Checking in: Passport vs Birth Certificate

[txhawk36]

I'm not here to debate that it's better to have a passport, I know that, I get that. I have one.

 

I am taking my sister and niece and nephews. They do not have a passport. She will have two kids in her cabin all with no passport. I will have one kid, no passport, in my cabin with 2 people with passports. So my question is regarding checkin.

 

Do I need to get in the birth certificate line since one of my roomies doesn't have a passport, or will he be able to check in with his mom even though he is in a different cabin. **He is a minor.

 

I am guessing it is the first option but wondered if anyone had any insight?

[klfrodo]

I'm not aware that there is a distinction between BC or Passport when checking in.

Your just called up to the next check in person and hand them your documents.

[Thecat3902]

My kids travel without passports even though my husband and I have one. We are able to check in all together. I don't remember it being a separate line and check in was still pretty quick. We just went on the sunshine out of port canaveral in September. We also went out on the breeze out of Miami two years ago.

[txhawk36]

Last year in January when we went it was a separate line. Maybe as long as he has his boarding pass he will be fine.

[GabbyCooks]

He will check in with whomever's Sign and Sail he is on. Makes no difference whose cabin he's in. If he's on moms sign and sail, he checks in with her. Also, I have never seen different lines. We always sail with BC and have never been sent to different line in 5 cruises.

Edited January 10, 2016 by GabbyCooks

[sparks1093]

This might be a port specific thing but I have never seen a separate line for passport and birth certificate for either checking in or debarkation.

[rufflesmom]

Galveston has separate lines for people with passports and those with only birth certificates. It was that way in May last year. I actually liked it. They scanned our passports at the security line so we only had to get our sign and sail cards. I asked and was told that they had to look at each individual birth certificate and it takes longer so they made separate lines. Getting our cards was really quick. The BC line was way longer.

[love2travel41]

Last year in January when we went it was a separate line. Maybe as long as he has his boarding pass he will be fine.

 

What would happen if parent had passport but minor child had only birth certificate?

[DebJ14]

This might be a port specific thing but I have never seen a separate line for passport and birth certificate for either checking in or debarkation.

 

Galveston has a Passport Express lane that gets you to immigration and through it much faster when you debark the ship.

Edited January 10, 2016 by DebJ14

[DebJ14]

What would happen if parent had passport but minor child had only birth certificate?

 

Well, a single parent would not be sailing on Princess under that scenario. They require the kid and parent to have a passport in case there is an emergency and someone has to debark in a foreign port.

 

In Galveston we have seen them make the passport people go in the longer birth certificate line if those they are traveling with don't have a passport.

[SadieN]

Well, a single parent would not be sailing on Princess under that scenario. They require the kid and parent to have a passport in case there is an emergency and someone has to debark in a foreign port.

 

 

 

In Galveston we have seen them make the passport people go in the longer birth certificate line if those they are traveling with don't have a passport.

 

 

Not a parent, but a friend took her granddaughter on Princess. GD only had her BC. Might have had to do with the itin -3day out of LA, only a four hour drive home.