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Passport card for excursions?


Elaine5715
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12 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

On a couple of excursions, it said a passport is required.   Can a passport card be used?  I have both.

If you are sailing out of and returning to Seattle, yes for excursions that drive / train across the Canadian border. If you are sailing out of Vancouver and flying into Vancouver then you need your passport.

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1 hour ago, AlanF65 said:

If you are sailing out of and returning to Seattle, yes for excursions that drive / train across the Canadian border. If you are sailing out of Vancouver and flying into Vancouver then you need your passport.

The question was "Can I use the passport card"? , not do I need a passport.

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You said you had both book and card Elaine, so perhaps Alan was covering the bases in case you might only want to bring one with you on the whole trip, not just for the day of the excursion...

 

What he said re: the cards is correct, passport cards are valid for any land or sea entry between US and Canada just like always - the fact you're on a day trip is irrelevant.

 

However, the government rules are just the minimum - you always need to check with the folks running the trip as any vendor can choose to set more stringent restrictions themselves, requiring that you have an actual passport book for example, before they are willing to allow you to travel with them. e.g. the many 'fancy' cruise lines which demand a passport for all regardless of whether the route is covered by the PVSA 'closed loop' exemptions, and for a while in 2018(?) season the Carnival lines were all demanding passports be carried before they would book you on the White Pass Railroad excursions in Skagway, even the Summit trips which don't actually cross the Canadian border (this was revealed by a Seattle local who works at the pier, they were given explicit instructions to warn folks about having passports or no trip for them - the requirement changed on the WP&YR website later in the year to remove the incredibly-stupid requirement... probably because it was costing them a crapload of cancelled excursions due to how many folks on Seattle RTs don't travel with passports at all!)

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26 minutes ago, martincath said:

You said you had both book and card Elaine, so perhaps Alan was covering the bases in case you might only want to bring one with you on the whole trip, not just for the day of the excursion...

 

What he said re: the cards is correct, passport cards are valid for any land or sea entry between US and Canada just like always - the fact you're on a day trip is irrelevant.

 

However, the government rules are just the minimum - you always need to check with the folks running the trip as any vendor can choose to set more stringent restrictions themselves, requiring that you have an actual passport book for example, before they are willing to allow you to travel with them. e.g. the many 'fancy' cruise lines which demand a passport for all regardless of whether the route is covered by the PVSA 'closed loop' exemptions, and for a while in 2018(?) season the Carnival lines were all demanding passports be carried before they would book you on the White Pass Railroad excursions in Skagway, even the Summit trips which don't actually cross the Canadian border (this was revealed by a Seattle local who works at the pier, they were given explicit instructions to warn folks about having passports or no trip for them - the requirement changed on the WP&YR website later in the year to remove the incredibly-stupid requirement... probably because it was costing them a crapload of cancelled excursions due to how many folks on Seattle RTs don't travel with passports at all!)

So, you don't know if I can use just the passport card for excursions that say passport required?

Edited by Elaine5715
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3 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

So, you don't know if I can use just the passport card for excursions that say passport required?

Nope - and literally nobody else on the boards knows either, because you have not told us who the excursion is with or where it actually goes. But I did tell you who to ask so you can find out - the excursion provider.

 

FWIW I'm 99.9% sure that a passport card will be fine - assuming it's a US passport card, and your trip is a boat or bus or train based one only going to Canada - but you could be flying to a Canadian lake on a floatplane (passport book required), have a citizenship that is not US (passport book and possibly Visa and/or an eTA), or be using a super-picky excursion provider who demands full passport books just in case you need to be e.g. flown to the nearest hospital in the event of you falling ill or getting injured, or who simply don't want to train their summer student staff more than the bare minimum so demand the same form of ID from everyone to keep things simple.

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13 minutes ago, martincath said:

Nope - and literally nobody else on the boards knows either, because you have not told us who the excursion is with or where it actually goes. But I did tell you who to ask so you can find out - the excursion provider.

 

FWIW I'm 99.9% sure that a passport card will be fine - assuming it's a US passport card, and your trip is a boat or bus or train based one only going to Canada - but you could be flying to a Canadian lake on a floatplane (passport book required), have a citizenship that is not US (passport book and possibly Visa and/or an eTA), or be using a super-picky excursion provider who demands full passport books just in case you need to be e.g. flown to the nearest hospital in the event of you falling ill or getting injured, or who simply don't want to train their summer student staff more than the bare minimum so demand the same form of ID from everyone to keep things simple.

The question was clear.  Posted in the Alaskan forum  "On a couple of excursions, it said a passport is required.   Can a passport card be used?  I have both."

