Carnival Check-In Birth Certificate Question

[Hottiesatsea]

Leaving on the Inspiration this Saturday and was looking at our documents earlier... We have been slack and never got a passport so we both have Birth Certificates. Question is, her BC shows her maiden last name and her drivers license shows my last name. Is this a problem?

I know its a dumb question

[firefly333]

some bring their marriage license ... just in case. I dont think you will need it though or be asked to prove it.

[lostaddict]

I've brought my marriage license for the last 2 out of five cruises, just because I'd be a nervous wreck without it, but never been asked. Honestly, I think my birth certificate could have said "Jack the Ripper" this last time and they wouldn't even have noticed- all she did was give it a quick glance.
BUT, as nervous as I am, I will say better safe than sorry. It's always better to cover all of your bases before you get on the cruise.

[Hottiesatsea]

Thanks for the replies. I will get her to make sure she brings along the marriage certificate.

[SheriNtexas]

Originally Posted by Hottiesatsea

Thanks for the replies. I will get her to make sure she brings along the marriage certificate.

Make sure those birth certificates are the real deals...the ones with the raised seals!!!

[thecruisers723]

I've been on over 10 cruises, and have always brought what i thought was a birth certificate and have never ever had a problem getting on a ship. We are currently booked on the Jan 2 Carnival Victory and we decided that we wanted to finally get passports "just in case". When i went to the passport bureau, I brought all of my documents, including my birth certificate that I had always used to get on cruise ships. The passport agency did not accept it. It did had a raised seal from the state of NJ. The problem was that it was actually a "birth registration", not a birth certificate. On the top of the document, it said "birth registration certificate". The passport clerk told me that after 9/11, these were no longer acceptable. He was surprised that I had been allowed to board cruise ships with this document. Long story short... I sent away for my NJ birth certificate and then applied for my passport. I just got an email with the USPS confirmation number letting me know that my passport will be here this coming monday.

[jonbgd]

I thought we had to have Passports now to board

[lori_momof3]

Originally Posted by jonbgd

I thought we had to have Passports now to board

I thought you had to have passport after June 09 - can we still sail w/o one? Would love to know, we have a family of five and I was going to get them next week, this would save me a big chunck of change if we can still use b.cert.

[gnocchi_mommy]

You do not need them on a closed loop cruise- if your cruise starts and stops in the same AMERICAN port.

(To clarify, I mean start and end, it can stop in foreign ports but must start and end in the same US port)

[uppitycats]

Originally Posted by lori_momof3

I thought you had to have passport after June 09 - can we still sail w/o one? Would love to know, we have a family of five and I was going to get them next week, this would save me a big chunck of change if we can still use b.cert.

As somone already said, so long as it's a closed loop cruise, no, you don't need one.

Just know that not having a birth certificate confines you (and your family) to only doing closed-loop cruises....no one-way to/from Alaska (as generally these start in Vancouver, Canada), or one-way New York to Quebec, or European cruises (they start in the US, end in Europe), some Mexican and Caribbean cruises that start in the US but end up south of the US border....

in other words, any destinations where you'd have to fly back into the US, or fly from the US to a European port.

And should some emergency come up on a closed-loop cruise, and you're in a foreign port, it's pretty complicated and time-consuming to negotiate with embassies and such to get permission to fly home.

[Hottiesatsea]

Thanks for the help. Both of our BC's are the raised seal.

No passports needed for a same port embark and debark really made our minds up to book this cruise. I am not sure if this was imposed by the government or something that the cruise lines negiotiated but it was a very smart move in this economy! As one poster said it will save them a chunk of change for sure!

We know we need to get passports and will do that before our next one but it was sure nice to see that we didnt need them this time.

[cb at sea]

It's NOT a problem....no married woman's BC will show her married name. You do NOT need to bring a marriage certificate, either.

[mimgan3]

I just took 238 band and chorus students on the Fascination in March, and many of the chaperones did not have passports, and they were going to use BC. If it has a maiden name, you will in fact need a copy of your marriage license. The caveat was some of the check in agents asked for it other didn't. But I was told thru Carnival's offices, that the marriage license was a neccessity.

Mimgan

[Blackpink]

I have a friend that will be using a BC and DL for this cruise since its a last minute thing and wont have time to send off for it. Do you think she will any problem at the ports? ie. getting on and off ship, day passes at resorts, or anything that may require ID in the Bahamas?

[Kurbanfan]

Originally Posted by Hottiesatsea

Leaving on the Inspiration this Saturday and was looking at our documents earlier... We have been slack and never got a passport so we both have Birth Certificates. Question is, her BC shows her maiden last name and her drivers license shows my last name. Is this a problem?

I know its a dumb question

Not a dumb question......but the answer is no. it will not be a problem. A marriage cert is and has never been required........as long as her name on her docs match her picture id (drivers license) she is good to go!!

[Kurbanfan]

Originally Posted by Blackpink

I have a friend that will be using a BC and DL for this cruise since its a last minute thing and wont have time to send off for it. Do you think she will any problem at the ports? ie. getting on and off ship, day passes at resorts, or anything that may require ID in the Bahamas?

You only need your b.c. or passport for boarding. After that you only need picture id and sail and sign card to get on and off the ships in port..........

[cherylandtk]

Originally Posted by thecruisers723

... When i went to the passport bureau, I brought all of my documents, including my birth certificate that I had always used to get on cruise ships. The passport agency did not accept it. It did had a raised seal from the state of NJ. The problem was that it was actually a "birth registration", not a birth certificate. On the top of the document, it said "birth registration certificate". The passport clerk told me that after 9/11, these were no longer acceptable.

The problem with your certificate likely is not the birth registration vs. birth certificate terminology, the problem is that New Jersey had some problems with falsified documents, particularly from Jersey City/Hudson County, so anyone presenting a certificate issued from there had to re-apply to get a newly issued state government certificate.