passports neede?

my daughter, her husband and 2 grandsons are doing a 4 day Disney dream in November. They are leaving from Port Canaveral, going to Nassau and Castaway Cay. According to their travel agent, they do not need passports since they are leaving and arriving back at the same port and they are only going to these two ports. Can anyone please confirm that this is the correct info.

Passports are not required for this cruise....provided they return on the ship. Should they encounter a medical emergency and need to fly back to the US, they'd need to obtain emergency passports. While this can be done, it is another stress at a difficult time.

What they DO need is a certified birth certificate for each person (state issued, legal birth certificate, not a hospital souvenir model!) and people 16 and over need a government issued photo ID. For most people, this is a driver's license.

correct ....

There are literally dozens of threads on this topic if you want more details, but as noted the short answer is:

Is a passport legally required for a closed loop cruise that starts and ends in the same port. No, as long as you have the other documentation required (as above). Is it a really really good idea to have one in case of emergency and to possibly speed you back through immigration and customs? YES.

My personal opinion? Never leave North America without a passport ever, and if practical never leave the USA without one.

thanks everyone for the feedback. this helps.