Passport CARD okay for NYC to San Juan Cruise?

[KashasMom]

We're cruising NYC to San Juan again in November. I always thought you needed a passport if it wasn't a closed-loop cruise. One of the families in our group only has passport cards so the mom called Disney...I called disney and spoke with the embarkation manager for our cruise, passport card is good if you can’t get a passport. Is this true? I still cannot find anything that says it is. And everyone knows you need to do your own research about passports, visas, etc. rather than depend on airlines or cruise lines to know the answers. Has anyone done this cruise with just the card?

 

[lorenae]

Dumb question, but what's a "passport card"? I travel a lot, but haven't cruised in a long while.

Edit- Oh, nevermind! I remember now. My friends have one. We live very close to Canada, and they can cross the border with it.

They can go to some Caribbean island nations, but I'm not sure which are not included.

 

[KashasMom]

Dumb question, but what's a "passport card"? I travel a lot, but haven't cruised in a long while.

Edit- Oh, nevermind! I remember now. My friends have one. We live very close to Canada, and they can cross the border with it.

They can go to some Caribbean island nations, but I'm not sure which are not included.

It's actually just an ID - almost no better than a license. You can use it for land or sea crossings - and only domestic, not international, air.

 

[lorenae]

Yes, I remember now. I know that many people do cruise with it, in the Caribbean, but I don't know which countries are included. I assume that many (most? all?) do.

Where are your ports of call? I bet that they are correct that a passport card for those sea port-of-call arrivals are covered.

 

[KashasMom]

Yes, I remember now. I know that many people do cruise with it, in the Caribbean, but I don't know which countries are included. I assume that many (most? all?) do.

Where are your ports of call? I bet that they are correct that a passport card for those sea port-of-call arrivals are covered.

Starts in NYC, goes to Antigua, and then ends in Puerto Rico.

 

[lorenae]

I just looked it up, and while wikipedia isn't the best authority, it's better than the sites that just say "caribbean" because not all nations participate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Passport_Card
Unless you're going to Barbados (and I LOVE Barbados!) or the French West Indies (like St. Martin or Martinque), you'd be fine with a passport card.

My favorite cruise ever was the southern caribbean which included St Martin and Martinque and Barbados, but I did have a passport so I didn't realize that it was a different entry requirement.

 

[lorenae]

Starts in NYC, goes to Antigua, and then ends in Puerto Rico.

Then, yep, a passport card should be fine. If the only non-US stop is Antigua, you wouldn't need a passport if you had the passport card.

 

[KashasMom]

So then...it doesn't have to be a closed-loop but it depends on the ports? Very confusing.

 

[Happy99]

The way I understand it is that if the cruise begins and ends in a different port, even if both are considered U.S. then you need a passport book (not card). The cruise beginning in NY and ending in San Juan is one, Panama Canal is another.

If a cruise begins and ends in the same U.S. port a passport card suffices.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a passport card it is just like having a birth certificate and government photo ID in one. Still cannot be used on flights if there is an emergency and if someone gets ill and has to be in a hospital on an island not in the U.S. they can have issues if no passport. Passports are valid for 10 years for anyone age 16 and older and if you divide the cost over 10 years it really is minimal.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

The way I understand it is that if the cruise begins and ends in a different port, even if both are considered U.S. then you need a passport book (not card). The cruise beginning in NY and ending in San Juan is one, Panama Canal is another.

That's my understanding, also.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

We did a one way cruise from San Juan to PC in 2018 and we used passport cards for both of my kids. From the Disney site:

 

[KashasMom]

We did a one way cruise from San Juan to PC in 2018 and we used passport cards for both of my kids. From the Disney site:


View attachment 439485

Thank you! I was hoping someone who had done it answered. I'm really surprised though since this is not what I've heard/read here or even Googled.

 

[remlap]

And while a Passport Card is accepted, a Global Entry Card (technically valid for Land and Sea entry) are not on Disney's approved list.

 

[Happy99]

And while a Passport Card is accepted, a Global Entry Card (technically valid for Land and Sea entry) are not on Disney's approved list.

Global Entry is only for the airports, and some cruise ports, meaning you are pre-screened and can bypass some of the lines / you still need a passport if traveling internationally on an airline or a cruise which begins / ends in a port outside the U.S.

 

[MillauFr]

We got the passport cards because our drivers licenses will be no good for domestic air travel starting next October 2020. Used them on cruises to Mexico, Canada, Bahamas and it has never been a problem.

 

[wilafur]

Just keep in mind that in the event of an unforeseen event, and you need to fly back to the US, you will need the passport book to gain re-entry back into the US.

 

[mike314]

I used a passport card for my DCL Dream 3 night Bahamian cruise worked like a charm....only issue is if for whatever reason you need to fly back to the US from Antigua you'll run into issues but otherwise you should be fine.

 

[jlynch924]

Just keep in mind that in the event of an unforeseen event, and you need to fly back to the US, you will need the passport book to gain re-entry back into the US.

If you're trying to fly back to the US from PR, you CAN do so with the passport card, or even a driver's license. It's just like traveling within the US.

 

[bumbershoot]

We got the passport cards because our drivers licenses will be no good for domestic air travel starting next October 2020. Used them on cruises to Mexico, Canada, Bahamas and it has never been a problem.

I assume yours were closed loop cruises. That’s why it worked simply.

The OP has a one way cruise, and usually that means you need the passport book. Seems to be an exception, that the card is acceptable.

Ah. Hoping that it’s all correct as it’s dangerous to rely on wiki, but...

“As of October 30, 2003, foreign vessels are also allowed to transport passengers (but not cargo) between the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico (46 U.S.C. § 55104). However, this exemption will disappear if U.S.-flagged ships resume passenger operations of this type.[2]”

If you're trying to fly back to the US from PR, you CAN do so with the passport card, or even a driver's license. It's just like traveling within the US.

They are of course going to fly home from PR. That’s expected. The unexpected that the previous poster refers to means flying home from not-PR.

 

[wilafur]

They are of course going to fly home from PR. That’s expected. The unexpected that the previous poster refers to means flying home from not-PR.

That's correct, I probably should have clarified further in my previous post.