Do I need a passport?????????

[LOVETOCRUISE214]

Hello all. I am going on my first ever cruise in march on seaside. leaving Miami going to Caribbean and then back to Miami. 7 days, I do not have a passport! Do I HAVE to have one to board?

[sanger727]

US citizens do not need a passport for a closed loop Caribbean sailing (starts and ends in the same port). I think Cuba might be an exception to this, but outside of that, the answer is no. You will need a photo ID and birth certificate.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Clarea]

Just to clarify, the birth certificate must be a certified copy and the other ID must be a goverment issued photo ID.

[gtalum]

You don't need one. You need an original birth certificate and photo id if you don't have one.

 

Personally, I always recommend that people get a passport before cruising.

[easyboy]

In case of emergency, may be better applying for an expedited passport processing if flying back is needed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Keith1010]

While not required I would get a passport.

 

Things happen and should some issue arise that required you to fly home before returning to Miami a passport would be required.

 

They are good for 10 years.

 

Keith

[CruiseGal999]

Hello all. I am going on my first ever cruise in march on seaside. leaving Miami going to Caribbean and then back to Miami. 7 days, I do not have a passport! Do I HAVE to have one to board?

 

My personal opinion ... YES .... people really should travel with passports. For the closed loop you are describing ... the passport is more for emergency situations. Illness/injury and getting out of a country and back to US but not on the ship.

[sanger727]

My personal opinion ... YES .... people really should travel with passports. For the closed loop you are describing ... the passport is more for emergency situations. Illness/injury and getting out of a country and back to US but not on the ship.

 

 

 

OP asked if the ‘HAD’ to have one; not if YOU think they should get one. The correct answer is, no, they don’t HAVE to have one.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[kingfrog]

Cannot recall ANY of the replies stating that they HAD to have a passport. IMO people come on this forum to get answers AND advice, not comments from conceited posters.

[sanger727]

Cannot recall ANY of the replies stating that they HAD to have a passport. IMO people come on this forum to get answers AND advice, not comments from conceited posters.

 

 

 

The person said ‘in my opinion... yes’ to the question ‘do you have to have one’. It confuses the issue. If they had said, no, you don’t have to but here are the reasons why you should, it would have been helpful. But inaccurate information because you don’t like the right answer isn’t.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thinfool]

While CBP does not require a passport for your itinerary, you should also check with MSC to verify their requirements.

[CruiseGal999]

OP asked if the ‘HAD’ to have one; not if YOU think they should get one. The correct answer is, no, they don’t HAVE to have one.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

keith1010, easyboy AND gtalum (to name a few) ALL said the SAME thing I said .... RELAX ....

[sanger727]

keith1010, easyboy AND gtalum (to name a few) ALL said the SAME thing I said .... RELAX ....

 

 

 

I’m not upset. But no, they didn’t. The way you phrased it would be confusing to someone who doesn’t know better.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cbelc]

You have time. Get a passport for peace of mind. If something happens and you need to fly home from another country, you’ll need one.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Flatbush Flyer]

US citizens do not need a passport for a closed loop Caribbean sailing (starts and ends in the same port). I think Cuba might be an exception to this, but outside of that, the answer is no. You will need a photo ID and birth certificate.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Of course, Cuba is an exception.

And just for OP's future reference: it's just not the governments' requirements (ours and theirs) that dictate need for a passport on a cruise. Pretty much every premium and luxury cruise line requires all passengers on all itineraries to present (and often surrender) their passport at embarkation.

Also, if for any reason you need to fly home from another country, you're not getting on a plane without a passport.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Sunshine2U]

It's not required but we also suggest a passport. You'll probably never need it but if there's any situation (mechanical, weather-related, illness) where you need to fly home from a non-US port, the last thing you want to have to deal with is not having a passport. That being said, if there's not enough time to obtain a passport, go without it and have a great time!

[CruiseGal999]

Read this ... it IS extreme and LONG .... but why entertain this possibility?

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121215

[ssmea03]

As everyone else has said, you don't need a passport to go on this cruise. But that is the exception, a passport is required for almost all other forms of international travel.

If you have time, follow the advice to obtain a passport before you leave. If not take your driver's licence etc, and birth certificate, then after enjoying your cruise get a passport as soon as you get back. It will literally open up a world of cruising possibilities to you.

[rettiga]

We've had passports since we were teenagers. Here's the best reason to have one, whether you need it for a specific trip or not: Passports tend to fuel your imagination, urging you to travel every time you look at them. They're skeleton keys to the world, and at 65 countries and counting I'm personally glad that I never have to ask whether I need one. Pack the bag and go!!

[TravelinGert]

Hello all. I am going on my first ever cruise in march on seaside. leaving Miami going to Caribbean and then back to Miami. 7 days, I do not have a passport! Do I HAVE to have one to board?

 

You do not HAVE to have one to board. Many people cruise every year without one and it is fine.

 

The reason people usually encourage cruisers to get a passport is in case of emergencies and snafus. If you get off the ship and don't make it back before it sets sail without a passport you will not be permitted to board a flight home. There are ways to obtain a passport from a foreign country but they are expensive. The simple answer to this potential problem is not to miss your ship's sail away from port if you leave the ship.

 

Unfortunately there isn't really a simple answer for the emergency issue. If you were to suffer a serious illness or injury you wouldn't be able to easily fly back home for treatment.

 

You should be eligible to make an appointment at your nearest passport processing center and get your passport expedited. You should check the government's instructions on the passport website as to how that all works. Unless something's changed you should be able to either pick it up the next day or have it overnighted to you for a fee and have it in time for your cruise if you are really worried.

 

Happy cruising!

[rettiga]

You do not HAVE to have one to board. Many people cruise every year without one and it is fine.

Happy cruising!

 

Perhaps a more accurate statement would be "You do not have to have one to board this particular kind of cruise." I know that a lot of people's framework for cruising is roundtrip Caribbean floats only, but you can be very sure that you need passports for lots and lots of cruises around the world, no question about it. And while it's also true that "Many people cruise every year without one and it is fine," it should be clearly understood that this statement applies only to a fairly narrow subset of the world's cruise itineraries.

[riclop]

No you don't but it's always good to have one.