Do You Have A Passport?

[Snowwark]

Maxie's post started me wondering how many of you have passports.

DH and I do, it just seems handy, and circumvents any ID situations that might come up.

Who else has one?

Kim :)

[bunnyfoo]

I have one ... I find I get hassled less when I cross the border. I always feel better travelling with one since it has my picture on it and my birth certificate doesn't. I don't have many stamps in mine since the US customs officers don't usually give them out.

[cdnmickeylover]

My DBF and I got passports before we went to WDW in April. Seemed the easiest way to go. My DS also has one b/c he went to visit his grandmother in Florida over March Break and he didn't have any picture id at all. Although passports aren't cheap I think they are a good investment b/c you never know when the US could change their rules about visitors. We are going on a Disney cruise in October 2003 and have been advised that no other form of id will be accepted other than a passport so it's just as well that we got one this year. We were never asked to show it though -- or any other id for that matter.

[Scratch42]

I never leave Canada without one!

Even before it was really necessary, I always used it as my form
of ID. It was so much easier whether travelling by car or plane!

It's actually a small price to pay for your own sanity. I think that is what helped a friend get her into the US. I had won a trip to Boston and decided to make it a girls weekend. I had told her to
bring her DL and BC. She forgot her BC. They gave her a hassle at the airport but let her in. On the way home, same thing. The agent saw that I had mine and gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Why risk it. I told her if she hadn't have been let in, I was doin' Boston alone!

Scratch
:smooth:

[Timon]

We got ours in January for our DCL cruise. We figured it would be less of a hassle and hubby wanted all the stamps ;)

[Terrise]

Yes, we have used our passports every time we've travelled for the past 9 years. Never a hassle at any border with a Canadian passport. I only wish our dollar was a little stronger! We are going in October and I'm holding off purchasing our hoppers in case our $ improves. What are the rest of you doing? Buying now or waiting?
Terrise

[TimNDansMom]

Yes, we've had passports for years. I used to have the kids on mine, but finally got them their own passports so that they'd have photo ID if ever they needed it.

[grover]

We don't have passports-have never even thought about getting them before actually. Have been to the usa alot when younger and don't recall any problems. Several of my family members are long haul truckers and are in and out of the usa all the time-they don't have passports either just reqular id. DH and I both have drivers liscence, and treaty cards with our pictures on them. We also have our sin cards and health cards and birth certificates. DS has birth certificate and health card-no treaty card yet as too young.

Grover in Winnipeg :)

[starshine73]

We have passports too. When we went in '99 we didn't plan on getting them but my mother was acting all worried so for her peace of mind we got them just in time. They really are great to have. It's not a piece of id that gets questioned, like provincial driver's licences which are sometimes scrutinized carefully! When we went in December each time we checked in at the airport we were specifically asked for passports, not just for id.:)

[madge62]

We got ours for our trip in 99 and are really happy we have them now. We take occasional road trips across the border and have had no problem when showing the passports as our form of I.D. I do, however, wish that my photo was updated, 3 years is a big difference!

[Snowwark]

LOL Madge62!! I wish my photo hadn't been updated this year! You're right, the years can make a big difference, my photo from 5 years ago was much more.........youthful! :p


Kim :)

[abbyndrewmom]

I have one but rarely take it with me when going into the USA. If we are going elsewhere (caribean, mexico etc.) i will take it. I have never had a problem crossing the border with my birth certificate and drivers liscence and we cross at least once a month and usually more often. My husband is American and the kids are dual if we are asked we just give our birth certificates and driver liscences.

Allison

[DisneyLisa]

I have one (with DD on it) & on each of our trips the last 3 years, we've never been asked for any ID at all so it wasn't necessary (but we've always driven). I will continue to take it...it's the safest way to go in my opinion.

[twinz]

We both got one in 1999 because we were going on a cruise. It has been so much easier. I would recommend getting one.

[DSNY FN]

We both have them and our kids are on Lisas we are going to get Paige her own when it is time to renew ours. We never travel without them it is a great form of ID and is never questioned.

[Gdoody]

All three of our family have one, namely because I travel on business to international locations quite often and like to take my family with me. We take them with us to the USA all the time. Last year it really paid off when we had to return to Canada after the Sept 11th incident. Even with the passports, the custom officials inspected all of the details, and matched the pictures with everybody in the car. They made a comment at the time that we were lucky to have passports with us, or getting back into the country would have been much more difficult. I am not sure what was meant by this statement.

[DisneyFunFan]

I have had one since I was about 10 but rarely take it with me to the US.
I was bummed too when I went to Europe 2 years ago and they didn't stamp it in Germany or France :(
Dh went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and flew through Detroit and LA on the way to Maui and had no problmes with only our DL as ID. I didn't even take my passport.
We have been to the US numerous times since 9/11 with no difficulties.
Perhaps if we were not Canadian citizens or Canadian born it would make a difference.

