new closed loop cruise rules?

[RTRMom]

This makes me laugh every time I read it. We have cruised 10 times with out a passport and 2 times with. I have yet to find it to be easier or simpler with a passport over the DL and BC....but then I never had an issue with just our BC and DL :rolleyes:. I did witness one time when we were traveling as a family of 4 with our BC and DL that the couple in front of us with passports took 2x as long as we did to get through customs....

 

It makes me laugh to see how passports are such a touchy subject. Does it really matter? Just do what is best for you.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

This makes me laugh every time I read it. We have cruised 10 times with out a passport and 2 times with. I have yet to find it to be easier or simpler with a passport over the DL and BC....but then I never had an issue with just our BC and DL :rolleyes:. I did witness one time when we were traveling as a family of 4 with our BC and DL that the couple in front of us with passports took 2x as long as we did to get through customs....

 

And it's so nice to have my own opinion....just like you have yours. Why the jab?

 

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Forums mobile app

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

This makes me laugh every time I read it. We have cruised 10 times with out a passport and 2 times with. I have yet to find it to be easier or simpler with a passport over the DL and BC....but then I never had an issue with just our BC and DL :rolleyes:. I did witness one time when we were traveling as a family of 4 with our BC and DL that the couple in front of us with passports took 2x as long as we did to get through customs....

 

And you were privy to the discussions...maybe the passport folks had things to declare. Your statement is a pretty big generalization.

 

And since you now have to have a passport to fly out of the country is just makes sense for seasoned travelers to have one.

 

Also, no address on a passport or social security number so if you give it as ID with a credit card folks don't have access to your personal info.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Sweet Dutch Girl

[InTheWASide]

Hey all... Wife and I cruise just with ids/birth certificate. Just making sure rules haven't changed and that's ok? Were cruising Feb 28th on Breeze.

 

You'll be fine and I know this wasn't exactly your question, but a passport just makes everything so much easier that it is strongly worth considering. Any issues about last name change from birth to wedding are already handled because that would have been needed at the passport application... passports are good for 10 years, much longer than most state's ID cards, passports are standardized and anyone anywhere in any port knows what to look for and where it is vs ID's that vary completely from state to state. And birth certificates are very easily damaged, worn, torn, can be so very very different from one decade to the next, if it was folded parts may be unreadable, etc.

 

Unless there is another circumstance going on where a passport is not POSSIBLE for some reason, I would highly recommend it. The fee for the passport more than makes up for it in the convenience spectrum... not to mention if there's ever an emergency or an issue with the ship you cannot FLY internationally with a photo ID and birth certificate... EVER

[Freckle53]

You're good. And you might even be good if you're an idiot and pack your family's birth certificates in your luggage and set it out in the hallway then night before and therefore don't have them when you go through customs for debarkation. Not that I've done that or anything. :)

[Warm Breezes]

And it's so nice to have my own opinion....just like you have yours. Why the jab?

 

Sent from my SPH-L720T using Forums mobile app

 

And you were privy to the discussions...maybe the passport folks had things to declare. Your statement is a pretty big generalization.

 

And since you now have to have a passport to fly out of the country is just makes sense for seasoned travelers to have one.

 

Also, no address on a passport or social security number so if you give it as ID with a credit card folks don't have access to your personal info.

 

Wow did I touch a nerve. First of all I wasn't jabbing at anyone. I was pointing out that my experience has not supported your opinion. Second no I wasn't privy to their discussion. I was just stating the facts as I saw them...we got through customs 2x faster with 4 people with BC and DL than the 2 people ahead of us with passports. Take it for what you will. And yes it does make since for a seasoned traveler to have a passport if they need it for travel other than a closed loop cruise. Lighten up people....I wasn't attacking you, I was stating my experience traveling with and without a passport and the statement that it is easier or simpler to cruise with one just has not been true for me.

[sparks1093]

Fact is millions of people cruise every year on closed loop cruises without passports and without a problem. Make the choice that meets your individual travel needs. This is a personal decision that should affect no one else.