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16 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

The question was clear.  Posted in the Alaskan forum  "On a couple of excursions, it said a passport is required.   Can a passport card be used?  I have both."

Then a passport is required because that's what  IT said.

 

 

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21 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

The question was clear.  Posted in the Alaskan forum  "On a couple of excursions, it said a passport is required.   Can a passport card be used?  I have both."

The question "How long is a piece of string?" is just as clear as yours Elaine - and equally unanswerable due to lacking required data.

 

I'm trying but failing to understand why you're choosing to remain in wilful ignorance and waste more time here demanding an answer, instead of simply sending an email or picking up the phone to reach out to the provider... because no matter how many people respond to say "I used a passport card on my trip no problem" unless it was the same folks operating the same tour without changing any of their procedures their experience will not help if you show up with a card and get told "Sorry, we need the book before we can let you come with us."

 

Again - passport card is a legal, legitimate, WHTI-approved method of crossing US-Canada border on land or by sea, not by air. So for any boat- or bus- or train- or car- or bike- or walking-based excursion with a provider that does not add any additional criteria it will work just fine. But without checking with YOUR provider about YOUR tour - or you confirming enough about your tour for someone on the boards here to know that they have taken that tour with that company before and used a card - it cannot be answered. And in the latter case there's still the risk that the company has changed their criteria, which wraps us back around to the K.I.S.S. solution of... ask the tour provider ;-)

 

 

Edited by martincath
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26 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

The question was clear.  Posted in the Alaskan forum  "On a couple of excursions, it said a passport is required.   Can a passport card be used?  I have both."

 

There is a simple solution to your question - if you have BOTH a passport AND a passport card, just bring both of them.  

 

DON

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Actually, the answer is quite simple. If the excursion is crossing into Canada by bus, train or boat, then a passport card is acceptable. If it is by air, then a book passport is required.

 

These are the rules under which the card is issued, so there are no gray areas.

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1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

Actually, the answer is quite simple. If the excursion is crossing into Canada by bus, train or boat, then a passport card is acceptable. If it is by air, then a book passport is required.

 

These are the rules under which the card is issued, so there are no gray areas.

thank you

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1 hour ago, martincath said:

The question "How long is a piece of string?" is just as clear as yours Elaine - and equally unanswerable due to lacking required data.

 

I'm trying but failing to understand why you're choosing to remain in wilful ignorance and waste more time here demanding an answer, instead of simply sending an email or picking up the phone to reach out to the provider... because no matter how many people respond to say "I used a passport card on my trip no problem" unless it was the same folks operating the same tour without changing any of their procedures their experience will not help if you show up with a card and get told "Sorry, we need the book before we can let you come with us."

 

Again - passport card is a legal, legitimate, WHTI-approved method of crossing US-Canada border on land or by sea, not by air. So for any boat- or bus- or train- or car- or bike- or walking-based excursion with a provider that does not add any additional criteria it will work just fine. But without checking with YOUR provider about YOUR tour - or you confirming enough about your tour for someone on the boards here to know that they have taken that tour with that company before and used a card - it cannot be answered. And in the latter case there's still the risk that the company has changed their criteria, which wraps us back around to the K.I.S.S. solution of... ask the tour provider 😉

 

 

 Kinda of hard to call Shore excursion Desk and this forum should have experienced cruisers who have been on Alaskan excursions

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2 hours ago, Guindalf said:

Actually, the answer is quite simple. If the excursion is crossing into Canada by bus, train or boat, then a passport card is acceptable. If it is by air, then a book passport is required.

 

These are the rules under which the card is issued, so there are no gray areas.

 

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

thank you

 

26 minutes ago, aurora_borealis said:

An individual provider can require a passport book even if a card would technically be enough.

Guindalf and Elaine5715...the post by aurora-borealis is correct. Even though you are legally only required to have the passport card if the border crossing is by bus, train or boat, an individual provider can still require a passport book. 

 

Even for the cruise itself there are a number of cruise lines that require all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months remaining until expiration even if a passenger can legally cruise with a passport card...or even as little as a birth certificate and photo ID.

 

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1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

 

 

Guindalf and Elaine5715...the post by aurora-borealis is correct. Even though you are legally only required to have the passport card if the border crossing is by bus, train or boat, an individual provider can still require a passport book. 

 

Even for the cruise itself there are a number of cruise lines that require all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months remaining until expiration even if a passenger can legally cruise with a passport card...or even as little as a birth certificate and photo ID.

 

 

I would challenge ANY provider that insists on more than is legally required! If it's good enough for the US (and international government, no-one has the right to insist on more - and I'd like to see evidence of cruise lines requesting it, too.

