Are passports worth it?

We are on a 3 day, closed loop cruise to the Bahamas this October. I have my birth certificate and my marriage license to prove name change but don't want to bring too many documents. Especially since it is our original marriage license and the only copy we have. My husband also has his birth certificate.

When I called Royal Caribbean they said the birth certificates had to be certified copies (which they are), but they have to be 60 days or newer copies with the certified seal and date and that they highly encourage and recommend that every passanger have a valid passport. I had never heard of this before, and can't find it on their website so my husband made us a passport appointment tomorrow.

Are passports really worth it? We're now having to spend over $250 now just to get them.

Yes. They're good for 10 years, so the cost actually is minimal for peace of mind.

We are on a 3 day, closed loop cruise to the Bahamas this October. I have my birth certificate and my marriage license to prove name change but don't want to bring too many documents. Especially since it is our original marriage license and the only copy we have. My husband also has his birth certificate.

 

When I called Royal Caribbean they said the birth certificates had to be certified copies (which they are), but they have to be 60 days or newer copies with the certified seal and date and that they highly encourage and recommend that every passanger have a valid passport. I had never heard of this before, and can't find it on their website so my husband made us a passport appointment tomorrow.

 

Are passports really worth it? We're now having to spend over $250 now just to get them.

"Worth it" is such a value judgment. What you need to do is figure out what your risk is of missing the ship or needing to cut your trip short in the three days you'll be traveling and decide if you can accept that risk. For many the risk is extremely low. As long as it is a government issued birth certificate it should be accepted. I have never heard of a "60 days or newer" rule but I've never sailed with RCI.

If all goes well on the cruise, you will not need a passport. The BC's and DL's will be all you need.

However, If you have a need to fly home for any reason, you will have to get a passport before flying. The personnel at the embassy will probably not view the request with the same priority you would give it.

Reasons to fly home could include;

Miss the ship

Illness to you or traveling companion

Death or illness to someone at home

With a 3 day cruise, these are unlikely, but still possible.

I agree with Laurie. If you think you might travel out of the country (even on a cruise) in the next 10 years, just get the passport. It is definitely worth it.

We are on a 3 day, closed loop cruise to the Bahamas this October. I have my birth certificate and my marriage license to prove name change but don't want to bring too many documents. Especially since it is our original marriage license and the only copy we have. My husband also has his birth certificate.

 

When I called Royal Caribbean they said the birth certificates had to be certified copies (which they are), but they have to be 60 days or newer copies with the certified seal and date and that they highly encourage and recommend that every passanger have a valid passport. I had never heard of this before, and can't find it on their website so my husband made us a passport appointment tomorrow.

 

Are passports really worth it? We're now having to spend over $250 now just to get them.

Yes, they are worth it. A passport is good for 10 years I believe.

Get your passports and look at it as the start of your new travel adventures! :D While you wouldn't have needed it for this cruise (never heard the 60 day thing and I'd call back because I think you may have misunderstood) - a passport gives you peace of mind in an emergency and when you decide to travel further from home - your passport will be ready and waiting for you.

If I don't NEED one, I'm not springing for a passport... I have no intention of going anywhere in the near future that REQUIRES one....so there is no reason to spend the additional hundreds of $$$ for something that isn't required.

...Are passports really worth it? We're now having to spend over $250 now just to get them.

I agree that $250 is a lot of money to shell out for a 3-day cruise. But you'll never be more motivated to get passports as you are now. A passport is your ticket to the world. It's the ultimate travel and identification document.

You will never have to pass up a great last minute travel deal due to lack of passports.

Agree...a passport is your ticket to the rest of the world, as you can't fly out of the country without one. I hate "worth it" questions, but a passport can be worth every penny, or more. Ours have certainly returned our investment over the last 30 years.

Yes it's "worth it". What would happen if you were late getting on the ship and missed the ship all together? OR what if you had a medical emergency and had to be taken off the ship? Maybe not on this cruise but one in the future? If you are disembarked for an emergency you'll need one to get home from the port you are in. I mean I know that's a far stretch but still..

To answer your original question, if you never intend to set foot outside the U.S. ever again (or at least in the next 10 years), then I would say it's probably not worth it. Otherwise I say yes, get one, and be happy about it.

