"Official" Unofficial Passport Requirements

[andrzej5914]

No example will be good enough to convince some people. At the end of the day it's just a choice that each traveler needs to make, to weight the $ vs. the possible problems that could arise without a passport. Of course, this is all predicated on the assumption that you will NEVER, or at least in the next ten years, leave the US for any other reason than a closed loop cruise.

 

That's all I was trying to say in the earlier post on this thread.

 

Thanks for summing it up very nicely....:)

 

I will just never understand the anti-passport supporters. They can afford a cruise but can't afford $100+ for a document that's good for 10 years and will definitely save them headaches and $ "IF" something goes wrong???

 

Besides, the BC has to be an official state BC, not the church/hospital issued one. I have read somewhere that in State of Florida, it's about $40 or so. Did not look it up, but if it's true, how much money are you really saving?

[Peddler&Tass]

Some people will never be convinced ... I guess to each his/her own. I feel also the a small booklet (aka passport) is easier to carry than an envelope full of papers (Birth cert., Marriage licence., Naturalization Papers, etc) .

[sparks1093]

That's all true, but that's the "IF" we are talking about.

 

Watch this:

 

 

But IF those people had paid attention to the time properly then they in all liklihood wouldn't be running down the pier.

 

That's all I was trying to say in the earlier post on this thread.

 

Thanks for summing it up very nicely....:)

 

I will just never understand the anti-passport supporters. They can afford a cruise but can't afford $100+ for a document that's good for 10 years and will definitely save them headaches and $ "IF" something goes wrong???

 

Besides, the BC has to be an official state BC, not the church/hospital issued one. I have read somewhere that in State of Florida, it's about $40 or so. Did not look it up, but if it's true, how much money are you really saving?

 

I'm not an anti-passport supporter- if someone going on a closed loop cruise wants to get one even if they never travel again that perfectly fine. On the other hand, if someone going on a closed loop cruise weighs all of the risks and decides not to have one, well, that's perfectly fine too.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

State issued, City Issued, Raised Seal, Water Marked ........ it's all way too confusing. There are just too many stories on here from folks who get to the port and are told that they do not have the correct form of BC. It seems like the rules for this are constantly changing. It was just too risky to us. We got our Passports and just considered them an investment for future vacations. Now when we walk into the port there is no confusion....no stress.... Just one less thing to worry about. Yes, they cost a few hundred dollars but it was so worth it to have piece of mind. JMHO :)

[elcuchio24]

State issued, City Issued, Raised Seal, Water Marked ........ it's all way too confusing. There are just too many stories on here from folks who get to the port and are told that they do not have the correct form of BC. It seems like the rules for this are constantly changing. It was just too risky to us. We got our Passports and just considered them an investment for future vacations. Now when we walk into the port there is no confusion....no stress.... Just one less thing to worry about. Yes, they cost a few hundred dollars but it was so worth it to have piece of mind. JMHO :)

 

And next time you vaca, if you decide to do an AI in Costa Rica or someplace, you will be all set:)

[Warm Breezes]

That's all true, but that's the "IF" we are talking about.

 

Watch this:

 

 

And how many of these "if's" are of there own making and if they didn't have a passport do you know for that the were given a such a hard time in getting home....I want to examples of people who had hard time getting home. The people with a passport may have had just as much trouble if there were not available flights for the next couple days...that is bound to happen on an island. To me this is more a lesson of getting back to the ship on time than needing a passport.

[Warm Breezes]

Some people will never be convinced ... I guess to each his/her own. I feel also the a small booklet (aka passport) is easier to carry than an envelope full of papers (Birth cert., Marriage licence., Naturalization Papers, etc) .

 

All 4 of our BC fit into a small credit card size folder that fits into my wallet sized purse with our DL's. All in all...smaller than a passport book.

[Warm Breezes]

That's all I was trying to say in the earlier post on this thread.

 

Thanks for summing it up very nicely....:)

 

I will just never understand the anti-passport supporters. They can afford a cruise but can't afford $100+ for a document that's good for 10 years and will definitely save them headaches and $ "IF" something goes wrong??? Not anti-passport supporter. Pro Choice supporter....why is it anyone else's business if on a closed loop cruise we choose to take advantage of a loop hole the government gives to us:confused:.

 

Besides, the BC has to be an official state BC, not the church/hospital issued one. I have read somewhere that in State of Florida, it's about $40 or so. Did not look it up, but if it's true, how much money are you really saving?

But that BC is something you would need anyways if you were going to get a passport...so that cost is in addition if you were to purchase a passport and didn't have a valid copy of your BC.

