Passport card versus passport

[pezgirlroy]

We are going on the 7 day to tortolla and st. Thomas. We have a 7 and 2 year old. Can we get the passport cards for them or does it have to be full passports. I keep reading different things. Thanks.

 

[saxmangeoff]

Cards are good for land and sea travel. You need the full passport for air travel.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

I would recommend full passports. In case of emergency and you need to fly home. There was a story posted in the forum about a child started having seizures and DCL told them they could not continue Cruise. They did not have passports.

 

[scgustafson]

Passport cards are no better than certified birth certificate and government-issue ID when it comes to closed-loop cruise for US citizens. Better to upgrade the passport cards to passport books and have peace of mind in case you need to fly internationally. Besides, the passport books will open up a world of future travel opportunities.

 

[lanejudy]

If you are going to spend the money on Passports for the purpose of cruising -- you might as well spring for the full Passport Book. Otherwise, I recommend saving the money and just using birth certificates (plus photo ID for those 16+). As PP states, the Passport Card is good for land and sea travel, but it won't have any value in the event of emergency and you need to fly (home, next port, etc.) -- and that is really the only reason to use Passports for DCL's Caribbean cruises. And for the record, my family has cruised with Passport Cards, but only because we had them for other travel reasons.

Enjoy your vacation!