Welcome aboard, Katye!
It's so much fun to begin planning a Disney Cruise Line vacation. From the moment I book our next cruise, I love scoping out the
Disney Cruise Line website, reading the
Disney Parks Blog and learning more about the newest entertainment and activities onboard because Disney keeps the best parts but adds new fun all the time!
Please check out the
Travel Documents page of Disney Cruise Line's website for the details on what you'll need to sail as far as documents. For the sailings that are round trip from a U.S. port, like the Bahamas sailings from and back to Port Canaveral or Miami, guests that are U.S. citizens are not required to have a passport. You'll see on the details of the travel documents page that guests can alternately provide a state-issued (not hospital issued) birth certificate along with a valid government-issued I.D., like a driver's license. Those under 16 traveling with their parents only need the birth certificate.
That being said, if you have the time and means to obtain a passport prior to your cruise, I highly recommend doing so. My family has always sailed with passports, including since my kiddos were tiny sailors. I love the added assurance of knowing that there's security in case we were to experience an unexpected medical or other emergency in a foreign port of call. We can more easily fly home with our passports. So, keep that in mind when you go to plan your sailing.
Have so much fun as you begin to explore all of the options you'll have when you book this exciting and magical adventure at sea!
Marcy