juliakays Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 I just booked our eastern Caribbean cruise on the Harmony on Friday and we leave the 25th of this month. I thought it was a good idea at the time but I have been driving myself nuts with the planning since. Biggest problem right now is the passports. My husband and I are fine but I just noticed that my kids passports expired 2 weeks ago. They are 13 and 15. I know I can travel with just their birth certificates but I also know that passports are preferred. Does anybody think it would be worth it for us to apply for their passports ASAP, pay the expedited fee and hopefully get them in time for the trip or is it not worth the stress? In my irrational mind, we will get lost at sea during our snuba excursion in st. Maarten, the ship will leave us and when we are saved, my kids will be unable to get home because they don't have passports. I know it's a bit far-fetched but is there really any reason that they would absolutely need their passports besides a medical emergency? Thanks in advance! I'm sure I'll have many questions to come in the next coming weeks. The only Royal Caribbean cruise I've done was a three day about 17 years ago. We did a Disney cruise 5 yrs ago but this is a whole new ballgame. CraftyCat05 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Welcome to the message boards! Cruising with a passport is always ideal but for US citizens on closed loop sailings like Harmony they are technically not required to board the ship. If I were in your shoes I would try for the expedited passport service knowing that a raised seal birth certificate is there as my fallback plan. But that's just me. Many people only cruise with BC/DL as adults. juliakays, CraftyCat05 and Orchids 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mljstr Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 I personally would not go to the expense and hassle of the passports for children. My grown son traveled with us with a birth certificate and drivers license from Galveston. No problem! Make a copy of their expired passports and take it with you. Enjoy the cruise. juliakays and CraftyCat05 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Thanks for the replies. 50/50 so far. I'm starting to lean heavily towards traveling w/ just their birth certificates with the thinking that we have to send in their original birth certificates for the passport renewal. If anything goes wrong, I'm left with no documents and I will have to scramble 2 get raised seal copies. Not terrible for 1 kid but the other was born in NY 2+ hrs away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRLPP Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Not to raise your fear level, In Pennsylvania where I live, our drivers license is not an acceptable federal ID due to failure to comply with federal security guidelines. Just double check that your state's DL is acceptable. Not sure is that matters with raised seal BC. Just a double check thought. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Just now, DRLPP said: Not to raise your fear level, In Pennsylvania where I live, our drivers license is not an acceptable federal ID due to failure to comply with federal security guidelines. Just double check that your state's DL is acceptable. Not sure is that matters with raised seal BC. Just a double check thought. Thank you DRLPP. The 2 adults have passports, just the kids that expired. No dls yet. RCCL insists that the kids are okay with just official bc' s since they are under 16. I'm just trying to come up with worst case scenario where they would need actual passports Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Good point about having to send BC into the passport office. People cruise often with just a BC. Take the expired passports with you, don't show them to the cruise line, that's just set off a red flag, but in case you need emergency travel VIA air they may come in handy with any local consulate or embassy in that worst case scenario. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Are you anywhere near a big city that you can go to get your passport in one day? NYC you can and I believe Phila. I would try to get passports if you are near a big city but if not I wouldn't mail their original just go and you should be fine. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princevaliantus Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 If you are a U.S. citizen taking a closed loop cruise, then you can usually travel using a birth certificate and (if over 16 years old) a non-expired government-issued ID with photo, name, and date of birth. This is usually a driver’s license or government-issued ID card. Royal Caribbean requires that “all documents must be original or a notarized copy.” juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 Just now, Boston Babe said: Are you anywhere near a big city that you can go to get your passport in one day? NYC you can and I believe Phila. I would try to get passports if you are near a big city but if not I wouldn't mail their original just go and you should be fine. Yes and no. We're actually between Philly and the ny office but they only do passports for travel within 2 weeks and husband is out of town for work for most of that time and I'm pretty sure he would have to come with us. Murphy's law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 22 minutes ago, twangster said: Good point about having to send BC into the passport office. People cruise often with just a BC. Take the expired passports with you, don't show them to the cruise line, that's just set off a red flag, but in case you need emergency travel VIA air they may come in handy with any local consulate or embassy in that worst case scenario. Will do. Thanks for the tip about bringing and not showing the expired passports. I would have handed everything over but less is more sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 21 minutes ago, juliakays said: Murphy's law My line too, and "There's always something"!! LOL I'm sure it will all work out, relax and just dream about boarding that beautiful ship! juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRLPP Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 I agree with taking expired passports along with you and just not mentioning that at checking in. it would expediate things if a problem did arise out of country. