Passport Required?

[NewbyCindyMI]

Hi all, This is my first post so excuse my ignorance please. I am going on my first cruise in October on the Carnival Liberty. We are going to St. Thomas, Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Marten. I do not have a passport and have read many differing opinions regarding if I need one to get off at the ports that we are visiting. I really don't want to spend 200.00 if I don't need to but am really confused here. Can anyone help a newby out? Thank you!!

[Ashland]

Hi all, This is my first post so excuse my ignorance please. I am going on my first cruise in October on the Carnival Liberty. We are going to St. Thomas, Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Marten. I do not have a passport and have read many differing opinions regarding if I need one to get off at the ports that we are visiting. I really don't want to spend 200.00 if I don't need to but am really confused here. Can anyone help a newby out? Thank you!!

Welcome to Cruise Critic :)

 

No need for a passport as this will be a "closed loop" cruise...leaving from and returning to a US port.

 

Just make sure you have a certified copy of your Birth Certificate and picture ID...you should be fine...enjoy your cruise.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Ashland

[NewbyCindyMI]

Thank you! That's what I thought but then I was reading things that said you had to have a passport to get off of a ship in Barbados or St. Marten. We are flying in and out of San Juan. Thanks again! I can't wait!!

[Sixtytwo]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Cindy!

 

Nope, you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise. But, don't miss the ship at a port or have some emergency that requires you to fly home! You will need one under those conditions! [emoji2]

[NewbyCindyMI]

Thank you! I appreciate the help. I keep going back and forth on just going ahead and getting it or taking my chances that there will be no emergency. Not sure if it would be worth the money as I don't think I would be going anywhere else. Thanks for the welcome. Enjoying reading all the reviews.

[Illyria]

You're a U.S. citizen, right? (on these boards, it doesn't hurt to clarify ;) )

[NewbyCindyMI]

Yes, U.S. citizen. We are flying from Detroit to San Juan.

[CruiserBruce]

Technically you don't need a passport. BUT... you might want to read this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2237746

 

and any of the MANY other threads on this very common topic.

[NewbyCindyMI]

Thank you! Sorry, I didn't realize there were so many !!

[Langley Cruisers]

...Not sure if it would be worth the money as I don't think I would be going anywhere else.

 

Understood, but I consider it an investment. Adult U.S. passports are good for ten years - that's huge! Divide the cost by 10 and I think it might make you look at it a little differently. Besides that... once you get a passport, the whole world is open to you. You say you probably aren't going anywhere else, but who's to say what opportunities might come up in a few years' time? Maybe Europe will be affordable... or a land vacation somewhere fabulous...

 

I am very pro-passport. ;) It trumps any other kind of ID you could have.

[sparks1093]

Understood, but I consider it an investment. Adult U.S. passports are good for ten years - that's huge! Divide the cost by 10 and I think it might make you look at it a little differently. Besides that... once you get a passport, the whole world is open to you. You say you probably aren't going anywhere else, but who's to say what opportunities might come up in a few years' time? Maybe Europe will be affordable... or a land vacation somewhere fabulous...

 

I am very pro-passport. ;) It trumps any other kind of ID you could have.

 

If opportunities come up in a few years time get the passport then and have it available for the full ten years instead of having the time ticking off of it by getting it now. :)

[SuiteTraveler]

Here is what you need to know. Legally, you don't have to have a passport, just your birth certificate and a picture ID such as your drivers license for a closed loop cruise as long as all goes well and you arrive via your ship and leave via your ship the same day. BUT, if you or someone in your group gets sick or injured and you have to leave the ship at a non-US port to go to a hospital of if for any other reason you can't return to the ship before it leaves, then you WILL have to get a passport BEFORE you can fly home. The ports included in this are:

Barbados

Domenica

St. Lucia

St. Martin

 

Now hopefully, nothing will happen to you or anyone you are traveling with and nothing unexpected will occur. But it could. So you must carefully weigh out how certain you feel that nothing will go wrong and how much risk you can afford to take.

