Alaska Sailing No Canada Stop Questions

[Sailing78]

With the entire cruise being within the United States will you even need your passport?

 

Also since you are not setting foot on non USA soil does that change requirements for disembarking and testing requirements?

 

Obviously there may be non US residents that this won't apply to and the ship will probably enter international waters at some point.

 

Interesting questions since Canada can have entry restrictions due to past alchohol convictions.  (I was a stupid 21 year old but am now a responsible 43 year old)

[ShakeDaddy]

Passport yes, can't see that ever changing.

 

Would be great if US leaves all future Canadian Alaskan cruises ports out from now on but this bill as written expires late Feb 2022.  I would say YES, NCL is a go for second half 2021 Alaskan Cruises. 

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, ShakeDaddy said:

Passport yes, can't see that ever changing.

If you don't visit a foreign country you don't need a passport so why would a US citizen possibly need one on one of these solely domestic itineraries? You don't need a passport to fly from the US mainland to Alaska and back so you don't need one for a cruise doing the same thing. All you should need is a valid government-issued photo ID such as a drivers license.

[AdoraBelle]

Anyone know if you can apply double cruise next deposits?

[ShakeDaddy]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

If you don't visit a foreign country you don't need a passport so why would a US citizen possibly need one on one of these solely domestic itineraries? You don't need a passport to fly from the US mainland to Alaska and back so you don't need one for a cruise doing the same thing. All you should need is a valid government-issued photo ID such as a drivers license.

 

In this world, don't think cruises lines will ever allow passengers to board without a Passport. 

[njhorseman]

6 minutes ago, ShakeDaddy said:

 

In this world, don't think cruises lines will ever allow passengers to board without a Passport. 

This world still has no requirements for a passport for domestic travel. In fact you don't need any proof of citizenship, not even a birth certificate, just a photo ID. 

So do you also think a Hawaii cruise on POA is also going to require a passport when it never did before?

Edited May 22, 2021 by njhorseman

[AdoraBelle]

4 minutes ago, ShakeDaddy said:

 

In this world, don't think cruises lines will ever allow passengers to board without a Passport. 

They already do for closed loop Caribbean cruises …

 

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-74?language=en_US

[Old & Retired]

11 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

Anyone know if you can apply double cruise next deposits?

Yes.

[AdoraBelle]

1 minute ago, Old & Retired said:

Yes.

Thanks. Guess I’ll give a call tomorrow. 

[ShakeDaddy]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

This world still has no requirements for a passport for domestic travel. In fact you don't need any proof of citizenship, not even a birth certificate, just a photo ID. 

So do you also think a Hawaii cruise on POA is also going to require a passport when it never did before?

My August 7, 2021 boarding requirement states Passports are Required.

 

Do you think I'm showing up at the port without a Passport?

[ShakeDaddy]

1 hour ago, ShakeDaddy said:

My August 7, 2021 boarding requirement states Passports are Required.

 

Do you think I'm showing up at the port without a Passport?

Like it, No Passports No Sail.

 

Weeds out the Low Lifers  

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, ShakeDaddy said:

 

In this world, don't think cruises lines will ever allow passengers to board without a Passport. 

NCL does for POA cruises. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

If you don't visit a foreign country you don't need a passport so why would a US citizen possibly need one on one of these solely domestic itineraries? You don't need a passport to fly from the US mainland to Alaska and back so you don't need one for a cruise doing the same thing. All you should need is a valid government-issued photo ID such as a drivers license.

On Alaskan cruises, it is easy to cross into Canada on some shore excursions. We have crossed into Canada on almost every cruise (and we sail to Alaska yearly). 

[AdoraBelle]

22 minutes ago, ShakeDaddy said:

Like it, No Passports No Sail.

 

Weeds out the Low Lifers  

And yet, you can still do closed loop Caribbean cruises without a passport, despite your weird classism.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Sailing78 said:

With the entire cruise being within the United States will you even need your passport?

 

Also since you are not setting foot on non USA soil does that change requirements for disembarking and testing requirements?

 

Obviously there may be non US residents that this won't apply to and the ship will probably enter international waters at some point.

 

Interesting questions since Canada can have entry restrictions due to past alchohol convictions.  (I was a stupid 21 year old but am now a responsible 43 year old)

Right now, NCL still shows stops in Canada. Not sure what the implications are on duty free sales and the casino if the don’t. 

[njhorseman]

49 minutes ago, ShakeDaddy said:

My August 7, 2021 boarding requirement states Passports are Required.

 

Do you think I'm showing up at the port without a Passport?

That itinerary never required a passport for US citizens even when it included the port stop at Victoria, BC . A birth certificate and drivers license or other forms of documentation such as a passport card or enhanced drivers license would have sufficed.

Further, what "boarding requirements" are you citing since NCL would not have issued your cruise documents yet? If you read the "sail safe" requirements on ncl.com all it says in that regard is

""Typical travel documents, including passport or any visas as required by the departure country." Since your departure country, the US,  doesn't have a passport requirement for a solely domestic cruise this cruise won't require one. Further the NCL Guest Ticket Contract, which was recently revised to reflect COVID era requirements makes no mention of requiring a passport.