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 If you don't live in or near a major city with a US Passport office, there are LOTS of expedited passport renewal services. Just do a Google search for "<city name> expedited passport renewal" In Orlando, you can pay quite a bit but get passports renewed in 24 hours! (Our closest passport office is in Miami) juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 I'd suggest bringing a photo ID for the kids as well; I'm assuming they have an ID from their school. My kids almost were not let on a ship as I only brought their birth certificate. They were young teens at the time, so no driver's licenses yet. I had to argue with a supervisor to get them on the ship, believe it or not. When we booked, it was before some policy change (I don't remember what it was at the time, may have been around the time passport requirements were changed) and all the documents said BC was enough. So the policy changes, and of course it is my responsibility to know this, but we thought due to their age the BC was enough that the changes were not applicable to them. They eventually let us on, but we were told not to get off the ship with them in port, as a photo ID was required to get back through security in a couple of the ports we were going to. Of course, we took them off the ship, and no one asked for their photo IDs (but we were asked) so that point was mute. But they gave us a real hard time. We got them passports as soon as we got back. Rather than be stuck, I suggest all my friends who travel without passports to have the kids bring the school IDs. It's not that much extra trouble to carry it, and it's not worth having a problem. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim&N8 Posted August 6, 2018 Report Share Posted August 6, 2018 5 hours ago, juliakays said: Yes and no. We're actually between Philly and the ny office but they only do passports for travel within 2 weeks and husband is out of town for work for most of that time and I'm pretty sure he would have to come with us. Murphy's law Check and see if he can provide you a notarized signed letter giving permission to renew their passport with out him? I recall seeing a option for this when I was applying for my son's passport a few years back. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Yesterday I decided to go with just the birth certificates, school ids and expired passports. My husband called an hr ago to make sure he didn't need to come home early so we could go to the evening hrs at the county passport center. I told him we'll be fine. Fast forward 15 minutes later and my friend pointed out to me that my 15 yr old is 6'3" with facial hair and taller than both my husband and I and people might question his age and whether or not he's the kid on the birth certificate . Back to stressing. I'll just sit on it for another week until we're in that 2 week emergency window and probably head to the NYC office. Darn puberty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mworkman Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 If I'm not mistake you do not need BC to renew passports...just the expired passports, application for renewal , photos and check or money order. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 2 minutes ago, mworkman said: If I'm not mistake you do not need BC to renew passports...just the expired passports, application for renewal , photos and check or money order. Thanks, yes. Supposedly we do because they are limited passports since the kids are under the age of 16. It's treated more like a new password altogether then a renewal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecardbob Posted August 8, 2018 Report Share Posted August 8, 2018 You DO NOT NEED id's for minors,Just the BC. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim&N8 Posted August 8, 2018 Report Share Posted August 8, 2018 23 hours ago, juliakays said: Thanks, yes. Supposedly we do because they are limited passports since the kids are under the age of 16. It's treated more like a new password altogether then a renewal. yuo kids are not a renew they are a new passport stinks! Check the age to get an adult passport for your oldest! juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 22 hours ago, thecardbob said: You DO NOT NEED id's for minors,Just the BC. That's what we thought too. My kids almost did not get on the ship; it doesn't hurt to have them just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 On 8/7/2018 at 6:07 PM, juliakays said: Yesterday I decided to go with just the birth certificates, school ids and expired passports. My husband called an hr ago to make sure he didn't need to come home early so we could go to the evening hrs at the county passport center. I told him we'll be fine. Fast forward 15 minutes later and my friend pointed out to me that my 15 yr old is 6'3" with facial hair and taller than both my husband and I and people might question his age and whether or not he's the kid on the birth certificate . Back to stressing. I'll just sit on it for another week until we're in that 2 week emergency window and probably head to the NYC office. Darn puberty Having the school ID with you will help you with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melski94 Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 4 hours ago, Kim&N8 said: yuo kids are not a renew they are a new passport stinks! Check the age to get an adult passport for your oldest! 16-17 year olds can get a 10 year passport! juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 12 hours ago, KathyC aka KathLuvsGH said: That's what we thought too. My kids almost did not get on the ship; it doesn't hurt to have them just in case. That's the kind of thing that I worry about. Thankfully he does have his school id and it looks enough like him now & has his graduation yr. KathyC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Birth certificate, Drivers License if they have one, School I.D. and you will be fine. Spend the saved passport money on specialty dinner and drinks. At age 16 you get the 10 year passport. If you were going to Europe then I would get a passport. Caribbean travel is a Birth Certificate. Like they say in the Caribbean : Don`t WORRY BE HAPPY and enjoy the cruise. And last get lots of family pictures taken. Those memories are precious. juliakays 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Yup, just double checked. $195 for 5 yrs if I got him the expedited passport now and $135 for 10 yrs if we can avoid international travel until he turns 16 in March. Seems like a no brainer to me 15 hours ago, Kim&N8 said: yuo kids are not a renew they are a new passport stinks! Check the age to get an adult passport for your oldest! 