Bermuda bound -- passport card only?

[rieann]

So I was set to help my mom, who doesn't have a passport, get one for our bermuda cruise. She's telling me that she saw information online that only a passport card would be necessary for travelers on cruises to bermuda. Is this true? That would be great, because she claims she has no interest in international travel (wants to see the whole USA first) and the card is cheaper! :) Thanks

[Flatbush Flyer]

So I was set to help my mom, who doesn't have a passport, get one for our bermuda cruise. She's telling me that she saw information online that only a passport card would be necessary for travelers on cruises to bermuda. Is this true? That would be great, because she claims she has no interest in international travel (wants to see the whole USA first) and the card is cheaper! :) Thanks

 

 

Though government(s) may not require a passport, some cruise lines (pretty much all premium and luxury lines) do (all passengers on all itineraries. Check with your chosen line.

 

 

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[zqvol]

Your mother is correct, BUT with the current administration in Washington you can't be sure that the rule will not change.

 

If she really doesn't want to get a passport there is nothing preventing her from taking a closed loop cruise to Bermuda using just her birth certificate and a photo ID.(she may need a copy of her marriage license to document her name change).

[easyboy]

Your mother is correct, BUT with the current administration in Washington you can't be sure that the rule will not change.

 

If she really doesn't want to get a passport there is nothing preventing her from taking a closed loop cruise to Bermuda using just her birth certificate and a photo ID.(she may need a copy of her marriage license to document her name change).

Very true.

[Liz54]

Very true.

 

Worth noting, that until post 9/11 You did not need a passport for travel between the US & Canada. (Canada & US Citizens) The US since then has been very insistent - for understandable security reasons - that other countries have the same stricter requirements. I believe under the current admin things are going further in the same direction. I just got a renewal of my passport for 10 years.

[spookwife]

The pp card is only good for land and sea travel. So if something should happen and she needs to fly back, there will be delays until she gets permission to fly , or they expedite a true passport.

 

Only she can determine her acceptable risk tolerance

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

The pp card is only good for land and sea travel. So if something should happen and she needs to fly back, there will be delays until she gets permission to fly , or they expedite a true passport.

 

Only she can determine her acceptable risk tolerance

 

 

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Cost of a passport is $135 vs. $55 for the card. Considering the much greater utility of the passport - for its ten year life - that extra $80 seems like a worthwhile investment.

[spookwife]

Cost of a passport is $135 vs. $55 for the card. Considering the much greater utility of the passport - for its ten year life - that extra $80 seems like a worthwhile investment.

 

agree, esp. since a PP can be used to fly domestically but a PP card cannot be.

[TruckerDave]

agree, esp. since a PP can be used to fly domestically but a PP card cannot be.

 

mmmmmmm, since when? I've used mine to fly domestically many times. It is an offical id issued by the US Govt.

[cherylandtk]

So I was set to help my mom, who doesn't have a passport, get one for our bermuda cruise. She's telling me that she saw information online that only a passport card would be necessary for travelers on cruises to bermuda. Is this true? That would be great, because she claims she has no interest in international travel (wants to see the whole USA first) and the card is cheaper! :) Thanks

Rieann, If your mother does not want to spend the money for a passport, she can cruise with just her proof of citizenship (usually a BC) and ID. Depending on the cruiseline, she could need additional documentation, but that is the general US rule for a Bahamas cruise. There are many good reasons for getting a passport, but if your Mom does not want one and accepts the slight risks...then she can travel with just the WHTI documentation.

[Hlitner]

mmmmmmm, since when? I've used mine to fly domestically many times. It is an offical id issued by the US Govt.

 

Its fine for a government ID card. But worthless if the OP had an emergency and had to fly home from Bermuda.

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

Your mother is correct, BUT with the current administration in Washington you can't be sure that the rule will not change.

 

If she really doesn't want to get a passport there is nothing preventing her from taking a closed loop cruise to Bermuda using just her birth certificate and a photo ID.(she may need a copy of her marriage license to document her name change).

 

 

As aforementioned, the cruise line may have its own different requirements and OP should check that out. Better still, just get a real passport.

 

 

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[msmayor]

My understanding is that while the passport card is fine for a government issued photo ID, its real value to those in the US is for land travel to/from Canada when one doesn't have or doesn't want to spend the extra on a passport.

 

I'd liken it more to a 'fancy upgraded birth certificate' if you spend the money on it for a cruise to Bermuda, or any other outside-the-US location. It will be fine to get you on the ship and through customs once back just like a birth certificate, but it won't help you like a passport will if you need to fly home.

[cb at sea]

She will be fine with the passport card and DL for her Bermuda trip.

[TruckerDave]

Its fine for a government ID card. But worthless if the OP had an emergency and had to fly home from Bermuda.

 

Hank

 

That is not what I was talking about. The post I quoted said it couldn't be used for domestic flying.

[navybankerteacher]

She will be fine with the passport card and DL for her Bermuda trip.

 

Right, "fine" for a guaranteed problem-free cruise to Bermuda. But for the same hassle and a little more money going for a passport, she would then be "fine" if any problem did arise - or if any future travel opportunity arose.

