Passport question

[kimbe21]

We are taking our first cruise in May. It's a 3 night on the Magic. Is it recommended that I get passports for all of us (me, DH and my sons age 4 and 6). Since it is only 3 nights and we only plan on getting off the ship at CC I was just going to bring our original birth certificates (and of course me & DH IDs) but now I am second guessing myself and wonder if I should invest in passports. Suggestions? TIA

 

[Dawg91]

It is certainly not required and I would weigh it against the likelihood of travel in the next 5 years because that's how long a child's passport lasts. It's a gamble like insurance. You will only need the passports in the worst of situations.

I would skip it myself particularly for a 3 day cruise.

 

[mommary]

If you don't get a passport for a child ( in our case a 7 month old).
Can you get off the ship when we dock.
We are doing a 4 night cruise. Of course we will get off at CC but I am wondering about Nassau.

Thanks

 

[Meghatron]

If you don't get a passport for a child ( in our case a 7 month old). Can you get off the ship when we dock. We are doing a 4 night cruise. Of course we will get off at CC but I am wondering about Nassau. Thanks

You will need a birth certificate. The CMs on the ship handle immigration for the ports. All you need to disembark is your KTTW (for everyone-each will be swiped when you get off the ship and again when you get back on) and a photo ID for the adults.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you don't get a passport for a child ( in our case a 7 month old).
Can you get off the ship when we dock.
We are doing a 4 night cruise. Of course we will get off at CC but I am wondering about Nassau.

Thanks

If you were required to have a passport for any of the places you dock, you would be required to show a passport before you were allowed on the ship at the beginning of your cruise.

 

[gigi1313]

You might consider enhanced driver licenses and enhanced non-driver id's... Much less expensive!

 

[bumbershoot]

You might consider enhanced driver licenses and enhanced non-driver id's... Much less expensive!

They don't do anything more for you than the DL/BC combo. It's like the passport card. The most important thing that the passport does for you when you cruise a closed-loop itinerary that will allow DL/BC is that the passport gets you on a plane FASTER in an emergency if you need to fly home from a foreign country. The enhanced IDs don't do that.



IMO if you're not springing for the passport (and we have passports and always will so that's our answer for us) there's just no point in doing more than the DL/BC (for 16+, of course, the young kids don't need IDs). In my opinion.

 

[staceymay00]

We just applied for passports for our three kids who are 8, 11 and 13. I know we don't have to have passports for our upcoming 4 night Bahamas cruise, but I am not a risk taker and want the peace of mind that we can fly out of Nassau, for example, in case of an emergency. I'm hoping within the next five years we will have the opportunity to travel somewhere where the kids will need the passports anyway, but even if we don't I consider the $315 spent of the their passports to be worth it.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[bceagle76]

I would check with DCL
I thought evryone needs a passport now

8/99 4day Magic
4/02 7 day Magic
8/03 7 day Magic
11/05 4 day wonder pin cruise
8/06 7 day Magic
8/08 15 night Panama Canal
8/09 7 day Magic
8/11 Alaska
12/12 Christmas on the Fantasy
2/14 5 day out of Miami on Wonder
12/14 New Years on the 7 day Magic

 

[mandjblum]

I think the adults are required to have a passport. It is always a good idea and they last for 10 years. You even need a passport to get in and out of Canada and Mexico. As for the children I have always just brought certified copies of them (a xerox copy will not work).

 

[RHSTigerMom]

I think the adults are required to have a passport. It is always a good idea and they last for 10 years. You even need a passport to get in and out of Canada and Mexico. As for the children I have always just brought certified copies of them (a xerox copy will not work).

No, adults are not required to have passports on closed-loop cruises. A DL and an official/certified copy of your BC.

 

[tweis]

No one is required to have a passport for a closed loop cruise. Our family has them but they are not required. A birth certificate and ID is all that is required for adults and a birth certificate for children.

US Citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port) and travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda are able to re-enter the United States with proof of citizenship other than a passport or passport card. Acceptable proof of citizenship includes an original or certified copy of a government issued birth certificate (raised seal and signature) and a laminated government issued picture ID (typically, driver's license), Consular Report of Born Abroad Certificate, or a Certificate of Naturalization. NOTE: Baptismal records and certificates issued by a hospital are not acceptable.