 

It's like taking a cruise without cruise insurance - everything is fine until you need it and then, it can get really expensive if you don't have it - for example an emergency helicopter medical evacuation costs $100,000 but if you suddenly get appendicitis and you aren't in port, this is what is most likely to happen as the ship's doctor would want to get you to a hospital BEFORE your appendix ruptures.

 

So, you might save $200 up front by not getting a US passport but wind up paying a lot more than that should you need a US passport during your trip. Typically what happens in many countries is if you are not on your ship when it leaves, they have the right to detain you, bring you before a judge, deport you and fine you. So you will not only have to pay for your flight home, but you will also have to pay a fine to the country for being there without a US passport overnight. You will also have to pay to get a passport and may have to pay to travel to a city or island with a US Embassy in order to get your passport. There are also some countries which will detain people who don't have passports and these people may have to wait several months in a detention center until they are allowed to go before a judge, be assessed a fine and deported. BTW, the issue with being deported is that, in most cases, you can never re-enter that country again.

 

Here is the information for Barbados - if you were to stay there overnight by accident or injury, you would need a passport:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/barbados.html

 

St. Lucia also requires a passport if you were to stay there overnight by accident or injury:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-lucia.html

 

Domenica is the same:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/dominica.html

 

Same with St. Martin:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/passport-requirements-st-martin-106022.html

 

Think it over and weigh out the risks/possible costs involved and decide what you are comfortable with. Recognize that something could go wrong and it could be super expensive to solve the problem and decide if you are willing to take that risk or not.

[Langley Cruisers]

If opportunities come up in a few years time get the passport then and have it available for the full ten years instead of having the time ticking off of it by getting it now. :)

 

I maintain it is better to already have it. The member's post below solidified my feelings about it; it's fine if you don't agree with me but as I said, I feel it's a very small investment to gain the whole world. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47212537&postcount=216

 

.

[sparks1093]

I maintain it is better to already have it. The member's post below solidified my feelings about it; it's fine if you don't agree with me but as I said, I feel it's a very small investment to gain the whole world. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47212537&postcount=216

 

.

 

You only gain the whole world if you have the time and money to go and if you do that's great, but a lot of people don't enjoy that situation. The only thing that quote shows is that you need to make sure you allow ample time for non-emergency processing of a passport which is a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks and even then allow more time than that (I personally gave myself a 6 month window when we applied this year).

Edited July 23, 2015 by sparks1093

[donaldsc]

You do not need a passport on a closed loop cruise as long as you do not get in a situation where you really need it. Then you will be very glad that you have it. I would get the passport.

 

DON

Edited July 23, 2015 by donaldsc

[AKman2495]

You do not need a passport on a closed loop cruise as long as you do not get in a situation where you really need it. Then you will be very glad that you have it. I would get the passport.

 

DON

 

Quite true...and if, god forbid, someone is in such a situation they will most likely spend a lot of time kicking themselves for not spending the money to get one....while they figure out what to do.

[manofmagnet]

You say the Detroit area, as you should know you now need a passport to go to Canada, so it might come in handy to get one.

[Tora_Oni]

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card/Difference-Between-Passport-Book-and-Card.html

 

passport card info

Edited July 24, 2015 by Tora_Oni

[sparks1093]

Here is what you need to know. Legally, you don't have to have a passport, just your birth certificate and a picture ID such as your drivers license for a closed loop cruise as long as all goes well and you arrive via your ship and leave via your ship the same day. BUT, if you or someone in your group gets sick or injured and you have to leave the ship at a non-US port to go to a hospital of if for any other reason you can't return to the ship before it leaves, then you WILL have to get a passport BEFORE you can fly home. The ports included in this are:

Barbados

Domenica

St. Lucia

St. Martin

 

Now hopefully, nothing will happen to you or anyone you are traveling with and nothing unexpected will occur. But it could. So you must carefully weigh out how certain you feel that nothing will go wrong and how much risk you can afford to take.

