Passports, Honestly who cruises without them ?

[Jenk0677]

Hello

Ok don't jump down my throat, but I just booked a closed loop cruise on NCL and I am thinking that I'm not going to have time to get passports. I am thinking about just going without them. How many people actually do that out there?

[Clarea]

I believe quite a few people cruise without passports, especially those taking young children whose passport would only be valid for 5 years.

[Keith1010]

Some people cruise without them.

 

I personally feel there is risk should you need to fly home either due to a health issue or an emergency.

 

Keith

[capriccio]

What is your Plan B in case of an emergency (missing the ship, illness, leaving the cruise due to an a death/serious illness back at home, etc.)? Many Americans think that the US Government will bail them out but that isn't necessarily true.

 

Be aware that each Caribbean country does NOT have a US Embassy or Consulate -- the Embassy in Barbados covers a number of island countries and the Consulate in Curacao covers Aruba and Bonaire.

 

Embassies and Consulates are on a 5 day work week (Monday thru Friday in non-Muslim countries) and will have an on call duty officer (not necessarily a Consular officer) but what may be an emergency to you is not necessarily an emergency to the State Department.

 

The State Department's Country Information website for most Caribbean countries has the following warning:

NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the United States (closed loop cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. However, should you need to disembark due to an emergency and you do not have a valid passport, you may encounter difficulties entering or remaining in a foreign country. You may also have difficulty attempting to re-enter the United States by air because many airlines will require a valid passport before allowing you to board the aircraft. As such, it is strongly recommended that you always travel abroad with your valid passport.

[SuiteTraveler]

Here is what you need to know. If you cruise without your passport and something unfortunate happens such as someone winds up in the hospital or you miss your ship or for some reason you need to return home from an island in the Caribbean due to an emergency back home, you will have to obtain passports first. The island you are on may or may not have a US Consulate. That means you and your party may have to take a trip to another island in order to get to a US Consulate to apply for emergency passports for everyone. With passports, such an emergency situation is much easier to manage. You just debark the ship and go to the airport and buy your tickets and fly home immediately. Without a passport, you will be stranded and have to wait around to get emergency passports which means a hotel, transportation and food expense as well as the expense of the flight home.

 

Many people cruise without passports and nothing goes wrong but they are taking a risk. Take stock of your personal situation and consider what you would want to do if something happened back home. Consider these scenarios:

 

1. Close relative dies back home

2. Your house is destroyed or damaged by a fire, tornado or flood or other natural disaster.

3. Close relative is hospitalized with something serious.

4. You broke your leg and you need orthopedic surgery.

5. Someone in your party has appendicitis and is debarked to a hospital on an island for an appendectomy requiring an over night hospital stay.

 

Would you want to leave your cruise and fly home immediately or ASAP, or would you stay with your cruise and wait several days instead of going home. Only you can decide if cruising without a passport is right for your situation.

[cb at sea]

I don't have one, and until I HAVE to, I won't get one. No sense in paying that to go someplace where they aren't required, IMO! I understand that should I need to fly home, it will be a pain, but I'm willing to take that risk. I know I WILL get home!

[whogo]

Hello

Ok don't jump down my throat, but I just booked a closed loop cruise on NCL and I am thinking that I'm not going to have time to get passports. I am thinking about just going without them. How many people actually do that out there?

I would bet that a lot of people cruise without passports. Sorry, I have never seen the figures, I'd like to know, too.

[flyingv4me]

I know that many cruise without one; however, I'm not one of them. It really isn't that big of a hassle to get one.

[K&RCurt]

I don't have one, and until I HAVE to, I won't get one. No sense in paying that to go someplace where they aren't required, IMO! I understand that should I need to fly home, it will be a pain, but I'm willing to take that risk. I know I WILL get home!

 

Yes, you will get home. After you get a passport at a greatly increased cost in time, effort and dollars.

[GUT2407]

1. 
   

I have but that cruise didn't leave Australia.

[fishywood]

I believe one of the onboard staffers who used to post quite frequently once said there are some closed loop US cruises that used to have 30-40% or more passengers using birth certificate and DL as ID rather than passport. That percentage has been going down due to those passengers who have gotten passports simply because the ID requirements for land crossings between US and Canada and Mexico have gotten more stringent.

 

When I saw the thread title Honestly, who cruises without them? I assumed it would be yet another rant about how dumb it is not to have one, rather than the OP seeking reassurance that they will be OK without. Yes, you will be. As is everyone who is content with confining their vacations to closed-loop cruises. Personally I cannot imagine excluding myself from even the North American open-jaw cruises I have taken (Ft Lauderdale-Los Angeles and Montreal-Ft Lauderdale) never mind the Transatlantic ones. But far be it from me to call such veteran cruisers who have never strayed from closed-loops shortsighted.

[SadieN]

Friends do. But the furthest port is only a four hour car ride home.

[loubetti]

Never have cruised or traveled by plane, even domestically, without one. I got my first passport at age 7, 50 years ago.

 

It is the gold standard for ID.

 

Besides, I have no idea where my birth certificate is!

 

Ya' wanna save a few bucks, ya' take your chances!

 

If you can afford a cruise you can afford a passport. Passports are not an area to "cheap out" on.

[sail7seas]

I will not leave the U.S. no matter by ship or car or however without a passport.

 

It is a cost of travel, the universally accepted I.D. and required for 'most' international travel. I just renewed my passport for about the 4th time though I don't have a specific need for one at the moment. I always want to have a valid passport in my possession.

