Passport or Passport Card?

[dnrcim]

Hi...

My family and I (2 little girls, 8 & 5) are going on a 5 day Carnival Cruise to Canada out of NY this summer. I have been told we can use Passport cards as it is a loop cruise, but when filling out my info on Carnival's website, it suggests we get a Passport instead. It states it is a precaution for missing the departure out of Canada. We have no plans of traveling internationally any time soon. Any thoughts? This is the first cruise we've taken...first passport experience.

 

Thanks in advance:)

[BND]

Passport cards are really only meant for land crossings between the US and Canada and Mexico. They were never intended for anything else and can't be used for flying internationally at all. You'll hear both sides, but I personally think it's only a matter of time until passports are required by the cruiselines. If you notice, on Carnival's site, it now says something about passports being required soon. I know this will get other opinions because there are those that think passports will never be required. We love having ours and it makes it that much easier to travel for us.

[Angeleyes1382]

Hi...

My family and I (2 little girls, 8 & 5) are going on a 5 day Carnival Cruise to Canada out of NY this summer. I have been told we can use Passport cards as it is a loop cruise, but when filling out my info on Carnival's website, it suggests we get a Passport instead. It states it is a precaution for missing the departure out of Canada. We have no plans of traveling internationally any time soon. Any thoughts? This is the first cruise we've taken...first passport experience.

 

Thanks in advance:)

 

I honestly think that the passport cards are a waste of money, unless you are using them only to cross by land to Canada and Mexico. If you travel by sea on a closed loop cruise you only need a birth certificate and if you're over 16 you also need a government issued ID. But, a passport is even better. The passport is the only piece of identification that you can fly internationally with. Let's say that you somehow had an accident while you were in port or you missed the ship. You would only be able to fly home or to the next port if you have a passport. If that happened and you didn't have a passport you would have to stay where you were at your expense and apply for an emergency passport with the US embassy, which probably would cost way more than the original cost of the passport. With that being said, while right now you are not required to have a passport for a closed loop cruise it is HIGHLY recommended that you get one. IMHO I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[travelntreats]

I honestly think that the passport cards are a waste of money, unless you are using them only to cross by land to Canada and Mexico. If you travel by sea on a closed loop cruise you only need a birth certificate and if you're over 16 you also need a government issued ID. But, a passport is even better. The passport is the only piece of identification that you can fly internationally with. Let's say that you somehow had an accident while you were in port or you missed the ship. You would only be able to fly home or to the next port if you have a passport. If that happened and you didn't have a passport you would have to stay where you were at your expense and apply for an emergency passport with the US embassy, which probably would cost way more than the original cost of the passport. With that being said, while right now you are not required to have a passport for a closed loop cruise it is HIGHLY recommended that you get one. IMHO I'd rather be safe than sorry.

While this is excellent advice, you also have to factor in the costs of a passport for a family of 4.... and then factor in that the childrens passports are only good for 5 years.....Personally I would not incur the costs of passports right now nor would I deal with the passport cards due to their limited purpose for use. Given that this is a closed loop cruise I would just go with the BC for the children and adults with BC and DL for the OP's cruise. As for it being a matter of time before cruiseline require a passport... that is a matter of opinion and I do not believe we will see this requirement anytime soon as long as the closed loop cruises being exempt from the passport requirement stays alive.

[cruizinonup]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but what is a closed loop cruise? I thought we had to have passports and therefore went and got my kids the cards. Did I waste my money?

[rrraydon]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but what is a closed loop cruise? I thought we had to have passports and therefore went and got my kids the cards. Did I waste my money?

 

Closed loop cruise is a cruise that starts and ends from the same port. Starts in NY and ends in NY. As opposed to starts in NY and ends in Puerto Rico and you fly back.

 

I only use the BC too. Yes, it is risky in the event of an accident. But, I like living on the edge...lol:)

[Crazy4Koko]

I'm a 'better to be prepared' kind of Mom...so I'm ordering passports for our girls to bring on our cruise in October. Yes, it's expensive...but plenty of time to get them.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but what is a closed loop cruise? I thought we had to have passports and therefore went and got my kids the cards. Did I waste my money?

