Purchase Passport or No

We got passports and bring them with when we fly even in the States. I figure its a back up if I lose my driver's license. (or it gets stolen etc). You never know if you need a 2nd form of a photo id. Plus they are good for 10 years.

Me too! I keep it and my driver's license separate for that reason.

I also enrolled in the Global Entry program - it is so much better getting the Pre-check security line most of the time when traveling inside the US.

Even if not getting a passport book, I'd suggest at least getting the passport card for closed loop travel - it's nice to have one thing (and a thing that fits conveniently in your wallet) instead of juggling multiple documents. While you need a passport to fly in and out of the country, I expect having it would at least make dealing that it easier if something unfortunate happened while on a closed loop cruise and you needed to fly.

Me too! I keep it and my driver's license separate for that reason.

 

 

 

I also enrolled in the Global Entry program - it is so much better getting the Pre-check security line most of the time when traveling inside the US.

 

 

 

Even if not getting a passport book, I'd suggest at least getting the passport card for closed loop travel - it's nice to have one thing (and a thing that fits conveniently in your wallet) instead of juggling multiple documents. While you need a passport to fly in and out of the country, I expect having it would at least make dealing that it easier if something unfortunate happened while on a closed loop cruise and you needed to fly.

Totally agree

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we have passports for all three of us.

Last year my hub's passport came in very handy when the airline clerk at the airport lost his driver's license right in front of us. She never found it. We handed her 2 boarding passes and 2 driver's licenses, and she gave us 2 boarding passes, 2 luggage confirmations, and 1 driver's license.

Thankfully, we were able to use hub's passport to get through TSA.

That's besides a possibility that one may have a medical emergency and have to fly or be medically evacuated back home. Just recently on another forum there was a story about a guy traveling with his kid on a cruise and suffering a stroke. The guy was incapacitated and was evacuated to Florida (he is from another state).

Find it interesting that there is another post on this board where the OP advocated for a passport, had a medical emergency but no passport and was able to return home without any major issues. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for traveling with a passport and trip insurance, but like sparks, feel its up to each person to gage how much risk they are willing to take........

So, i wasnt completely honest in my post. I traveled from a foreign country into the US with no documentation or ID at all. I had left my passport and wallet in my hotel room which was hours away from the airport and I didn't realize it until I got to the airport and I had to get home. I walked up to US passport control and told them I had no ID at all, not even a driver's license. Needless to say, they were not happy with me nor do I recommend ever trying this yourself. I was taken to a back room and they asked me a bunch of questions which I answered so they let me go but stating this was a one time deal and to never do this again. I asked if a passport card would have worked and they said yes, in an emergency. And this was just a few years ago, well after 9/11.

 

From that point on, I always carry my passport card in my wallet just in case.

 

You have to think if you have an emergency and have to fly from Trinidad to Miami, do you think they are going to send you back to Trinidad because you only have a passport card?

 

On a side note, the questions they asked me were kind of freaky. Like where did I live in 1987, who was my roommate in 1993, where did my father live in 2001, etc. They knew a ton about me. A little scary.

 

 

 

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So, in other words in an emergency you were able to return to the US with no ID at all.... proving that yes, you can return in an emergency without a passport, just have to jump through some hoops. But a passport card is not an accepted ID for flying to and from foreign countries. I don't think it would have been much, if any better than a birth certificate and a driver's license in that situation.

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When I leave the ship in port, my passport stays in the safe, I carrry my passport c ard and a laminnted copy of photo and information page of my passporrt.

I agree. And this is what the Dept of State says to do. I got this in with my renewal last week. Notice it says to keep a copy with you and original in a safe place - not on your person. My Passport stays in the safe on the ship. If I miss the ship, it will be left with the port authority for when I return.

Find it interesting that there is another post on this board where the OP advocated for a passport, had a medical emergency but no passport and was able to return home without any major issues. ...

that OP may have looked like a US born citizen and spoken with a southern accent. May have even had his birth certificate with him.

My foreign birth certificate will not help me get back in the US, despite me being a US citizen. Neither will my foreign accent and foreign name.

I'm in favor of having a passport.

 

Who will you be traveling with?

Family n friends

AebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiver.g . B2b. Re t. G

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Im not sure where u got yrs from but I haven't seen anywhere that cheap. They r $150 each

Id go with passport cards if money is an issue. They are only $50 each and work for all land and sea entries. And would probably work fine in a medical emergency. One thing I've seen frequently is people at the port who aren't allowed to board the ship because they didn't have the right paperwork. Thier vacation was ruined and they were out the travel costs to get to the port, hotel the night before, etc. Not worth the risk to save $50 IMO.