[sail7seas]

Never have cruised or traveled by plane, even domestically, without one. I got my first passport at age 7, 50 years ago.

 

It is the gold standard for ID.

 

Besides, I have no idea where my birth certificate is!

 

Ya' wanna save a few bucks, ya' take your chances!

 

If you can afford a cruise you can afford a passport. Passports are not an area to "cheap out" on.

 

 

 

Yes, ^^ This. Excellent post.

 

[sail7seas]

I don't have one, and until I HAVE to, I won't get one. No sense in paying that to go someplace where they aren't required, IMO! I understand that should I need to fly home, it will be a pain, but I'm willing to take that risk. I know I WILL get home!

 

Judging by how much you visit the CC forums, I am guessing you are someone who enjoys travel, cruise travel. Why are you limiting yourself to a small choice of where you can cruise without a passport? You have to only do closed loop so you don't even get to visit other embarkation cities let alone countries.

 

You have no need to respond but it sure confuses me.

 

[Shmoo here]

Never have cruised or traveled by plane, even domestically, without one. I got my first passport at age 7, 50 years ago.

 

It is the gold standard for ID.

 

Besides, I have no idea where my birth certificate is!

 

Ya' wanna save a few bucks, ya' take your chances!

 

If you can afford a cruise you can afford a passport. Passports are not an area to "cheap out" on.

 

I "had" my first passport (included in my mother's) when I was 5 or 6. Once I started traveling internationally (around age 18) I got my "own" passport. I do have my birth certificate, but it really wouldn't do any good, it's in German.

[sparks1093]

I would bet that a lot of people cruise without passports. Sorry, I have never seen the figures, I'd like to know, too.

 

I recently read an article that said that 10 million people traveled on cruises in the preceeding year (I think the article was written in 2015). If you calculate that a majority of those passengers probably embarked here in the US that would give us 6 million pax. I have read various numbers about how many on a closed loop cruise used something other than a passport, anywhere between 40% and 60% or higher. So if we take the middle ground that's roughly 3 million people that travel on closed loop cruises with something other than a passport and without experiencing any problem.

 

OP, yes, people travel without passports all of the time, I've done it several times myself (in fact I've traveled all over the world and didn't need a passport until our trip to Germany just last year). You will face some delay in returning if you have to fly back, but you are the best judge to know how realisitic that possibility is for you.

[sail7seas]

Other than being active duty in the Military, how does one travel the world without a passport?

 

[sparks1093]

Judging by how much you visit the CC forums, I am guessing you are someone who enjoys travel, cruise travel. Why are you limiting yourself to a small choice of where you can cruise without a passport? You have to only do closed loop so you don't even get to visit other embarkation cities let alone countries.

 

You have no need to respond but it sure confuses me.

 

 

I can't answer for cb at sea but since I've given similar answers my answer might come close- my life limited where I could travel and limited me to closed loop cruises. We had to drive to the port and had absolutely no immediate plans for international air travel. Not everyone has the ability to travel at will wherever and whenever they want and if they do decide to take such a trip there is usually plenty to time for obtaining a passport.

[sparks1093]

Other than being active duty in the Military, how does one travel the world without a passport?

 

 

Why are you assuming that I wasn't active duty military:eek:? But I also traveled to Mexico and Canada with nothing but a drivers license.

[sail7seas]

Something else just occurred to me.......

 

People in some states may soon require a passport to fly DOMESTICALLY. TSA has announced driver's licenses from some states will not be accepted as ID to board a plane. If you live in one of those states, may be good to 'beat the rush' and apply for a passport if you hope to take a flight even within U.S. borders.

[sparks1093]

Something else just occurred to me.......

 

People in some states may soon require a passport to fly DOMESTICALLY. TSA has announced driver's licenses from some states will not be accepted as ID to board a plane. If you live in one of those states, may be good to 'beat the rush' and apply for a passport if you hope to take a flight even within U.S. borders.

 

Those regulations are no where near implementation (another extension until 2018 I believe).

[sail7seas]

I can't answer for cb at sea but since I've given similar answers my answer might come close- my life limited where I could travel and limited me to closed loop cruises. We had to drive to the port and had absolutely no immediate plans for international air travel. Not everyone has the ability to travel at will wherever and whenever they want and if they do decide to take such a trip there is usually plenty to time for obtaining a passport.

 

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate the response.

 

 

 

Why are you assuming that I wasn't active duty military:eek:? But I also traveled to Mexico and Canada with nothing but a drivers license.

 

 

 

You are assuming I did NOT think you were active duty military. I wrote that as the only possible exception I could think of that would enable someone to travel the world and not hold a valid passport.

 

;) I read your signature and saw your U.S. Navy references.

My late DH was U.S. Army and when he served in Viet Nam, he did not have a passport. ;)

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by sail7seas

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate the response.

 

 

You are assuming I did NOT think you were active duty military. I wrote that as the only possible exception I could think of that would enable someone to travel the world and not hold a valid passport.

 

;) I read your signature and saw your U.S. Navy references.

My late DH was U.S. Army and when he served in Viet Nam, he did not have a passport. ;)

 

 

You are welcome. When we first started cruising we took a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas. Passports for the 7 of us would have set us back close to $900, which was almost as much as the cruise itself. I did my research, including reading the DHS regulations (not a pleasant task;)) and determined that the risk didn't warrant that outlay of cash since a much more affordable alternative was available. Of course if I had determined that the passports were a must have then we would have either found a way to pay for them or we would have found a different vacation. (And I figured you knew I was prior military but the way you wrote the post threw me a little and I apologize if I misread.)