A
ACRUISEFAN
Guest
For children can you use a certified abstract for kids 15 and under?We are sailing from calif. to mexico and the way I read it from Carnival it can not be an abstract. Any thoughts?
T
trina312
Guest
Call Carnival. 1-800- CARNIVAL.
L
L8inAZ
Guest
I am not sure what an abstract birth certificate is, but my D/H had a pocket/wallet birth certificate. I was told it wasn't acceptable, It needed the raised seal. I would call Carnival and make sure what you have is okay. It would be terrible to be denied boarding for that reason...
L
lizardstew
Guest
If you want to be safe, just get the kids passports...soon enough you'll need them for everyone anytime you want to travel across borders. 
C
Cruisin Gal
Guest
I agree with you Lizard. The passport is the best way to go and we'll soon be needing it for everything. It might seem a little pricey, but it's good for 10 years.
C
coffeecups
Guest
Definitely had to be a birth certificate with a raised seal. When we brough our neice on a cruise, we bought her an id card, but we still needed the bc.
Never had a passport. Sounds great. My only question would be - how often will you and the kids be traveling outside the US? Is the price of the passport worth it if you seldom travel? But then, where I live getting a certified birth certificate costs aroung 25 dollars. And I don't know how this compares to the price of the passport. Perhaps some of our other posters can help us. You raise a very good question!!
great cruising!!
Never had a passport. Sounds great. My only question would be - how often will you and the kids be traveling outside the US? Is the price of the passport worth it if you seldom travel? But then, where I live getting a certified birth certificate costs aroung 25 dollars. And I don't know how this compares to the price of the passport. Perhaps some of our other posters can help us. You raise a very good question!!
great cruising!!
C
Cruisin Gal
Guest
I believe the time is shortly coming when you will need to have a government issued ID just to fly out of an airport within the country.
Having a passport is a good thing because you KNOW you will be cruising again and again during those 10 years!
Besides that, if an opportunity to cruise comes up suddenly sometime...you won't have to worry about getting a valid ID.
Having a passport is a good thing because you KNOW you will be cruising again and again during those 10 years!
Besides that, if an opportunity to cruise comes up suddenly sometime...you won't have to worry about getting a valid ID.
N
NewNCrusin
Guest
Passports are now running about $85 for a first time passport. Thats a little pricey for me right now, so I will be sailing with a BC!
S
Sharkin
Guest
Certified birth certificates in Los Angeles County no longer have the "raised seal". They are printed on that multi hued, watermarked secure paper. I would like to add that if both parents listed on the birth certificate are not traveling with the child you are required to have a notarized permission letter from the parent not traveling with the child. I say required because even though you may not be asked for the letter, if you don't have it, you may be denied boarding. I have read many posts advising the permission letter is not necessary, but I could not take that chance of having our vacation ruined at the check in desk. Even though I only have one cruise where this was an issue, we were asked for this notarized permission letter at check in and when we went through U.S. customs upon our return from Mexico.
P
prettygigi
Guest
Forget Carnival, check with Homeland Security or "inmigration"
800 375-5283
Good luck
Gigi
800 375-5283
Good luck
Gigi
S
Sharkin
Guest
I don't think "Homeland Security or immigration" will be involved until you return to the U.S.
C
coffeecups
Guest
Yes, I should have also mentioned about the notorized note. We did have to have one of those for our niece. HAD TO HAVE IT or leave the neice behind and then be in deep water with her and her parents. Yes, the notorized form info IS printed in the catalog. You can download one from a notary website (free) and then fill it out or type it and finally get it notorized. Cost me about 15 dollars at the Sears notary (not that I like Sears that much).
D
diverdiver
Guest
Passports for children under 16 are only good for 5 years, and cost $55.00. Adult passports are $85.00 and good for 10 years. My passport - I never leave home without it!! Just got back from Cancun last night, and there was a problem with a couple at Immigration in Orlando (Sanford) who was on our flight. It was something about one of their birth certificates - they were still there when the rest of us cleared Immigration. Seems that they were able to board the outbound flight from Atlanta with no problems, but there was a major problem getting back into the US.
J
Jeff & Susana
Guest
From Carnival...........
• A state-issued certified copy of a birth certificate from the
Department of Health and Vital Statistics and photo I.D.
These are both raised seal but very hard to see now.
Ours are wallet sized and VERY easy to carry, along with a D/L!
Mine came from the County Clerks office and Susanas came from the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics. (hers is called a "Birth Registration Card")
Here is the deal............
If you have the proper forms of I.D. as required and clearly stated by the cruise line, you will have NO problem. Been there, done that.