 

It is hard to understand the reluctance of people to do any more than the very minimum for the very short term.

[rieann]

Thank you all for your responses! We are cruising celebrity, and I just called to confirm. They say an original birth certificate and drivers license will suffice :o

Edited February 5, 2017 by rieann

[zqvol]

Its fine for a government ID card. But worthless if the OP had an emergency and had to fly home from Bermuda.

 

Hank

 

Right, but the post you quoted was in response to a post that siad you could not use it to fly DOMESTICALLY.

[Hlitner]

She will be fine with the passport card and DL for her Bermuda trip.

 

Perhaps not. Most likely she will be denied boarding by the cruise line. The check-in procedure is done by cruise line employees and port contractors and they do not have the ability to make exceptions or levy fines. If you do not have the proper documents they either deny you boarding or try to find a CBP Official who might make an exception. But in our experience at multiple ports, if you do not meet the letter of the document requirements the staff simply will not allow you to board. We have also seen folks denied boarding (on closed loop cruises) because their Birth Certificates did not meet the specific requirements of the government.

 

Hank

[sail7seas]

The termiaql where we check in is the same terminal l (OR ANOTHER LIKE IT) at the the end of our cruise, orone like it.. They are the ones who clear all guests in gthe morning berfore we are able to board the new group. Those CBP offdicials are consulted vy check in personel when they question if ID presented is sufficientrr.. there is no check in without an o;ffficial presednt in Port Everglades terminal.

[nightfire]

You can absolutely use the passport card to fly domestically. It's a federal I.D. You can absolutely use the passport card to embark on a Caribbean cruise or a cruise to Bermuda. Like others have said, the problem comes into play if the OP has to fly back from Bermuda with only a passport card. I second the other poster who related that this is a factor of her risk tolerance. If something goes awry and they need to fly back, the $80 savings for the passport card isn't really worth the hassle, in my opinion. Chances are she will be perfectly fine using only the card. But in the event something goes wrong...

[MrsPete]

So I was set to help my mom, who doesn't have a passport, get one for our bermuda cruise. She's telling me that she saw information online that only a passport card would be necessary for travelers on cruises to bermuda. Is this true? That would be great, because she claims she has no interest in international travel (wants to see the whole USA first) and the card is cheaper! :) Thanks

No need. She can cruise to Bermuda with her birth certificate and driver's license, which I assume she already has. Since the passport card gives her no benefit above those already-owned items, you really can't justify the $55 cost -- if your only need is for cruising.

 

mmmmmmm, since when? I've used mine to fly domestically many times. It is an offical id issued by the US Govt.

Clarification: An adult needs a government-issued ID to fly within the US, but a driver's license (which you probably already have) works just as well as a passport card.

 

Your mother is correct, BUT with the current administration in Washington you can't be sure that the rule will not change.

Yes, changes could happen, but -- if they do -- you'll have enough warning. You can complain about the "current administration", but remember that changes like you say you fear have to go through multiple committees and votes (remember SchoolHouse Rock? "I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill, but it's a long, long way ..."). Such a thing isn't going to happen with a week's notice, and it would be all over the news. None of us will ever go to the terminal and hear the words, "A change was made last night, and now you can't cruise."

[sparks1093]

OP, It sounds like your mom has a good handle on what her travel needs are so if she wanted to just get the passport card she could and that does have the advantage of putting all of her information in the State Department system in the event she needs their assistance getting home. The passport is the gold standard but not everyone needs gold. I don't see the regulations changing any time soon although anything is possible in theory. Later on after she has seen the US if she decides she wants to branch out and see some of the world there is plenty of time to obtain a passport.

[navybankerteacher]

OP, It sounds like your mom has a good handle on what her travel needs are so if she wanted to just get the passport card she could and that does have the advantage of putting all of her information in the State Department system in the event she needs their assistance getting home. The passport is the gold standard but not everyone needs gold. I don't see the regulations changing any time soon although anything is possible in theory. Later on after she has seen the US if she decides she wants to branch out and see some of the world there is plenty of time to obtain a passport.

 

Yes, "The passport is the gold standard..." as you say, so why bother with the gold-plated substitute for just a bit less money -- but the same hassle? And, if one does decide to "branch out and see some of the world", it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to have gone for the gold standard up front.

[sparks1093]

Yes, "The passport is the gold standard..." as you say, so why bother with the gold-plated substitute for just a bit less money -- but the same hassle? And, if one does decide to "branch out and see some of the world", it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to have gone for the gold standard up front.

 

And if you get the gold standard up front and never travel with it? If you want to spend money that you don't need to spend on something that you don't need that's your personal choice, others will decide not to. We all make decisions differently and what works for you doesn't work for someone else. I know many people in my community that use EDLs or passport cards to cross the border that is 8 miles from my front door. It's the only travel they are ever likely to do so why would they want to spend money on a passport, or why would they need to? As I keep pointing out (and will continue to point out) everyone's travel needs are different and they should use the documentation that best meets their needs.