[wen_c82]

There is an opportunity to cross the border to Canada near Skagway. If its open and you want to go then you will need a passport. 

[njhorseman]

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

On Alaskan cruises, it is easy to cross into Canada on some shore excursions. We have crossed into Canada on almost every cruise (and we sail to Alaska yearly). 

I've cruised to Alaska and I'm fully aware of that. The need for a passport only arises for those shore excursions that enter Canada, not to take the cruise itself or to take any excursions not venturing across the border. 

Also since Canada doesn't want large cruise ships calling on their ports I suspect passengers from those ships will not be permitted to cross into Canada on an excursion so those excursions will not even be offered.

[njhorseman]

3 minutes ago, wen_c82 said:

There is an opportunity to cross the border to Canada near Skagway. If its open and you want to go then you will need a passport. 

I doubt you'll be permitted to do that even if you have your passport. Canada doesn't want passengers from large cruise ships entering their country.

[don't-use-real-name]

All the White Pass & Yukon Railway train trips cross into Canada to one degree or another.

At a minimum the trains travel to the summit and return back to Skagway -

briefly crossing the border with a mock up border station. You do not get off the train or

set foot into Canada.

Then there are the trips to the Shore Excursions at Fraser - definitely Passport required !

AND the trips to Lake Bennett and those combo excursions train-bus-bicycle.

More on the WP&YRR:

Book Alaska Shore Excursions with White Pass & Yukon Route Railway (wpyr.com)

 

Having the Passport makes entry exit and NCL checking in oh so much easier as well as

getting on the airlines. Traveling without one may be cause to refuse carriage from one

port to another or the whole cruise.

 

Canada is closed for now - Passports are a requirement and I don't foresee any changes

in cruise travel when the borders open again.

There maybe exceptions for those northern border states to allow passage with Real ID -

Enhanced drivers licenses but for now that too is closed 

[njhorseman]

8 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Canada is closed for now - Passports are a requirement and I don't foresee any changes

in cruise travel when the borders open again.

There maybe exceptions for those northern border states to allow passage with Real ID -

Enhanced drivers licenses but for now that too is closed 

REAL ID licenses and enhanced drivers licenses are two entirely different documents. REAL ID licenses are only proof of identity, not proof of citizenship and can't be used as the lone document for any type of international travel. EDLs are proof of citizenship and identity similar to a passport card and just like a passport card can be used at land and sea points of entry for the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, but not for international air travel.

Passports are not a legal requirement for all travel to Canada as passport cards and EDLs are also valid for land and sea travel between the US and Canada. Legally the excursions that venture into Canada from Alaska can be taken with a passport card or EDL, but the excursion companies may decide to require a passport just as some cruise lines require a passport for all cruises even if the cruises can legally be taken with other documents such as a birth certificate and drivers license, passport card or EDL.

Edited May 22, 2021 by njhorseman

[Sailing12Away]

I personally will never hop on a cruise without my passport - you never know what will happen or where you will end up. Easier to have it in the safe and not need it, then to find yourself suddenly in an emergency and not have it.

[mrlevin]

19 hours ago, ShakeDaddy said:

Passport yes, can't see that ever changing.

 

Would be great if US leaves all future Canadian Alaskan cruises ports out from now on but this bill as written expires late Feb 2022.  I would say YES, NCL is a go for second half 2021 Alaskan Cruises. 

I believe the bill says that waiver of PVSA is only for as long as Canada restricts cruise ships (currently 28 Feb 2022).  IF Canada rescinds that restriction tomorrow, then the new bill also sunsets and ships have to follow the PVSA.

[BirdTravels]

19 hours ago, njhorseman said:

I've cruised to Alaska and I'm fully aware of that. The need for a passport only arises for those shore excursions that enter Canada, not to take the cruise itself or to take any excursions not venturing across the border. 

Also since Canada doesn't want large cruise ships calling on their ports I suspect passengers from those ships will not be permitted to cross into Canada on an excursion so those excursions will not even be offered.

You asked why anyone on a US cruise would ever need a passport. I answered. And you seem to agree with me???!!???

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You asked why anyone on a US cruise would ever need a passport. I answered. And you seem to agree with me???!!???

It's a difference in what question is being answered.  I'm answering a much narrower question about what is needed to take a solely domestic itinerary, and a passport is never needed, as you very well know. My answer was in response to @ShakeDaddy's answer of "Passport yes, can't see that ever changing" to the original post. @ShakeDaddythen replied to me with "In this world, don't think cruises lines will ever allow passengers to board without a Passport", which is wrong because this cruise will be totally domestic. @ShakeDaddy claimed his August 7 "boarding requirement" (whatever that is) stated he needed a passport and I responded with citations of NCL policy to the contrary. 

 

The bottom line is that I was only addressing misstatements made about boarding requirements. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by njhorseman