Cruises Without a Passport: Here's Everywhere You Can Cruise Without a Passport in 2024

can you go on a cruise without a passport

Even though Hawaii is a U.S. state, all of our cruise itineraries require you to travel with a U.S. passport book or card. Closed-loop cruises from New York City, Boston, Baltimore, and Port Canaveral from lines such as MSC Cruises, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean head to the famous pink-sand beaches and golf courses of Bermuda. In October, Disney does sailings from New York that add the bonus of Halloween activities with special spooky movies and “ghoulish treats” for passengers of all ages. Other lines sailing to Bermuda on closed-loop itineraries include the foodie-focused upscale brand Oceania Cruises, also from New York. Our suggestion is to always sail with a passport that’s valid for at least six months after your cruise. But if that’s not possible, then you can sail with a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID.

On These Cruises, You Don’t Need a Passport

Cruising to Alaska is one of the easiest ways to experience all the state offers. You'll have opportunities to see glaciers and wildlife; stroll the streets of charming coastal towns; eat your fill of local crab legs and salmon; and enjoy nature on a kayak, zip line or hike. At TPG, we always recommend cruising with a passport, but there are many reasons why you might want to set sail without one. These delays, compounded by intensive federal investigations into Boeing’s manufacturing processes, may limit the number of planes available to American carriers.

Carnival Clarifies Documentation Requirements for Unique Cruise - Cruise Hive

Carnival Clarifies Documentation Requirements for Unique Cruise.

Posted: Wed, 22 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Pacific Cruises Without a Passport

Sail to Bermuda on a closed-loop cruise from the East Coast and a passport isn’t mandatory. Frankly, if you are only an occasional traveler, we can understand why you wouldn’t have a passport already nor be very eager to get one. If you're a U.S. citizen and don't have a passport, you actually have quite a few cruise options. I’m Bobby Pham, but you can call me “Bobby on Cruise.” I’ve been cruising the high seas and exploring the world for years, and I’m thrilled to share my passion and expertise with you. When not cruising, I spend my time on growing my marketing agency. Did you know the tranquil and thrilling Pacific awaits you, even without a passport?

Grab That Passport and Book Your Cruise!

A number of East Coast and Gulf Coast homeports offer round-trip Bahamas cruises. They include Baltimore, Bayonne (Cape Liberty), Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Galveston, Jacksonville, New York (Manhattan), Miami, Norfolk and Orlando (Port Canaveral). Cruise lines typically provide guidance for travelers on the requirements of their sailing, according to Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of travel agency franchise Dream Vacations. If you’ve given it some thought and plan to use your passport for an upcoming cruise, don’t just assume your trip will be all smooth sailing from here.

There's excellent shopping, dining and water sports activities in many ports like Nassau and Freeport. Another popular option is buying a day pass to mega resorts like Baha Mar and Atlantis, both of which welcome cruise visitors for the day. Depart from the Californian cities of San Francisco, San Diego or Long Beach for a quick but memorable cruise to the Baja Peninsula in northern Mexico. Along the way, stop by Catalina Island for a day packed full of outdoor enjoyment. Kayak in and out of secret coves, zip line through the trees or try parasailing. In Ensenada, the “Cinderella of the Pacific,” you can ride horses along mountain trails, tour the wine country, shop for souvenirs and taste the local tequila.

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If you don’t have enough pages left for stamps, you’ll need to renew your passport before your trip. (Foreign-flagged lines are not allowed to sail between U.S. ports without visiting another country under the Jones Act.) You can do a week on the ship from Honolulu and visit five Hawaiian Islands. If you are age 16 and up, and without a passport, you will also need to present a photo I.D. You can cruise without a passport from Boston on board Norwegian Dawn, or from New York on Norwegian Escape or Norwegian Breakaway, to Bermuda where those gorgeous pink sands await you. And with 3 days to explore, you can cover the island at your leisure while visiting shops, restaurants and even golf courses ‘til your heart's content.

Other Caribbean islands

A U.S. passport book is a government-issued document that allows U.S. citizens to travel internationally by air, land, and sea. It's best to check the requirements not just for each island that you'll be sailing to, but also to additional destinations you may visit on a port call. Cruises without a passport are a great way to see the world without having to worry about getting a passport. There are many different cruise lines that offer closed-loop cruises to a variety of destinations. With a little planning, you can have a wonderful cruise vacation without a passport. If you’re dreaming of a cruise vacation but don’t have a passport, don’t despair!

What Documentation Do You Need for a Cruise if You Don’t Have a Passport?

You can also cruise to the Mexican Riviera—destinations such as Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán—without a passport. These round-trip sailings typically embark from Los Angles, Long Beach, San Diego, and San Francisco. If your cruise also visits other countries, you may be required to have a passport on hand—usually the cruise lines will ask to see it but you likely won’t need it on shore. Lines doing the sailings include Princess, Holland America, Disney, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean.

The cruise line will be able to inform you of its policies, as well as requirements that will apply to your specific itinerary. Most cruise lines, however, do greatly encourage travelers to bring a passport as their primary form of ID. Princess, Holland America and Celebrity all strongly recommend passport books, but they allow one of the WHTI forms of identification.

No, in most cases, you will not need to go through customs every time you leave a cruise ship. Additionally, if you choose to go the passport card route, you’ll find it quite limiting. If you have any future plans of traveling internationally, paying the extra cost for a passport book is worth your time. This is also the one example of where you can take a cruise without a passport and without adhering to the closed-loop itinerary rule. You can technically take a cruise to Canada and not return to the same U.S. port, just as long as you don’t try to fly anywhere. The amicable relationship between Canada and the U.S. means you can cross Canada-U.S.

If you don’t have a passport, you will also run into problems should you miss boarding your ship at the correct time and need to fly home or to the next port of call. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provides a detailed description of the requirements. If you have any questions, check with your travel agent or cruise line. You don’t want to be turned away at the pier for lack of proper identification.

Consequently, this reduction in aircraft availability poses a risk of driving up airline prices for travelers. Traveling with a passport cover is also wise since it helps to keep your passport in pristine condition. Get a view of Kaua‘i’s stunning landscapes from the vantage point of the sea on any number of Hawai‘i cruises.

can you go on a cruise without a passport

On the other hand, an open-loop cruise begins in one U.S. port and ends in a different U.S. port. These cruises often require passengers to present a passport before the cruise starts and again after it ends. Guests who do not bring required documents may be denied boarding. If you lose your passport on the ship, you should fill out a lost property report with the guest relations department on board.

You can sail from Port Canaveral or Miami on a 3-, 4- or 7-day cruise on board the newly refurbished Norwegian Sky. You should bring a photo ID and your cabin keycard with you as they will be checked to make sure you are supposed to be on the ship when you return. With the recent health crisis, this is more important than ever. While it’s not definite, it’s been seen that on some cruises, passengers that are positive for COVID have had to debark the ship. That means they have to find an alternate way home, such as flying.

During the current pandemic, we would argue that it's more important than ever to cruise with a passport. These sailings are somewhat uncommon; however, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) created the concept of closed-loop sailings from U.S. homeports, and these cruises also do not require a passport. From urban destinations like Boston and Halifax to picturesque destinations like Bar Harbor, Maine, and Saint John, New Brunswick, cruises like these trade palm trees and sunscreen for evergreens and rain jackets. This itinerary on Celebrity's Celebrity Summit ship doesn't require a passport because of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

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