No passport

[letsgocruisin]

Hello

I have a passport but my travel partner who is a my aunt does not. Planning on leaving New York last minute And she doesn't want to get a passport expedited. Thinking breakaway Florida Bahamas.

I would hate to go to NY to board and not be able to get on. I called ncl they told me to look online which it says birth certificate and license is ok. I guess I just need to get your advice since it is always helpful on this site. The birth certificate has a raised seal which is what she needs but here license is her old address that was changed thru the RMV online but they told her to put a new address sticker on the back.....that just worries me.

Has anyone used the birth certificate for Bahamas? I know if there is a problem she cannot fly home and she is willing to take the chance. I am a nervous Nellie about this and not sure what to do.

[Merriem]

You should always have a passport. Never know what could happen

[Director Don]

Hello

I have a passport but my travel partner who is a my aunt does not. Planning on leaving New York last minute And she doesn't want to get a passport expedited. Thinking breakaway Florida Bahamas.

I would hate to go to NY to board and not be able to get on. I called ncl they told me to look online which it says birth certificate and license is ok. I guess I just need to get your advice since it is always helpful on this site. The birth certificate has a raised seal which is what she needs but here license is her old address that was changed thru the RMV online but they told her to put a new address sticker on the back.....that just worries me.

Has anyone used the birth certificate for Bahamas? I know if there is a problem she cannot fly home and she is willing to take the chance. I am a nervous Nellie about this and not sure what to do.

 

 

As long as she's willing to take the risk.... you'll be permitted on the ship.

 

Your BC doesn't have an address on it... so worrying about the license address isn't worth the worry. I'd be more concerned about not being about to get home in a timely fashion if an emergency arises.

 

Have a great cruise to both you and your aunt!

[mariefisher]

Yes, it could be an issue if you need to get home in an emergency but the reason you can cruise without one is because the cruise industry says it would loose a lot of business. So that tells me that most don't have one. They lobbied hard for this exception. As far as driver license goes, as long as her name is the same as on the cruise documents she has no problem. But if she has changed her name through marriage ect. and it is different than her birth certificate, she needs to bring her marriage license also. This happened to my daughter in law. They refused to let her board at first but she went online and found it at the county website.

[HarpHarp]

There were many people with just BC & DL on our Breakaway cruise. This has to be one of the lowest risk cruises for getting stuck because you don't have a passport. 99% of the time, if something happened on board, you would end up in a U.S. port & your first stop is in the U.S.

Just make sure you both have proper insurance & give yourself plenty of time to reboard in Nassau.

[sparks1093]

Yes, it could be an issue if you need to get home in an emergency but the reason you can cruise without one is because the cruise industry says it would loose a lot of business. So that tells me that most don't have one. They lobbied hard for this exception. As far as driver license goes, as long as her name is the same as on the cruise documents she has no problem. But if she has changed her name through marriage ect. and it is different than her birth certificate, she needs to bring her marriage license also. This happened to my daughter in law. They refused to let her board at first but she went online and found it at the county website.

 

Actually the reason that you can cruise without one is because DHS determined that a US citizen on a closed loop cruise presents a small risk to the national security. Had that not been the finding then the exception would not exist, regardless of what any industry said. Since she had to present the marriage license in order to have her name changed on her license it is unlikely that anyone would want to see it, but as a just in case thing it's not a big deal to carry the marriage license too.

[sparks1093]

You should always have a passport. Never know what could happen

 

Travel is not a one size fits all proposition and every traveler needs to decide what travel documentation works best for them. Of course a passport affords one the maximum in flexibility and options, but for many travelers there are options. In the event something does happen the US Consulate will work to get the traveler home with as little delay as the circumstances dictate (faster if you have a medical emergency, not so fast if you miss the ship after being overserved at Senor Frogs).

[sparks1093]

Hello

I have a passport but my travel partner who is a my aunt does not. Planning on leaving New York last minute And she doesn't want to get a passport expedited. Thinking breakaway Florida Bahamas.

I would hate to go to NY to board and not be able to get on. I called ncl they told me to look online which it says birth certificate and license is ok. I guess I just need to get your advice since it is always helpful on this site. The birth certificate has a raised seal which is what she needs but here license is her old address that was changed thru the RMV online but they told her to put a new address sticker on the back.....that just worries me.

Has anyone used the birth certificate for Bahamas? I know if there is a problem she cannot fly home and she is willing to take the chance. I am a nervous Nellie about this and not sure what to do.

 

OP, we've boarded in NYC and many in our party used birth certificates and government issued IDs. The license is presented to prove identity, not residence:) so I don't think that's a big concern.

[mickev99]

You should always have a passport. Never know what could happen

 

Gotta love the non answers from people who have way too much time on their hands.

 

A BC is fine for the Bahamas. There is always the risk, but you have already acknowledged that part of it, and that wasn't the question.

 

Have a great trip!

[CapCrunch]

I'm sure having a passport is safest. But, in NY state at least, changing the address on your drivers license if you move is optional. Just throwing that out there.

[zqvol]

Hello

I have a passport but my travel partner who is a my aunt does not. Planning on leaving New York last minute And she doesn't want to get a passport expedited. Thinking breakaway Florida Bahamas.

I would hate to go to NY to board and not be able to get on. I called ncl they told me to look online which it says birth certificate and license is ok. I guess I just need to get your advice since it is always helpful on this site. The birth certificate has a raised seal which is what she needs but here license is her old address that was changed thru the RMV online but they told her to put a new address sticker on the back.....that just worries me.

Has anyone used the birth certificate for Bahamas? I know if there is a problem she cannot fly home and she is willing to take the chance. I am a nervous Nellie about this and not sure what to do.

 

As long as she has a sate issued certified copy of her BC she is fine to travel.

[EaglesWin]

As long as she has a sate issued certified copy of her BC she is fine to travel.

 

You need an acceptable government-issued picture ID as well.

[sparks1093]

As long as she has a sate issued certified copy of her BC she is fine to travel.

 

It only needs to be government issued, there are no requirements in the DHS regulations requiring them to be certified.

[hansolosmom]

You should be fine. When we go in March my sister will be using a BC & her license. Lots of people use this option.

[bobg529]

You should be fine, as everyone says, as long as there isn't an emergency and you don't get stuck in Nassau for some reason. However, please be aware that if you are a New Yorker and you are traveling after January 1st, that license you are relying on MAY be no longer acceptable for plane or cruise travel purposes. The exemption from the REAL ID law that was passed a few years back is due to expire December 31st and so far it has not been renewed. There are four states that were deemed out of compliance with the ID standards and NY is one of them. They may very well renew the exemption again, but I have a feeling that sooner or later you will HAVE to have a passport if you want to travel. Times have changed I'm afraid. :(

[njhorseman]

You should be fine, as everyone says, as long as there isn't an emergency and you don't get stuck in Nassau for some reason. However, please be aware that if you are a New Yorker and you are traveling after January 1st, that license you are relying on MAY be no longer acceptable for plane or cruise travel purposes. The exemption from the REAL ID law that was passed a few years back is due to expire December 31st and so far it has not been renewed. There are four states that were deemed out of compliance with the ID standards and NY is one of them. They may very well renew the exemption again, but I have a feeling that sooner or later you will HAVE to have a passport if you want to travel. Times have changed I'm afraid. :(

 

There is nothing in the REAL ID implementation plans that would apply the requirement to cruises. It applies to federal government installations, nuclear power plants and commercial airline flights.

 

In addition, New York's exemption was recently extended until October 10, 2016.

[letsgocruisin]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses! I love this group I got more info than I did from the call to NCL