Passports

The rules are constantly changing...mostly to a passport being required vs. driver license and birth certificate. Recent example is that a passport is now required for any US citizen flying into Canada (effective 1/1/09).

See this article for more details on that: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Crossing.The.Border.html

In other words for anyone going on a cruise anywhere that has a port call in Mexico, Canada or any other international port a US passport is a virtual necessity these days. One more thing, a passport simplifies the document requirements of the cruise lines when checking in.

The rules are constantly changing...mostly to a passport being required vs. driver license and birth certificate. Recent example is that a passport is now required for any US citizen flying into Canada (effective 1/1/09).

 

See this article for more details on that: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Crossing.The.Border.html

 

In other words for anyone going on a cruise anywhere that has a port call in Mexico, Canada or any other international port a US passport is a virtual necessity these days. One more thing, a passport simplifies the document requirements of the cruise lines when checking in.

The DHS regulations say different Walt and US citizens cruising on a closed loop cruise do not need a passport for the cruise. Whether or not it is advisable for them to have a passport is a different question entirely and depends upon each passengers individual circumstances. (And having a passport does simplify things for the cruise line and for CBP for processing but I would not spend my hard earned money just to make their process easier.)

I'm going on my first cruise at the end of May and I debated whether to get a passport or not also. I'm from a non-compliant state and have already had issues (entering a military post) and carrying your birth certificate around isn't convenient or terribly safe, for reasons already mentioned. I didn't want to spend the money for the passport, but I sucked it up and just did it. My parents aren't in good shape and I'll have 2 kids and a husband back home and I'd want to be able to fly to them if necessary. Plus, what if there were some malfunction of the ship and they were forced to fly everyone home? I feel safer having it, just my 2 cents.

Going on first cruise next month with carnival. My wife and I debated on getting our passports and said we don't need one we will just use our birth certificate. I spoke with them and they said they have a package for $65 each we could get that would cover us in the event of an emergency. Few days later we talked about it and for the price you pay for a passport that last 10 yrs for adults and 5 yrs for kids. we went ahead and spent the money got it so we had it for future trips.

 

On a side note I had read on here in a thread about a ship having issues and had to fly everybody back. And after reading that. I'm glad we did get ours. I know the chances can be slim to none of that happening. Or how it all really worked out for them. But if anything was to happen and had fly back home it would be hard to do not having a passport.

 

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Ships do have issues and if you are referring to the CCL ship that disembarked passengers in St Martin those without passports were given a letter by CBP allowing them to fly without a passport and they boarded the same planes as those passengers that did have a passport. Yes, something else could happen that would cause you to have to fly back from the cruise, but the risk for most people is very low. Each traveler has different travel documentation needs and should use the documentation that works best for them.

Ships do have issues and if you are referring to the CCL ship that disembarked passengers in St Martin those without passports were given a letter by CBP allowing them to fly without a passport and they boarded the same planes as those passengers that did have a passport. Yes, something else could happen that would cause you to have to fly back from the cruise, but the risk for most people is very low. Each traveler has different travel documentation needs and should use the documentation that works best for them.

I'm one of those that hates having issues when I knew I could have done something to avoid it. After carnival told me I could spend $65 and not need a passport for it but like we discussed if we decide to cruise again or take a cruise where we have to have it then might as well spend the money once and be covered for 10 yrs.

I'm one of those that hates having issues when I knew I could have done something to avoid it. After carnival told me I could spend $65 and not need a passport for it but like we discussed if we decide to cruise again or take a cruise where we have to have it then might as well spend the money once and be covered for 10 yrs.

If you are talking about their vacation coverage that has nothing to do with whether or not you have a passport. Nothing necessarily wrong with your approach but it sounds like your future travel plans are up in the air. If you decided later to take another cruise you could obtain the passports at that point (or not, if it's another closed loop cruise:)) and the same goes with getting it before taking a cruise that needs a passport. On the other hand if you never take another cruise or fly internationally you have an expensive form of ID gathering dust in a drawer.

Yea true but I'll have it if I ever need it. I had to chance to go out of the country for work and didn't have a passport and could not get it fast enough and missed the chance. So I feel that I'll be covered if I ever need it again. I don't like carring around my birth certificate. And it's also another proof of ID if needed. So from my point that I see I got it if it's ever needed or if we decided to take vacation and fly to Mexico. We plan on getting our kids theirs also so if we plan a last minute vacation it's covered.

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If you are talking about their vacation coverage that has nothing to do with whether or not you have a passport. Nothing necessarily wrong with your approach but it sounds like your future travel plans are up in the air. If you decided later to take another cruise you could obtain the passports at that point (or not, if it's another closed loop cruise:)) and the same goes with getting it before taking a cruise that needs a passport. On the other hand if you never take another cruise or fly internationally you have an expensive form of ID gathering dust in a drawer.