If you have any question, call your county clerks office or Bureau of Vital Statistics, tell them you are going on a cruise and need proper B/C documentation and for a small fee they will get you what you need.
Most will even ship ovenight if you pay the shipping fee.
If you want to be overly safe........
Drop the $85.00 per and get passports.
Take your B/C's anyway.
Also your marriage license.
Make copies of everything.
...or....
just stay in this country!
There are many thousands of people that board cruise ships every day using only B/C's & D/L's without problem.
• A state-issued certified copy of a birth certificate from the
Department of Health and Vital Statistics and photo I.D.
These are both raised seal but very hard to see now.
Ours are wallet sized and VERY easy to carry, along with a D/L!
Mine came from the County Clerks office and Susanas came from the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics. (hers is called a "Birth Registration Card")
Here is the deal............
If you have the proper forms of I.D. as required and clearly stated by the cruise line, you will have NO problem. Been there, done that.
If you have any question, call your county clerks office or Bureau of Vital Statistics, tell them you are going on a cruise and need proper B/C documentation and for a small fee they will get you what you need.
Most will even ship ovenight if you pay the shipping fee.
If you want to be overly safe........
Drop the $85.00 per and get passports.
Take your B/C's anyway.
Also your marriage license.
Make copies of everything.
...or....
just stay in this country!
There are many thousands of people that board cruise ships every day using only B/C's & D/L's without problem.
T
terri910
Guest
While I can appreciate having to weigh the cost of passports against how often they might be used....I still would come in on the side of passports, for so many reasons. Amortize the cost of the passport over the years its valid and its a bargain, and it can be used in so many situations...plus for me, like Cruisin Girl, I want to be able to travel anywhere, at the drop of a hat, when the opportunity arises. Last fall, while reading the travel section of the newspaper, I saw a round trip flight from LA to London for under $200. Helllloooooo! As soon as the vacation time could be arranged at work, I was gone.
D
diverdiver
Guest
I'm with you, terri910! British Air offered r/t air from Atlanta and 4 nights London hotel for $399.00 last mid-Dec., so off I went! Stayed in some cute little hotel near Kensington Gardens (Thistle??) and did the pubs. (Did the sightseeing years ago.) This was a great price, and the transfers from Gatwick were included. Love England!!!
D
day-day
Guest
"Amortize the cost of the passport over the years its valid and its a bargain,..."
It is not a bargain if its not needed.
It is not a bargain if its not needed.
T
terri910
Guest
day-day:
Yup. So if you never, ever, plan on leaving the country, EVER, over the next ten years, don't do it. I said I could appreciate weighing the cost vs. value. I just personally can't see going 10 years without -- at the very least -- cruising, and I think the passport is much easier to deal with at the port than birth certificates. Your experience at check-in is only going to go as well as the person that's helping you. And once in a while you're going to get someone that does not know what they're doing. "Is this birth certificate a certified copy? It doesn't have a raised seal!" A new person may not know that your county no longer issued raised-seal certificates. Will it probably get worked out eventually? Probably, but you'll have spent a lot of extra time and stress, and there are no guarantees even at that....No questions with the passport. If, God forbid, something should happen and you're stuck in Belize or Aruba or someplace, I imagine dealing with getting back into the country would go more smoothly with a passport rather than a birth certificate (especially in today's travel climate).
No doubt my experience is different than someone else's....but for me, just knowing that if a friend comes up to me and says "I find myself with an extra ticket to (insert foreign country name here)" that I can pack my bags and GO, is worth it...*s*
Yup. So if you never, ever, plan on leaving the country, EVER, over the next ten years, don't do it. I said I could appreciate weighing the cost vs. value. I just personally can't see going 10 years without -- at the very least -- cruising, and I think the passport is much easier to deal with at the port than birth certificates. Your experience at check-in is only going to go as well as the person that's helping you. And once in a while you're going to get someone that does not know what they're doing. "Is this birth certificate a certified copy? It doesn't have a raised seal!" A new person may not know that your county no longer issued raised-seal certificates. Will it probably get worked out eventually? Probably, but you'll have spent a lot of extra time and stress, and there are no guarantees even at that....No questions with the passport. If, God forbid, something should happen and you're stuck in Belize or Aruba or someplace, I imagine dealing with getting back into the country would go more smoothly with a passport rather than a birth certificate (especially in today's travel climate).
No doubt my experience is different than someone else's....but for me, just knowing that if a friend comes up to me and says "I find myself with an extra ticket to (insert foreign country name here)" that I can pack my bags and GO, is worth it...*s*
