Passport cards vs regular passports?

My kids only have passport cards as the only time they've been out of the US previously is driving to Canada. Based on my reading, I think those will work for our cruise. We are taking the Breeze out of Galveston and stopping in Cozumel, Belize City, and Roatan. Am I correct?

And, I had previously assumed that you should take your passport with you when leaving the ship. I read recently that this isn't really the case and then in port you should just take your sign and sail card and that's good enough?

Thank you!

US passport card can also be used for sea port of entry. You may also need to bring gov’t issued ID with your sign and sail card in some ports.

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The passport book, passport card, or the the combination of a birth certificate and (for those 16 and older) government issued photo ID is required on USA departure on a closed loop WHTI compliant cruise only for repatriation upon return by US citizens. Your cruise is one of these, so the passport card serves as proof of nationality and identity for you and your children.

As for what might be needed in port the best I can tell you is to attend the "Fun Aboard, Fun Ashore" seminar while on board. The cruise director or the excursion specialist will go over during the course of the presentation what ID or other info should be brought with you in each port. AT the very least the ship will require you to carry your S&S card (everyone must even infants), as this is how they take outgoing and incoming attendance. Some ports will require those over 16 to have photo ID matching the S&S card to regain entry to the secured port mall area if they leave on a tour or to explore the rest of the city on their own.

If you miss the seminar the info should be printed in the paper version of the FunTimes schedule left in your cabin the night before. It will be somewhere in the smallish print near where the port agent info is.

My kids only have passport cards as the only time they've been out of the US previously is driving to Canada. Based on my reading, I think those will work for our cruise. We are taking the Breeze out of Galveston and stopping in Cozumel, Belize City, and Roatan. Am I correct?

 

And, I had previously assumed that you should take your passport with you when leaving the ship. I read recently that this isn't really the case and then in port you should just take your sign and sail card and that's good enough?

 

Thank you!

If you are over 16, you must take your sail and sign AND a photo ID off ship. You should leave your passport onboard, You can take the passport card off but don't recommended taking the passport book. Should you miss the boat, security is supposed to take your passport out of your safe and leave it with the port agent. Losing your passport is a much bigger deal than losing your passport card or drivers license.

Yes, the passport cards will work fine for this sailing. Adults should take Photo ID off the ship. This is not a requirement for children. Some ports do require photo ID to return to the port area; but since under 16 can cruise on a birth certificate only, it's not required for them. I personally leave my passport on the ship and take my driver's license off with me. Much smaller and waterproof.

I always bring my passport book when getting off the ship in a foreign country for one reason....medical emergency and you need care and possibly a flight back to the US. A passport card or other form of ID won't work and I do not want to count on someone on the ship getting my or a family members passport from our safe and somehow it getting to us.

passport card is fine for cruise ID, but not if you had an emergency and had to fly home

Make sure you take your gov't issued photo ID and Sail and Sign card ashore in Cozumel. The Mexicans want to see both before you are allowed to enter the Duty Free shop that you have to walk through to get to the ship at Puerta Maya.

Also, please have them in your hand for inspection so you do not hold up the line behind you!

I normally carry a color copy of the photo page of our passports and leave the actual passport book in the safe on board. Of course I also have my sign and sail card and photo ID. I also do this when I am traveling on business to areas that have an issue with pickpockets/street crime to reduce that chance of losing the actual passport.

There are of course many courses of thought on this, no one is right and no one is wrong. However, a copy of your passport and a passport card won't help you if you miss the ship or if there is some type of emergency while off the ship. They will help to obtain a replacement passport book, but you can't fly home on a passport card and a copy of your passport photo page is useless to fly home with. The chances of needing your passport while off the ship is nill, so you just need to weigh the risk. There is a chance you could have your passport stolen or lose it while off the ship if you take it with you. When we sailed in Europe, we took our passport off the ship each time. We don't really do that in the Caribbean, though we really should. Obtaining a replacement passport in the Caribbean may be a challenge. There are many islands where there is no US consulate or embassy, Any costs to replace and ship the passport will be your responsibility to pay, unless you have insurance and insurance will only reimburse your costs.

I normally carry a color copy of the photo page of our passports and leave the actual passport book in the safe on board. Of course I also have my sign and sail card and photo ID. I also do this when I am traveling on business to areas that have an issue with pickpockets/street crime to reduce that chance of losing the actual passport.

A copy of a passport is worthless to foreign officials, but very valuable to foreign criminals to produce forgeries of. No police or security report can be made if some steals or if you misplace a copy as it has no official value. The best place for a copy of your passport is with a trusted friend or relative that can fax or otherwise transmit it to the US consulate if you find yourself in an emergency. The consulate then can use the info from the copy to have a new passport issued.

So if you have a passport either take ashore with you as your ID and be diligent (keep it in a travelers waist or neck wallet or in a cross body type of bag) or leave it in the safe and hope you don't need it. (There are a few ports that require it but the cruise line will inform you of which ones these are in a pre-embarkation comunication.) Either way have contingency plans on returning to the ship if your initial mode of transport proves unreliable. Also plan to be back on board 1 hour prior to the published departure when docked, or in line 1 hour before the last tender pick-up time at the dock.

Travel to Cuba requires Passport Book.

Travel to Cuba requires Passport Book.

The OP is not going to Cuba!

I normally carry a color copy of the photo page of our passports and leave the actual passport book in the safe on board. Of course I also have my sign and sail card and photo ID. I also do this when I am traveling on business to areas that have an issue with pickpockets/street crime to reduce that chance of losing the actual passport.

^^ This! I also leave a photocopy with a friend or family member back home, as well as a photo of the passport page on my phone.