Passport Card

[a,j,&fam]

I will be on the Carnival Dream May 1 2010 western Carribean. Many people have told I will need a passport, some people have told me that I be fine with the passport card that is also cheaper. I was want to know. Do I have to have a passport, and if so will the passport card work

[Essiesmom]

Passport card will work, but so will your birth certificate and photo ID. So, why spend the money for a card that wouldn't do any more for you than your BC and Photo ID if you miss the ship or have an emergency and have to fly home. Either get a full passport or save your money. EM

[yst347]

I see it the same as EM, get a real passport or save the money and use your BC & DL.

[patseacruiser]

The reason you would need a passport on a closed loop cruise is if there were an emergency that would necessitate you flying home where you must have a passport on an international flight. They do not accept passport cards. So the posters are right - either spend the money and get a real passport or use your state issued birth certificate AND picture i.d. drivers license.

[Miss Dot]

The above posts have fully answered your question. Or, you can purchase the package deal with the passport & passport card if you are going to be traveling a lot.

[crazcane05]

I have the passport card. I prefer it because I do not want to have to carry my official birth certif. with me. it is worth the money for me, and works for all closed loop cruises. If there is an emergency it is also much easier to get an emergency passport home if you already have a passport card as opposed to a birth certif and ID only.....

[zqvol]

I will be on the Carnival Dream May 1 2010 western Carribean. Many people have told I will need a passport, some people have told me that I be fine with the passport card that is also cheaper. I was want to know. Do I have to have a passport, and if so will the passport card work

 

Don't waste your money on the Passport card. It is designed for people who cross the Canadian and Mexican borders on an almost daily basis. Yes, it works for cruises, but so do a certified birth certificate and a DL.

 

The card will not work for any other foreign travel.

[zqvol]

I have the passport card. I prefer it because I do not want to have to carry my official birth certif. with me. it is worth the money for me, and works for all closed loop cruises. If there is an emergency it is also much easier to get an emergency passport home if you already have a passport card as opposed to a birth certif and ID only.....

 

The card will not make it any easier to get home in the case of an emergency than will a BC and DL. The Embassy or Consulate will take care of you the same either way and will charge you the exact same amount as if you got your passport from the comfort of your hometown.

[vacruizer]

The card will not make it any easier to get home in the case of an emergency than will a BC and DL. The Embassy or Consulate will take care of you the same either way and will charge you the exact same amount as if you got your passport from the comfort of your hometown.

 

 

And should you miss your ship, the passport card does not allow you to fly to a foreign port to catch the ship.

 

I'm with everyone above, either save your money and stick with the birth certificate/DL or get a full passport.

 

For me personally, I won't travel without my passport. We had flight delays a few years ago and almost did miss the ship - we were very glad to have both passports and travel insurance when we were looking at having to fly to Cozumel to meet the ship.

[southbayer]

So do we, or don't we need to have passports when cruising ?? I thought there was a couple extentions given already, and now its a must, to have a passport.

But I read peeps are saying even today, that a birth certificate and Driver License is enough.

Also, what is a "closed looped" cruise, and how does it pertain to this ?

Who can I believe ?????

thanks

[Gayle V]

So do we, or don't we need to have passports when cruising ?? I thought there was a couple extentions given already, and now its a must, to have a passport.

But I read peeps are saying even today, that a birth certificate and Driver License is enough.

Also, what is a "closed looped" cruise, and how does it pertain to this ?

Who can I believe ?????

thanks

 

Hello southbayer, The extentions are over. The final decision (or at least until they start issuing new rules again) is that you can do the close loop to the Caribbean with the Birth cert. and driver's license. Closed loop means the ship starts and ends in the same city. Starting in Miami, and ending in Miami is OK. Starting in Boston and ending in Miami is not.

[chasinraynbowz]

If its a closed loop cruise (beginning and ending at the same port), NO you do not need a passport. A birth certificate and DL will suffice.

[Gayle V]

If you are interested enough to read all this: Here's what Carnival's web site has to say on the matter.