When I called Royal Caribbean they said the birth certificates had to be certified copies (which they are), but they have to be 60 days or newer copies with the certified seal and date and that they highly encourage and recommend that every passanger have a valid passport. I had never heard of this before, and can't find it on their website so my husband made us a passport appointment tomorrow.

This seems like standard stuff except for what I put in bold. 60 days??? I've never heard of such a thing. I'm tempted to say the rep you got doesn't know what he/she's talking about, but maybe it's me that's the ignorant one.

Yes it's "worth it". What would happen if you were late getting on the ship and missed the ship all together? OR what if you had a medical emergency and had to be taken off the ship? Maybe not on this cruise but one in the future? If you are disembarked for an emergency you'll need one to get home from the port you are in. I mean I know that's a far stretch but still..

What would happen is the traveler would have to enlist the help of the Consulate who will issue the document necessary to board a flight. This can be done quickly or it could take a few days, depending on the circumstances (a medical emergency is treated differently than being overserved at Senor Frogs). (The State Department has the authority to waive the passport requirement under the regulations for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons.)

As far as getting it for use in the future that depends on one's travel plans. We have always known that we wanted to travel abroad but weren't sure when, so we delayed getting passports until we knew for sure. That happened this year when we obtained passports for our trip to Germany this fall.

Most people know if they are able to participate in last minute travel and how prudent it may or may not be for them to have a passport. I know for our family our travel is always planned at least a year in advance and work prevents no notice travel.

Do NOT even look into buying the passport card. This serves the same purpose as the DL and BC.

As long as your DL is the same name as your married name- which is the name on the cruise boarding pass- you do not need a marriage license

you proved the name change on the dl

a marriage certificate is needed for someone who just got married and did not have enough time to change the DL to the married name

I would not buy a passport for a 3 day cruise.

We have cruised 26 times and use a BC and DL

We have no intentions of missing the ship

Do NOT even look into buying the passport card. This serves the same purpose as the DL and BC.

 

 

As long as your DL is the same name as your married name- which is the name on the cruise boarding pass- you do not need a marriage license

 

you proved the name change on the dl

 

a marriage certificate is needed for someone who just got married and did not have enough time to change the DL to the married name

 

I would not buy a passport for a 3 day cruise.

 

We have cruised 26 times and use a BC and DL

 

We have no intentions of missing the ship

A passport card may be a viable option for some (an Enhanced Drivers License is also a viable option). The passport card has four benefits over the BC/DL: 1) it is one durable document; 2) it is good for land crossings; 3) it is good for open jaw sailings within the WHTI (and of course closed loop cruises; and 4) the passengers information is in the State Department website making it easier for the Consulate to assist if needed.

DW has a naturalization certificate and it always made me nervous to use it because if something happened to it (as simple as a water spill) then it would cost $375 to replace it. We opted for the EDL because it is only one document to carry but did consider the passport card.

There are many options for travel documentation and each traveler should choose the option that works best for their needs.

 

As long as your DL is the same name as your married name- which is the name on the cruise boarding pass- you do not need a marriage license

 

you proved the name change on the dl

 

a marriage certificate is needed for someone who just got married and did not have enough time to change the DL to the married name

 

I would not buy a passport for a 3 day cruise.

 

We have cruised 26 times and use a BC and DL

 

We have no intentions of missing the ship

I do not agree at all with this advice. I would still bring along the marriage certificate. You need that to show the "trail" of your name. I doubt that they would accept your word that that is your birth certificate even though the last name is different.

I would also suggest to get a passport. I have had to use mine for last minute travel for work. Plus it is piece of mind in the event that something happen abroad. It is good for 10 years so you may find that you use it at some point. Just to give you an idea of my thinking. We are getting my 20 month old daughter a passport for our upcoming cruise. We dont need it, but figure it is good to have. Hers will only be good for 5 years.

If I don't NEED one, I'm not springing for a passport... I have no intention of going anywhere in the near future that REQUIRES one....so there is no reason to spend the additional hundreds of $$$ for something that isn't required.