 

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Im not sure where u got yrs from but I haven't seen anywhere that cheap. They r $150 each

If the Bahamas are the ONLY place you plan to go in the near future...stick with the BC and DL...no sense in spending all that extra money for a passport that you will use only once. We cruise to the Caribbean on BC and DL all the time. It's not a big deal.

Im not sure where u got yrs from but I haven't seen anywhere that cheap. They r $150 each

Perhaps you are thinking of the passport book fee? Or some price you paid an expediter? Here is the DoS website for the fees:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/fees.html

Initial card is $30 plus $25 = $55

Renewal is $30 (that's ~$3 per year)

For a child it's $40 the first time and $15 per renewal so about the same per year.

I say about $3 per year since most countries require you to have 3 to 6 months left on your passport to enter so I end up replacing mine every 9 and a half years or so, not every 10 years.

AebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiverAebleskiver.g . B2b. Re t. G

 

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OK, I've heard of butt dialing before but wow, apparently I butt posted to Cruise Critic from my phone! I am laughing my ass off.

So, in other words in an emergency you were able to return to the US with no ID at all.... proving that yes, you can return in an emergency without a passport, just have to jump through some hoops. But a passport card is not an accepted ID for flying to and from foreign countries. I don't think it would have been much, if any better than a birth certificate and a driver's license in that situation.

I have to politely disagree with you. Yes, you can probably get through passport control in the US with a driver's license and a birth certificate but that was never the issue. Try getting onto the plane in Trinidad in the first place with only a piece of paper and an Idaho driver's license. 100% not going to happen. However, an official US federally issued ID card that has the word "Passport" on it will get you a boarding pass and back on US soil and in an emergency get you through US customs even though they will not be happy with it.

You have personal experience with This? Did you try to fly with a card but was denied? Because I can say that in an emergency, it has worked for me. Remember, passport control is in the United States not in St. Kitts or wherever you are flying from unless you are flying from Canada. Passport book is definately the way to go but if cost is an issue as OP states, the card insures you'll get on the ship and in an emergency, should get you home, even on a plane.

 

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Direct from the government site:

The passport card is a wallet-size travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings or ports-of-entry by sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Although you think passport control is in the U.S. it's up to the airlines to check your documentation. You would not be allowed to board the plane from St. Kitts. While it's great that it worked for you in an emergency, that's the exception to the rule. I certainly wouldn't count on it working every time.

I have to politely disagree with you. Yes, you can probably get through passport control in the US with a driver's license and a birth certificate but that was never the issue. Try getting onto the plane in Trinidad in the first place with only a piece of paper and an Idaho driver's license. 100% not going to happen. However, an official US federally issued ID card that has the word "Passport" on it will get you a boarding pass and back on US soil and in an emergency get you through US customs even though they will not be happy with it.

I would not quibbble with this as I do not know but when I received my passport card the enclosed papers, said it was not good as I.D.even for a U..S. domestic flight though in a pinch, I'd rather have it than not.

I really have no idea why you are arguing about this.

Although you think passport control is in the U.S.

Sorry, you are 100% wrong. Other than a couple of airports in Canada, Passport Control is most definitely 100% within the United States. You actually think the US sends border patrol agents to work in airports all over the world? That's crazy. There are very few countries that have passport control to get out of a country. From personal experience that is the case in Jordan and Cambodia and I am sure a few others but that has less to do with passports and more to do with having a valid visa that has not expired. Most countries have travel restrictions where you can stay for up to 30 days but anything longer requires a different visa. This is not about security, its about money.

The US states that a valid passport is required to leave or enter the united states. It does not say enter US airspace. Meaning, you have to have a passport to get through Passport Control which is IN the United States and we've already proven that in an emergency, that rule gets bent. YOU just have to get to a US airport.

That you said earlier all you needed was a driver's license and a birth certificate is a different matter. You were wrong about that as you would never be able to board the plane with a birth certificate. In regards to getting on a plane, oddly enough, foreign countries are not bound by US law and from personal experience, controls are extremely lax in Caribbean airports. So while you may be correct if you are flying from say Heathrow, that is not the case if you are flying from say Jamiaca.