 

 

Here is the definition of a closed loop cruise per one of the cruise lines:

 

Currently, U.S. citizens need a passport for cruises that stop at ports in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. However, U.S. citizens cruising roundtrip from a U.S. port to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico do not need a passport under the U.S. State Department's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). These itineraries are called "closed loop" voyages. A "closed loop" voyage or itinerary occurs when a vessel departs from a U.S. port or place and returns to the same U.S. port upon completion of the voyage. Per the WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule, travelers on "closed loop" voyages are not subject to the same documentary requirements for entry to the United States as other travelers.

 

All adults need on a closed loop cruise is a birth certificate(state issued, seal or watermark) and government issued id.

[rednose83]

If you are looking to purchase, I'd suggest getting the passport book. If you already have the cards, yes, you can use them.

[zqvol]

Hi...

My family and I (2 little girls, 8 & 5) are going on a 5 day Carnival Cruise to Canada out of NY this summer. I have been told we can use Passport cards as it is a loop cruise, but when filling out my info on Carnival's website, it suggests we get a Passport instead. It states it is a precaution for missing the departure out of Canada. We have no plans of traveling internationally any time soon. Any thoughts? This is the first cruise we've taken...first passport experience.

 

Thanks in advance:)

 

I advocate never leaving the country without a passport, BUT if you miss a connection in Canada you can always drive back into the US instead of flying and the card works for that purpose. I really think if you are not going to get a passport you are probably better off just using birth certificates for the kids, and birth certificates and photo IDs for the adults.

[dnrcim]

Thanks so much for all of the info. !!! We have some thinking to do over here...I did not realize that I could use BC for my kids and BC as well as DLs for the adults...I can understand the pros/cons of passports and passport cards too...More decisions to make:)

 

Thanks Again!

[TRSGayle]

I have purchased passports for myself and my three year old for the sole purpose of precaution of something happening but...... We do travel alot and we fly to all inclusive resorts sometimes so a passport is worth it for us. Now before when all we did was travel closed loop cruises we used BC and ID for all of us. I will however warn you in advance that we had a child that was 17 and 16 that traveled with us on our last cruise and they did require a picture ID for them since they were of driving age! The 16 year old had not gotten her license yet so we had to go get an ID card for her. I thought this was a little strange. The younger child who was 13 did not require oicture ID.

[sfollenius]

Passport cards are really only meant for land crossings between the US and Canada and Mexico. They were never intended for anything else and can't be used for flying internationally at all. You'll hear both sides, but I personally think it's only a matter of time until passports are required by the cruiselines. If you notice, on Carnival's site, it now says something about passports being required soon. I know this will get other opinions because there are those that think passports will never be required. We love having ours and it makes it that much easier to travel for us.

 

I was told by the Department of state that eventually the birth certificates with id will no longer be an option in the near future and only passports OR PASSPORT CARDS will be an option.

[cruizinonup]

We have always used BC and ID only, but I thought they had changed it and so I got my daughters the passport cards just for this cruise. My husband and I flew to Mexico in Oct and so we got passports then. I wish I would have investigated further, but I thought I read it on the Carnival website that a passport was now required:(

[dan40]

Here is the definition of a closed loop cruise per one of the cruise lines:

 

Currently, U.S. citizens need a passport for cruises that stop at ports in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. However, U.S. citizens cruising roundtrip from a U.S. port to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico do not need a passport under the U.S. State Department's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). These itineraries are called "closed loop" voyages. A "closed loop" voyage or itinerary occurs when a vessel departs from a U.S. port or place and returns to the same U.S. port upon completion of the voyage. Per the WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule, travelers on "closed loop" voyages are not subject to the same documentary requirements for entry to the United States as other travelers.

 

All adults need on a closed loop cruise is a birth certificate(state issued, seal or watermark) and government issued id.

 

 

Just to make everyone aware, US immigration rules and passport, ID, requirements apply to the US ENTRY only. EVEN on a 'closed loop' cruise, any country visited could decide that all cruise pax must have valid passports. Not that I think it will happen anytime soon, but it could. Just 2 or 3 years ago the Organization of Caribbean States DID talk about rescinding their waiver of passports for cruise pax. ALL countries cruise ships visit DO presently require ALL visitors to have valid passports. But they have a standing agreement that cruise passengers ONLY that arrive and leave within 24 hours, do not need to have a passport. They could decide otherwise at any time. The US Government has no say in the passport rules of any other country.