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1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

 

I would challenge ANY provider that insists on more than is legally required! If it's good enough for the US (and international government, no-one has the right to insist on more - and I'd like to see evidence of cruise lines requesting it, too.

You can challenge them all you want as you watch your tor group leave while you're still standing on the pier. When you sign up for a tour you agree to abide by their rules, and if their rules say "passport required" they're entitled to enforce that.

Off the top of my head Oceania , Regent Seven Seas and Azamara require all passengers have  a passport  , and there may be others. Here's Oceania's rule:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005404414-Do-I-need-a-passport-visa-or-special-vaccinations-

 

"Any guest traveling without proper documentation will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of cruise fare or any other travel components purchased from Oceania Cruises will be issued. Passports must be valid six months from the date of trip completion."

 

Regent Seven Seas: 

https://www.rssc.com/frequently-asked-questions/you-sail

 

"It is the policy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises to require passports for ALL travelers for all voyages, regardless of guests' nationality and ports of call and countries visited. You must obtain and carry a valid passport to board a Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessel. Passport Cards or a copy of a passport are not accepted. Passports must be valid for six months beyond the conclusion of your cruise."

 

Azamara:

https://www.azamara.com/booked-guests/before-you-board/travel-documents

 

DO I NEED A PASSPORT?

All guests traveling on any voyages starting on or after January 1, 2011 onboard Azamara Journey® and Azamara Quest® are required to carry a passport. We recommend that the passport is valid through six months after the end of the voyage and several countries will require six months validity for entry.

 

 

Edited by njhorseman
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What's the problem with just bringing the passport?????      It isn't gold and I continue to fail to see any reason not to just use it.    I always have mine with me,  and have exclusively used a passport for at least 15 years.   

 

 

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11 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

What's the problem with just bringing the passport?????      It isn't gold and I continue to fail to see any reason not to just use it.    I always have mine with me,  and have exclusively used a passport for at least 15 years.   

 

 

I think its all of the street urchins and pickpockets in Alaska and Canada. (sarcasm)  Upside-Down Face on Google Android 10.0 March 2020 Feature Drop

 

I have been carrying a passport since 1975 when I travel. I did take my passport card and passport when I drove to Seattle and did a RT and used the card on the train in Skagway.

 

Last May on a private tour to Emerald Lake the tour operator wanted a passport, there were 3-4 nationalities on the tour. I just had my passport because I flew to Vancouver.  Canadian customs boarded the "small bus" and looked at everyone's passport, on the way back US customs just waved us through.

 

 

 

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I’m surprised any of the vendors in Skagway doing tours into Canada would allow you to get by with a passport card.  If you trip on the boardwalk in Carcross and break your leg, you are going to end up in an emergency room in Whitehorse.  To get out of Whitehorse, you would pretty much have to fly, which would be impossible without a passport.

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2 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I’m surprised any of the vendors in Skagway doing tours into Canada would allow you to get by with a passport card.  If you trip on the boardwalk in Carcross and break your leg, you are going to end up in an emergency room in Whitehorse.  To get out of Whitehorse, you would pretty much have to fly, which would be impossible without a passport.

Couldn't they drive /get a ride back to Skagway, take a ferry to Juneau or Sitka and fly back to Seattle from there?

 

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On 4/19/2020 at 12:48 PM, Elaine5715 said:

So, you don't know if I can use just the passport card for excursions that say passport required?

 

The passport card is fine for land crossings from the US to Canada and back. If your excursion involves flying you will need  a passport.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/20/2020 at 1:41 PM, AlanF65 said:

I think its all of the street urchins and pickpockets in Alaska and Canada. (sarcasm)  Upside-Down Face on Google Android 10.0 March 2020 Feature Drop

 

I have been carrying a passport since 1975 when I travel. I did take my passport card and passport when I drove to Seattle and did a RT and used the card on the train in Skagway.

 

Last May on a private tour to Emerald Lake the tour operator wanted a passport, there were 3-4 nationalities on the tour. I just had my passport because I flew to Vancouver.  Canadian customs boarded the "small bus" and looked at everyone's passport, on the way back US customs just waved us through.

 

 

 

It isn't "when I travel",  I have my passport-   it's ALL the time.   Best ID for me, as no address involved.  🙂   

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On 4/21/2020 at 12:24 PM, AlanF65 said:

Couldn't they drive /get a ride back to Skagway, take a ferry to Juneau or Sitka and fly back to Seattle from there?

 

 

 

"ferry" ?  your words are strange to me. We haven't had a working ferry system for over a year. Even when functioning, Skagway didn't have daily service.

 

Sweet baby jeebus, just carry your passport. So many electrons died needlessly for this discussion.

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