picture ID to get back on the ship from a port. If they are willing to get a Passport Card (which IMHO is easier than bringing both an official BC *Make sure it's the right kind* and picture ID), then I would recommend just breaking down and getting regular Passports. While no one anticipates having problems, what if they hate it and want to get off or something happens that they have to fly home? A Passport Card isn't going to suffice so OTOH it's kind of a waste of money.

 

Yes, there are things that can help to get them back to the US in case of an emergency, but why take that chance? Who knows, they may really like a port and decide later they want to fly there and stay for a while like we did in Cozumel. They they are all set.

[fresnel468]

Passports for your parents. Don't leave the USA without one.

[springs741]

lovestocruise, you know how many folks we had taken off our ship in ambulances. (Lovetocruise and I did the 12 day Freedom repo cruise in February.)

 

I promise you not one of those folks thought" hummmm, I think I will go on a cruise and ___" Fill in blank with have a heart attack, fall and break my leg, and go into respiratory failure.

 

My mother is taking her first cruise this summer, just a short 5 day to Mexico. At 82 years old she got her first passport this January. And yes she has a ton of trip insurance.

[Bobby_Mac]

We take PP just in case there is an emergency that would require us to fly home or an injury/illness that would cause us to miss the ship's departure.

[stargate fan]

BC and DL will work just fine assuming assuming its a closed loop cruise with embarkation and disembarkation in US.

 

When off ship you only need your sail/sign card and DL (picture ID) to reboard

 

As a fyi....You do say your traveling with your parents and I'm not sure which ports your traveling to. Please note: If there was a family emergency and cruise was interrupted and/or medical related emergency... return to US would be more complicated and likely delayed without a Passport if you need to fly back to US from another country.

 

Just wanted to clarify that a closed loop cruise begins and ends in the SAME U.S. port.

[lizardhowson]

Passports for your parents. Don't leave the USA without one.

 

^^ This ^^

[cmptrwiz]

If they are going to get the passport cards they might as well pay a little extra and get the full fledged passport.

[cruiser fanatic]

Just wanted to clarify that a closed loop cruise begins and ends in the SAME U.S. port.

 

It was recently changed that you do not need a passport if your cruise ends in a DIFFERENT U.S. port. If you begin in the U.S. and end in Europe you would need a passport.

 

U.S. Citizens

 

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport. Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin and end in the same or a different U.S. port, travelling with a passport may help to expedite your CBP clearance upon return to the U.S. Additionally, passports are required in the event you need to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

[vols159]

Passport in case of emergency .. I wouldn't leave the country without one but you can use a dl and original state issued bc

[Shmoo here]

It was recently changed that you do not need a passport if your cruise ends in a DIFFERENT U.S. port. If you begin in the U.S. and end in Europe you would need a passport.

 

U.S. Citizens

 

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport. Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin and end in the same or a different U.S. port, travelling with a passport may help to expedite your CBP clearance upon return to the U.S. Additionally, passports are required in the event you need to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

 

If this is the information that Carnival is putting out there - they are wrong. Any cruise that starts in one US port and ends in a different US port requires a passport. See paragraph 2 here:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

Edited March 23, 2015 by Shmoo here

[dioxide45]

IMO, a passport card vs a DL and BC are equivalent. You can't do much of anything with either one of them when it comes to foreign travel other than a cruise. A passport card is good for land travel back and forth between USA and Canada or USA and Mexico though where the BC/DL isn't. So for cruising, I wouldn't bother to get a passport card only. Just use the DL and drivers license. A passport card does make it easier to get the passport card if you are stuck in another country and need to fly home, but that is about the extent of the benefits of a passport card.

 

The passport card IMO is a big waste of money, even if it only costs $30. I would as other suggest, get a passport book for both your parents as well as yourselves. If not, and only cruising, just stick with the DL/BC combination. The passport card doesn't give you much more.

Edited March 23, 2015 by dioxide45

[tea4ular]

Passports for your parents. Don't leave the USA without one.

 

100% agree! I say this for every traveler regardless of age. They're good for 10 years (except for minors) and worth the price for piece of mind!

[sparks1093]

Passports for your parents. Don't leave the USA without one.

 

This is a judgment call. The law allows US citizens to travel on closed loop cruises with an alternative to passport (BC/ID, EDL, passport card), so each traveller must assess their own individual travel needs and their own individual risks involved with not using a passport (i.e. how likely is it that they would have to fly home from the cruise) and decide accordingly.

[sparks1093]

It was recently changed that you do not need a passport if your cruise ends in a DIFFERENT U.S. port. If you begin in the U.S. and end in Europe you would need a passport.