 

Travel Documentation

 

TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION - all ports

 

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using FUNPASS' date=' it is still the responsibility of the guest to bring all required travel documents. Guest should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of immigration requirements.

 

Recent guidance received from the Department of Homeland Security indicates the documentary requirements under WHTI for “closed loop” cruises are not limited to cruises that travel only to contiguous territories or adjacent islands. This means U.S. citizens calling on ports in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Belize will also be exempt from the passport requirement.

 

U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

 

Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Having a passport will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.

 

If a cruise begins and ends in different U.S. ports or begins and ends in a foreign port (such as our Alaska cruises and Hawaii cruises) a valid passport or other recognized WHTI-compliant document is required. A valid passport is required if you are traveling on any of our Europe cruises.

 

For more information, a complete list of WHTI-compliant documents or to obtain a passport application, visit http://www.travel.state.gov.

 

U.S. Alien Residents need a valid Alien Resident Card, Non-U.S. citizens need a valid passport and a valid, unexpired U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa, if applicable.

 

AIR TRAVEL

 

Passports are required for air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda. This will impact all guests traveling by air to embark or debark in Vancouver for our Alaska or Hawaii cruises; and our Canadian guests that travel by air to or from any of our U.S. embarkation ports. This will also enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation and allow guests that must debark the ship before their cruise ends to fly back to the U.S without significant delays and complications.

Guest names on travel documents (passport, Alien Resident Card, birth certificate, etc.) must be identical to those on the cruise and airline tickets. Otherwise, proof of name change (e.g., a marriage license) or a valid driver's license (or other government-issued photo ID) must be presented.

 

On occasion, non-U.S. citizens and U.S. Alien Residents may be asked to surrender their passport and/or Alien Resident Card at time of embarkation. These documents will be returned upon completion of the Immigration inspection at the time of debarkation. Non-U.S. citizens that are eligible to apply for admission under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program, must still have a valid unexpired passport. U.S. State Department regulations require all guests traveling from visa-waiver countries be in possession of a machine-readable passport that includes a biometric identifier - e.g., embedded digital photograph. Otherwise, guests will be required to obtain a U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa. Guests without proper identification may be refused boarding or entry into the United States.

 

For Europe and Transatlantic cruises, U.S. citizens must have a valid passport. Alien Residents and all other non-U.S. citizens are advised to check with their travel agent or appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents. Certain foreign nationals will be required to obtain a Schengen Visa and/or Croatian Visa.

 

For sailings to Canadian ports of call, certain foreign nationals must obtain a Canadian visa in addition to the U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa. Non-U.S. citizens must contact the appropriate consulates, U.S. Embassy and U.S. Immigration office to inquire about necessary travel documentation.

For sailings to Bermuda, U.S. Alien Residents must present their valid Alien Resident Card in addition to their passport or birth certificate from country of origin. These documents will be returned upon completion of the Immigration inspection.

To debark for more than 24 hours in Mexico, guests must have obtained a Mexican Tourist Card from either a travel agent or a Mexican consulate prior to their departure.

 

When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico..[/quote']

[Gayle V]

One more thing, just FYI most of those fancy baby-footprint hospital issued birth certificates are no longer good enough (not for cruising and not for applying for a passport) It must be official government isssued. So if you need the passport, be certain you have enough time to send for a certified copy of the birth certificate AND then send it in to get the passport. (The people at the post office can tell you if the BC you have is official.)

 

(BTW, If you are ordering an official copy of the birth certificate I always recommend ordering two copies. You never know when you might need the the second one. For instance: if the passport doesn't arrive in time.)

[crazcane05]

The card will not make it any easier to get home in the case of an emergency than will a BC and DL. The Embassy or Consulate will take care of you the same either way and will charge you the exact same amount as if you got your passport from the comfort of your hometown.

