jmm881 Posted January 2, 2018 #1 Share Posted January 2, 2018 We are traveling on January 11th to the Bahamas. My folks were going to watch our kids. They may not be able to. I have called Carnival and there is room to add them to our cruise for extra $$ (of course). But I'd either have to drive to a passport agency and rush a passport, or travel with just birth certificates. Anyone have any experience?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffatsea Posted January 2, 2018 #2 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Lots of people travel on closed loop cruises with just birth certificates. It is not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCbmwmom Posted January 2, 2018 #3 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Lots of people travel on closed loop cruises with just birth certificates.It is not a problem. Cruised many times with just BC. Finally got passports except for our youngest. We got her a passport card. Just as easy to cruise with PP or a BC. Of course I’m not a worry wart about these things, and we have the resources to get her back to the states if anything happens. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted January 2, 2018 #4 Share Posted January 2, 2018 We are traveling on January 11th to the Bahamas. My folks were going to watch our kids. They may not be able to. I have called Carnival and there is room to add them to our cruise for extra $$ (of course). But I'd either have to drive to a passport agency and rush a passport, or travel with just birth certificates. Anyone have any experience?!? We've traveled with just birth certificates for the kids (and ourselves with our government issued ID) and many do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmm881 Posted January 2, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Can you get off in the Bahamas? Or do we just stay on ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.Oceanlover Posted January 2, 2018 #6 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Can you get off in the Bahamas? Or do we just stay on ship? Yes you can get off, no problem. They only ask for your cruise card and your drivers license to get back on. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Ariel Posted January 2, 2018 #7 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Many people travel with just their BCs. It won't impact your trip as far as Ports. The only issue you could run into is if there is an emergency and you need to travel home from a port rather than with the ship. It isn't quite as easy with a BC instead of a passport but not impossible to get home. Depending on your children's ages I might go ahead and get them passports just because they are great to have. If it isn't in the budget or would cause undue stress I would simply use the BCs. Husband and I travel on passports but our children still travel with their BCs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billslowsky Posted January 2, 2018 #8 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Cruised many times with just BC. Finally got passports except for our youngest. We got her a passport card. Just as easy to cruise with PP or a BC. Of course I’m not a worry wart about these things, and we have the resources to get her back to the states if anything happens. YMMV. Agree on the passport card. It might also be useful in airports going forward for id. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted January 2, 2018 #9 Share Posted January 2, 2018 If you have to "rush", just use the BC....if you send it in to get the passport, and the passports DON'T come in time, you'll be rushing to get another BC copy! There is NO issue doing closed-loop Caribbean/Bermuda trips with a BC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmm881 Posted January 2, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Agree on the passport card. It might also be useful in airports going forward for id. We are definitely ordering passports for the kids; actually my 7 year old's expires right before we go (of course). But we never got them for the other two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmm881 Posted January 2, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted January 2, 2018 If you have to "rush", just use the BC....if you send it in to get the passport, and the passports DON'T come in time, you'll be rushing to get another BC copy! There is NO issue doing closed-loop Caribbean/Bermuda trips with a BC. Ya, w'ed have to go to the passport agency to get one in time. And spend a small fortune; which we will do if we have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andie717 Posted January 3, 2018 #12 Share Posted January 3, 2018 We are traveling on January 11th to the Bahamas. My folks were going to watch our kids. They may not be able to. I have called Carnival and there is room to add them to our cruise for extra $$ (of course). But I'd either have to drive to a passport agency and rush a passport, or travel with just birth certificates. Anyone have any experience?!? We've only traveled with BC for our kids, passports for us. No problem, you can still get off in port. We even went to the passport only lines upon disembarking and had no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coevan Posted January 3, 2018 #13 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Agree on the passport card. It might also be useful in airports going forward for id. This is not correct. A passport card is for entering Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean by land or sea. Many Captains in St.Thomas who travel 5-6 days a week to BVI use passport cards. The are useless for flying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firemanbobswife Posted January 3, 2018 #14 Share Posted January 3, 2018 This is not correct. A passport card is for entering Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean by land or sea. Many Captains in St.Thomas who travel 5-6 days a week to BVI use passport cards. The are useless for flying They will work for domestic flights where certain state's DL won't meet the new requirements. That's exactly why I got a card along with my Passport renewal - so I don't have to worry about it when flying domestically. I believe that's what the poster was saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted January 3, 2018 #15 Share Posted January 3, 2018 We are traveling on January 11th to the Bahamas. My folks were going to watch our kids. They may not be able to. I have called Carnival and there is room to add them to our cruise for extra $$ (of course). But I'd either have to drive to a passport agency and rush a passport, or travel with just birth certificates. Anyone have any experience?!? You dont need a passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyjr88 Posted January 3, 2018 #16 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Just make sure the BCs are the official state original copies. I lost my PP a couple of days before a cruise once and was able to use my DL and BC just fine. I left my BC in the cabin and brought my DL with me in ports. Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpagejr Posted January 3, 2018 #17 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Passports are not needed for close looped cruises embarking and ending at a same us port.... No air travel is involved folks...so lets not confuse the posters any further. He asked a question and we provided a answer. As for the Enhanced License requirement (for air travel ID)....I think every state has a waiver until the end of this year (who haven't yet fully complied)...meaning regular drivers licenses are accepted for ID for flights out of a state which has enacted the enhanced License Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty dingo Posted January 3, 2018 #18 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Word to the wise... make sure the BC is government issued and not hospital issued. I recently had to respond to a health insurance audit and prove that our daughter is our daughter to the insurance company (don't get me started, but at least I was not alone.) The only BC we ever had for her was given at birth by the hospital, and it was unacceptable for insurance... had to get certified copy. Not sure if cruise lines accept a hospital BC or not, but I would make sure the BC you're going to use is government issued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athankfulheart Posted January 3, 2018 #19 Share Posted January 3, 2018 If I was in your shoes I would not go crazy and have the added expense of trying to get the kids passports for such a close travel date. We are a family of 10 and have gotten passports 1 or 2 at a time over the past 9 years as the need arose. We just got the last ones done a couple of weeks ago. Now our entire family has them and they dont all expire during the same year, which is very helpful. We have taken lots of cruises during the time that we didnt all have passports and have not had any problems with the ones who used birth certificates. Like I said, if I were you, I wouldnt rush passports, but if it isnt much trouble for you then go for it. Wishing you a fun vacation even though it isnt how you originally planned. Sent from my SM-N920V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springs741 Posted January 3, 2018 #20 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Word to the wise... make sure the BC is government issued and not hospital issued. ........ Not sure if cruise lines accept a hospital BC or not, but I would make sure the BC you're going to use is government issued. Carnival Cruise line DOES NOT accept hospital issued birth certificates. these are also know as souvenir birth certificates It is made very clear on their website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moviela Posted January 3, 2018 #21 Share Posted January 3, 2018 The Real ID Act requires states to collect certain information to prove who you are to issue a driver's license. Some large blue states have been exempted for a decade now, but that ship is docking soon. For travel with kids a government issued birth certificate is generally enough, so the original poster has no worries. For air travel (a possibility for cruise passengers) a Real ID will soon be the ONLY acceptable proof of identify. Many state driver's licenses comply. The gold standard is a passport, followed by a passport card (which have little use outside a few countries), then a Global Entry card. Since most kids don't have a driver's license, a passport is the simplest way to travel. It will give peace of mind if an unexpected event arises and you need alternative transportation. Have fun on your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volmoma Posted January 3, 2018 #22 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Only problem that could happen, if an emergency occurs that you have to fly back. PASSPORTS are a must. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted January 3, 2018 #23 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Passports are not needed for close looped cruises embarking and ending at a same us port.... No air travel is involved folks...so lets not confuse the posters any further. He asked a question and we provided a answer. As for the Enhanced License requirement (for air travel ID)....I think every state has a waiver until the end of this year (who haven't yet fully complied)...meaning regular drivers licenses are accepted for ID for flights out of a state which has enacted the enhanced License And let's not confuse the issue even further by using inexact terms like "Enhanced License". What you are talking about are licenses that are compliant with the REAL ID act. An Enhanced Drivers License is a different animal completely that acts as a stand alone document to prove citizenship and ID, similar to a passport card, and is only issued by 5 states. A drivers license that is REAL ID compliant does not do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmathermsu Posted January 3, 2018 #24 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I just talked to Carnival about this and they said if you are married and your name is different make sure to bring you marriage certificate as well. We are planning on travel just with our birth certificates. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyntil8ing Posted January 3, 2018 #25 Share Posted January 3, 2018 My family just had an emergency debarkation in Nassau last week. We all had passports, so it was no issue. Carnival handled everything immigration related for us. While we were waiting for the port agent to pick us up, we talked a bit with guest services about what would have happened had we not had passports. Turns out, not much. There is a US Embassy in Nassau. We would have had to apply for emergency passports which would have been issued immediately. The delays occur when there is no embassy, or it is closed for holiday, etc. I would be comfortable traveling to the Bahamas with just a BC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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