The exact travel documentation required depends on what citizenship you hold, as well as where your cruise is sailing from and to. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. There is no 6 month issue in the Caribbean. Are Passports Required for These Cruises? Royal Caribbean Cruises Departure Ports. Departures from Bayonne, Manhattan, Baltimore and Charleston will often get you weeklong Bahamas itineraries, as will sailings from Tampa, Galveston and New Orleans. You will also need to have a passport size photo taken and pay the required fees. Although you do not need a passport to visit these destinations as a U.S. citizen, Norwegian Cruise Line strongly recommends all guests to obtain a passport for their cruise vacation for the following reasons: Cruises up North Americas East Coast allow you to take in historical sights of early Americana, stand atop rugged cliffs on the coast of Nova Scotia or revel in the French culture of Quebec. An official website of the United States government. Needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons. If you were traveling internationally via cruise ship and is staying in one place for a long period of time. Different rules will apply if you are an LPR. Anl emergency could force you to end the cruise in a foreign port of call, and a passport will make getting home much easier. Popular closed loop itineraries include not only the Caribbean but also the Mexican Riviera and Alaska. . You must remain on the ship if you dont have your passport. Passports are required for all cruise travel to all other International destinations. Its the passengers responsibility to check with the appropriate government agencies and their cruise line to determine what documentation is required.
Passports for Closed Loop Cruise - U.S. Passport Service Guide You may be denied boarding the ship if your passport does not comply. The peace of mind of having the passport is worth far more than the effort to getting it. is a Florida-based freelance travel writer and a James Beard Award Finalist in Journalism. The official definition of a closed-loop voyage is one that originates and ends . These itineraries, like Alaska cruises, may be possible without a passport book, as long as your plans dont include flying into or out of Canada and your cruise line allows you to cruise with either a passport card or other acceptable form of identification and proof of citizenship. Citizens of the United States dont require passports on closed-loop cruises departing from American ports. You just get to come and go as you please. Ajs Water Adventures Dolphin Tours And Sunset Cruises, Things You Need To Know About Passport Expiration For Minors, required to carry the following 2 pieces of identification, Key West Sunset Dinner Cruise With Tropical Buffet, Royal Caribbean Cruises Southern Caribbean. An example would be one that starts in Florida and ends in the Bahamas. Closed-loop cruises from U.S. ports that visit Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico are part of an international agreement that allows U.S. citizens to cruise without a passport. What if the ship diverts somewhere and everyone has to fly home? So my question is: does Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Jamaica require a passport even if Im on a closed loop cruise? While cruising with a passport is always recommended, it's not required by law in certain circumstances. 3) The tour provider should be authorized and have a permit . You know it's best to cruise with a passport, but there are dozens of reasons why you might consider taking a cruise without one. Passports are not required for closed loop cruises because you are leaving and entering from the same U.S. port, without really spending any time abroad. Cruises that dont begin and end in the same port are not considered closed-loop cruises. Most major cruise lines offer sailings that range between three and 15 nights from ports such as Galveston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; multiple ports in Florida (including Miami and Fort Lauderdale); plus Charleston, South Carolina; Baltimore; Bayonne, New Jersey; and New York City. Also, it is advisable to always travel with some form of identification. If you are traveling to the Bahamas on a closed-loop cruise, which is a cruise that starts and ends at the same U.S. port, you may travel with a state-issued ID and an original U.S. birth certificate. Royal Caribbean International ; Passport Expiration Requirement . The U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency states that if you're cruising without a passport, you'll need proof of identity and U.S. citizenship in the form of a state-issued birth certificate. What if an opportunity pops up on short notice and you dont have a passport yet?
Passport cards, which were created because of the WHTI, serve as a low-cost alternative to providing a driver's license and birth certificate for cruising in all the places we are about to discuss. Upload or insert images from URL. Technically, if you have one of those forms of ID, but not a passport book, you can take a one-way Alaska cruise, as long as you dont have to fly to or from Canada. Youll be glad you did. What is a closed loop cruise can simply be phrased as any cruise ship debarking from and returning to the same point.
Places to Cruise Without a Passport | Carnival Cruise Line For this reason, Alaskan itineraries include visits somewhere in Canada, and there arent a lot of Hawaii cruises. Other cruises, though, require that kids under 16 have an original birth certificate with them, and kids over 16 must have a passport. Before my, Warm sunny days, savory food at every turn, and family memories. Additionally, vacation planning for guests booking round-trip flights is also made easier. As weve shown, you have plenty of options of where to cruise without a passport and many travelers do so without incident. Proof of identification, such as a drivers license or official picture ID. American citizens do, however, need: Keep in mind that, while you may not need a passport to embark on a closed-loop cruise and return home, you might need it to enter certain countries along the way. Be aware you can not fly internationally without a passport so if something happened mid-cruise and you needed to fly home, you couldn't. Non-U.S. Citizens will need a valid passport and, in some cases, a visa. Simply put, having a passport makes traveling significantly easier and simpler. One exception to the passport or passport card rule applies to "closed-loop" cruises -- itineraries that begin and end at the same U.S. port. For instance, you wont need a passport to fly to and cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, or St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology for Border Crossing, CBP Procedures for Processing Travel Documents at the Border, An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Regardless of what the minimum requirements are for travel, we highly recommend everyone get a passport. The general wisdomfor US Citizens is an original raised seal birth certificate and government issued ID is adequate. If you are cruising to Bermuda, then you dont necessarily need a U.S. passport book, but can use any of the following documents instead: U.S. passport card, Trusted Traveler card , or an enhanced drivers license. In some cases, where youre arriving in a country by sea , the cruise line will handle visa procurement for you. For a closed loop cruise, a birth certificate and a government issued ID are the only forms of documentation required. Related: The best Mexico cruises for every type of traveler. There are also exceptions when you're traveling with children. The short option is to fly to Honolulu and take a seven- or 10-night cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America, which is the only large cruise ship allowed to operate entirely within the Hawaiian Islands without visiting a foreign port. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. We checked with a few lines for you. The passport book is more durable for multiple trips. If you are a U.S. citizen and cruising out of the United States , then you do not need a passport. Whether you seek out warm beaches, cool drinks, water sports or cultural education, theres a Caribbean cruise to fit the bill. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. To get ready for the application, use Passport Photo Onlineyoull be able to get perfect pictures for your children without leaving home. Taking your first cruise has high hopes for a great, No matter how many cruises you have been on, there are still a few things you are calling the wrong name.Like so many, If you have your first Royal Caribbean cruise coming up, knowing what to do and which mistakes to avoid will help set, Let's face it: Dining is as essential to the cruise experience as the ocean itself. If youre traveling internationally, a passport might not be the only document you need. Don't worry, you still have plenty of options! What Is a Closed Loop Cruise? Please view our advertising policy page for more information. VisaCentral can obtain a passport in as little as 48 hours. The cost for a first-time passport holder is $165, plus the photo fee; the steep fee alone is why many Americans choose to go without one. From camping to cruising, she's been writing about travel for 30-plus years. Plus, as much fun as simple round-trip cruises are, passports open up additional vacation possibilities in the form of longer, point-to-point and overseas trips.
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