Friendly tip -- Get the passport

[TexanTwoStep]

I'm sure some of you are aware that the TXDPS (Driver's license) system has been down for over a week now.

I've seen multiple posts on Facebook complaining that they cannot get on board due to their license being expired, but "they had an appointment but it got cancelled".  

Get your passport.  It's not that expensive, and makes things 100% easier.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[WAYNO]

I agree.  A cousin decided to bypass the passport requirement on a recent cruise.  She was assured that "other" ID would be okay.  Guess what?  The ship left her behind.

[ScottD]

2 hours ago, TexanTwoStep said:

I'm sure some of you are aware that the TXDPS (Driver's license) system has been down for over a week now.

I've seen multiple posts on Facebook complaining that they cannot get on board due to their license being expired, but "they had an appointment but it got cancelled".  

Get your passport.  It's not that expensive, and makes things 100% easier.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

But it can be expensive..165 per adult, if you have a few kids at 135 each... expediting it? Add more... You're looking at over 7-800 for a family of 4. That can be a lot to tack on after booking a trip that already cost you a few grand. Especially if you don't plan on traveling regularly.  A cruise,once a year or even less just might not be worth it to some families.  We travel with just our Birth certificates, we are getting passports after our next cruise, but it's not something everyone would find necessary 

[baltodave]

16 hours ago, TexanTwoStep said:

I'm sure some of you are aware that the TXDPS (Driver's license) system has been down for over a week now.

I've seen multiple posts on Facebook complaining that they cannot get on board due to their license being expired, but "they had an appointment but it got cancelled".  

Get your passport.  It's not that expensive, and makes things 100% easier.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

I couldn't agree more.   Since our kids are grown it's just the wife and me but I've always advocated getting passports.  When I meet people who do not travel much (or even have never been out of the country), I urge them to get passports and explain that when they are not in a hurry, it's the time to get them (besides, they're good for 10 years). 

P.S. Great TED talk!

[Gilley]

They could consider the passport card which is cheaper than the passport book.

[amanalo217]

It's not just about boarding the cruise but also getting home for an emergency on the ship/port or at home. Waiting to finish the last 3 days of a 7 day cruise can feel like an eternity if some thing happened at home and you need to be there.

Also going to add to be sure you have travel insurance. Just got of Wonder and we had multiple medical emergencies that required flights to US from CocoCay.

[Brando95]

As mentioned above, if you get left at a foreign port or need to fly home from one due to an emergency it's a lot easier to get on a plane with a passport. Along with the new facial recognition technology at most of the terminals, it makes disembarking much faster. Just need to pause a second to get a picture taken and receive the green light than having to wait in a line to get your birth certificate checked. Not a huge time crunch but could be valuable if you needed to get to the airport to fly home. 

Yes it can be expensive but if you get them way ahead of time you could spread them out and not get the whole family done at once. Plus when you break them down on a per year cost basis they're really not that expensive considering you're covered for a decade. 

[Gilley]

Good point.

[Ditchdoc]

Passport ... don't leave home without it.

At Port Canaveral and probably others .... customs is a stand in front of a camera for 3 seconds and you are done .... IF you have a passport.

 

As an added note ... we tend to travel with too much stuff .. even so ... with a roller bag ... a second bag looped over the handle of the roller bag .... and a shoulder carry on ... for each person ... you can wheel right off the ship ... step in front of the camera and done .... head to your land transportation.

My apologies to anyone that may be handicapped or have 6+ children in tow. This may not work for you.

 

 

[TXcruzer]

23 hours ago, TexanTwoStep said:

I'm sure some of you are aware that the TXDPS (Driver's license) system has been down for over a week now.

I've seen multiple posts on Facebook complaining that they cannot get on board due to their license being expired, but "they had an appointment but it got cancelled".  

Get your passport.  It's not that expensive, and makes things 100% easier.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Hard to feel sorry for them. Obviously procrastinators. TX let’s you renew your license 6 months in advance; why wait until the last minute?

Mine expired Feb 2024, I renewed online 2 weeks ago, had new license (valid through 2032) in my hands in less than 2 weeks. 

[Blulady]

On 9/10/2023 at 1:43 PM, TexanTwoStep said:

I'm sure some of you are aware that the TXDPS (Driver's license) system has been down for over a week now.

I've seen multiple posts on Facebook complaining that they cannot get on board due to their license being expired, but "they had an appointment but it got cancelled".  