 

U.S. Citizens

 

Carnival highly recommends all guests travel with a passport. Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin and end in the same or a different U.S. port, travelling with a passport may help to expedite your CBP clearance upon return to the U.S. Additionally, passports are required in the event you need to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled port of embarkation, or need to fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons.

 

I have not seen this on any official government website so in my mind it has not changed.

[sparks1093]

IMO, a passport card vs a DL and BC are equivalent. You can't do much of anything with either one of them when it comes to foreign travel other than a cruise. A passport card is good for land travel back and forth between USA and Canada or USA and Mexico though where the BC/DL isn't. So for cruising, I wouldn't bother to get a passport card only. Just use the DL and drivers license. A passport card does make it easier to get the passport card if you are stuck in another country and need to fly home, but that is about the extent of the benefits of a passport card.

 

The passport card IMO is a big waste of money, even if it only costs $30. I would as other suggest, get a passport book for both your parents as well as yourselves. If not, and only cruising, just stick with the DL/BC combination. The passport card doesn't give you much more.

 

Passport cards allow one to sail on open jaw sailings to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The passport card doesn't make sense for everyone but I did consider getting one so that we didn't have to carry DW's naturalization certificate with us every time we cruised. If I even spilled a cup of water on it then it would cost $350 to replace it:eek:. We ended up getting Enhanced Drivers Licenses instead because 1) we live in a state that issues them and 2) it's only one document to carry and it's one that we carry all of the time anyway. So if someone has something other than a birth certificate (naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad) it would make sense to obtain a passport card to prevent having something happen to a document that would cost a lot to replace or take time to replace.

[astropilot]

Full Fledged passport. You don't want any hassles getting home if their is an emergency. Just saying... :)

[dioxide45]

Passport cards allow one to sail on open jaw sailings to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The passport card doesn't make sense for everyone but I did consider getting one so that we didn't have to carry DW's naturalization certificate with us every time we cruised. If I even spilled a cup of water on it then it would cost $350 to replace it:eek:. We ended up getting Enhanced Drivers Licenses instead because 1) we live in a state that issues them and 2) it's only one document to carry and it's one that we carry all of the time anyway. So if someone has something other than a birth certificate (naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad) it would make sense to obtain a passport card to prevent having something happen to a document that would cost a lot to replace or take time to replace.

 

That does makes sense. I too am a naturalized US Citizen. Though I think for many naturalized citizens, they opt for the passport book as in many cases they have families back in their birth country that they will visit and in some cases that means flying. That requires a book. Though for those that came from Canada, like I, an enhanced drivers license or passport card would do the trick. Though since I have a Canadian Passport book, I opted to go for the US Book also. For as much as it cost to naturalize in the US, the extra $100 for the book over the card was a drop in the bucket.

 

I do agree that a naturalization certificate is expensive to replace and I certainly wouldn't want to be taking it on cruises with me as my proof of citizenship.

[ray98]

BC is completely adequate. In the event of emergencies there are procedures in place to deal with it, a passport is the standard for routine travel. A letter from the consulate and an interview with CBP upon arrival is the extent of it.

Edited March 23, 2015 by ray98

[cruiser fanatic]

I have not seen this on any official government website so in my mind it has not changed.

 

If this is the information that Carnival is putting out there - they are wrong. Any cruise that starts in one US port and ends in a different US port requires a passport. See paragraph 2 here:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/sections/traveldocs.ashx

[Need-a-vacation]

I guess for the potential headaches if there's a problem, I'd get the passport if you have time especially if there is anything the least bit irregular about their birth records. Then it's just done and you don't have to worry that some lame-brain somewhere along the way is going to give you headaches about the BC.

 

And obviously if you are flying to or from a foreign port, you need passports.

[sparks1093]

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/sections/traveldocs.ashx

 

Thanks but that's not an official government website;).

[cruiser fanatic]

Thanks but that's not an official government website;).

 

Where do you think Carnival got there info from?? I doubt they would post something that is incorrect about travel documentation.

[Shmoo here]

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/sections/traveldocs.ashx

 

That's what Carnival says, not the Border Patrol people:

 

Cruises that begin/end in Puerto Rico have a "little" exemption:

 

U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR's) who travel directly between parts of the United States, which includes Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), without touching at a foreign port or place, are not required to present a valid U.S. Passport or U.S. Green Card.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/980/kw/cruises%20from%20puerto%20rico/sno/1

 

In my opinion, Carnival cruisers who do not have a passport for these cruises are risking not being allowed to board.