Passport card

[Gma&Gpa]

My son and grandson are going with me on my Nov cruise.  It may be their only cruise so I am thinking of passport cards instead of passport books.  Closed loop, Caribbean.  I know many of you are going to tell me to just go with passports.  However, it's hard enough for some folks to be able to afford cruising, so if the passport card will get them on and then back off the ship, I'm  going to suggest that instead of using their birth certificates and IDs.  I'm pretty sure it will work but would appreciate hearing from some that used that form of ID.  Thank you in advance

[VentureMan_2000]

I like the convenience of a card... would rather have that than deal with birth and marriage certificates.  Worth spending the money, in my opinion.

I think there is a $35 processing fee in addition to the card or passport.

Card is good for cruising in Caribbean, Mexico, and Canada only (or by car or foot -- but not flying)

Barbados, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Barts, and Trinidad and Tobago all require U.S. citizens to present a valid passport to disembark and enter the country.

We got both the card and passport -- we like the small card to carry with us... leave the passport on the ship.

[tidecat]

If they are going to to the trouble of applying for a passport, get both the book and the card. The cost difference is minimal. They are good for ten years.

 

The card is fine for travel by ship, however it is not permissible for international flights in or out of the US. This could be an issue if there was some disruption to the cruise.

[NCsonny]

Yes.  A passport card is sufficient ID for embarking and disembarking on a closed-loop cruise.  No other ID is necessary.  This is from personal experience for my wife and I on two Carribean cruises.  

[Gma&Gpa]

Thank you.  We will be going to Aruba and Curacao and Grand Turks and I certainly don't anticipate them traveling to other continents.  I'm really just looking at the ease of getting on and off the ship in Canaveral - as opposed to using birth certificates.  The rest of us have passports.  Again, thank you

[babygrljaz]

21 minutes ago, Gma&Gpa said:

Thank you.  We will be going to Aruba and Curacao and Grand Turks and I certainly don't anticipate them traveling to other continents.  I'm really just looking at the ease of getting on and off the ship in Canaveral - as opposed to using birth certificates.  The rest of us have passports.  Again, thank you

On 13 cruises I've used the card no problem. In ports I take it rather than my dl, so I don't have to dig in my purse at all. It's easy & convenient. On my Jan cruise I was told if I use the book they wouldn't need to take my pic but I said no it's fine I checked in online with the card & I have it out just use that. So in April I was like okay let's use the book skip the picture step but nope they told me they still need to take a pic. So anyway point is, passport card works just fine, less bulk & don't have to worry about it getting wet & damaged

[mz-s]

I mean it's your money but if this were my only cruise, or planning to be my only cruise, I'd just go with an ID and birth certificate .... each to their own.

[pkster]

57 minutes ago, tidecat said:

If they are going to to the trouble of applying for a passport, get both the book and the card. The cost difference is minimal. They are good for ten years.

 

Not sure what the age of your grandchild is, but passports for children under 16 are only valid for five years.

Edited June 10 by pkster

[sparks1093]

We had a mix of documentation in our group for our last cruise and exit processing was very similar for both those with passports and those using ID/birth certificate. I would probably opt for that route since it involves no expenditure at all. One advantage of the passport card is that if they decide later to get passports it would be treated as a renewal so it could be done through mail for those over 16 at time of issue (or online, should they ever fully implement that).

 

As for the possibility of there being a disruption to the cruise, there are provisions in the regulations that allow for the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons, so any delay should be minimal. 

[Purvis1231]

From what I see a passport card is $40 cheaper than a book. So if money is issue just go with the birth certificate and ID. Enjoy!

[Saint Greg]

I have a passport and card. I've never used the card. It stays in my backpack in case something happens to my passport. The downside to the card is you can't use it to fly home from outside of the US.

[mjkacmom]

I have a card and book, seemed like a no brained fir me to spend and extra $30 or so on the card since it’s valid for 10 years, and I’m not planning on getting real ID anytime soon and I can use it to fly domestically. However I wouldn’t bother with a card for one cruise, I’d just use my license and birth certificate.

[nydney1]

Just got off the Vista yesterday. 
 

Both kids passport cards had expired and I did not want to pay the express fee to get them back in time. 
 

Wife and I used our passport cards and kids used their birth certificates. No issues and no delays. 
 

Just wanted to share. (We are ordering them passports and passport cards to use on future trips)

 

[Elaine5715]

Passport cards are useless if you need to fly home from a foreign port.