This has probably been asked many time but

[shelby2001]

How many of you are getting passports? We are thinking of saving ourselves the $320.00 and just going with the raised seal birth certificates however it was suggested that we get them. What are all of you doing?

 

[WDWLVR]

We used birth certificates for our first 3 cruises, but went with passports after that. We got them right before the prices went up which was one incentive. It was also after September 11th and more and more crackdowns were being made. We think it is a good investment because it makes checking in so easy and we are ready to go if/when we travel out of the country.

 

[Lisa F]

Are you planning to travel outside of the country at all? (Besides canada and a cruise) If you are, I'd just get them. They're good for what? 10 years? If not, I wouldn't have them just for the sake of having them, but that's just me. $320 is a lot to spend if you don't really need them.

Lisa

 

[wdwmom2]

I recently posted a thread on whether to use passports or birth certificates. Most of the people use passports. I would really like to save the money, almost $300, and use that on vacation. I just got out my families origional birth certificates and tried to feel for the raised seal. Two of them are really hard to feel. You almost have to use your imagination to even feel them. Now I think that we will buy passports. I don't want to get to the terminal and have any problems!!! I know that it a lot of money but I don't want my family to be the ones standing on the dock with the big Mickey hands waving good-bye to everyone on the ship just because they could feel the seal!!!!

Sharon

 

[Lisa F]

Just to point something out, I recently needed to send an official birth certificate to correct an error in my social security record (date of birth, go figure) and wasn't comfortable with sending my only copy (my wonderful handwritten copy with the seal that you can just barely feel anymore).

Anyway, at http://www.vitalcheck.com you can order official copies of your birth certificate for only $15. I think most states just use computer printouts on special stock nowadays and it has a very prominent raised seal that you won't have to worry about. I put my "antique" in the safe and if I need my BC for something, I will use one of the new ones. Anyway, that's a bit more reasonable than a passport if you are worried about carrying around your only copy of your birth certificate and worried about whether you can feel the seal.

Lisa

 

[wdwmom2]

Lisa,

I think that I will go to vitalcheck.com and get official copies of our birth certificates. The price of $15 is very reasonable. How long did it take to receive them?

Sharon

 

[Lisa F]

There is also a handling fee, I think it's per order? I'm not really sure, but there is an expedited fee where you can get it in a couple of days and then regular handling where it might take up to 2 weeks? Poke around the site, I remember it saying how long it takes. It may vary based on where they are getting the birth certificates from. IMO it's better to have a spare around before you REALLY need it and have to scramble to get one.

And wow, I was just poking around. The price DOES vary by where you need to get the certificate from. I was born in NYC and it's only $15, I checked new york state and it's $45!!! Anyway, check it out and see how much it is. For $45 for a new BC, I would just get a passport!

Lisa

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I'm trying to decide the same thing: somehow convince mom to either dig up the BC or get the passport(not going till next year)

 

[Tiggerish]

You can save money by ordering your birth certificates directly from the county of your birth or the state register in the state of your birth. Google search for the web site of the county and almost all have a link for printing out a form and instructions.

For example, I sent for mine from a medium size county in MI for $13 and a pre-addressed, stamped envelope and got it back in just 2 weeks. If I had used the service it would have been $20. I helped my sister get her daughter's from a different MI county and it was only $8 and plus the stamps instead of the $20 and came in less than a week.

Both came with nice, clearly raised, colored seals.

 

[wdwmom2]

Lisa,

Much cheaper for a bc than a passport. Only $4 for Pennsylvania and $12 for Maryland. Both have $12 handling fees. That would be $80 for my families bc's. That's what 1 adult passport costs. This is a no brainer!!!!!!

 

[Lisa F]

If you're not lazy, like I am, you can follow Tiggerish's advice and save even more (handling fees) by directly calling your state/locality. For us it was really nice to just be able to click, enter CC informaton and not have to worry about it than to try to call around and find the right departments long distance. I'd much rather spend that time reading the DIS

Lisa

 

[ivanova]

DH has a passport because he travels internationally for work.

He's been harping on me to get one for myself (in case of emergency where I might have to fly overseas to retrieve him). I finally broke down and got one because of the cruise. And figured if I was getting one, then DD (13) might as well have one.

