64funwhisper Posted August 20, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 20, 2019 this cruise goes to costa rica to get off the boat is a passport needed ? tried calling carnival wait time on phone 25min thought maybe someone had gone there on a cruise and could let me know thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipmaster Posted August 20, 2019 #2 Share Posted August 20, 2019 17 minutes ago, 64funwhisper said: this cruise goes to costa rica to get off the boat is a passport needed ? tried calling carnival wait time on phone 25min thought maybe someone had gone there on a cruise and could let me know thanks Just bring the passport, crazy to take any trip out of the country and not have a passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted August 20, 2019 #3 Share Posted August 20, 2019 A tip for the future: it’s a good idea to give your thread a title that is as specific as possible to the subject matter. Whether or not you need a passport depends on your country of citizenship and possibly whether you are on a closed loop cruise, neither of which bit of information you have stated. But I agree with the poster above; I think the best practice when traveling abroad is to take your passport. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64funwhisper Posted August 20, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted August 20, 2019 this is a closed loop cruise and Iam a us citizen I was asking a question never had one on 15 cruises but I sure didnt expect to get a snarky remark but thanks for your opinion anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clo Posted August 20, 2019 #5 Share Posted August 20, 2019 21 minutes ago, 64funwhisper said: this is a closed loop cruise and Iam a us citizen I was asking a question never had one on 15 cruises but I sure didnt expect to get a snarky remark but thanks for your opinion anyway Guess I missed the snark. I read about these closed loop/no passport things here and it's made me wonder. If for any reason, sickness, arrest!, missing the ship, whatever, if you don't make it back onto the ship does that create a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 20, 2019 #6 Share Posted August 20, 2019 No need to take your passport ashore you can if you want but not required for CR The cruise line will usually tell you if you are required to carry your passport when going ashore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimnKaren Posted August 20, 2019 #7 Share Posted August 20, 2019 However...you might consider making copies of your passport. You carry someone else's and that person carries yours. It is not a big deal, it is one of those just in case situations. I have a copy of Karen's and she has a copy of mine. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted August 20, 2019 #8 Share Posted August 20, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, 64funwhisper said: this is a closed loop cruise and Iam a us citizen I was asking a question never had one on 15 cruises but I sure didnt expect to get a snarky remark but thanks for your opinion anyway Not being snarky but wondering why with your stated cruise experience and not having one in the past, and your knowledge of the rules regarding a US based closed loop cruises with US citizens, why would you question the need for one now? Is the cruise in question not a US based closed loop cruise? Costa Rica is no different in that regard than any other foreign port of call on that type of itinerary. BTW, as another source, the Carnival website could probably also provide that answer if the phone wait time is too long. Edited August 20, 2019 by leaveitallbehind 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmayor Posted August 21, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Don't always assume that just because it is a closed-loop cruise that a passport is not necessary. If you go to travel.gov and look up the requirements for visiting Costa Rica you will see that a passport is required with at least one day of validity for a US citizen to enter the country. When we did a cruise a few years ago with a Costa Rica stop, we made sure to carry it with us in case we were challenged as I had learned during our planning phase that having a passport to enter the country was required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted August 21, 2019 #10 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Try typing "Costa Rica passport requirements" into Google. DON 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted August 21, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, msmayor said: Don't always assume that just because it is a closed-loop cruise that a passport is not necessary. If you go to travel.gov and look up the requirements for visiting Costa Rica you will see that a passport is required with at least one day of validity for a US citizen to enter the country. When we did a cruise a few years ago with a Costa Rica stop, we made sure to carry it with us in case we were challenged as I had learned during our planning phase that having a passport to enter the country was required. I agree that with any travel outside of the US it is wise to carry a Passport even if one is not needed. I also would suggest that one should check with the cruise line planned for travel as different lines require a Passport even when it is not mandated, whereas others don't. However the requirement you reference is for air travel into Costa Rica. Please note the following, in particular that in bold: CRUISE