Passport Card?

[CruiseRook91]

So we've picked our ship and booked everything on the Majest OTS. I have a passport but my girlfriend says she has a "passport card" for cruising. I have never heard of this and I don't see anything on the RCI website about this. Does anyone have any insite?

 

Thanks,

 

Sam

[Shawninrye]

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

 

Very popular on border states such as Michigan.

[thinfool]

As long as you are on a closed loop cruise from a US port you are good.

[Langoustine]

As long as you are on a closed loop cruise from a US port you are good.

 

Unless she gets injured or gets sick, and has to fly home, in which case she's not good.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Langoustine

[thinfool]

Unless she gets injured or gets sick, and has to fly home, in which case she's not good.

 

No, she'll get home. Maybe a hoop or two, but she'll make it.

[OCruisers]

While always best to have the Passport Book, just having a Passport Card should work fine for your cruise.

Look forward to having a GREAT time! :D

[Boo's Mom]

You won't be able to fly internationally with the passport card.

 

If something happens to you or your travel companion(s), you won't be able to fly home.

 

Or if there is an emergency at home, you won't be able to fly home.

[Sauer-kraut]

You won't be able to fly internationally with the passport card.

 

If something happens to you or your travel companion(s)' date=' you won't be able to fly home.

 

Or if there is an emergency at home, you won't be able to fly home.[/quote']

 

Yes they will -- it might take a bit more work but that is why there is a U.S. Consulate to help facilitate travel home if "something happens". Any U.S. citizen will not be stranded unable to ever return home, they just won't be able to get the first flight out.

[Cuizer2]

I've used my passport card on a repo cruise, both when leaving New Jersey and when arriving in Orlando. The people doing the checking don't seem to know the difference.

 

If something requires that she fly home, the passport card will make it easier then if she didn't have it (it is proof of citizenship). A passport is best, but the passport card is easier to carry and can get wet without any issues.

[Mary Ellen]

Yes they will -- it might take a bit more work but that is why there is a U.S. Consulate to help facilitate travel home if "something happens". Any U.S. citizen will not be stranded unable to ever return home, they just won't be able to get the first flight out.

 

Yes, they will get back home -- eventually. You may be surprised to see how few U.S. Embassies, Consulates, or even Diplomatic Missions there are in the Caribbean. :rolleyes: http://www.usembassy.gov/wha.html

[Shorex]

IF:

 

this is one those cruises (closed loop on RCI among most but not all cruise lines) and she is one of those people for whom a birth certificate and government issued photo ID suffice for identification

 

THEN:

 

a passport card satisfies both those requirements

 

BUT:

 

when an exceptional circumstance comes into play

 

THEN:

 

a passport would smooth the process to get home

[navybankerteacher]

Yes, they will get back home -- eventually. You may be surprised to see how few U.S. Embassies, Consulates, or even Diplomatic Missions there are in the Caribbean. :rolleyes: http://www.usembassy.gov/wha.html

 

Very helpful advice - it is amazing how many ignorant people there are who believe getting stranded without a passport would be no problem:

 

"Just go to the U S Consulate and they will get you home."

 

Right - of course if you were in St. Maarten, the U S consulate you should go to is in Curaçao.

 

Oops.

[GottaKnowWhen]

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. ...Very popular on border states such as Michigan.

 

 

I can't see any use for a passport card. I have an enhanced driver's license and it does everything the passport card could do. One less thing to carry. But for the OP, I wouldn't sweat it for a trip in the near future. Longer term get passports for both of you so you are not restricted and can take impulse vacations. Enjoy!

[jlz62]

My boyfriend and I have both. He is a truck driver and goes into Canada often so he cannot be without one or the other. His passport will expire a year before his passport card.

 

I have both because my company allowed me to get the passport card the last time I renewed. It is just easier when crossing the border in a car or boat.

 

For our trip we plan to take both. We need the passport because we are flying to Vancouver, we will take the passport card because one of the excursions crosses back into Canada and it will just be easier to carry.

[paul929207]

The passport card will work fine as long as everything goes as planned.

