Carnival cruise/passport questions?

I would like to remind you of the people in the Bahamas who just got hurt on that boat that blew up. Majority were air lifted to the states, that was made possible because of passports. It's not the cruise you gave to worry about, its what happens if the cruise can't continue because something happens to the ship and you need to fly home? What if you need to be air lifted back? A birth certificate can only go so far.

One less flower arrangement will get you a passport - exaggerating here, but you know what I mean.

Yes you can cruise with just your birth certificate. But that is true only under the assumption that you arrive and depart from the country you visit via the cruise ship. God forbid, but if you need to be medvac'd to the US, you would need a passport bc you would be leaving the country in a different way than you arrived.

The pp's have mentioned some valid concerns. There are so many reasons that you may need a passport.

https://www.passportsandvisas.com/cruise

I couldn't imagine not having a passport...it's a small price to pay for something so important and not worth the risk if something goes wrong.

We went on a Carnival cruise for our honeymoon, I agree I would go ahead and get a passport just in case. My husband and I both have ours, so I don't know if there would be any issues cruising without one other than if you needed to fly back to the US unexpectedly, but I'd say it's worth getting just in case of an emergency. If it makes you feel better about the expense, if you plan on changing your name after you're married it will be free to update your passport if you've just renewed it within the last year. Passports are good for 10 years, so don't think of this expense as being for just this one trip.

Also when you book your cruise, be sure you enter your name as it appears on your passport (i.e. your maiden name if you're leaving right after the wedding), or you'll run into some extra hassle.

The cheap can be expensive.

Yes, you can cruise without a passport as long as you leave and return to the same US port AND any of the countries you are cruising to do not require a passport (side note: we cruised to/from Ft. Lauderdale last year so most people would think no passport was required - but immigration requirements in Costa Rica, one of the stops, REQUIRED us to have a passport).

As others have said though, if there is a problem and you find that you need to fly home, from one of your port stops in the Bahamas/Caribbean, you won't be able to do it without a passport. You'll need to take the time and effort to have an emergency passport prepared - and no trip insurance policy will cover your costs if the reason you need coverage is lack of proper documentation.

So yes, you could cruise with your photo ID and birth certificate. Bear in mind though that if you book in your married name, you will need to also carry your official marriage certificate as the bridging document between your birth certificate and your married name on your ID.

And please don't think that you can save a few bucks and just get the passport card. The card is not valid for air travel - only land travel between US/Canada and US/Mexico.

Carnival might be different but Disney Cruise lines won't even let you on the ship if you don't have your passport.

My family and I have been on 10 cruises in total and I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a passport. We have been fortunate that everywhere we have been we could do birth certificate or passcard, but had we had any emergency or even did not make it back to the ship in time for the next port I would have been stuck there forever. If you're booking early make sure to book it in your maiden name so you don't have to worry about accidentally leaving your marriage license anywhere. If you book it with your married name you will have to already have your identification corrected with the new name to avoid bringing your marriage license. If you chose that option anytime you get on or off the ship you would need it and that is a huge risk. I will be getting my passport by 2020 for my FH and I in case we decide to do a honeymoon out of the states. You never know what may or may not happen. If you ever want more fun information about great cruises feel free to let me know.

You could get a passport card, they are cheaper. But like pps, passports are important as well

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Untrue. A closed-loop cruise, starting and ending in the same US port, does NOT require a passport. Disney Cruise line states "At check-in, all Guests must present valid passports or other acceptable proof of citizenship".

Every cruise line, though, will strongly suggest a passport as it is a requirement to re-enter the US by air. If somehow you miss the ship, you cannot get back to the US by air without a passport (unless you miss in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands - no passports required for air travel to/from those islands as they are considered US destinations).

A previous poster suggested the passport card because it is cheaper. The passport card is worthless on a cruise for air travel - it is ONLY good for land border crossings into the US.