Princess Cruises Passport Requirement

[Djrjcr11]

Closed loop from Seattle. CS guy said all sailings require passport but I know several that do not. Is Princess different?

[sparks1093]

16 minutes ago, Djrjcr11 said:

Closed loop from Seattle. CS guy said all sailings require passport but I know several that do not. Is Princess different?

Here's what their FAQ says:

 

On select U.S. roundtrip (sometimes called “closed-loop”) voyages, U.S. citizens ages 16 and above may also travel with an original or certified copy U.S. birth certificate (or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization if foreign born) presented together with a valid U.S. government-issued photo identification. U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 and younger may travel with a birth certificate.

Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)

Canada/New England roundtrip from New York

Caribbean roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale^, Galveston^ or New York (voyages that do not call to Martinque or Guadeloupe only)

Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, or Seattle

Mexico roundtrip from Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego

^Voyages that call to Central or South America are excluded and only passports are accepted. All voyages that call to Martinique or Guadeloupe require a passport.

 

They do require passports if you are a lone adult traveling with a minor, so I'm not sure if that pertains to you. CS folks aren't always the best ones to discuss documentation.

[Djrjcr11]

I read that straight to him and he said “it’s a good thing you spoke with an expert Cruise consultant then”. My dad was just diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer and this is on his bucket list. We do not have time for him to get a passport and RCI (our normal line) is mostly sold out of balconies at any reasonable price. Thank you for helping calm my anxiety that maybe their rule had change and website had not updated. 

[LHT28]

Call again &  you may get a different answer  or ask for a supervisor

You would not want to show up & find out a passport was needed

 

 Some lines require a passport  no matter if closed loop or not

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 hours ago, Djrjcr11 said:

…Thank you for helping calm my anxiety that maybe their rule had change and website had not updated. 

And what if it has changed?

Get a passport and then you won’t need to worry about the correct documentation. 

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Some lines require a passport  no matter if closed loop or not

Princess doesn't. Mass market cruise lines almost never require documentation beyond what is required by law and regulation.

15 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

And what if it has changed?

Get a passport and then you won’t need to worry about the correct documentation. 

It hasn't changed and the OP has already stated there isn't sufficient time to get a passport.

 

@sparks1093 Has correctly cited Princess's rules, which can be found here:

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

 

 

[Djrjcr11]

Flatbush, I would 100% agree. My husband and I both have ours, but this trip is for my dad. He just got diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer and our time is extremely limited for life, cruises departing to Alaska this year, and to get a passport. This was his one request and I would move Heaven and Earth to make it happen, but rushing the government is not an option 😭

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Djrjcr11 said:

Flatbush, I would 100% agree. My husband and I both have ours, but this trip is for my dad. He just got diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer and our time is extremely limited for life, cruises departing to Alaska this year, and to get a passport. This was his one request and I would move Heaven and Earth to make it happen, but rushing the government is not an option 😭

Just make sure that he has a copy of his birth certificate and a non-expired government ID. I hope that he has a fantastic trip and that the memories that you make will sustain you after he has moved on.

[SbbquilterUT]

I would check again for another verification - the cruise will have a stop in Canada and that makes it a bit different.

[new_cruiser]

1 hour ago, Djrjcr11 said:

but rushing the government is not an option

Not sure where you and your Dad live. If you wanted a passport, there is an urgent passport process that can ge a passport within 14 days of travel. The applicant has to travel to a US passport office in person to do it, so difficulty/expense depends on how close one is to an office. One needs to pay the fee to expedite the passport  ($60).

 

It requires an appointment. Appointments seem pretty available if one is calling 13 days before travel, but hard to get if travel date is nearer.

 

One can avoid the in person visit by paying an expediter but that adds lots of cost.

 

Just putting the option out there for you. Not trying to pressure you to go one way or another at this difficult time.

[chengkp75]

13 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

I would check again for another verification - the cruise will have a stop in Canada and that makes it a bit different.

Why?  Canada is part of the WHTI, which allows for cruise passengers to use the birth certificate and ID documentation.  The only time Canada requires a passport for a cruise, is if you are taking the scenic railway from Skagway into Canada, which is a land crossing.

[SbbquilterUT]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Why?  Canada is part of the WHTI, which allows for cruise passengers to use the birth certificate and ID documentation.  The only time Canada requires a passport for a cruise, is if you are taking the scenic railway from Skagway into Canada, which is a land crossing.

True - was actually remembering when we arrived in to Canada by plane, sorry for any misinformation.

[Djrjcr11]

New_cruiser, I actually did not know that was an option! Thank you for that amazing information. 
 

Princess did actually just respond to my comment on their Facebook post with a picture of Alaska with the information you amazing people have responded with - no passport is required for this cruise because it is close looped ❤️❤️❤️ Thank all of you ❤️ 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Djrjcr11 said:

Flatbush, I would 100% agree. My husband and I both have ours, but this trip is for my dad. He just got diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic cancer and our time is extremely limited for life, cruises departing to Alaska this year, and to get a passport. This was his one request and I would move Heaven and Earth to make it happen, but rushing the government is not an option 😭

Okay - do your best with what you’ve got. But, I’d still call Princess back and ask the rep to shoot you an email saying not required. You’re probably okay without it (based on the website). But, whenever I have an uncertainty, I always call and get an email that shows the answers came from a live employee of the cruise line.

[Djrjcr11]

Sparks, I appreciate that so so so very much 💙

[Ferry_Watcher]

Enjoy your cruise with your Dad.  As others have said, a gov't issued birth certificate (not hospital), along with his gov't issued valid ID (usually a driver's license) is all he needs.

Wishing you an awesome cruise!