'course, to make it worth the money, we'll just "have" to go on an international vacation some day that requires a passport.

 

[Doctor P]

I liked carrying the passport. It is the best form of immigration ID, and it also means you don't need to carry a separate photo ID. Very convenient.

 

[Frieda]

Being Canadian, we got our passports. I'm not sure if we absolutely needed them but we thought we better just in case. It was a bit of a hassle because we needed our birth certificates which unfortunately got misplaced so we had to get those replaced and then we had to get our passport applications signed by a guarantor (we do things different up here) but once that was all done and we brought the applications to the passport office, we got them in four days. I'm glad. You never know when I'll have to go on an emergency trip around the world or something.

 

[DisneyGator01]

Been on 3 DCL cruises since 9/11 and never had a problem with birth certificates.

As long as it is a orginial or certified copy with an official seal from a government agency (not a hospital certificate or a photocopy) there really should be no problem.

 

[ducklite]

Here is one good reason to get a passport.

If there was an emergeny at sea, and you ended up being taken to one of several countries which require a Visa to enter, without a passport, you're in trouble.

If you arrive in a country which requires a visa without one, if you have your passport in hand they will genreally issue a visa on the spot and then you are free to leave. (Brasil is one exception, the visa must be issued in advance, although I'm sure they ahve provisions for emergencies)

If you have a US passport but it is not with you, the US consulate will assist in emergency procurement of a replacement passport, and you will then be issued a visa and can go about your business.

If you don't have a passport, you've got a big problem.

You see they can detain you until you get the passport and thus the visa. Getting a US passport when you don't have a valid one and aren't on US territory is very difficult. The consulate will try to assist, but it still takes up to two weeks. During this time you can't leave, because you aren't there legally to begin with.

There are quite a few Latin American countries which require a passport and in some cases also a visa, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, are just some of the countries requiring a passport. The Dominican Republic doesn't require it, but strongly urges visitors to have one.

That's enough incentive for me to spend the money on a passport.

Considering that in the near future a valid passport will likely be required to return to the US, it's probably not a bad idea to just bite the bullet now and get them.

Anne

 

[Lisa F]

What is the risk of having an emergency at sea that would require you to be brought to a country that requires a US passport for entry? IMO, that's a pretty silly reason to get a passport if you have no intention of ever going anywhere that requires a passport. I can see the possibility of having to retrieve a spouse overseas as a good reason to have one. That makes sense from a risk vs. cost point of view.

Planning for a scenario that is SO unlikely is over the top. You'd have to have an emergency at sea, which has happened what? Once in 5 years worth of sailings? Then that emergency would have to require evacuation of a ship, which has never happened on DCL. Then you would have to be brought to a country that requires a passport for entry, rather than one of the various locations/ports that cruise ships frequent that DON'T require such documentation. That's just such an unlikely chain of events that it hardly seems enough of a risk to justify the cost of passports for an entire family that won't ever be required again.

Of course everyone is free to do whatever they wish.

Lisa

 

[disney6]

I have sailed on DCL twice and other cruiselines twice with just a bc with no problem. I even live in Canada (am a US citizen) without a passport. I decided it was time to get mine (didn't get the kids yet though) for several reasons, one being exactly what Anne (ducklite) said. A couple of years ago there was a discussion on this board about that very thing. IF, in the unlikely event something should happen outside of the US, it is MUCH easier to deal with if you have a passport. If memory serves someone on DCL did have a problem that would have been worse if they didn't have a passport.

I think getting one or not is a personal decision and depends on your comfort level. Obviously I didn't run out and get mine right away but as I age and my Dad's health gets worse, my comfort level decreased.

That said, you will have no problems sailing with just a bc.

 

[ducklite]

Lisa-

It could also be a medical evacuation, and those can and do happen on a large number of sailings.

Personally it's like cruise insurance. You likely will never need it, but if you do you'll be REALLY glad you spent the little bit of extra monty for it. JMHO.

Anne

 

[shelby2001]

Thanks for all the responses on this my DH feels after reading this better to be safe and get the passports which are good for the next 10 years and the kids I think are good for 5 so we will do both of the kids next month my DH in December and mine in January not sailing until April so this way I don't have to pay for them all at once.