[Warm Breezes]

And next time you vaca, if you decide to do an AI in Costa Rica or someplace, you will be all set:)

 

And the next time I vacation and if I decide to do an AI in Costa Rica or someplace else....all I have to do is purchase a passport. Which will be good for 10 years from the time I actually needed it.

[Warm Breezes]

State issued, City Issued, Raised Seal, Water Marked ........ it's all way too confusing. There are just too many stories on here from folks who get to the port and are told that they do not have the correct form of BC. It seems like the rules for this are constantly changing. It was just too risky to us. We got our Passports and just considered them an investment for future vacations. Now when we walk into the port there is no confusion....no stress.... Just one less thing to worry about. Yes, they cost a few hundred dollars but it was so worth it to have piece of mind. JMHO :)

 

 

That is just the point. It gives you piece of mind so it is worth it to you. I'm not worried when I cruise with our BC and DL since I know ours are valid for traveling on closed loop cruises. I keep up with the lastest news and know what I need to travel. I know the chance of needing one are less than 1%. There is no stress on our part, so having a passport does nothing to relieve stress or confusion that we do not have. Therefore a few hundred dollars (closer to $500 for all 4 of us) is not worth it since we already have piece of mind.

[iTouch]

So if there were 2,300 passengers onboard that comes out to .005 percent;). Fact is, each of those runners probably had complete control over when they returned to the ship (that and the fact that many people that do get passports leave them on the ship when they are in port, which never made much sense to me).

 

If you end up in a situation that will keep you from sailing you just call the number they have in the fun times for port authority and they will retrieve whatever you need from your stateroom......you can also call the number and let them know you are running a tad late so they will wait for you just like people running late on a Carnival excursion.....

[elcuchio24]

And the next time I vacation and if I decide to do an AI in Costa Rica or someplace else....all I have to do is purchase a passport. Which will be good for 10 years from the time I actually needed it.

 

Just as long as it isn't a spur of the moment trip:). If your only trips are closed loop cruises I totally understand. We do allot of international trips, so for us it's an absolute must.

[StingRaysfan]

I have a passport... I just feel more comfortable with it and yes, I do take ours off the ship with us. The back and forth about this though is really pointless... it's all personal choice. If someone chooses not to get a passport thats on them.... I do think that people need to know the possible risks though, even for as unlikely as they are. We all have our opinions and have made decisions based on our knowledge and comfort level but if a new cruiser came and read this thread I would hope they at least understood the possibilities of problems... it probably is never a bad idea to have one, and no one is condemning those that do not ... just pointing out what the safer option is. Some people will not understand it, but thankfully for others its still a choice.

 

On that note... if you wanted to do an all inclusive and got your passport then it may be more expensive. I've had my passport since high school and over the last 15 years the prices goes up and up and up.... geez. I'm glad I'm locked in until 2018 right now and will only have to pay the cheaper renewal fee.

[cherylandtk]

I am going to interrupt this little back-and-forth (which has thus far remained fairly civil) just to correct a few misstatements and add a few facts and I know I won't get out of here without a little opinion thrown in for good measure.

 

1. If you wind up needing to apply for a passport overseas because you are stranded, you pay the normal US application rate, you do not pay for expedited even though you are on a fast turnaround.

 

2. On a poll I did about two years ago, ~80% of closed loop respondents had a passport, 15% used BC and ID and the others had the passport card. Of the passport holders, nearly 75% left the passport on the ship when in port. Some, not all, took a copy on shore.

 

3. If you get into a situation where you need the passport, a copy is almost useless. It will tell the consular agent you have one, but in order to get a new one you must declare the old one lost and apply for a new oneor wait for the passport in the safe on the ship to be retrieved and returned to you.

 

4. I keep track of posted first-hand stories of people left in port for one reason or another. They all got home, some same day, some in two weeks. The speed with which the consulate gets you home depends on the urgency of the need. It also depends on the availability of transportation. Grandma on her deathbed back in Kansas is urgent. Drinking too much and missing the ship is not. Needing to be back at work is not, nor is not having the budget to spend on food and hotels. Medical events are the most common urgent need. 5-7 days is about typical as an overall average, but each situation is treated individually.

 

5. People are left behind in ports on nearly every sailing; this has been reported on these boards by two cruiseline employees. Yet the posted reports of being left behind are quite rare, consisting of less than a dozen over the past four years. Published news accounts are just as infrequent.

 

6. Consular agents are posted in or near almost every major Caribbean port, one does not usually have to travel far to the embassy or consulate to receive assistance. (Yes, this is probably a direct result of the number of people who missed the ship.)

