Passport for your infant/toddler?

[Vericurious18]

We are US citizens, leaving from Port Canaveral on Xmas day 2011 to the Bahamas. My passport expired (just realized now! DOH!) Will get it renewed just in case (I'll be about 21 weeks pregnant on the cruise). DS is 2 yo. Carnival said that none of us will need a valid passport to sail. DS can sail with a Birth Cert. And I can still sail with an expired passport within 10 years of expiration.

 

Passport website said Routine Renewal right now will take 4-6 weeks we are about 6 weeks away from our cruise.

 

2 Questions:

• Should I pay the extra $60 to expedite my passport?
  
• Should I bother getting DS a passport?
  

[6rugrats]

1. You'll have to decide this. No one hear knows how long it will take you to get your passport back. How lucky do you feel?

 

2. If somethings happens to you, and you have to fly back, who will take care of your son? He won't be able immediately come back with you if he doesn't have a passport, as he needs one to fly back to the US.

[cb at sea]

I wouldn't....your BC's will be fine (along with DL for adults over 16).

 

You CAN get back to the States without a passport....might be a hassle, but you will NOT be stuck in a foreign country....they won't allow that! You'll get home....no worries.

[6rugrats]

You CAN get back to the States without a passport....might be a hassle, but you will NOT be stuck in a foreign country....they won't allow that!

 

No one said you couldn't eventually get back. I would hardly advise:

....no worries

 

I would have a lot of worries if I had a serious medical problem/injury and needed to get back home for treatment, and I had to wait for my two year old to be issued a passport, which could take several days.

[cherylandtk]

I would add my two cents. YES, renew your passport, it is really fast right now and...

an expired passport is proof only of citizenship, not ID, so you will also need a current valid ID in the same name and it is NOT sufficient to fly home with.

 

My full advice would be to also get a passport for your child, just in case you all have a need to return home by air.

[mymollysue]

I would renew your passport and I would get a passport for your child.

[Mariela]

We are sailing in the Adventure from San Juan on 11/20/2011, with a 2 yo and we issued a passport for her and used the expedited service since we left it for the last minute, as usual :-). We live in NY, the US passport expedited service office for this area is located in PA. It took exactly two weeks to process. We didn't want to travel without it, since you never know what can happen.

[Keith1010]

Renew your passport and expedite it and get the DS a passport.

 

You are pregnant. Should you need to fly back having the passports will be very helpful.

 

To me it is money well spent.

 

Keith

[Vericurious18]

Thanks everyone!! I went to get my passport photos taken, my renewal app is completed, just waiting til tomorrow to print and get it out. Took DS with me to get passport photos, he completed freaked out...refused, cried, the lady even offered a lollipop (which he took) but still refused regardless of the usual tricks and coaxing. We will try another place like CVS...maybe it'll look less scary...he said he was scared...maybe it reminded him of the ER X-rays?

[Maryscooking]

Aww...the best I ever got DD to do was a kind of pouty face. I bet the next time you try it, he'll be more accustomed to it. I think we went to CVS, and there the woman just used a hand-held digital camera to take the pic. Probably less scary than a big x-ray looking camera.

[Vericurious18]

Yeah, we went to some local mom/pop photo shop where they took "pro" passport pics, with screens, umbrellas, studio lights, fancy cameras, room was a little dark and old (mom/pop shop). He was NOT having any of it! I have until Thursday when I take his application to an accepting facility to take this darn picture!

 

He's typically pretty easy going so this really surprised me...

[reallyitsmema]

Renew it but I wouldn't bother to expedite. This person just got theirs in 12 days.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1511878

[Vericurious18]

Thanks for that thread!!! Great to hear about all the others' experiences!

[notentirelynormal]

Costco does it as well. Make it a shopping trip and then just have him step over next to the picture department. They are one of the cheapest places to get it done too.

[Onessa]

Our DD has always had a passport - it is great if you find a "last minute" deal on a cruise, or plane ticket, or whatever. We flew to Milano for about a week when she was 4.5YO because the tickets were considerably less than to fly to Seattle in the same timeframe.

 

DS will take the passport pic, don't worry. Pick a day/time when he's in a particularly good mood and then make it a low-key/low-drama trip to CVS or someplace else where there are other things that you normally do.

 

Have a great trip (and a safe pregnancy)

[Vericurious18]

Just wanted to update folks that I dropped of DS's passport application on Thursday before Veterns Day Friday, and his passport was in our hands this past Saturday- 8 days later! It was his first passport, we did routine processing.

 

I, on the other hand, am still waiting for my renewal-which was sent out a few days before his....

[ToddlerMom]

We received DD's passport in about 8 days too. We did routine processing as well. I was shocked it came so quickly.

[sorvillo]

Thanks for your reply.

[Vericurious18]

Final update! Got my renewal passport early last week. It took just about 2-3 weeks. Did routine, but express mailed it to and from. Impressed!