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The long-cruise options consist of 14- to 18-night round-trip sailings from San Diego, LA (Long Beach and San Pedro) and San Francisco. You won't need a passport for these closed-loop sailings, but you do need to be prepared for multiple days at sea as you cross the Pacific from California to Hawaii. If you're interested in cruising to Alaska without a passport, look for itineraries that begin (and end) in Seattle, San Francisco or southern California ports, such as Los Angeles or Long Beach, California. The most common length for these closed-loop Alaska cruises operated by the major cruise lines is seven nights. Cruises early or late in the season might be only four or five nights, and trips departing from LA are usually 14 nights. Closed-loop cruises to Mexico depart from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Galveston.
Passport Requirements
Pink-sand beaches, beautiful blue waters and colorful coral reefs deliver the perfect recipe for sunning, swimming, sailing and snorkeling. The passport card is an option the United States government provides that is a lower cost alternative to the passport book. It is for travelers who are not going to leave the country by airplane, and plan to only leave the United States via land or sea. While some cruises don’t require you to travel with a U.S. passport book, we always recommend you bring one on your trip, even on a closed-loop cruise. If you need to fly back to the United States during your cruise, you’ll only be able to board a plane with a passport book.
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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. Depending on where you are traveling and your nationality, you may also require an entry visa to board the ship or enter certain countries the ship will visit. While most cruise lines are happy to provide this information, it is ultimately the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have all of the necessary visas before they board the ship. Some people prefer to bring their passports in addition to other forms of identification, as it ensures they have covered all of their bases. Always check your cruise line’s specific travel document requirements for more information on whether a passport card is an acceptable form of identification for your specific cruise.
Accepted Identification for Singaporean Citizens
After you pull into port in the Big Apple, make sure to see a Broadway show, visit the Empire State Building and take a stroll through Central Park. If you live in the U.S., you will also need the original copy of your Alien Registration Card (ARC or "Green Card") and any other documentation the countries on your itinerary require due to your alien status. To help eliminate any chance of losing your passport while on the ship, we recommend keeping it in your stateroom or suite. The in-room safes are easy to use and will keep your passport in a secure place at all times.
Destinations You Can Visit Without a Passport on Major Cruises - Business Insider
Destinations You Can Visit Without a Passport on Major Cruises.
Posted: Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. 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. The good news is that an adult passport is valid for 10 years – and you can travel to most places in the world with just a passport and no visa. You will also need to have a passport size photo taken and pay the required fees.
What Do You Need to Remember About International Cruise Trips?
Passport cards can also be used for identification when cruising in all the places we are about to discuss; these cards are a low-cost alternative to traveling with your driver's license and birth certificate. Everyone will need to present an accepted form of identification to board the ship. We strongly recommend that all guests present a passport as their form of ID on boarding day, and for some guests a passport is required. In a nutshell, a passport card is a plastic card that can fit into a wallet and are accepted for land and sea border crossings between the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Also some ports of call may require a passport to enter even if you don’t need one to board your cruise.
To skip potential postal service delays, you could make an appointment with a local passport application acceptance center; however, this option may not get you a passport in 3 weeks. Therefore, even if a cruise doesn’t require a passport, it’s advisable to have one to avoid these potential issues. Please note that these requirements can change, so it’s always a good idea to check the latest information on the Norwegian Cruise Line’s website before your trip. Each cruise line has specific guidelines to ensure guests can enjoy a smooth, enjoyable journey and make the most of their travel itineraries. If you're headed to one or more Caribbean countries on the list below on a closed-loop cruise, you aren't required to have a passport as a U.S. citizen. A cruise to the Caribbean transports you to tropical islands bathed in turquoise waters.
Norwegian Cruise Line Urges Passengers to Use a Passport for Mexico - Cruise Hive
Norwegian Cruise Line Urges Passengers to Use a Passport for Mexico.
Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Taking a cruise abroad is an unforgettable experience and an amazing way to see the world. To help you better prepare for your voyage, here are a few passport tips and best practices to follow when planning your international cruise. As for travel visas, it is the guest’s responsibility to identify and obtain all the necessary travel visas before embarking on the cruise. For instance, a week-long cruise around the Western Caribbean & Perfect Day, which begins and ends in Miami, Florida, is a closed-loop cruise. It visits several countries like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, and Grand Cayman, but returns to the original U.S. port.
Do you need a passport for a cruise to Bermuda?
They depart from such home ports as Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles, Galveston, Texas and New York City. You may be surprised to learn that U.S. citizens don't need a passport to sail on "closed-loop" cruises with lines like Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and others. Whether you need a passport depends on numerous factors, including where you embark and disembark the ship, where you're sailing to and which line you're cruising with. Book your trip with a credit card that includes travel insurance coverage as a perk and you'll have some peace of mind, even without additional coverage.
The Caribbean is one of the most popular cruise destinations for U.S. travelers. But before you book a trip, knowing which travel documents are required and whether you need a passport is essential. It’s your responsibility to ensure you have all the proper documentation to board the ship and enter each of the countries your cruise visits. And government authorities may require you to have a visa or meet other requirements. The exact travel documentation required depends on what citizenship you hold, as well as where your cruise is sailing from and to.
Our guide aims to explain these requirements, preparing you for potential emergencies and ensuring you’re well-equipped for cruise travel. However, other Caribbean countries may require a valid passport for closed-loop cruises if you plan to disembark, so verify this before your trip and ensure you travel with all necessary documentation. 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. Before we go further, let's clarify that when we talk about cruising without a passport, we're referring to pricey passport books that some travelers do not wish to purchase.
They’re known for their quality service, excellent food, elegant decor, and diverse entertainment. Their ships feature modern amenities like high-tech shows and extensive art collections. Holland America Line is lauded for catering to multi-generational groups making it an ideal cruise line for families.
However, while many cruise lines may not require passengers to bring their passports, plenty recommend it, as does the U.S. It can come in handy if you need an emergency medical evacuation or the ship has to schedule an emergency docking at a different port that's not on your itinerary. Small-ship cruise operator UnCruise Adventures also offers seven-night, inter-island Hawaiian sailings. The American-flagged ships only cruise to and from U.S. ports, so no passport is needed, as would be the case on any domestic trip. This means that Alaska cruises are one instance when the passport card would be a handy alternative to traveling with both an ID card and a birth certificate.
These documents will permit you to receive a temporary passport to be used for reentry into the United States. Temporary passports are only valid for a short period of time and are given out to travelers who need to travel quickly but don't have time to wait for a standard passport. Embassy or consulate abroad, it typically takes only a few days for temporary passports to process and receive. If an emergency arises, only an official passport will allow you to fly home quickly from a foreign port. If you end up stranded in another country because of unforeseen circumstances, you do still have options, but it will take more time and effort to get home with only a birth certificate and photo ID.
Rushed expedited service is a better choice when you have a tight schedule. Rushed service can be completed within 14 days—also not including mailing times. Again, to avoid potential delays with the postal service, you could make an appointment at the nearest Regional Passport Agency.
For instance, you won't need a passport to fly to and cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, or St. Thomas in the U.S. As long as you're on a closed-loop cruise, you’ll be able to skip the passport in favor of other government-issued IDs. In general, it is preferable to have a passport with you — especially in the event you need emergency medical care and have to stay in a foreign country, for example. Immigration and border authorities must be very strict about checking documents for validity, so a photocopy will never be sufficient, even if it is just for a child or senior in your care.
