Those who have been on a cruise recently...did you get your kids a passport?

[jerseygirl07067]

Here is a link to the current regulations:

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_sa.html

Apparently, kids under 16 can use a birth certificate. So can adults who are on a closed loop cruise, which is what we're doing. To play it safe, I was going to have just DH and I get a passport to save money, and just use birth cerfiicates for the kids. The only drawback is you can't use birth certificates for air travel, which we are not anticipating. But then I start thinking of the what ifs on our cruise...what if one of the kids gets sick and has to be flown home, etc. I wouldn't imagine that would happen, but I guess it's good to be prepared.

Anyone experience any problems for their kids without a passport? Our cruise will be western hemisphere only, and starts and ends at the same US port.

[gobadgers]

We went ahead and got passports for the kids because I had the same 'what if' worries you did. Nothing happened that we needed them, but it made the trip much more relaxing for me.

We had plenty of time before our cruise to get them processed, which helped. And it will be easier to do all that international travel I'm dreaming about, now that the kids already have their passports

ETA: Depending on where the cruise is stopping, it sounds like you may need a passport to get on/off the ship. Does your cruise line have any information on whether that's needed?

[HallsofVA]

Yes, we got our kids passports for their cruises. While we could have used the birth certificates for the closed loop cruises we did in 2008, 2009 and 2010, we were always concerned about what we would do should we have a problem and need to fly home from a foreign location.

Our last cruise, this past Sept., we really needed the passports since we sailed from Barcelona back to Florida on the Disney Magic! Birth certificates weren't an option for that trip!!

[infomama]

We will be getting our dds passports for our cruise next year.

[Melbel]

We obtained passports for our children to cover the "what if" situation mentioned above. It was definitely worth the peace of mind.

[mom2binsd]

What if that recent Carnival cruise had docked at Ensenada Mexico and you were on it and were then flown to the US (not likely in that situation as there's no airport really in Ensenada) but you get what I mean.

I'd go ahead and get them. You never know when you'll need them.

[sail731]

We went with the passport. Not only does it cover the what ifs, but it allows us to plan a vacation anywhere without having to worry about if we have enough time too get a passport.

[jerseygirl07067]

Okay. I think you all convinced me! I want to feel peace of mind so I guess you can't put a price on that.

I just wish they weren't so darn pricey!

[karstmama]

yes, i got him a passport. perhaps you could get all the pics done & paperwork filled out, then send them in one at a time to spread the costs out?