I plan to take a roundtrip cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver and Victoria in 4 weeks. Is a US Passport necessary to board or will a Birth Certificate and/or Real ID Driver's License be sufficient?
At the time I renewed my passport on-line at the end of January, the estimated wait time was 6 to 8 weeks. It is now 8 weeks and I am still waiting. New renewals now take 8 to 12 weeks (only by mail and not even by on-line). I will be boarding in another 4 weeks. I know if I have not received my passport in another 2 weeks, I can call and go through the process, expense, and anxiety of expediting the passport. I will if absolutely necessary, but is there an alternative (such as above birth certificate, real ID). Can I even board with my old passport still in my possession (still valid by date on passport, but technically invalid at the time when I sent in my on-line renewal). Can I trust what Princess says when I call them about the alternative IDs. I was told that birth certificate is OK. I hate to be denied on the whim of someone during embarkation.
Thanks for any insight.