But everybody has their own way of doing things as I've done a lot of reading on here. Some say it not worth getting a passport some say it is. Just like anything else. It's best to weigh your options and decide from there what's best for you for the trip you plan now or the future.

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Ships do have issues and if you are referring to the CCL ship that disembarked passengers in St Martin those without passports were given a letter by CBP allowing them to fly without a passport and they boarded the same planes as those passengers that did have a passport. Yes, something else could happen that would cause you to have to fly back from the cruise, but the risk for most people is very low. Each traveler has different travel documentation needs and should use the documentation that works best for them.

Compared to other countries in Europe and Canada, the US has always been aggressive with citizens reentering the US. The aggressiveness has only increased in 2017. Coworker have been detained when reentering the US from Canada with a valid passport because the short term business trip was "suspicious". I wouldn't assume the past will be followed in the future.

But everybody has their own way of doing things as I've done a lot of reading on here. Some say it not worth getting a passport some say it is. Just like anything else. It's best to weigh your options and decide from there what's best for you for the trip you plan now or the future.

 

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That's exactly my point. Those who are making up their minds are entitled to all views on the issue.:)

Compared to other countries in Europe and Canada, the US has always been aggressive with citizens reentering the US. The aggressiveness has only increased in 2017. Coworker have been detained when reentering the US from Canada with a valid passport because the short term business trip was "suspicious". I wouldn't assume the past will be followed in the future.

There's a difference between crossing the land border and coming back from a closed loop cruise- DHS has ample time to vet all passengers on a closed loop cruise while the cruise is ongoing whereas at the border they don't have that luxury. Answering extra questions hardly counts as "detained", even if one is sent to secondary inspection (which can happen randomly to anyone). A couple of years ago my son went with us to Montreal to bring our car back so we didn't have to pay airport parking and the CBP officer searched our car, so I wouldn't say that it's anything new (just getting more press attention is more likely).

There's a difference between crossing the land border and coming back from a closed loop cruise- DHS has ample time to vet all passengers on a closed loop cruise while the cruise is ongoing whereas at the border they don't have that luxury. Answering extra questions hardly counts as "detained", even if one is sent to secondary inspection (which can happen randomly to anyone). A couple of years ago my son went with us to Montreal to bring our car back so we didn't have to pay airport parking and the CBP officer searched our car, so I wouldn't say that it's anything new (just getting more press attention is more likely).

Correct about the closed loop trip. Again, you are assuming the past will be the same for the present for an emergency flight home and ignoring the known changes that have occurred with border crossings.

When you miss your connecting flight after being detained for 2 1/2 hours, that is not a couple of extra questions. This happened to my coworker reentering from Canada to the US through Chicago with a valid US passport. CBP wanted a letter from our employer justifying the short turn around trip which was planned at the last minute.

Going on first cruise next month with carnival. My wife and I debated on getting our passports and said we don't need one we will just use our birth certificate. I spoke with them and they said they have a package for $65 each we could get that would cover us in the event of an emergency. Few days later we talked about it and for the price you pay for a passport that last 10 yrs for adults and 5 yrs for kids. we went ahead and spent the money got it so we had it for future trips.

 

On a side note I had read on here in a thread about a ship having issues and had to fly everybody back. And after reading that. I'm glad we did get ours. I know the chances can be slim to none of that happening. Or how it all really worked out for them. But if anything was to happen and had fly back home it would be hard to do not having a passport.

 

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I suspect that the $65 package that would cover you in the event of an emergency is their trip cancellation insurance. Having that insurance in no way eliminates, modifies or overrides the government documentation requirements, such as under what circumstances a passport is required versus only needing a birth certificate and drivers license.

The rules are constantly changing...mostly to a passport being required vs. driver license and birth certificate. Recent example is that a passport is now required for any US citizen flying into Canada (effective 1/1/09).

 

See this article for more details on that: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Crossing.The.Border.html

 

In other words for anyone going on a cruise anywhere that has a port call in Mexico, Canada or any other international port a US passport is a virtual necessity these days. One more thing, a passport simplifies the document requirements of the cruise lines when checking in.

As was already noted, DHS regulations for US citizens on closed loop cruises do not require a passport.

If you think about the example you gave, it shows that rules are not "constantly changing" as you claim. The requirement you cited took effect in 2009...8 years ago, and since 2009 no substantive changes have been made to the regulations.

Correct about the closed loop trip. Again, you are assuming the past will be the same for the present for an emergency flight home and ignoring the known changes that have occurred with border crossings.

 

When you miss your connecting flight after being detained for 2 1/2 hours, that is not a couple of extra questions. This happened to my coworker reentering from Canada to the US through Chicago with a valid US passport. CBP wanted a letter from our employer justifying the short turn around trip which was planned at the last minute.