 

However, if she needs to fly home for any reason (missed the ship, illness to her or you, illness or death of a family member at home, etc.). She will have to contact a US embassy or Consulate and apply for a passport. There may not be an embassy on the island where she is. When she completes the forms and submits them, the person processing the request may not see the same priority as your friend does. It can take a week or two to process. In the mean time, she will be paying for hotel, meals, etc.

[Noledad77]

We're sailing in August and I've heard conflicting stories - passport, passport card, birth certificate...

We have 4 kids, 2 are teenagers and one is close... so we bit the bullet and bought passports for all of us. Maybe we won't use them but the one time, maybe we'll be hooked on cruising after August. Either way, I'm glad we went the safer of the two routes. I think it falls under the "better to have and not need than need and not have" rule.

[paul929207]

We're sailing in August and I've heard conflicting stories - passport, passport card, birth certificate...

We have 4 kids, 2 are teenagers and one is close... so we bit the bullet and bought passports for all of us. Maybe we won't use them but the one time, maybe we'll be hooked on cruising after August. Either way, I'm glad we went the safer of the two routes. I think it falls under the "better to have and not need than need and not have" rule.

Good choice. Hopefully you will not need the, but I hate to think of the hassles trying to get 6 in another country

[sparks1093]

So we've picked our ship and booked everything on the Majest OTS. I have a passport but my girlfriend says she has a "passport card" for cruising. I have never heard of this and I don't see anything on the RCI website about this. Does anyone have any insite?

 

Thanks,

 

Sam

 

As mentioned a passport card will do the trick as long as everything goes as planned. There are provisions in the regulations that apply to get US citizens home in emergencies and for humanitarian reasons. If one ends up missing the ship or departing the ship early their first stop for information should be the cruise line port agent who will have critical information regarding whom to contact whether or not there is an embassy or consulate at the port. As always if anyone is concerned about any delay in getting home then they should choose the passport as their documentation.

[Ztras]

I always bring both. The passport stays on the ship, in the safe. The card is in my wallet. Since it is waterproof (obviously) it is great for snorkeling and other small boat things. I feel odd being off the ship, out of the US, without some document. (My state doesn't have enhanced DLs.)

[Dancer Bob]

On the Saving Money board, there's a thread about klfhngr missing the ship in the Caribbean. Worth reading.

I also have an Enhanced Driver Licence I use as a compromise. It's easier to carry, I don't have to remember which ports require photo ID and I have some last-resort options if need be.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Dancer Bob

[Yuzah]

I have only used my passport card once and to be honest I would not advice you to travel with just that and without the passport. There are risks and IF something terrible happens and you have to return immediately then this card won't be of much help to you.

[NMLady]

I can't see any use for a passport card. I have an enhanced driver's license and it does everything the passport card could do. One less thing to carry. .... Enjoy!

 

Not all states, including some near international borders, have enhanced drivers license. I live in NM which does not have enhanced drivers license. We live just 30 miles from Mexican border so a passport card is perfect for us since it fits in wallet. We don't have to carry our passports with us all the time for spontaneous trip across border for lunch or to visit friends.

[southnam]

I honestly would not risk it may in case and get the passport. My 2 cents..

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[notentirelynormal]

When I renewed my passport last time I got both. I'm not sure why as I really don't need it. I mean I have my US passport, my Canadian passport, my Nexus card and now my passport card. I think I'm covered.

 

I had a friend that got his to use as ID instead of showing his DL so that people didn't know his home address. With his line of business it was a good thing they didn't know where he lived.

[Noledad77]

Well, I was hoping it was true and as it turns out, it is. We filed for our passports on June 1st and got them in the mail on June 20th. My biggest suggestion would be to fill out the paperwork online (.pdf format from travel.state.gov) and print them out. Most places will charge $10 for each picture. Our county's Clerk of Courts office allowed us to pay their fee plus the picture fee together and then we had to pay for each passport individually. It really hurt to go and pay all that money at once (6 passports...) but it'll be worth it if we decide to go to Canada or abroad somewhere.

I definitely recommend the full passport, now that the process is complete for us.

T-minus 29 days!!!