 

Here comes the opinion:

 

I don't care if you have a passport or not, and while I will recommend that you have one if you ask me, I care more that you understand the risks of WHATEVER your choice. (Which Warm Breezes and sparks1093 have ably demonstrated). This next statement does not necessarily apply to anyone on this thread, but having a passport for the peace of mind and the 'insurance' means that you also must fully understand the risks of point #3. A lot of people feel a significant amount of risk avoidance by having the passport, yet do not recognize the risk of leaving it in the safe. Quite a few justify that choice by claiming a higher risk of having the passport stolen if carried in ports, which has not been demonstrated.

 

Trying to convince someone else of your own point of view is about as useful as trying to convince them your religion is better than theirs. Not likely to happen, yet the discussion on many of these passport threads often reaches a rightous fervor akin to a tent revival meeting. Even so, a discussion of the risks and rewards of both choices is helpful to other readers who are attempting to make their own choices.

[tulsacubfan]

I look at having a passport like having an insurance policy.

 

In considering getting passports {my husband the look ahead at the what if's type of person} priced out just any old country.

 

He used Belize in his reasoning. {I think he picked Belize because he was talking about retiring there, LOL}

 

Avg Hotel $60 per night times 4 nights. $240 total {Not sure why he picked 4 nights but he figured that would be how long it takes to get a passport.}

Food for 4 days ... $40 times 2 people $80 total

The cost of passports including expedited service $195pp $390 total

One way airline tickets from Belize to Miami for 2 people $800 total

 

$1510 total compared to $270 for passports ... Yes we went ahead and got our passports.

 

You are going to pay the airline ticket with or without the passport. You may or may not spend 4 nights without a passport. And you may or may not get out right away with a passport.

 

The only possibly legit extra expense here is the expediting of the passport. And that is $390 vs. $270. A difference of $120. If I didn't think I would use the $270 passports (for 2 of them) but once, I would take the risk of having to spend an additional $120.

[tulsacubfan]

Because we can. Especially when our government says there is a lower cost alternative for the type of traveling we are doing.

 

+2 (sparks already had +1 :D)

[tulsacubfan]

And next time you vaca, if you decide to do an AI in Costa Rica or someplace, you will be all set:)

 

Or, next time I vaca, if I decide to do an AI in Costa Rica, I will have plenty of time to get one (if I didn't already have one....which I do)

 

Bottom line is....it is perfectly legal to go on a closed loop cruise with an official birth certificate and a photo idea. If the government thought it was necessary for everyone to have a passport no matter what, they would not have made it perfectly legal...and just think, the government is losing revenue by not forcing everyone to have one.

 

Contrary to popular belief, there are people in this country that will take a "once in a lifetime" cruise that they have saved years for....and won't take another one for at least 10 years, if ever. If they can use their birth certificate (which you have to have to get a lot of government "things" so chances are a lot of people already have them and don't have to shell out the money to get one), why shouldn't they?

 

To have or not to have a passport when it is not required is a personal preference and neither one is right or wrong. Just different.

 

Oh, and the OP said she didn't want this to become a debate on to have or not to have a passport (she wasn't getting one, end of story), but alas....it did.

[timetogosoon]

My reasoning was, if something happened with our kids back in the states, and we needed to get back there ASAP, then having a passport to fly out of the Caribbean or mexico is a must. Because I'm not gonna risk not being able to come back to the US immediately if I need to to see my kids or hurry back if something happened.... Thats just me though and we have kids, so that was our reasoning.

[Haoie]

Less than 17% of American adults have a passport.

 

Pretty darn low by anyone's count.

[stargate fan]

The issues I've read on this board about people with their birth certificates made me go check ours and I'm glad I did as only mine was a state issued (DH's was County issued). Now, if you are just going to come on here and complain "Don't take a cruise if you don't get a passport" don't bother, I really don't care what you think so don't bother posting :) DH and I will be pinching every penny to get on this cruise and it will probably be our only out of country vacation in 10 years so it's not worth over 200 for a couple of passports. According to the government my birth certificate works just fine.

But I did want to make sure that we had the right ones, so I did some research on cbp.gov and travel.state.gov and this was what I came up with....

1) Closed loop voyages that begin and end at the same US Port do NOT require a passport (although you should check with your cruise line to make sure none of your ports require it to regain entry onto your ship)

2)In the case of an emergency situation, you will NOT be denied entry back into the US based soley on the fact that you do not have a passport or other WHTI document. You will probably be delayed while they verify your information and identity, but they will work with you to get you home.