[abbyndrewmom]

Originally posted by Gdoody
All three of our family have one, namely because I travel on business to international locations quite often and like to take my family with me. We take them with us to the USA all the time. Last year it really paid off when we had to return to Canada after the Sept 11th incident. Even with the passports, the custom officials inspected all of the details, and matched the pictures with everybody in the car. They made a comment at the time that we were lucky to have passports with us, or getting back into the country would have been much more difficult. I am not sure what was meant by this statement.

We were in flordia over Sept 11th and came back into Canada Sept. 15th and had no problem getting over the border with our driver licenses and birth certificates. We had flown out of Buffalo and left our little car there. We drove over at the Rainbow bridge and it was the only time anyone has ever looked in the trunk of our car. Which was stuffed full, the border guard opened one bag on the top then let us go.

Allison

[Gdoody]

We were in flordia over Sept 11th and came back into Canada Sept. 15th and had no problem getting over the border with our driver licenses and birth certificates. We had flown out of Buffalo and left our little car there. We drove over at the Rainbow bridge and it was the only time anyone has ever looked in the trunk of our car. Which was stuffed full, the border guard opened one bag on the top then let us go.

Curious - we crossed at Fort Erie. The officials were not unfriendly or anything, other than shining their flashlights in the car to verify that everybody was there you should have been, and that one comment, which could have been more a scare tactic than anything else. It could also be the person that we got, who may have let the power go to his head. While I have seen this before, I did not think anything of it this time, given the previous weeks events. Cars were also being stopped by the US officials on the US side when entering into Canada, however, they simply looked in the vehicly and waved us through.-

[tigercat]

Both my dh & I have a passport. We were going on a cruise to Hawaii from Vancouver and it just seemed easier. My dh had to get one because he had to go to Japan for business. Last year for our Disney cruise Bizzibee and my granddaughter both got them. My dgrdd because she was going with us and her aunt and not parents. It really did make things easier.
tigercat

[abbyndrewmom]

Originally posted by Gdoody


Curious - we crossed at Fort Erie. The officials were not unfriendly or anything, other than shining their flashlights in the car to verify that everybody was there you should have been, and that one comment, which could have been more a scare tactic than anything else. It could also be the person that we got, who may have let the power go to his head. While I have seen this before, I did not think anything of it this time, given the previous weeks events. Cars were also being stopped by the US officials on the US side when entering into Canada, however, they simply looked in the vehicly and waved us through.-

That is very similiar to our experience on the US side.

I was just reading your signature line and see that you were in the Hurricane Floyd evacuation as well. we were living on Hilton Head Island at the time and I had just given birth to my son. He was less then a week old, my mom who was staying with us had just been rushed to the Hilton Head medical center for an emergency operation and we got the word that they were evacuting the Island. My husband was at the hospital with my mother, I was at home with a two year old and a 7 day old trying to decide what I could put in the trunk of our car to save. We had to be off the island by 9:00am the next morning my mom was airlifted back to Ontario at 8:00am and Dh met me at home and we drove the 10++ hours to Atlanta (which should take about 5.) Everything did turn out okay with everyone including my mom but that was trully the worst experiences of my life. Being at the Orlando airport when they closed it on 9-11 was a close second though.

Allison

[CountryDuck]

We don't have passports and will be going to WDW in November. I haven't really thought much about them since a travel agent told me that we really didn't need them. We have two kids ages 6 & 8. I was just going to take our health cards, birth cert's and driver license picture cards.
Will that be enough?

[DSNY FN]

Health cards with pictures are NOT considered a form of ID and can't be used as such I have been told.

[bunnyfoo]

Health cards with pictures are NOT considered a form of ID and can't be used as such I have been told.

Speaking of using photo health cards as ID ... I was in Old Navy the other day and I saw someone trying to pay for a $1000 purchase using a cheque and a health card for ID ... The salesperson wouldn't let her complete the purchase unless she had a driver's license or credit card with her...

[PoohBWV]

Country Duck: As it stands right now, you will be fine with you bc, and drivers licence. As stated here previously, for some reason health cards are not usually accepted as valid forms of ID. Canadians travelling to the US or Caribbean may still do so with a birth certificate and photo drivers licence. If you children are old enough to be in high school, also take along their school photo ID. We used this two years ago for our teens on a Carnival cruise and it was accepted as kids under 15 1/2 don't have photos on even their health cards. Also make sure that if you are travelling without the childrens father, to have a notarized letter from him saying that you are allowed to take the children across the border.

With all that said, a passport is still the preferred form of ID.