Welcome, Ann, to planDisney and your journey to living on Island Time. Knowing the documents needed to board is an excellent question to ask early in your planning.
Cruises to
Castaway Cay and the Bahamas on Disney Cruise Line are usually closed-loop cruises, leaving from and returning to the same US port. For these cruises, you will need to have valid
travel documents, which include a passport or a birth certificate and a government-issued photo identification card. Children 15 and younger are only required to have proof of citizenship, not additional photo identification. These policies are set by the US State Department so make sure to check their website (link is available on the travel documents page) just to be sure.
Although a passport may not be required for your cruise, there are several
benefits of cruising with a passport. The main one for me is simply if something unfortunate happens during our cruise and we need to fly home. Since we would not be coming back through the port, a passport could be required to re-enter the country. It is just peace of mind.
A few tips on documentation: pictures of your passport, birth certificate and/or photo identification are submitted electronically as part of your check-in around a month before your cruise. Take pictures and have these handy as you begin the check-in process. Once you have taken these pictures, set your forms of citizenship documentation to the side, with your luggage tags, so you have them handy when it is time to pack. When you hop in the car to leave your house and head to the airport or highway, double-check (triple-check) to make sure you have these with you. If you forget a toothbrush, they are easy enough to replace, but you cannot board without your travel documents, and they cannot be easily replaced last minute.
With your documents in hand, it is time for planning for fun onboard and ashore. At Castaway Cay you can spend the day lounging on the beach or in float in the water. You can also thrill and delight with adventures like parasailing for a unique view of the island. You can also literally run on island time with a 5k path through a lush path and an airplane runway. If running is not your speed, you can rent bicycles and cruise across the island.
There is so much fun awaiting you, I am getting excited just thinking about it. If you have any other questions, please come back to
planDisney. We are here to help!
Happy Cruising!
Jana