Most sites say the enhanced version is an up charge.
They also say that the borders need the technology to read the enhanced?
Yes. This is true. We paid extra for enhanced because we can go to Toronto, or wherever, without needing a passport.
1 Like
I just went down quite the rabbit hole to learn more about enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) and Real ID.
According to this Wikipedia article, it sounds like both require similar documentation, but EDLs are only offered in a few states that border Canada as well as some Canadian provinces.
EDLs are available to U.S. citizens who reside in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington.
So my PA license, that does have Real ID, is not sufficient for crossing the border with Mexico or Canada.
I am sure it is easier for the cruise guidelines to not look at a possible exception for some residents of five states.
2 Likes
For a 3-night adult DCL I’d be willing to forgo the passport and just do license and birth certificate. My risk assessment would find me at peace on that voyage. YMMV
I do love having a passport - because how often I can use it as ID in general. But not for a one and done trip.
My kids having passports has made moving to another state super convenient.
We may still end up doing the passport…but the cruise’s first day is Nassau. So if an emergency happened within the first 24 hours, then having a passport to get back would be useful. After that, there would be no means, even if an emergency happened, because we would either be at sea or at Castaway Cay.
Still, peace of mind is worth something. We just weren’t convinced that we need to get a passport card if we had the real id enhanced license, assuming we didn’t plan to get a full passport.
If an emergency happens they will air lift you and that would be complicated without a passport?
As others have said, the passport card is of little use should you be off-boarded in a foreign country (and though your stop is Nassau, it could be another country depending on the need).
I personally love having a passport because it opens up so many more options for places to go - places that without having one I would never have thought of.
That was my thinking basically. I do love having a passport, but if you really didn’t think you wanted to get one right now a 3-day Bahamian cruise is on the low end of concerning.
What happens if you get sick on a DCL? For example, will they quarantine you for Covid ?
If you had appendicitis, would they want to airlift you back to the US?
Depends on how serious whatever is requiring it is - and how close you are to the US. If it is something serious, it will be to the nearest point - ships have often altered course to go to an island to disembark a passenger. It’s not always feasible to get someone to the US.
COVID I believe you are quarantined until you can be disembarked.
1 Like
For some reason the forum bumped this old topic to top of the list and I can’t resist opining as I used to specialize in answering cruise ID questions back in the day 
Short answer:
- Enhanced driver’s licenses issued by VT, MI, MN, NY, WA (with or without the Real ID star) are of little use when cruising to the Caribbean from a US port on DCL.
- If you don’t wish to carry a birth certificate, your options are Passport Book or Passport Card.
Long travel nerd answer:
- Enhanced driver’s licenses are Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative-compliant travel documents. WHTI is a child of 9/11 security tightening. They were created to give Northern border states a lower cost alternative to a Passport Book for driving to Canada. I once took a taxi from Plattsburgh, NY to Montreal, QC and the driver had an EDL.
- While technically EDL’s can also be used to enter the U.S. by sea, not every cruise line accepts them. Why not? Common carriers (e.g., cruise lines) are held responsible by US CBP for pax proper documentation, or they can be fined. To simplify their processes, and not have to train agents on every ID under the sun, carriers sometimes impose stricter ID requirements than US CBP. DCL does not accept EDL’s, but Royal Caribbean does. Source, Source. DCL technically accepts NEXUS trusted traveler cards too, but it’s extremely rare for US citizens to have one and I’d like to see an agent try to make sense of it. Darn thing looks like a library card
- Passport Cards are also a child of WHTI and available to residents in all states. They allow entry to the US by land and sea from the Western Hemisphere. They don’t have that much utility when cruising, except in cases such as OP’s choosing not to take a birth cert, or repositioning cruises where license + birth cert can’t be used. Technically, they’re a type of passport, and if you need a passport book in an emergency I once read a consular officer’s post saying it’d be faster if you already have a passport card, because you’ve been vetted by the Dept. of State and are in their system already.
- There is a ferry from the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, and if you’re stranded with a passport card but not a passport book that might be a way to get home. They do not accept EDL’s. Source
- Obviously, no passport book is required to fly home from Puerto Rico or St Thomas, since they’re US territory.
- Real ID driver’s licenses aren’t directly relevant to cruising. The option to use a driver’s license + birth cert is not affected by the forthcoming Real ID requirements in 2025. However, if you have to take a flight to reach your cruise (or fly home), you will need a Real ID document in the future. All EDL’s, Passport Cards, and Passport Books are already Real ID compliant documents.
I have both a passport book and card. The card is an extra $30 if you’re already getting the book, and comes in handy when I want to show a government ID without revealing my address (hey, if you lived in NJ would you want to advertise that??), or I need to leave an ID as a deposit and I don’t want to risk my license. The card is also one of the few gov’t photo ID’s available to minors, although my daughter upset my calcs by losing hers
2 Likes