11 hours ago, melski94 said: 16-17 year olds can get a 10 year passport! Mljstr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 6 hours ago, juliakays said: That's the kind of thing that I worry about. Thankfully he does have his school id and it looks enough like him now & has his graduation yr. There is no harm in having them, it's not like it's any extra effort to bring them. Not sure why some people have such a hard time accepting that it's good to be over prepared. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliakays Posted August 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 11 hours ago, fonemanbob said: Birth certificate, Drivers License if they have one, School I.D. and you will be fine. Spend the saved passport money on specialty dinner and drinks. At age 16 you get the 10 year passport. If you were going to Europe then I would get a passport. Caribbean travel is a Birth Certificate. Like they say in the Caribbean : Don`t WORRY BE HAPPY and enjoy the cruise. And last get lots of family pictures taken. Those memories are precious. Trying not to over think it! Thankyou! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packercruising Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 On 8/6/2018 at 3:27 PM, Matt said: If you don't live in or near a major city with a US Passport office, there are LOTS of expedited passport renewal services. Just do a Google search for "<city name> expedited passport renewal" In Orlando, you can pay quite a bit but get passports renewed in 24 hours! (Our closest passport office is in Miami) This has nothing to do with this topic, as it looks like it is adequately covered, but I am trying to figure out how to sort the posts so the thread starts with the most recent comments. Without starting an entirely new thread for such a limited topic, can it be done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 4 minutes ago, packercruising said: This has nothing to do with this topic, as it looks like it is adequately covered, but I am trying to figure out how to sort the posts so the thread starts with the most recent comments. Without starting an entirely new thread for such a limited topic, can it be done? If you look at each unread post in the boards, you'll see a blue circle next to the post title (star if it's a post you're following). If you click that instead of the post title, you will be taken straight to the first unread message in the thread. PRebecca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packercruising Posted August 13, 2018 Report Share Posted August 13, 2018 Just now, JLMoran said: If you look at each unread post in the boards, you'll see a blue circle next to the post title (star if it's a post you're following). If you click that instead of the post title, you will be taken straight to the first unread message in the thread. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STB7481 Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 Just to clarify, this is my first cruise in a long time (this place has been great, thank you). If my wife and I have a passport, do we need to also bring a birth certificate? Or will the passport itself be sufficient? This is a cruise leaving from and returning to Port Canaveral. Our kids are 11 and 5. They would just need a birth certificate? (Likely going to go the passport route before the trip anyway). Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 46 minutes ago, STB7481 said: Just to clarify, this is my first cruise in a long time (this place has been great, thank you). If my wife and I have a passport, do we need to also bring a birth certificate? Or will the passport itself be sufficient? This is a cruise leaving from and returning to Port Canaveral. Our kids are 11 and 5. They would just need a birth certificate? (Likely going to go the passport route before the trip anyway). Thanks! If you have valid passports no other ID is required. Your kids would need original birth certificates. My kids always had passports but that's a personal decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 3 hours ago, twangster said: If you have valid passports no other ID is required. Your kids would need original birth certificates. My kids always had passports but that's a personal decision. +1 for passports for the kids. We never travel with their birth certificates. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRebecca Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 I am not sure if it's worse board etiquette to comment on an old thread or start a new thread that's surely been hammered out over and over, sorry! For a 'closed loop' cruise leaving and returning to the US (Florida) I understand a certified BC will work to travel (I also understand Passport is best) but in the event an adult can only travel with a BC and ID can they still get off in a Caribbean port? In this case Nassau. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean79 Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 yes PRebecca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRebecca Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Just now, Bean79 said: yes OK so the ship will allow a guest off and on with BC, ID and cruise card; and also Nassau port people will allow that as well? Thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 2 hours ago, PRebecca said: OK so the ship will allow a guest off and on with BC, ID and cruise card; and also Nassau port people will allow that as well? Thanks for the info! When returning to the ship the Nassau port security staff will ask to see Seapass card and Government ID to confirm the name on the SeaPass card matches the name on the Government ID. A U.S. driver's license works fine. PRebecca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRebecca Posted October 21, 2019 Report Share Posted October 21, 2019 Thank you so much for confirming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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