TRAVEL The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Passport Requirements became effective June 1, 2009, for land and sea borders. While the WHTI requires a valid passport for land and sea travel, a final ruling was issued allowing leniency for "closed-loop" cruises, i.e., sailings that both originate and terminate in the same U.S. port. Recent guidance received from the Department of Homeland Security indicates the documentary requirements under WHTI for "closed loop" cruises are not limited to cruises that travel only to contiguous territories or adjacent islands. This means U.S. citizens calling on ports in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Belize will also be exempt from the passport requirement. U.S. citizens taking "closed-loop" cruises are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver's license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all cruises. Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking "closed loop" cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Having a passport will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency. Edited August 21, 2019 by leaveitallbehind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted August 22, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 8/20/2019 at 8:25 PM, msmayor said: Don't always assume that just because it is a closed-loop cruise that a passport is not necessary. If you go to travel.gov and look up the requirements for visiting Costa Rica you will see that a passport is required with at least one day of validity for a US citizen to enter the country. When we did a cruise a few years ago with a Costa Rica stop, we made sure to carry it with us in case we were challenged as I had learned during our planning phase that having a passport to enter the country was required. Cruise travel may, and frequently DOES have different requirements. AFAIK the only Gulf/Caribbean/etc cruise destination that ever required a passport was Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 22, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 22, 2019 9 hours ago, SRF said: Cruise travel may, and frequently DOES have different requirements. AFAIK the only Gulf/Caribbean/etc cruise destination that ever required a passport was Cuba. Some cruise lines also require passports now even for closed loop cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted August 23, 2019 #14 Share Posted August 23, 2019 11 hours ago, LHT28 said: Some cruise lines also require passports now even for closed loop cruises Yes, the CRUISE LINE does. The countries do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinfool Posted August 23, 2019 #15 Share Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) As a general rule, for WHTI countries, cruise passengers do not 'enter' the country where the ship stops for a day. Passengers are 'in transit', not visiting the country as a tourist. It is confusing that some cruise companies have made statements about passport requirements for Costa Rica and other ports that apply to tourist visits rather than 'in transit' port calls. Personally I believe that CC would be full of threads about being refused boarding for itineraries that include the few Caribbean/Central American countries that seem to have anomalous passport requirements. Such threads are not apparent. Edited August 23, 2019 by thinfool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg4502 Posted August 24, 2019 #16 Share Posted August 24, 2019 I was just there in May. Passport was not needed, to go into port. Just cruise card, to get back on the ship. I do carry a copy of my passport with me and a second ID, if it is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted August 24, 2019 #17 Share Posted August 24, 2019 NONE of the Caribbean cruise ports require passports from Americans (or others) on a cruise. If this is a "closed loop" cruise, you do not need a passport at all, if you are an American citizen cruising from and to the same American port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ReneeFLL Posted August 25, 2019 #18 Share Posted August 25, 2019 On 8/21/2019 at 6:05 AM, 64funwhisper said: this is a closed loop cruise and Iam a us citizen I was asking a question never had one on 15 cruises but I sure didnt expect to get a snarky remark but thanks for your opinion anyway That wasn't a snarky remark at all. He/she was just telling you that you needed to give more info. How do you expect a correct answer without giving the correct info to get one? If anything your comment was a bit snarky. I'm just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted August 25, 2019 #19 Share Posted August 25, 2019 5 hours ago, cb at sea said: NONE of the Caribbean cruise ports require passports from Americans (or others) on a cruise. If this is a "closed loop" cruise, you do not need a passport at all, if you are an American citizen cruising from and to the same American port. Also, many of them that normally require a visa for citizens of other countries do not require them for cruise passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted August 25, 2019 #20 Share Posted August 25, 2019 5 hours ago, cb at sea said: NONE of the Caribbean cruise ports require passports from Americans (or others) on a cruise. If this is a "closed loop" cruise, you do not need a passport at all, if you are an American citizen cruising from and to the same American port. Cuba did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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