Passport vs Driving License

[ldubs]

11 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Please keep in mind that those checking you in ARE NOT Princess employees.  What Princess allows (drivers license AND certified birth certificate may not be what the Port Agents want/know.  
 

Very important…you have to be born in the US with a US certified birth certificate.

 

Princess cannot override documentation requirement laws.  Allowing BC & DL for closed loop cruises is a rule courtesy of our Federal gov't.  

 

Additionally, one does not have to be literally born in the US.    

[DallasGuy75219]

6 minutes ago, memoak said:

I have to question the 98%   Almost every cruise I take is not a closed loop cruise or go to countries that do require a passport. For those people who just take closed loop cruises that is ok but for all of us who do one way cruises such as  Panama Canal a passport is required

And those people are generally experienced cruisers familiar with the documentation requirements, not to mention that Princess sends additional notifications that passports are required for these itineraries. 

[ldubs]

11 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I know Hawaii is pushing hard to remind everyone that they need to get a Real ID before May 2025 to get off the island.  (In case of an emergency and need to fly out of Hawaii.)

 

 

Or passport or other Federally approved ID.  An approved ID will be needed to fly domestically whether it is an emergency or not.  As I understand it, this does just apply to flying out of Hawaii (or any other state).  This would apply to flights from one Hawaiian airport to another.   

[DallasGuy75219]

7 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Princess cannot override documentation requirement laws.  Allowing BC & DL for closed loop cruises is a rule courtesy of our Federal gov't.

Princess certainly can have its own requirements that are stricter than the federal government requirements. Perfect example is that Princess requires everyone in a travel party to have a passport when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).

[ldubs]

Just now, DallasGuy75219 said:

Princess certainly can have its own requirements that are stricter than the federal government requirements. Perfect example is that Princess requires everyone in a travel party to have a passport when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).

 

Yes, I 100% agree.  I was thinking in terms of relaxing a document requirement law as suggested in the post I was quoting.   I said it very poorly.   Thanks for the correction.  

[PR-Texas]

I don't want to sound harsh but if the cost of passports is a significant factor in whether you cruise or not then it's possible that you shouldn't be spending the money on the cruise in the first place.  We don't cruise often but have always considered the cost of a current passport as a necessary expense regardless of where we're cruising.

 

For us the biggest hassle of getting passports was finding/getting certified copies of our birth certificates.  Once we had those in hand getting the passports was easy and it eliminated any questions about whether they would be accepted.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Teechur said:

I am currently getting passports for my 3 adult grandsons, so I am reluctantly going to spend $600+ to get them for possible future travel.

Perhaps, the adult grandsons could pay for their own passports...

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, DCThunder said:

There is no downside to having a valid passport.  The scare stories of last summer about how long the processing of the application takes are long gone, so just get the passport.

 

 

I just renewed mine. They received it April 1 and I got it May 4. No problem.

[Torfamm]

Document requirements depend on your nationality, itinerary, and other factors. For example, if one adult is traveling with one or more minors, Princess requires everyone in the party to have a passport. You can see Princess’ Travel Document requirements here 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise

[DCThunder]

46 minutes ago, PR-Texas said:

I don't want to sound harsh but if the cost of passports is a significant factor in whether you cruise or not then it's possible that you shouldn't be spending the money on the cruise in the first place.  We don't cruise often but have always considered the cost of a current passport as a necessary expense regardless of where we're cruising.

According to the State Department website, the cost of a new, adult passport is $165 valid for 10 years.  That's $16.50/year.  A renewal costs $130 ($13/year).  A child passport is $135, valid for 10 years or until the kid is 16.  As stated above, if you can't afford that, why are you cruising?

[Teechur]

40 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Perhaps, the adult grandsons could pay for their own passports...

The youngest one is 18 and a senior in high school, who doesn't currently have a job. The Alaska cruise is a graduation present from me.

 

The twins are 24 and would pay for them if I insisted, but I can afford it much more easily than them.

 

My hope is that they will become avid travelers, perhaps backpacking around the world like I did.

I turned 24 in Hong Kong, turned 28 in Colombia, and have visited 100+ countries on 6 continents.

 

Edited May 20 by Teechur
punctuation repair

[Kay S]

24 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

. For example, if one adult is traveling with one or more minors, Princess requires everyone in the party to have a passport.

We have cruised with family many times, often taking just grandchildren.  All of mine had passports as infants.  Renewal is required more often for children than adults.  One funny time was when we needed to get a passport photo for a baby who couldn't yet sit up.  Her dad did contortions holding her so he would not be visible in the picture.  It worked!

[Kay S]

3 minutes ago, Teechur said:

 

 

My hope is that they will become travelers like me, perhaps backpacking around the world like I did.

 

 

Bingo!  Exactly why I never have minded paying for travel for my grandchildren.  

[Torfamm]

2 minutes ago, Kay S said:

We have cruised with family many times, often taking just grandchildren.  All of mine had passports as infants.  Renewal is required more often for children than adults.  One funny time was when we needed to get a passport photo for a baby who couldn't yet sit up.  Her dad did contortions holding her so he would not be visible in the picture.  It worked!

Yes, I've been down that road holding babies and toddlers for passport pictures. It's always an adventure. We had one where the baby sat on someone's shoulders while everyone else sang a silly song.

 

The fact that Princess won't allow one adult to travel with one or minors unless everyone in the party has a passport has caught people on this board by surprise a few times.

[Torfamm]

30 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

According to the State Department website, the cost of a new, adult passport is $165 valid for 10 years.  That's $16.50/year.  A renewal costs $130 ($13/year).  A child passport is $135, valid for 10 years or until the kid is 16.  As stated above, if you can't afford that, why are you cruising?

Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/under-16.html#:~:text=Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.

Edited May 20 by Torfamm

[DCThunder]

2 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/under-16.html#:~:text=Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.

I stand corrected.

[Teechur]

1 minute ago, Torfamm said:

Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.

With agency fees (Post Office) and pictures, they are more than $200 apiece. I was simply lamenting the fact that I will need to pay for 3 of them and make final payment for the cruise all in June, while I am on cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Quebec.

OK Boomer, LOL! 😉 First-world problem!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

Yes, yes, yes, passports are the gold standard for travel but I still will stand by not spending the money on something that isn’t required and where there very little risk is involved.  Do you all realize that Ensenada is less than 90 miles to the US border?  
 

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Yes, yes, yes, passports are the gold standard for travel but I still will stand by not spending the money on something that isn’t required and where there very little risk is involved.  Do you all realize that Ensenada is less than 90 miles to the US border?  
 

 

I sail with a group of solo friends from time to time. On our last sailing together, one of our group had a medical emergency onboard and was medically disembarked at the nearest port. Fortunately, that was Port Canaveral, which was our first stop on our sailing out of NYC. Since our bookings were linked, the medical personnel contacted me and asked me to help pack up all of my friend's belongings so they could be sent ashore with him. I was horrified to find that he only had a driver's license, not a passport book anywhere among his things. Thank goodness we just happened to be stopping in another US port before sailing on to Mexico and the Bahamas. The situation could have turned out MUCH differently for my friend had he been disembarked on any of our other port stops. While the risk may be low, it is not zero. There is almost no downside to getting a passport beyond a small fee that only must be paid every 10 years. $200 spread out over 10 years comes out to under a dollar a month!

[Kay S]

27 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Yes, yes, yes, passports are the gold standard for travel but I still will stand by not spending the money on something that isn’t required and where there very little risk is involved.  Do you all realize that Ensenada is less than 90 miles to the US border?  
 

You, being a Californian, know that distance is irrelevant when it comes to issues about our southern border.  If someone gets removed from the ship, for whatever reason, the regulations still apply, 90 miles or 90 feet.  Maybe you mean that it would be possible to drive rather than fly back to the US, but crossing the border will still require documentation, passport or otherwise.  The risk is small, maybe, but the risk still does exist.  I would not want to be the one to find out what that might be.

[Boiler Cruiser]

15 hours ago, rbelshaw said:

You will be stopping in a foreign port, probably Ensenada, What you need is a drivers license and a certified copy of your birth certificate, assuming you were born in the USA.

The law changed a couple of years ago.  You now MUST have a US passport to enter/ return to Canada or Mexico.

 

The reason I mention this is that if the Police, Customs, or any other law enforcement stop you on the streets of Mexico or Canada away from the ship (on your own), or your ship's tour group, you will need a passport to show them (no carbon copies or cell phone pictures).

Edited May 20 by Boiler Cruiser

[Teechur]

9 minutes ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

The law changed a couple of years ago.  You now MUST have a US passport to enter/ return to Canada or Mexico.

 

The reason I mention this is that if the Police, Customs, or any other law enforcement stop you on the streets of Mexico or Canada away from the ship (on your own), or your ship's tour group, you will need a passport to show them (no carbon copies or cell phone pictures).

Undoubtedly this is true in MOST cases. In my case, my boys would be allowed to visit Victoria B.C. WITHOUT being passport holders, according to both govt. and Princess websites. I've made the decision to get them anyway for future travel.

Edited May 20 by Teechur
punctuation repair

[rbelshaw]

1 hour ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

The law changed a couple of years ago.  You now MUST have a US passport to enter/ return to Canada or Mexico.

 

The reason I mention this is that if the Police, Customs, or any other law enforcement stop you on the streets of Mexico or Canada away from the ship (on your own), or your ship's tour group, you will need a passport to show them (no carbon copies or cell phone pictures).

 Like many posts in this thread, this statement is overly broad and thus misleading. A passport is required to enter Canada or Mexico by land or air. Not required to enter by sea. I have entered both countries by sea at least eight times in the past two years sans passport. While ashore, you need only carry ID/ DL (and your ship card) to keep the local constabulary happy.

 

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, Kay S said:

You, being a Californian, know that distance is irrelevant when it comes to issues about our southern border.  If someone gets removed from the ship, for whatever reason, the regulations still apply, 90 miles or 90 feet.  Maybe you mean that it would be possible to drive rather than fly back to the US, but crossing the border will still require documentation, passport or otherwise.  The risk is small, maybe, but the risk still does exist.  I would not want to be the one to find out what that might be.

There is a risk, albeit a very slight and calculable one, which you should know that everything in life that involves some risk.  
It is a drivable distance.  It’s a risk, but as a healthy and law abiding passenger, it is one I would be willing to take.  Heck, I’ve done it before several months ago. And I do believe distance does matter .. I wouldn’t be taking that risk with stops down in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan or Manzanillo because the risk would be too great for my liking. But for Ensenada, Vancouver or Victoria, I would not even give it a second thought. We all have our own risk tolerance.  
 

Edited May 20 by Cruise Raider

[Torfamm]

22 minutes ago, rbelshaw said:

 Like many posts in this thread, this statement is overly broad and thus misleading. A passport is required to enter Canada or Mexico by land or air. Not required to enter by sea. I have entered both countries by sea at least eight times in the past two years sans passport. While ashore, you need only carry ID/ DL (and your ship card) to keep the local constabulary happy.

 

You are correct, only proof of citizenship is required for Americans arriving by land or sea. Nexus cards (for Canada), passport cards, enhanced driver’s licenses, US birth certificates etc all work. Passport books are only required for air travel

Edited May 20 by Torfamm