Get your passport.  It's not that expensive, and makes things 100% easier.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

This is great advice.  I'm a firm believer in getting your child a passport - it is a gift that will have value for their whole life.  Yes, a minor's passport has to be renewed more often, yes it is a bit expensive, etc.  It is worth it.  Most parents don't think twice about blowing that same amount of money on a couple of video games that they won't even play in a year.  There is so much value to having a passport.

[twangster]

I still can't believe that CBP allows cruising without a passport.  With all the heightened security awareness since 9/11 it still boggles my mind they haven't closed this loophole.

The kids have had passports their entire life from less than a year old.  Yes it costs money.  However we traveled often and it was so worth it in hindsight.  It's the gold standard for travel documents.  

[CrznTxn]

Always advocate a passport when traveling out of the country. Having grown up overseas I have always had a passport when traveling as it was a hard requirement. Not sure when it changed but even after getting married and two kids we all have passports and they have come in handy for quick trips and even the kid's travels after they have grown up. They have passports for all their kids now and the cycle continues. Each of the grand kids have been on three cruises with us and they are excited when they get to show their passports for check in.

[Babsy47]

It can be difficult to get a passport for a baby.  We are still waiting for grandson’s to arrive and we leave Sept 29.  

[TexanTwoStep]

On 9/10/2023 at 3:00 PM, ScottD said:

But it can be expensive..165 per adult, if you have a few kids at 135 each... expediting it? Add more... You're looking at over 7-800 for a family of 4. That can be a lot to tack on after booking a trip that already cost you a few grand. Especially if you don't plan on traveling regularly.  A cruise,once a year or even less just might not be worth it to some families.  We travel with just our Birth certificates, we are getting passports after our next cruise, but it's not something everyone would find necessary 

yes but they last for ten years or something.  Pay once, cry once.

[TimeRacer]

We decided when we did our first cruise that we were going to get passports. It was honestly past time for us to have them, anyway. We made a point to order them super early (avoiding the extra cost of expediting) and budgeted for them. 2 adults, 2 kids, wasn't exactly cheap but I think it was worth it. It's also nice to know that I have a government ID for my minor children should I need it for any reason.

[VeronicaS1970]

I guess I never understood why the pushback on getting a passport.  Other countries it's the norm.  We got ours when we started cruising, got the kiddo one at age 5 (her first cruise) Good thing as she went to Europe twice in high school.

It's a small price to pay for the piece of mind that God forbid something happens we can get home.

Also, you never know when you might just decide to jet off to Paris or London for dinner

[RCIfan1912]

11 minutes ago, VeronicaS1970 said:

I guess I never understood why the pushback on getting a passport.  Other countries it's the norm.  We got ours when we started cruising, got the kiddo one at age 5 (her first cruise) Good thing as she went to Europe twice in high school.

It's a small price to pay for the piece of mind that God forbid something happens we can get home.

Also, you never know when you might just decide to jet off to Paris or London for dinner

The pushback is bizarre like a lot of things these days. 

[JimnKathy]

Travel outside the country? Get a passport...end of story.

The one time you really need it (medical emergency, miss your boat, etc.) will pay for itself in spades.

[JohnK6404]

1 hour ago, JimnKathy said:

Travel outside the country? Get a passport...end of story.

The one time you really need it (medical emergency, miss your boat, etc.) will pay for itself in spades.

I agree... and add travel insurance with medical coverage. Once you see the sad stories of people trapped in other countries without a passport and thousands of dollars worth of medical expenses (not likely covered under your domestic insurance plan), you will change your mind. 

I'm sure many have seen the couple that got into the scooter accident just recently in Cozumel (hit by a car)... It's been reported that they have serious injuries (compound fractures, etc.), they cannot leave the hospital without paying $10K-$20K in accruing medical bills, AND they are having issues exiting the country since they do not have their passports.

Link:  Hit-and-run cruise excursion crash traps 2 Tampa women in Mexico: ‘I need my babies home’ (fox13news.com)

So, technically, you can sail without a passport in some regions, but you will need one to fly out in an emergency (eg. injury or missed the ship at a port)!

[DJnKy]

165 for ten years! 16.50 per year is cheap insurance that you can get home should a medical emergency happen while out of the country.

spent hundreds on a cruise, you can afford a passport. 
ps skip the card won't get you on a plane home!

[Fuzzywuzzy]

On 9/18/2023 at 10:45 AM, DJnKy said:

165 for ten years! 16.50 per year is cheap insurance that you can get home should a medical emergency happen while out of the country.

spent hundreds on a cruise, you can afford a passport. 
ps skip the card won't get you on a plane home!

And of course there are some who will complain about $16.50 a year but will spend upwards of the full $165.00 for all their stateroom occupants to get the deluxe booze package. Every. Single. Day.