Passport for Victoria BC Stop on NCL Cruise

[Poop6425]

Trying to understand if you need a passport for this stop. Read the article on the NCL site and it states you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise, but doesn't clarify if anything is needed for the stop in BC. Also realizing now that you can't do certain excursions that cross over into Canada without a passport either. Should've renewed them but wasn't going to get it back in time. 

 

This is what I read. https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Poop6425 said:

Trying to understand if you need a passport for this stop. Read the article on the NCL site and it states you don't need a passport for a closed loop cruise, but doesn't clarify if anything is needed for the stop in BC. Also realizing now that you can't do certain excursions that cross over into Canada without a passport either. Should've renewed them but wasn't going to get it back in time. 

 

This is what I read. https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

I assume the cruise starts and ends in Seattle and you have acceptable alternative documentation that permits you to take this cruise such as an official birth certificate and government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license.

As long as you have the correct alternative documentation to board the cruise you don't need a passport for the port call in Victoria.

The excursions that require a passport are specifically those that start in Alaska, enter Canada and return to Alaska.

Edited May 31, 2023 by njhorseman

[martincath]

+1 to what NJH said - the 'Closed Loop Exemption' allows you to travel without a passport as long as you return to the same US port, and Canada allows US citizens without a passport to spend the day in Victoria (barring any criminal record issues!) just fine, but since the e.g. Skagway based train or buses cross a LAND border into Canada, no exemption applies - that's a special cruise-only thing. Just make sure that you do have appropriate OTHER documentation... if you've lost your birth cert for example, things might get tricky!