Cruising with Birth Certificates

jrapps

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
So we are (hopefully) on the Dream in September. We have never ever sailed without passports before, but our check-in for the cruise is a little over a week from now and we have not yet gotten our renewed passports back yet. I have resigned myself to the fact that we will need to use birth certificates/IDs but need some guidance.

I have certified copies of the birth certificates (the kind you get from Vital Records). I assume that is what they mean by "original", and I do not need whatever birth certificate was printed 40+ years ago, right?

For my wife, her maiden name is obviously on her birth certificate, but married last name on Drivers License. ...will we also need to upload a copy of marriage certificate or does that not matter?

I assume I can still have my kids use their passports?

Thanks, sorry to ask such simple questions. The things we take for granted....
 
Following because I'm in the exact same situation! We're sailing on the Dream in September and my passport was due to expire in November (DH's is fine). I mailed in my passport renewal in early June and it's now projected to arrive back mid-November. I've already pulled my certified birth certificate and certified marriage license to take to the port. Hoping that will be enough!
 
Adding one more question to this...if the passports arrive between the time I register online with birth certificates and the cruise, do I change anything online or just bring it all to the port?
 
We're in the same boat but aren't cruising until November. We're looking into whether we can expedite our passports after they've been submitted.
 


No answer, but a lot of folks are dealing with this. My daughter is trying to get all the passport renewals together. The kids are tough. 3rd passport for 14 year old granddaughter, but requires both parents which is a pain. 16 year got hers done yesterday, both parents not needed and mom needs to just do it by mail. Of course she should’ve done months ago….it will be the first time for birth certificates if the pp don’t arrive before their next cruise. Us old folks are good to go.
 
I have certified copies of the birth certificates (the kind you get from Vital Records). I assume that is what they mean by "original", and I do not need whatever birth certificate was printed 40+ years ago, right?
A certified copy from a government office should qualify as "original." I've heard conflicting information on whether photocopies are OK, but what you receive from a records request is an original record.

For my wife, her maiden name is obviously on her birth certificate, but married last name on Drivers License. ...will we also need to upload a copy of marriage certificate or does that not matter?
I would upload a marriage certificate to connect the name on your wife's birth certificate with the name on her driver's license. Without it, there's no way to know that the documents are for the same person.

I assume I can still have my kids use their passports?
It's fine if different people use different methods of identification.

Adding one more question to this...if the passports arrive between the time I register online with birth certificates and the cruise, do I change anything online or just bring it all to the port?
Disney Cruise Line wants to know in advance that you are legally able to cruise. The documents you upload should show that. If you decide to carry a passport instead of or in addition to those documents when you actually cruise, it shouldn't make a difference. Of course, if it makes you feel better, it won't hurt to update your check-in information with your new passport numbers, but I don't think it's necessary. (I have, however, updated my online check-in if I provided information on a passport that expired before the cruise, because in that case the posted information was no longer valid.)
 


I’ve always used a photocopied birth certificate and state ID and have never had any issues… I legally changed my last name to my stepfathers when I turned 18 and bring those with me but they never use them.
 
For my wife, her maiden name is obviously on her birth certificate, but married last name on Drivers License. ...will we also need to upload a copy of marriage certificate or does that not matter?

you showed the bridge to the name change when you got the drivers license. The marriage license is not needed here. That will be needed to people who never changed the name and booked the cabin in the married name As long as the name on the cabin is the same as the drivers license you are good
 
you showed the bridge to the name change when you got the drivers license. The marriage license is not needed here. That will be needed to people who never changed the name and booked the cabin in the married name As long as the name on the cabin is the same as the drivers license you are good
Agree. The birthdate on the BC and the DL will also match.
 
For my wife, her maiden name is obviously on her birth certificate, but married last name on Drivers License. ...will we also need to upload a copy of marriage certificate or does that not matter?

Check with DCL and check with CBP.

You may need the bridging document (marriage certificate or marriage registration) that bridges the maiden-name-birth-certificate to the married-name-DL for either or both of DCL or CBP and getting the official word from both is your best option.

This is one of the reasons having a passport is helpful -- it is an all-in-one photo proof of identity and proof of citizenship document. Hopefully the new one will arrive in time !

SW
 

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