 

It's like taking a cruise without cruise insurance - everything is fine until you need it and then, it can get really expensive if you don't have it - for example an emergency helicopter medical evacuation costs $100,000 but if you suddenly get appendicitis and you aren't in port, this is what is most likely to happen as the ship's doctor would want to get you to a hospital BEFORE your appendix ruptures.

 

So, you might save $200 up front by not getting a US passport but wind up paying a lot more than that should you need a US passport during your trip. Typically what happens in many countries is if you are not on your ship when it leaves, they have the right to detain you, bring you before a judge, deport you and fine you. So you will not only have to pay for your flight home, but you will also have to pay a fine to the country for being there without a US passport overnight. You will also have to pay to get a passport and may have to pay to travel to a city or island with a US Embassy in order to get your passport. There are also some countries which will detain people who don't have passports and these people may have to wait several months in a detention center until they are allowed to go before a judge, be assessed a fine and deported. BTW, the issue with being deported is that, in most cases, you can never re-enter that country again.

 

Here is the information for Barbados - if you were to stay there overnight by accident or injury, you would need a passport:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/barbados.html

 

St. Lucia also requires a passport if you were to stay there overnight by accident or injury:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/st-lucia.html

 

Domenica is the same:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/dominica.html

 

Same with St. Martin:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/passport-requirements-st-martin-106022.html

 

Think it over and weigh out the risks/possible costs involved and decide what you are comfortable with. Recognize that something could go wrong and it could be super expensive to solve the problem and decide if you are willing to take that risk or not.

 

While a country may have the right to detain you as you say every country in the WHTI that I am aware of recognizes the closed loop exception and will not detain a passenger that is left behind solely because of the lack of passport. I know that your friend had a horrendous experience but from what you described in your previous post that situation is not a typical outcome.

[sparks1093]

You say the Detroit area, as you should know you now need a passport to go to Canada, so it might come in handy to get one.

 

Actually they could also use a passport card or enhanced drivers license to get back from Canada.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Cindy!

 

Nope, you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise. But, don't miss the ship at a port or have some emergency that requires you to fly home! You will need one under those conditions! [emoji2]

 

 

I hate having to bring this up over and over again, but: some of you are forgetting that pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line in the world requires that ALL passengers on ALL itineraries present (and, often, surrender) a passport at embarkation.

 

Governments comprise only one element in the complicated world of international travel.

[sparks1093]

I hate having to bring this up over and over again, but: some of you are forgetting that pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line in the world requires that ALL passengers on ALL itineraries present (and, often, surrender) a passport at embarkation.

 

Governments comprise only one element in the complicated world of international travel.

 

We hardly see the need to mention it when the OP mentions which cruise line they are sailing with, in this case CCL. Yes, other people will read these threads and presumably some of them will be those sailing with other lines but part of due diligence is to make sure the cruise line you are sailing with has the same requirements as other cruise lines.

[Doggielover68]

Just a heads up, we went on a round trip cruise out of Miami last year and one of our fellow roll call members forgot their passport and they weren't allowed to board in Miami. I'm not exactly sure why since it's technically not required but they are also allowed to deny boarding I suppose. I would just get one and get it over with. :)

 

 

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[Doggielover68]

Just a heads up, we went on a round trip cruise out of Miami last year and one of our fellow roll call members forgot their passport and they weren't allowed to board in Miami. I'm not exactly sure why since it's technically not required but they are also allowed to deny boarding I suppose. I would just get one and get it over with. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

And for the record it was a Carnival cruise

 

 

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[thinfool]

Just a heads up, we went on a round trip cruise out of Miami last year and one of our fellow roll call members forgot their passport and they weren't allowed to board in Miami. I'm not exactly sure why since it's technically not required but they are also allowed to deny boarding I suppose. I would just get one and get it over with. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

You fail to mention if they had other, valid, ID? (birth certificate and photo ID)