Passport for Caribbean cruise

[johntstone57]

I am UK citizen taking a Seabourn cruise in Jan visiting a dozen islands

 

I only have 2 full blank pages left in my password though doesnt expire for 5 years.

 

Seabourn have been unhelpful when asked whether that is ok. 

 

Can anyone help on whether Im going to need to get new passport or dont islands stamp cruisers passports?

 

Thanks

[sparks1093]

I am not aware of an island in the Caribbean that stamps passports for cruisers so I would expect you would be fine (Cuba might be the only exception to that).

[johntstone57]

Thanks for quick & helpful reply

[Tapi]

43 minutes ago, johntstone57 said:

I only have 2 full blank pages left in my password though doesnt expire for 5 years.

Your passport will not be stamped unless you go through a customs and immigration checkpoint, and most Caribbean islands don’t have these when arriving by cruise ship. 
 

About running out of blank pages, you can request that extra pages are added to your current passport, although I’m not sure about the turn around time and if you’ll get those before you sail. But in any case you won’t need them for this particular cruise.

 

Looking at my passport, it seems like many agents don’t care that you already have a page fully stamped. They will stamp in between or on top of other stamps. I wouldn’t worry too much. Have a great cruise! 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Tapi

[sparks1093]

3 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Your passport will not be stamped unless you go through a customs and immigration checkpoint, and most Caribbean islands don’t have these when arriving by cruise ship. 
 

About running out of blank pages, you can request that extra pages are added to your current passport, although I’m not sure about the turn around time and if you’ll get those before you sail. But in any case you won’t need them for this particular cruise.

 

Looking at my passport, it seems like many agents don’t care that you already have a page fully stamped. They will stamp in between or on top of other stamps. I wouldn’t worry too much. Have a great cruise! 

Is adding pages an option...I suppose it could be for a UK passport but I think we've lost that option here in the US. 

[Tapi]

Just now, sparks1093 said:

Is adding pages an option...I suppose it could be for a UK passport but I think we've lost that option here in the US. 

I just renewed my wife’s US passport and it did give me the option of adding new pages although I know that a while back it was said that you needed a new passport altogether even if not expired. I wonder now if it’s a dead link or if it would’ve actually allowed me to proceed. 🧐

[wishIweretravelling]

6 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I just renewed my wife’s US passport and it did give me the option of adding new pages although I know that a while back it was said that you needed a new passport altogether even if not expired. I wonder now if it’s a dead link or if it would’ve actually allowed me to proceed. 🧐

If you were renewing the passport, that means you were getting a new passport. In the U.S., you can opt for extra pages when getting the new (i.e. renewed) passport, but you can no longer get pages added to an existing passport.

[Tapi]

11 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Is adding pages an option...I suppose it could be for a UK passport but I think we've lost that option here in the US. 

I just went back the same way that I re-applied for my wife’s passport and I clicked on the link to add pages and sure enough it directed me to another page to apply for a new passport. So I do stand corrected. Thank you! 

[Tapi]

1 minute ago, wishIweretravelling said:

If you were renewing the passport, that means you were getting a new passport.

I was renewing, but the menu of options included other options, like replacing a lost or stolen passport, or adding new pages to an existing passport. As indicated on my previous post, I went back and clicked on the link to add pages to see what would happen and it directed me to the renewal form, so that clarifies that. Without clicking on the actual link it seemed that you could still add pages to the passport, but now I know. Thanks! 

[johntstone57]

Thanks to all for contributions.

 

My wife got a new "jumbo" passport but I dont think the extra pages will be enough with the stamp happy bureaucrats in some countries!

 

At least I can stop worrying about that & spend time more usefully researching how to see the various islands without paying the cruise ship prices

[sparks1093]

37 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I just went back the same way that I re-applied for my wife’s passport and I clicked on the link to add pages and sure enough it directed me to another page to apply for a new passport. So I do stand corrected. Thank you! 

Whew, I thought my calcified brain had mis-remembered something yet again. As I recall when you order a passport now you may order the 28 page one or the 56 page one. While I don't think we would ever run out if we only got the 28 page one when we renew I'll get the 56 page one. 

[SRF]

8 hours ago, Tapi said:

I just renewed my wife’s US passport and it did give me the option of adding new pages although I know that a while back it was said that you needed a new passport altogether even if not expired. I wonder now if it’s a dead link or if it would’ve actually allowed me to proceed. 🧐

 

It changed a number of years ago.

 

You can request a thicker book when you get a new one.  But if you fill yours up, you need a new one

 

[Extra Kim]

I'm Swedish and travel with my passport on all my cruises. I have been to the following islands/ports in the Caribbean and besides getting a stamp coming into the USA, no other country has stamped my passport.
Aruba
Antigua

Barbados

Bonaire

British Virgin Islands
Colombia

Costa Rica

Costa Maya (Mexico main land)
Cozumel (Mexico)

Curaçao

Dominica

Grand Bahama (Bahamas)

Grand Cayman

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

Little Stirrup Cay (Bahamas)

New Providence (Bahamas)

Panama

Puerto Rico (Usa) They won't stamp during a cruise stop if the cruise starts in the U.S.

St. Kitts

St. Maarten

St. Thomas (USA) They won't stamp during a cruise stop if the cruise starts in the U.S.
St. Lucia 

[zqvol]

On 11/1/2019 at 7:18 AM, Tapi said:

I just renewed my wife’s US passport and it did give me the option of adding new pages although I know that a while back it was said that you needed a new passport altogether even if not expired. I wonder now if it’s a dead link or if it would’ve actually allowed me to proceed. 🧐

 

You can't add pages after the fact like in the past, but you can order your passport with more pages in the beginning.

[johntstone57]

Thanks Kim - that covers most of them!