Here is a thread right here on Cruise Critic where a couple traveled from Puerta Vallarta Mexico with only passport cards. Note that he even states that he contacted customs and United airlines and was told passport cards would be fine in their situation. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2544755&highlight=passports+and+insurance

I have no idea why you are arguing about this. My original post is that if you are going to travel on a closed loop cruise where you can board with only a DL and a birth cert, I would still get a passport but if cost is an issue, spend $50 to get at least a passport card because it guarantees you will get on the ship and can save your butt in an emergency.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2544751

Here's a thread that tried to claim that you must cruise with a passport and trip insurance but also proved that you don't need to......

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I would not quibbble with this as I do not know but when I received my passport card the enclosed papers, said it was not good as I.D.even for a U..S. domestic flight though in a pinch, I'd rather have it than not.

The Passport Card will in fact work for domestic flights as a Federal ID has precedence over a State ID and it is REAL ID compliant. So if your state won’t be REAL ID compliant by next year and they don’t have an extension, then a Passport Card will work. It says on the back that it’s not valid for flight meaning International travel.

From the State Dept website:

Beginning on January 22, 2018, domestic air passengers with driver’s licenses issued by a state that is not yet compliant with REAL ID and that has not received an extension will need to show an alternative form of acceptable identification for domestic air travel. Both the U.S. passport card and passport book are REAL ID compliant. If you already have a REAL ID compliant driver’s license, it will remain valid for domestic air travel.

REAL ID Requirements The REAL ID Act, which became law in 2005, requires driver’s licenses to meet minimum security standards for issuance and production. For air travel and certain other purposes, federal agencies are prohibited from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards unless those states have been granted extensions.

The U.S. passport book and the U.S. passport card are REAL ID compliant and are acceptable identification to board domestic flights. The U.S. passport card is the same size as a driver’s license and only costs $55 for first time applicants or $30 for those who have already had a passport. A U.S. passport book is always required for international air travel – passport cards are not valid for international air travel.

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/08/273747.htm

I would not quibbble with this as I do not know but when I received my passport card the enclosed papers, said it was not good as I.D.even for a U..S. domestic flight though in a pinch, I'd rather have it than not.

I think you misunderstood what you read.

The TSA website clearly says that a passport card is an acceptable ID for domestic travel. A Global Entry card also works.

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

US DoS says the passport card is only allowed for land or sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda. Not international air travel, but I expect in case of a lost passport or other emergency, it would make things easier than not having one.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2544751

 

Here's a thread that tried to claim that you must cruise with a passport and trip insurance but also proved that you don't need to......

I quoted the same thread in my post above. But note that they did have passport cards which is my point. Its not ideal, but they are a cheap insurance policy if something goes wrong. Its safer to travel with a passport but a passport card is better than just a driver's license and a birth certificate.

However, an official US federally issued ID card that has the word "Passport" on it will get you a boarding pass and back on US soil and in an emergency get you through US customs even though they will not be happy with it.

I have to politely disagree with you. All the passport card information says that it's applicable for land and sea crossings only. It has no special value for air travel. Airlines only prohibit you from boarding without a passport because if you aren't accepted upon landing they have to take you back. If you can prove you are a US citizen via a birth certificate and the cruise manifest showing you don't have permission to stay on the island; they will get you off the island one way or another. I don't think the passport card has any more value than the birth certificate driver's license method for air travel.

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The Passport Card will in fact work for domestic flights as a Federal ID has precedence over a State ID and it is REAL ID compliant. So if your state won’t be REAL ID compliant by next year and they don’t have an extension, then a Passport Card will work. It says on the back that it’s not valid for flight meaning International travel.

The actual words on the back of my passport card are "Valid only for international land and sea travel between United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda." I can see where that statement is ambiguous and could be read to mean that you can't use it for ID on even domestic flights, but you can. The statement is true in that it is only valid as a passport, i.e., for crossing international borders, for those cases. It is valid as an ID more broadly - TSA, for one, says so.

The actual words on the back of my passport card are "Valid only for international land and sea travel between United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda." I can see where that statement is ambiguous and could be read to mean that you can't use it for ID on even domestic flights, but you can. The statement is true in that it is only valid as a passport, i.e., for crossing international borders, for those cases. It is valid as an ID more broadly - TSA, for one, says so.

Yes, I agree that it is 100% valid for domestic travel. Not only does TSA say so, but the Dept of State as well.