sparks1093

The limit is still one bottle per person. Yes, it is possible to skirt the rule in the manner you suggest.

We have sent in a wide variety of things to be laundered in the laundry bag over the years from jeans to graphic t-shirts and have experienced no issues with fading, shrinking or any other issue. As mentioned, we don't put anything in the laundry that requires delicate handling.

I figured you did but there are others who might wonder why so I thought an explanation was in order.

Actually the EDL proves identity and citizenship- the authorities don't care about residence. While the passport card and EDL were initially developed with land border crossings in mind DHS extended their use to sea ports of entry when returning from Canada, Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean.

One reason is that the passport proves citizenship, which is not dependent on where you live. You remain a US citizen even if you are living in a different country. A drivers license is issued to residents of a state so it makes sense that one needs to show that one is a resident to get one.

Similar to my Vermont EDL, except the state is different. 🙂

I traveled without a passport on closed loop cruises several times before getting them and this was not even a consideration. So I stand in a line for an extra 20 minutes once every year. Not a deciding factor at all. (And for what it's worth our actual time in front of the Customs agent was the same regardless of documentation used.) As for your last paragraph people are going to spend their money on what makes sense to them, it doesn't need to make sense to anyone else. There are some people that would pony up $350 for passports for the same cruise OP is taking, which doesn't make sense to me, but it doesn't need to so I don't worry about it.

Except that folks who aren't US citizens can also apply for and receive REAL ID compliant licenses by showing proof of legal status in the US.

Yes, but you quoted his post where the OP describes their EDL.

The OP has one port of call in a foreign port, and that is in Canada. Their risk is substantially lower then a typical closed loop cruise in the Caribbean. You might feel that this justifies spending $350 and that's fine. Others might make a different choice and that's fine, too.

A lot of what ifs, but so what? The OP knows his or her situation better then anyone. One needn't even be "absolutely certain that you won't ever want to travel overseas", they only need to be reasonably certain and then only about the next few years, not for ever. When we started cruising we knew that we wanted to travel to Europe someday but with 5 kids to feed we didn't know when that would be. We got them in 2015, 6 years after our first cruise. And since then all of our cruises have been closed loop, since it's still the most affordable option for us.

Yes, they are but since OP is in Michigan, a state that issues EDLs and since OP says that the license they have says "enhanced drivers license" on it one must conclude that they do indeed have a bona fide EDL.

Your EDL is sufficient to prove both citizenship and identity. I have one myself and cruised with it as a stand alone document.

It is advisable but not strictly necessary. We used to bring ours and were never asked for it. If you have it available I would at least bring a picture of it on my phone.

I travel to Canada often without a passport. Many folks do in my community, which is 8 miles from the border. Everyone's travel patterns are different and their documentation needs are different. With only one foreign port of call, and that in Canada, your risk is even lower than the typical closed loop cruiser. I can't, and wouldn't, tell you what to do but I know that I wouldn't even consider getting a passport just for this trip.

The child is in the system because a passport has been applied for and it may not make it back in time for the cruise. You are presupposing that an emergency passport application has to be done and that isn't the case on a closed loop cruise. In any event this discussion would only apply if something happened that would require the child to leave the ship to travel home and the odds of that happening are low. Absolutely the grandparents should have a consent with them for both the travel and for medical treatment. My personal preference when traveling with a child not my own would be to have a passport for them (which we did when we took our step granddaughter on a cruise) but I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with just the birth certificate in the OP's situation.

The most likely outcome on a closed loop cruise is the child would be given authorization by the authorities (CBP working in conjunction with State) to fly directly to the US where they would be cleared in secondary inspection.

It is easily confused (I've read one thread where a gent from Texas showed up at the port with his REAL ID and insisted it was all that he needed to board the cruise. Fortunately for him he had someone at home that was able to fax his birth certificate to the port. I wonder how many folk show up like that who can't get their birth certificate faxed?). Anyway, an Enhanced Drivers License has those very words printed across the top of it, in addition to having a US flag and a gold star on it. (The gold star denotes REAL ID compliance.) I think what confuses people the most is that they need to produce their birth certificate in order to get a REAL ID, so in their mind it should prove citizenship. Trouble is all one needs to produce is legal presence in the US to get one, so it doesn't prove citizenship at all.

I can. Used to live it. Then the kids moved on. That's not an atypical scenario for a lot of people. Work. Budget. Responsibilities. Life. It sometimes limits what one is able to do.

Then it's worth it for you. Everyone looks at things differently and there are options that cover everyone's different travel needs.

There are provisions in the regulations that allow the waiver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons, so I highly doubt that the child would be "terribly stuck". I would rather show up with the birth certificate than nothing.

If all I had was an EDL (which I did at one point) the fact that I might have to spend a little more time in a line once a year would not make me rush out and by a passport.

I've always comparison shopped when it comes to cruising. We decide when we want to go and where, then we search at least the big three. Recently I compared Celebrity to Carnival and after factoring what was included in the Celebrity fare (drink package, gratuities and wifi) they came out hundreds less. Of course we get Cheers all of the time so this wouldn't necessarily work for someone who doesn't. We do love a lot about Carnival but this doesn't tie us down.

My response was based on my experience. This is the first time that I've heard of any ship having separate lines for disembarkation for passport holders and those without. Thank you for the information.

I've done that once. Made me feel special. Of course I was the only one in the bar at the time.