Passports vs PassCards vs Birth Certificates (2960 hits)
So you have decided on going on the cruise and one of the first things you need to do is obtain proper documentation from the government to travel abroad. For U.S. citizens, there are 3 options which are possible and I will explain all 3 with the pros and cons of each. If you are attending the cruise, please read this article so that you will not be stranded at port when the ship sails.
Birth Certificates A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. In the United States, this can refer to either the original document or to a certification. This is by far the cheapest of the three and is easy to obtain. Birth certificates will only be allowed until June 2009. After that, only government approved documentation is accepted. So for our cruise, YOU CAN NOT USE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR TRAVEL - PERIOD.
Passport Card The passport card, or PASS Card, is an alternative to a passport created in the United States to meet the documentary requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Applications have been accepted since February 1, 2008; the cards were made available to the public in July 2008. The passport card is for land and sea travel within North America (Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda). Like the passport book, the passport card will only be issued to U.S. citizens and nationals. However, THE PASSPORT CARD CAN NOT BE USED FOR INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL. The passport card will share the same validity period as the passport book and the price range for obtaining a Passport Card is between $20 - $45, depending on if it is a renewal, child applicant, or first-time applicant.
Since international air travel is not permitted with the Passport Card, we advise against getting it as you may run into an emergency back home where it might require you to leave the ship and fly out from one of the ports.
Passport (Passport Booklet) This is the recommended form of documentation for the cruise. A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. This is the most expensive option but you can not go wrong with it. If a family emergency arises where you need to leave the ship and fly on the next plane home, you can do so. Again, this is the recommended option for sailing on our cruise.
So in closing, you can use either the Passport Card or Passport to travel on the cruise, but if an emergency arrives, only the Passport will allow you to make the quick exit out of the port of call we are at.
If you are not a U.S. citizen and are going on our cruise, please check with your local government on the requirements of traveling to the specific ports of call we will be visiting as well as the United States.
