Passports - do you 'risk' it?

[PrincessShmoo]

That would be a bargain. But the current rate is $135 for adults and $105 for kids. (Including a $25 processing fee for each).

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fees/fees_837.html

$80 + $25 processing fee = $105 for a minor
$110 + $25 processing fee = $135 for an adult
Adult renewals are $110 (no processing fee).

 

[neg58]

Adults are 10 years but children are only 5 and they have to have at least 6 months remaining to be used in many countries so that brings it down to 4 1/2 minus the time between it being processed and your first trip. So really expensive for children. Still, we have them and because we always have valid passports we can book last minute deal which save TONS over planning ahead. So in the end worth it for emergencies and money wise.

A child's passport is $105 ($80 plus $25 for processing). That's $21/yr. Not that expensive. Very useful for all kinds of things like applying for a DL or permit, starting a job, traveling with school groups.

I got passports for my kids in 2001 and they never used those. I didn't regret it at all. We got them again in 2007 and one used hers once and the other twice. New ones again in 2012 and they've been used multiple times already by both, with many plans to use again. Without ME!

Nancy

 

[Meghatron]

We get our children's passports within a few months after they are born, so it's not an expense just for a single trip and the whole family (or just the kids after the first five years) doesn't have to renew at once because we got them at the same time.

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[tweis]

We have traveled on three cruises without a passport(2 were 7 days and one was 5 days). We just make sure we are back on the ship an hour before it is posted to be back on. It is very expensive for my family to get passports and we are getting them one by one when we have extra money.

That's great that you make sure that your back on the ship an hour before all aboard but that really will not help you if you have a medical emergency and have to be taken to the nearest hospital in say, the Bahamas. The ship will not still be there after you are released from the hospital. You would need to fly back to the states with a passport.

I'm not saying that you or anyone else needs to get a passport. What everyone else does is up to them but I'm just trying to make it clear that being back on the ship an hour early will not always help you.

Getting passports one at a time when you have the extra cash is a great way to avoid breaking the bank.

 

[tankin]

Another vote for the passport... I want to be able to fly back if something happens (One of us gets hurt. Parent falls ill. Take your pick on life events that you need to travel NOW!). Its cheap insurance in the long run. I also plan on taking my kids other places so it works for us.

 

[mmouse37]

My wife and I already had passports from our travels both personal and for work before we had kids.

I plan to make a number of trips with the kids over the coming years now that they are getting old enough for it to be worth while. So, for me, getting them passports that I'll be using with them for the next five years was an easy call.

Also, passports for minors aren't as expensive as adult ones.

Now, if this is your first ever cruise and you're not sure it is something you will want to do again, then it could make more sense to just use birth certificates this time.

Still, I have to echo jrabbit - now that we have them, even when we fly domestically, I bring them with us as our photo ID. At least in my experience, there's less hassle and questions from TSA when everyone has a passport to go with their boarding pass.

Bolding above is mine....we do that as well. Even flying domestically I ALWAYS use my passport as my ID. Just feel better knowing I have it.

MJ

 

[jrabbit]

Bolding above is mine....we do that as well. Even flying domestically I ALWAYS use my passport as my ID. Just feel better knowing I have it.

MJ

and haven't you had kids go to Europe on very short notice with friends? If you have the passport, its possible, without the passport that trip can never happen.

 

[scrapshappen]

$80 + $25 processing fee = $105 for a minor
$110 + $25 processing fee = $135 for an adult
Adult renewals are $110 (no processing fee).

Sorry, I miss read the original post. I thought he was saying $80 for an adult and $25 for a child. Doh!

 

[Liltx]

A child's passport is $105 ($80 plus $25 for processing). That's $21/yr. Not that expensive. Very useful for all kinds of things like applying for a DL or permit, starting a job, traveling with school groups.

I got passports for my kids in 2001 and they never used those. I didn't regret it at all. We got them again in 2007 and one used hers once and the other twice. New ones again in 2012 and they've been used multiple times already by both, with many plans to use again. Without ME!

Nancy

I didn't say it wasn't worth it but for some families the extra $400 plus dollars is expensive. Also, my kids will not be using theirs' for a driver license, job or school group, too young for that. And getting them and not using them? I'm sure there was good reason like a canceled trip but I'm sure there was some regret to be out all that money for no reason?
In the end we have ours and always will but I can see how a family going on a three or four day with no plans of other travel would choose NOT too.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We got our passports 4 years ago because of the possibility of the hubby taking a job outside the country. It was 1 less thing when we started cruising. I can see where its a chunk of an expense for families trying to squeeze out vacations and all the extras. My brother coughed-up the $$ for passports in the spring before his first cruise w/his daughters. It wasn't fun but he treated it as an investment in future travel as well. To the OP, if you go without passports this time maybe you could treat it as a to-do when you're not staring down a quickly approaching trip. Maybe pick up the grown-ups passports then a few months later get the kids. That way its not an all at once hit to the pocket.

 

[Lita]

We all have passports, but we also do other international traveling.

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[jjje]

We took our first cruise without passports and I was 100% comfortable with that. We are only getting them for our upcoming cruise because they're required. If they weren't I would have saved the $500 and used birth certificates again. I told my husband we're going to have to do some more international travel to make those passports worth it!

 

[crisi]

We have "complications" - my husband and son are both U.S. citizens but neither was born in the U.S. and therefore don't have ordinary "birth certificates." My son's birth certificate isn't proof of citizenship (he was adopted from South Korea) and needs to have his naturalization certificate, my husband has a U.S. State Department Report of Birth - which if you loose it (like his brother did) takes nine months and a few hundred dollars to replace - if you get lucky and the State Department can FIND a copy from 50 years ago!

So we travel with passports - they are FAR cheaper and easier to replace. In fact, we just HAVE passports, because once the State Department has a passport for you - that's sort of the ball game when trying to prove citizenship.

 

[acamechis]

Personally I understand what you are saying about the expensive of the passports. However I factored in that they are good for 10 years (me and DH) and still 5 years for DS. Then I factor in the headache and amount of money it may take without having them. We just wet ahead and got them in June for our October cruise.

 

[neg58]

I didn't say it wasn't worth it but for some families the extra $400 plus dollars is expensive. Also, my kids will not be using theirs' for a driver license, job or school group, too young for that. And getting them and not using them? I'm sure there was good reason like a canceled trip but I'm sure there was some regret to be out all that money for no reason?
In the end we have ours and always will but I can see how a family going on a three or four day with no plans of other travel would choose NOT too.

Nope, no cancelled trip or anything. They changed the law in 2001 to require both parents to apply for the passports, appear at the application. My kids do not have a father, none listed on their birth certificate, and I wanted to get them before the law changed. One is a naturalized citizen so her birth certificate doesn't prove citizenship. I just wanted the passports to avoid issues. Although we never used the passport to travel, I did use them to register for school, sports, etc. People freak out when the birth certificate looks different and I just found it easier to use the passport. Also, they were cheaper back then, maybe $45 plus processing?

No regrets. I think the law should be changed to require passports for all foreign travel. Too many questions and too much time spent worrying about whether to get them, which countries need them. You need them for most travel to Mexico and Canada, why not sea travel to Mexico?

Nancy