Passport Question?

[stvntra]

I am not sure this is in the right place, but can someone who has recently traveled on Royal Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale tell me whether or not I will need a birth certificate in order to get on the ship?  I have a valid passport, but it expires in May 2024.  I just want to be sure there is no issues when getting on the ship because my passport expires 5 months from now instead of 6.  Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! We leave tomorrow for the Bahamas, so I will need to go get a copy of my birth certificate today if it is needed.  

[shof515]

Caribbean and Bahamas have no passport validity requirements. your passport is valid until the expiration date 

[Dan83]

For a closed loop Caribbean cruise, one that accepts a birth certificate and photo ID, an unexpired passport will do just fine. As long as it doesn’t expire before date of return. If it were something like a transatlantic or repositioning cruise, or one that visits certain countries, and a valid passport is required documentation, then Royal is more likely to be sticklers on the 6 month validity rule. I found myself in this position for a recent transatlantic cruise. I had 3 months validity left. And even though I was legal to travel to all the countries on the itinerary with 3 months validity, I didn’t want to chance it with  Royal’s 6 month requirement. So I had to rush a passport renewal before traveling. 

[TheDawg79]

The 6 month requirement is set by certain foreign countries you may visit, not the cruise company. As long as none of the countries on your itinerary have that requirement, you are good. Bahamas is not one of them

Edited December 27, 2023 by TheDawg79

[stvntra]

23 minutes ago, shof515 said:

Caribbean and Bahamas have no passport validity requirements. your passport is valid until the expiration date 

Perfect, thank you SO much! This is a huge help and a big relief!

[stvntra]

18 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

For a closed loop Caribbean cruise, one that accepts a birth certificate and photo ID, an unexpired passport will do just fine. As long as it doesn’t expire before date of return. If it were something like a transatlantic or repositioning cruise, or one that visits certain countries, and a valid passport is required documentation, then Royal is more likely to be sticklers on the 6 month validity rule. I found myself in this position for a recent transatlantic cruise. I had 3 months validity left. And even though I was legal to travel to all the countries on the itinerary with 3 months validity, I didn’t want to chance it with  Royal’s 6 month requirement. So I had to rush a passport renewal before traveling. 

Thank you, Dan! We are just going to the Bahamas out of FLL and back.  It is a quick 4 night cruise, so hopefully they won't give me any issues. I appreciate your help! 

[stvntra]

18 minutes ago, TheDawg79 said:

The 6 month requirement is set by certain foreign countries you may visit, not the cruise company. As long as none of the countries on your itinerary have that requirement, you are good. Bahamas is not one of them

Thanks so much, TheDawg! That is very good information to have! I appreciate your help!