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We break down closed-loop cruises, what happens in an emergency if you cruise without a passport, and what passport rules are for Alaska, the Bahamas and other popular cruise destinations. There are two ways to cruise to the volcanoes, tropical forests, whales, and surfing beaches of Hawai‘i without a passport. One is on a cruise where you fly in and spend your entire vacation in and around the islands. The other is a long slog, closed-loop sailing from a California port or Seattle, with a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, and several days at sea getting to and from Hawai‘i. You won’t run into any passport requirements on tried-and-true routes from U.S. ports such as those that visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Closed-loop cruises from New York City, Boston, Baltimore, and Port Canaveral from lines such as MSC Cruises, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean head to the famous pink-sand beaches and golf courses of Bermuda.
International Travel
Note that the birth certificate can’t be the cute one with the baby’s footprints issued by the hospital; it needs to be issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where the child was born. Closed-loop Hawaii cruises that don't require passports come in two varieties. The short option is to fly to Honolulu and take a seven- or 10-night cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America. This is the only large cruise ship allowed to operate entirely within the Hawaiian Islands without visiting a foreign port. If you find yourself without a passport but in need of one, you would need to contact and locate the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and request an emergency limited validity passport in order to fly home.
Closed-Loop Cruises: The One Passport-Required Exception
Below, we've compiled a list of seven places to visit without a passport, from scenic Alaska to the beachy Caribbean. Don’t have the right documentation to cruise, according to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and the U.S. Some U.S. citizens may also be able to use an “EDL” or an Enhanced Driver’s License, which can be used in place of a passport when re-entering the United States after traveling from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean.
Bermuda
If you are unsure about the meaning, ports of call are temporary stops in various ports. They allow you to exit the ship and experience different cultures, climates, and on-shore excursions. As you would expect, if these ports of call are in international destinations, you would need a passport, even if you initially boarded your cruise ship in your home country. Mexico's Caribbean and Pacific coasts are both accessible to cruisers who do not hold passports.
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Many cruises overnight here to give passengers time to get out and explore. There's excellent shopping, dining and water sports activities in many ports like Nassau and Freeport. Another popular option is buying a day pass to mega resorts like Baha Mar and Atlantis, both of which welcome cruise visitors for the day. If you thought you needed a passport to head overseas on every single trip, think again. Those long waits for passport applications or renewals, even if you finally secured an in-person appointment, aren't needed for some cruise vacations.
The Best Cruise Lines
Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. If you are unsure if your cruise is domestic, consult the cruise line, as they can quickly tell you what type of cruise it is and your specific I.D. Mexico cruises most frequently depart from Los Angeles (San Pedro and Long Beach), San Francisco and San Diego.
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Your cruise company also may require you to have a passport, even if U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the foreign country’s border agency does not. Cruises are a popular way to travel and there are many options to choose from. Whether it's a tropical beach vacation, a river trip in Europe or a glacier cruise in Alaska, there's something enjoyable about kicking back on a ship, exploring a handful of ports and taking it easy for a few days. However, when looking at small ships and larger ships on more expansive routes, keep in mind some islands—including Martinique, Guadeloupe, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Bart’s—do require a passport. This point should be top-of-mind especially because of COVID-19 and any other medical emergency that would require the trip to be altered or a medical evacuation.
If cruising from California, with most sailings 14 nights or longer, your choices expand to such lines as Holland America, Celebrity, Viking Cruises, and Seabourn. The only big ship line with the fly-in option is Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,186-passenger Pride of America, which is U.S.-flagged, a requirement for operating to and from a U.S. port without stopping in another country. (Foreign-flagged lines are not allowed to sail between U.S. ports without visiting another country under the Jones Act.) You can do a week on the ship from Honolulu and visit five Hawaiian Islands. Virgin Voyages’ ships are limited to age 18 and up and bring you to Virgin’s classy Beach Club at Bimini. For a fancy small ship, check out sailings on the 298-passenger Evrima, the first yacht from the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, sailing to the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale.
International Cruises
Or just enjoy a meal of fresh salmon or crab while you're ashore -- no passport needed. You've decided you want a vacation, but there's a problem -- you're a U.S. citizen and you don't have a passport. Maybe you've never had the time, money or desire to travel abroad previously, or perhaps your old passport has expired. It can take eight to 11 weeks (expedited wait times are five to seven weeks) for a routine passport to be issued, so you always want to plan ahead.
Then there are scenarios where severe weather or some other unforeseen situation could require the cruise ship you are traveling on to make an unexpected stop at a foreign port. In these cases, you may be required to stay on the ship if you do not have a valid passport to show port authorities. Again, you could board the ship with an enhanced driver’s license or a valid government-issued photo identification and a birth certificate. This ensures that the name on the ticket matches the person boarding the ship. Princess, Holland America and Celebrity all strongly recommend passport books, but they allow one of the WHTI forms of identification. Again, the passport card opens up one-way possibilities, assuming you aren't flying and your cruise only includes Canada and the U.S.
In these cases, government-issued identification and proof of U.S. citizenship are acceptable alternatives to a passport book. Beware of 20-plus-night cruises that are round-trip sailings from the West Coast and would seem to fit the bill for closed-loop cruises that don't require passports. Most of these cruises don't work because they also include stops in French Polynesia, which is outside of the WHTI agreement. Passports are required for the islands in the South Pacific, which means they're required for the entire cruise. Be aware that requirements on closed-loop cruises can still change in certain countries, so be sure to check the entry requirements of the specific cruise ports on your itinerary. Some Caribbean nations still require passports or passport cards, like Martinique and Guadeloupe.
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This is welcome news for those whose passports may have expired, for families who want to opt out of buying short-term passports for children, or haven't had a chance to renew their passport. Three-day cruises aboard Carnival Conquest depart Miami for the Bahamas, but return back to Miami. This means U.S. passengers don't need a passport for this closed-loop sailing. The Bahamas is a Caribbean nation of islands and a popular cruise destination.
Once you have your passport in hand, there are a few important tips to keep in mind as you travel. First, always keep your passport in a safe and secure location, such as a hotel safe or a hidden money belt. It's also a good idea to make a copy of your passport and keep it with you in case your passport is lost or stolen. Scrambling for a temporary passport can create mounds of paperwork and plenty of headaches, and the time it takes to process is never guaranteed.
However, for many travelers, it can be confusing to know what travel documents are required to embark on a cruise. One of the most common questions is whether a passport is required for a cruise. In this blog post, we'll explore this question in detail and provide the information you need to know to ensure you're prepared for your next cruise adventure. You might be surprised to know that certain U.S.-based cruises allow you to cruise without a passport. But just because some cruise passport requirements allow for “no passport cruises” doesn't mean you should sail without one.
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