You made it sound like a land border crossing, but in any event the extra scrutiny has been there for a few years now, it's not something new. It's my understanding that when DW and I fly from Montreal to Miami in November we have to clear CBP at pre

You made it sound like a land border crossing, but in any event the extra scrutiny has been there for a few years now, it's not something new. It's my understanding that when DW and I fly from Montreal to Miami in November we have to clear CBP at pre

Not sure what happened to this post but it's supposed to say "...we have to clear CBP at pre-clearance in Montreal and it's my understanding that upon landing in Miami we'll not have to clear CBP again."

Not sure what happened to this post but it's supposed to say "...we have to clear CBP at pre-clearance in Montreal and it's my understanding that upon landing in Miami we'll not have to clear CBP again."

That's correct. You'll clear US customs and immigration in Montreal and in Miami your flight will be treated as a domestic flight rather than international so you won't have to be cleared by CBP again.

That's correct. You'll clear US customs and immigration in Montreal and in Miami your flight will be treated as a domestic flight rather than international so you won't have to be cleared by CBP again.

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely allow extra time for the process.

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely allow extra time for the process.

For anyone who's interested, here's the list of all foreign airports where CBP conducts preclearance:

https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/operations/preclearance

For some of these airports CBP even publishes a report of recent preclearance queue times. As you can see the queue times in Montreal have been fairly short recently (note that these times are only for CBP clearance and don't include airline check in and security line times):

https://pqt.cbp.gov/report/YUL/03-20-2017

You made it sound like a land border crossing, but in any event the extra scrutiny has been there for a few years now, it's not something new. It's my understanding that when DW and I fly from Montreal to Miami in November we have to clear CBP at pre

No. The extra scrutiny for my coworkers started this year in Feb 2017 between Canada and the US.

No. The extra scrutiny for my coworkers started this year in Feb 2017 between Canada and the US.

Oh, that extra scrutiny. That doesn't pertain to all travelers.

You made it sound like a land border crossing, but in any event the extra scrutiny has been there for a few years now, it's not something new. ...

A couple of years ago (traveling with both enhanced driver's licenses and valid passports as backups just in case) we drove from Buffalo/Niagara Falls across Southern Ontario to Michigan. Major backup at Sarnia/PortHuron crossing into Michigan. Too many vehicles, not enough agents manning the booths. We finally got to the CBP agent. "How long were you in Canada?" she queries as she looks at our Michigan enhanced driver's licenses. "Just today. We drove across from Niagara" I replied. "About 3 hours driving, another hour and a half sitting in line on the bridge." She was not amused. "Out of the car, open the doors and the trunk..."

Stan

Food for thought: Beginning Jan 22, 2018 travelers from nine states will no longer be able to travel with only their driver's licenses. Residents of Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington. This is due to the REAL ID Act of 2005.

On our last cruise out of New Orleans we did not have our passports and we had NO problems using certified BC. But be advised they also wanted a certified marriage license (which I happen to have). That was never told to us that we needed. It would of been a problem had I of not had it.

We are renewing our passports and will take them for our flight to Ft Lauderdale. I have never taken them in port. I will get it from the ship if I need it. We had friends rubbed a couple years ago in Jamaica. They took everything they had, even passports. So we no longer take them into port.

In Cozumel we had a cousin who got sick and ended up having to stay there. Anyone who stayed had to have their passports to get back. They were allowed to get stuff from their rooms. I will also say the travel insurance is a must for us. Granted you pay the hospital up front, you get it back later and they didn't have $332,000 laying around.

..."How long were you in Canada?" she queries as she looks at our Michigan enhanced driver's licenses. "Just today. We drove across from Niagara" I replied. "About 3 hours driving, another hour and a half sitting in line on the bridge." She was not amused. "Out of the car, open the doors and the trunk..."

Same happened to us driving from Tecate to Tijuana. The wait at the Tijuana crossing was over 3 hours. The agent asked the same question and my wife gave the same answer with the same result. Those folks don't want to hear jokes or even comments that are thin approximations of jokes.

He recommended that we use a booklet passport or a passport card from now on even though our CA D/Ls have a photo.

 

He recommended that we use a booklet passport or a passport card from now on even though our CA D/Ls have a photo.

How long ago did this take place? It's been years since you could drive into Mexico or Canada with just a drivers license because the US requires you to have a passport, passport card, EDL or other WHTI document. You shouldn't have been allowed to enter Mexico in the first place without the proper documentation to return to the US.

How long ago did this take place? It's been years since you could drive into Mexico or Canada with just a drivers license because the US requires you to have a passport, passport card, EDL or other WHTI document. You shouldn't have been allowed to enter Mexico in the first place without the proper documentation to return to the US.

Hey - this is California!

“Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges!

I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!”

As said by the bandit "Gold Hat" (script ID for actor Alfonso Bedoya) responding to Fred Dobbs' (Humphrey Bogart) request for police ID in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948)

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