3)As of April 2011, there are certain requirements for a birth certificate to be used officially as identification. This is copied directly from state.travel.gov

Beginning April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State will require the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship. This will not affect applications already in-process that have been submitted or accepted before the effective date.

For more information, see 22 CFR 51.42(a).

To obtain a new birth certificate, see the CDC.

In addition to this requirement, certified copies of birth certificates must also include the following information to be considered acceptable primary evidence of U.S. citizenship:

• Full name of the applicant
  
• Date of birth
  
• Place of birth
  
• Raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal of issuing authority
  
• Registrar’s signature
  
• The date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office (must be within one year)
  

I hope this helps, DH and I do a ton of research before we cruise and have always used a birth certificate without an issue (including the time we actually forgot them which is a whole other story) but it's been about 4 years since we've cruised and I wanted to make sure we had it right. I'm going to be getting new ones and printing this info in case there's any hassle. Hope that helps!

 

I happen to agree with you. Until passports are required for closed-loop cruises, people should not be reprimanded nor criticized for using the proper identification that the cruise lines state are acceptable. I've read enough "scare" tactic" and "what if's" posts from people whose advice is unwarranted.

 

Before people jump on my back, we do have US passports (I am now a US citizen) , but only because we cruised a few months after 9/11. Being Israeli, I have olive skin and Middle Eastern features, as does our oldest son. He was only 14 at the time but looked 20. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary situation when we traveled.

 

moesyk4, good for you for doing your research. Travel in the manner that you feel most comfortable. It's no one's place to tell you otherwise.

 

Happy cruising!

[tulsacubfan]

I happen to agree with you. Until passports are required for closed-loop cruises, people should not be reprimanded nor criticized for using the proper identification that the cruise lines state are acceptable. I've read enough "scare" tactic" and "what if's" posts from people whose advice is unwarranted.

 

Before people jump on my back, we do have US passports (I am now a US citizen) , but only because we cruised a few months after 9/11. Being Israeli, I have olive skin and Middle Eastern features, as does our oldest son. He was only 14 at the time but looked 20. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary situation when we traveled.

 

moesyk4, good for you for doing your research. Travel in the manner that you feel most comfortable. It's no one's place to tell you otherwise.

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

Well said!

[LemurCat]

I happen to agree with you. Until passports are required for closed-loop cruises, people should not be reprimanded nor criticized for using the proper identification that the cruise lines state are acceptable. I've read enough "scare" tactic" and "what if's" posts from people whose advice is unwarranted.

 

If people choose to take that risk, that's their call. People spend 90% of their time worry about things that never happen.

[moesyk4]

Thanks Stargate Fan, well said! I do find it amusing that a debate (albeit pleasant) was pretty much the focus of the thread, even though the whole point was just to educate those who are planning on taking birth certificates what is needed. We ordered our correct and updated ones earlier this week and they already arrived in the mail, with all of the correct info! We will enjoy boarding our cruise with the correct, legal form of identification and will enjoy everything about it!

Bumping so everyone else who is choosing to just use birth certificates has the correct and current info!

[PenguinLife]

The question is not just about the things you can think of, but all the ones you can't think of. A couple of years ago my wife and I were in Idaho (I was there for a business convention and my wife and I decided to fly up a few days early and see some friends that had moved to the area, etc.) On the morning of the first day of my convention my wife's father died, by getting on the phone with the airline immediately we were able to get home within about 14 hours, were able to help her mother and sisters plan the funeral, etc. if this kind of thing were to happen on a cruise without a passport we would have been stuck making the decision to get off in a port and spend a day or two (or more) trying to get a passport so we could get home, or taking the slow trip home on the ship.

[B and C Blake]

The question is not just about the things you can think of, but all the ones you can't think of. A couple of years ago my wife and I were in Idaho (I was there for a business convention and my wife and I decided to fly up a few days early and see some friends that had moved to the area, etc.) On the morning of the first day of my convention my wife's father died, by getting on the phone with the airline immediately we were able to get home within about 14 hours, were able to help her mother and sisters plan the funeral, etc. if this kind of thing were to happen on a cruise without a passport we would have been stuck making the decision to get off in a port and spend a day or two (or more) trying to get a passport so we could get home, or taking the slow trip home on the ship.

 

The slow trip home was an only option for one of my sister's. She had just embarked on her cruise when my father had passed, 15years ago.

First it took a few days to notify her and then she did not have a passport.

We had to delay the funeral until her return 2 weeks later. {She was on a 2 week cruise.}

She now has a passport as do all of us.

So, one never knows when things can happen.