[BND]

Carnival needs to make sure all their info matches. When you check faq's it says, they're not required for closed-loop, etc. But, when I went to do my funpass for our Nov Cruise (I know, early, but I like to get it done), there was a statement that passports were going to be required soon along with the usual recommendations. We have had our passports for years and actually got to use them when we flew to Nassau this past Oct so my current one actually has a stamp now, lol.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

Just to make everyone aware, US immigration rules and passport, ID, requirements apply to the US ENTRY only. EVEN on a 'closed loop' cruise, any country visited could decide that all cruise pax must have valid passports. Not that I think it will happen anytime soon, but it could. Just 2 or 3 years ago the Organization of Caribbean States DID talk about rescinding their waiver of passports for cruise pax. ALL countries cruise ships visit DO presently require ALL visitors to have valid passports. But they have a standing agreement that cruise passengers ONLY that arrive and leave within 24 hours, do not need to have a passport. They could decide otherwise at any time. The US Government has no say in the passport rules of any other country.

 

The Association of Caribbean States lobbied U.S. Congress to have the "closed looped" clause put into the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to begin with for fear that tourism would suffer. I don't see them doing an about face anytime in the near future. IMHO

[dan40]

The Association of Caribbean States lobbied U.S. Congress to have the "closed looped" clause put into the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to begin with for fear that tourism would suffer. I don't see them doing an about face anytime in the near future. IMHO

 

 

I don't see them cutting their own tourism throats either, but they did discuss it in recent years. What I really was trying to point out is that US Passport rules apply ONLY to re-entering the USA. NOT to any other nation. Cruise lines COULD allow you to board with NO ID. They don't do that and they DO verify your ID, passport, whatever, because they want to get you OFF the ship when it returns to the USA. Not until then is the US Passport, or BC&photo ID important.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

I don't see them cutting their own tourism throats either, but they did discuss it in recent years. What I really was trying to point out is that US Passport rules apply ONLY to re-entering the USA. NOT to any other nation. Cruise lines COULD allow you to board with NO ID. They don't do that and they DO verify your ID, passport, whatever, because they want to get you OFF the ship when it returns to the USA. Not until then is the US Passport, or BC&photo ID important.

 

I totally agree and your point is valid that many passengers lose sight that the passport restrictions are that of the United States for entry into this country. Many post that you can't fly without a passport from one country to the next when in reality it's totally up to the country you are in and the country you are trying to fly too whether or not a passport is required. The U.S. has decided that to enter it's borders on an international flight a passport is a must so airlines must check that each passenger has a passport so they are not stuck with a passenger if they were not allowed to enter the next country for some reason. Think of Tom Hanks situation in the movie "The Terminal".

[cruisequeen10]

You will definitely need passports. When you reach your first port in Canada, you will have to clear customs and you will be required to show passports.

[acecombatmom]

I got passports last year for our cruise. The carnival site confused me also. I am glad I did because a Christmas trip came up at the last moment for my teen and he had a passport and could go. They were not too expensive and they can be used as citizenship and ID.

[yst347]

This is what the law says.

 

Quote:

(2) When traveling entirely within the Western Hemisphere on a cruise ship, and when the U.S. citizen boards the cruise ship at a port or place within the United States and returns on the return voyage of the same cruise ship to the same United States port or place from where he or she originally departed. That U.S. citizen may present a government-issued photo identification document in combination with either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before entering the United States; if the U.S. citizen is under the age of 16, he or she may present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services;

Link

[mrs_fitz]

If you don't have either and find yourself in the position for applying for a passport card and/or a passport, you might as well just get the passport. Even though you don't see yourself traveling internationally the rules may change and you might need them to cruise sooner or later!

[yst347]

If you don't have either and find yourself in the position for applying for a passport card and/or a passport, you might as well just get the passport. Even though you don't see yourself traveling internationally the rules may change and you might need them to cruise sooner or later!

 

Using this logic it would be prudent to visit the consulates and apply for visas from each nation your cruise itinerary will call on. While no visas are required, "the rules may change and you might need them to cruise sooner or later!"

 

Holding a passport is the smart thing for USA citizens that travel internationally. Passports are not required for closed loop cruises and that isn't going to change without plenty of debate in our Congress. Get a passport because it's the smart thing to do.