ATTN NY Cruisers

WOW interesting article, thanks for posting. This would stink since two members of my household just renewed their license in the past month and they are good for eight years. We usually use birth certificate and license when cruising and just license when flying. I will have to keep an eye out for this in case it changes. Can't rely on DMV to inform us.

Wouldn't having a passport trump needing a driver's license for getting on a cruise ship? Isn't it advisable to have a passport even if you are going on a cruise that doesn't require a passport? I am thinking of an instance where getting stuck on an island where you need a passport to get home.

Wouldn't having a passport trump needing a driver's license for getting on a cruise ship? Isn't it advisable to have a passport even if you are going on a cruise that doesn't require a passport?

Yes and yes. :)

Not everyone drives, so not everyone has a drivers license. A passport would be just fine.

WOW interesting article, thanks for posting. This would stink since two members of my household just renewed their license in the past month and they are good for eight years. We usually use birth certificate and license when cruising and just license when flying. I will have to keep an eye out for this in case it changes. Can't rely on DMV to inform us.

I renewed mine last year and received the enhanced drivers license, so I think all renewals get them.

The REAL ID compliant drivers license, which is what this article actually should be referring to, is not the same as an Enhanced Drivers License (EDL).

The "journalism' in this article stinks. It's confusing the two types of licenses. Federal law will require REAL ID compliant licenses to enter government installations or as ID for airline flights. This law does not require EDLs, which can be used for limited types of travel (not including air travel) to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, similar to the uses of a passport card.

NY has been issuing EDLs for years. It is not something everyone gets just by renewing their drivers license. You have to apply for it. This webpage from NY State DMV explains the EDL:

http://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/get-enhanced-driver-license-edl

By the way, I could be wrong, but I don't recall anything in the REAL ID law that made any reference to requiring it for cruises. Domestic airline flights and entry to federal facilities yes, but no reference to cruises. I'll try to research it to see if my memory is correct.

Here's the latest FAQ page from DHS, published August 19, 2015. There is no reference to requiring a REAL ID compliant license to take a cruise. For that matter, the timetable reference to requiring this type of license to board commercial aircraft, which is Phase 4 of the implementation process still says "No sooner than 2016".

http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs

Same for this enforcement summary page, dated September 1, 2015:

http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief

And again, the references are to federal facilities, nuclear power plants and commercial airline flights. There is not one word about requiring a REAL ID license for cruises.

We live in Arizona and have the same problem. We will not even be able to get on a plane without a passport because the Arizona ID is not US compliant.

We live in Arizona and have the same problem. We will not even be able to get on a plane without a passport because the Arizona ID is not US compliant.

The majority of states are not currently REAL ID compliant. Almost all of those states, including Arizona, have received an extension for becoming compliant, so at the current time your Arizona drivers license is still acceptable. The final implementation date for REAL ID has been postponed many times, and DHS still has not indicated whether it will require REAL ID licenses for commercial airlines in 2016. It's quite possible...perhaps even likely given how many states are still not compliant...that the REAL ID requirement will be postponed again.

Not everyone drives, so not everyone has a drivers license. A passport would be just fine.

NY and most states issue a non driver's id. Its available in NY as an enhanced id acceptable at border crossing but not international air.

http://dmv.ny.gov/nav/id-card-for-non-drivers