 

[DanielleNY]

You only need a passport if there is an emergency and you need to FLY out of the area your in. On a ship, since it's a "closed looped" you do not need one.

 

[JohnDS]

You aren't required to have one, but it's an excellent idea to have one since it can solve problems.

To an earlier poster, insurance isn't gambling, insurance is a product that can be purchased to cover your assets in the event of loss or emergency.

 

[FINNZUP]

I agree that where passports used to be "nice to have", we did get them for our 3 children befor their first cruise. You are in a foreign country even if it's only for a few hours. These days I think it's much better to be safe than sorry. One too many episodes of "Locked up Abroad" maybe? LOL. Besides... now that they have them it has encouraged us to travel more: ) We travel to WDW at least once a year and always felt it was strange they got on a plane with no ID. Now we all fly (even domestically) with a passport.

 

[NCConch]

We just cruised (got off the Dream on Sunday) with my wife's passport and three photo copied birth certificates. My wife travels's internationally so she has a well used passport. The rest of us just used copies of our birth certificates. I had the original BCs in our car in the parking deck of the port's garage just in case. When we checked in the CM at the desk was not sure about the copies and called a supervisor over and the supervisor said it all looks good. Originally, my wife was not planning to get off in Nassau, but decided to to get her passport stamped and to see if the Bahamians in the Straw Market barter/negotiate better than the Chinese. She made some great deals.

 

[kimbe21]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

[Four Swampers]

One very important thing:

It does NOT matter if you are or are not getting off at various islands. You need proper ID (a passport or a birth certificate and photo ID) to get ON the ship at the start and to get off the ship upon return to the USA.

When you return to the USA, immigration and customs know the ship visited foreign ports. They do not know whether you got off the ship in any of those ports, and they don't care. Also, they have no particular reason to trust you. Yes, you are an honest upstanding citizen. I know that, you know that, but the feds don't know that. Also, we don't want them to just trust our word. If they did, they would also be trusting the guy who is arriving at a US immigration point who is a foreign terrorist, but is lying and saying: "No, it's cool, I'm from the US and I did not get off the ship."

It is your return into the USA that really requires the proof of citizenship. Because you need to prove citizenship upon return to the USA, DCL insists you prove it before you board. Can you imagine the hassle for DCL if they have to deal with someone who has to leave the ship but is not allowed back into the USA? Yikes!

Please note, I am not trying to be mean to anyone with this post. I am not writing it in an angry nor sarcastic tone. I just noticed that a couple people in this thread mention "I'm not getting of the ship," and I think we should all understand that not getting off the ship does not really factor into the required documentation.

 

[storknurse13]

One very important thing: It does NOT matter if you are or are not getting off at various islands. You need proper ID (a passport or a birth certificate and photo ID) to get ON the ship at the start and to get off the ship upon return to the USA. When you return to the USA, immigration and customs know the ship visited foreign ports. They do not know whether you got off the ship in any of those ports, and they don't care. Also, they have no particular reason to trust you. Yes, you are an honest upstanding citizen. I know that, you know that, but the feds don't know that. Also, we don't want them to just trust our word. If they did, they would also be trusting the guy who is arriving at a US immigration point who is a foreign terrorist, but is lying and saying: "No, it's cool, I'm from the US and I did not get off the ship." It is your return into the USA that really requires the proof of citizenship. Because you need to prove citizenship upon return to the USA, DCL insists you prove it before you board. Can you imagine the hassle for DCL if they have to deal with someone who has to leave the ship but is not allowed back into the USA? Yikes! Please note, I am not trying to be mean to anyone with this post. I am not writing it in an angry nor sarcastic tone. I just noticed that a couple people in this thread mention "I'm not getting of the ship," and I think we should all understand that not getting off the ship does not really factor into the required documentation.

This is very important information and certainly good advise for all traveling! Passports make the transition from US soil to ship then back again a much smoother.