 

It may not be cheaper, but it would be a quicker and easier process. With a passport card they have already done all the background checks, etc., that are needed in order to get a passport. That is the most time consuming part of the process. I am a little biased though. I look at getting a passport, as opposed to a passport card, as a form of insurance....since we will only need a passport in case of emergency. I hate how insurance is such an empty money pit! :mad: I play the odds, and the odds are you wont have an emergency....so I saved my money. They only reason I even got the card was because I have an out of state BC and did not want to deal with getting a new one if I was to lose it or something. But if you ever plan on flying for vacation then you should just spring for the book! Just my opinion though! :)

[cherylandtk]

So do we, or don't we need to have passports when cruising ?? I thought there was a couple extentions given already, and now its a must, to have a passport.

 

But I read peeps are saying even today, that a birth certificate and Driver License is enough.

 

Also, what is a "closed looped" cruise, and how does it pertain to this ?

 

Who can I believe ?????

 

thanks

Last but not least, here is the US government official site. Be sure to click through to the special populations section:

 

www.getyouhome.gov

[Keithww]

I'm in Texas, so I travel to Mexico at land border crossings more than most people, but far less than people that live 100 miles closer, and I still use my full passport. I am getting a passport card to make life easier at the crossings, and to give me a back up. I figure that with both if I keep them separate I have some backup. I will take both when I travel out of the western hemisphere on the theory that the card will make a replacement passport easier to get.

[maxamuus]

Spend the exta money and get a REAL passport. 50 bucks over ten years is 5 dollars. You might want to go to Europe or do a oneway cruise or something. Trust me its worth the extra money to get a REAL passport.

[amybeth4]

Spend the exta money and get a REAL passport. 50 bucks over ten years is 5 dollars. You might want to go to Europe or do a oneway cruise or something. Trust me its worth the extra money to get a REAL passport.

 

A new passport is $100, not $50. So if there are two of them, you're talking an additional $200 that they have to lay out right now, on top of the cost of the cruise. To some people, that's not so easy. The $10/year justification is great if you could pay the $100 off in ten E-Z installments...

[Ambrosia64]

Actually costs more than from the comfort of your own home - first the cost of hotels and expenses while you wait for a passport, and the expedite fees on taht emergency passport.

 

The card will not make it any easier to get home in the case of an emergency than will a BC and DL. The Embassy or Consulate will take care of you the same either way and will charge you the exact same amount as if you got your passport from the comfort of your hometown.

[yst347]

A new passport is $100, not $50. So if there are two of them, you're talking an additional $200 that they have to lay out right now, on top of the cost of the cruise. To some people, that's not so easy. The $10/year justification is great if you could pay the $100 off in ten E-Z installments...

 

Spend the exta money and get a REAL passport. 50 bucks over ten years is 5 dollars

 

The $50 is the difference between the cost of a passport card and a passport, the extra money.

[cherylandtk]

and the expedite fees on taht emergency passport.

Consulates do not charge expedite fees for US citizens obtaining passports in an emergency.

[yst347]

Consulates do not charge expedite fees for US citizens obtaining passports in an emergency.

 

My understanding is that passport holders are not charged expedite fees in the case of a lost, stolen or mutilated passport. The fees have in the past been assessed for people who have never held a passport. If you are sure this has changed I would be interested to see the notice. I couldn't find it on the State Department website though I admit that doesn't really mean much. :D

[cherylandtk]

They were not charged to the Cortes family (removed from the RCCL ship with the sick baby last year; they had BC, but no passports) but passports were provided in less than two days. There is a LOT of leeway in this area depending on the particular emergency, but it is pretty hard to pin down a specific answer; seems it all falls under their 'discretion' and is not a printed policy.

 

You might find this page interesting; it does not address fees per se, but it gives a good idea of that discretionary power in this area:

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/tools/fud.html

[yst347]

Interesting story...thanks. :) I think though, it would be more accurate to say that consulates may waive extra fees rather than don't charge extra fees. Often consulates will only issue temporary documents if they have questions about the applicant. These documents can be upgraded later to actual documents once any flagged issues are resolved.