Given the daily change in the state of affairs across the world, what is required today may be vastly different tomorrow. Remember, too, that airlines and cruise ships are among those travel providers now constantly tightening their security and that certainly suggests chipped passports will eventually become the only acceptable ID for travel beyond the US.

Pay now or pay later but pay you will.

Given the daily change in the state of affairs across the world, what is required today may be vastly different tomorrow. Remember, too, that airlines and cruise ships are among those travel providers now constantly tightening their security and that certainly suggests chipped passports will eventually become the only acceptable ID for travel beyond the US.

Pay now or pay later but pay you will.

Maybe, but probably not. DHS determined that a US citizen on a closed loop cruise presents a very low risk to the National Security. Until that assessment changes there won't be any changes, and until that changes travelers have choices when it comes to travel documentation depending upon their travel needs. Their choice doesn't impact anyone but themselves.

Are passports worth it?

This question, along with "Do I need traveler's insurance?" come up quite often. Most (but not all) of us will say "Yes." There are some willing to gamble that all will go well, and that you'll never need a passport or traveler's insurance. 99% of the time, you may be lucky enough to never need either. But, there is always that possibility that you will. How much of a gambler are you? Is a passport worth it? Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

OP save the money ... its a waste if just doing a 3 day cruise! If you want to do an Alaskan cruise and disembark in Victoria, BC then you'll need one.

You'll be fine with just the birth certificates and driver's licenses.

We took several cruises without a passport, but we will never look back on getting one and keeping it current now. First, I think they misunderstood your question on the birth certificate. Your passport has to have 6 months left before expiration. Maybe that's the 60 days they are talking about. Second, I can think of a couple of circumstances that prompted us to get a passport way back when we really booked closed loop and it wasn't required. If for whatever reason, you got injured or ill enough to need to return to the U.S., you wouldn't be able to fly there from another country (even many of the Caribbean islands) without a passport. Freedom of the Seas had a fire today. No one was injured, but should they have had a ship that couldn't sail, you wouldn't have been able to fly home as an option until they could get an emergency passport issued by the embassy in that country. If you had an emergency back home and needed to interrupt your cruise to fly back home, you would need a passport. With all the information, the decision is up to you and what risks you feel are high risk and what is low risk.

Just a personal add. Many years ago a friend who was in charge of international film distribution here in LA had a print (this was before digital) that he needed to get to Frankfurt Germany overnight by hand delivery and asked my wife if she was interested. (Biz class, full fare flights, her choice of airlines and return date.)

Couldn't do it because she had no passport. A great opportunity lost.

We both applied for passports the next day.

The cost is minimal and if you enjoy cruising, a passport makes all cruise booking and check in very easy.

Excellent example Walt. Yes, of course it doesn't apply to many people. But the concept that a passport is your ticket to the world is the real point here.

For a cruise such as yours and in fact any closed loop cruise, a passport is not worth it until you get in a jam and find that you need it. Then you will be glad that you have it.

Consider a passport in the same way as you consider insurance. Insurance is a total waste of money until you have an accident.

Everyone in my extended family has passports. In fact, my daughter got our grandson a passport when he about 6 months old and they used it within a few months.

Get the passport.

DON

Reminds me of a story. I worked for a large grain company in Portland OR. We had to get documents to Sydney Australia. We were having a tough time finding a courier service that would treat the documents as a "passenger" and not throw them into the hold of the plane. The documents were worth well over a million dollars (and this was in the early 80s). It was down to one hour when a decision had to be made. I was one of the few in the office that had a valid passport. They were going to fly me first class to Sydney, put me in a hotel for 10 days, all expenses paid and fly me home (not using any vacation of course). One frigging hour. Then they found a courier that would do it. :mad: Out of a 60 person office I was one of the few that could have made this flight.

The other one: when I became a US citizen I had to turn in all my documents. My DH's work had him do a business trip that went to South Africa. I couldn't go because the US government had all my documents and I was in transition. I am still ticked to this day I couldn't go. A missed opportunity.

My children have had passports since they were little. My grandchildren have had passports since they were very young. The two youngest since they were only a few weeks old. Now, we like to cross the US/Canadian border but on two different cruises we have had a 6 month old on board. I can't imagine not having the freedom that goes with a passport.