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deck hand 1978
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I'm from the east coast and planning a vacation to Alaska if I cruise out of sea wash and the ship stops in Canada do I need a passport to get off the ship.I cruised from boston to Bermuda and all I needed was a birth certificate and photo I.D Thank you for the info

2nd time cruiser and getting hooked!

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If your cruise leaves & returns to Seattle ('closed loop'), you don't NEED a passport, tho it is highly recommended. All you need is your driver's license & an official copy of your birth certificate (not the hospital copy but one from the state where you were born).

 

However, since you're getting addicted to cruising, you might want to invest in a passport -- lots more cruising options! And the passport is good for 10 years.

 

Enjoy! Alaska is fantastic!

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I'm from the east coast and planning a vacation to Alaska if I cruise out of sea wash and the ship stops in Canada do I need a passport to get off the ship.I cruised from boston to Bermuda and all I needed was a birth certificate and photo I.D Thank you for the info

2nd time cruiser and getting hooked!

 

As long as your cruise is round trip Seattle you do not need a passport.

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If you are going to continue to travel, it is very wise to get a passport. You cannot fly internationally without a passport and clearly an emergency could arise where you may need to fly home from a Caribbean island, Bermuda, Canada etc

 

I just renewed mine for the third or fourth time. I was on pins and needles the time I was without one while I waited for my new passport to arrive. It is so simple and the price is not so high when you consider it is good for 10 years. :)

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You don't need a passport for the cruise. However, look closely at any excursions you might take. We did a round-trip Seattle cruise a few years ago, and there was one excursion on some sort of train that went into Canada (sorry, forgot the details), and this excursion required a passport booklet or a passport card.

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You don't need a passport for the cruise. However, look closely at any excursions you might take. We did a round-trip Seattle cruise a few years ago, and there was one excursion on some sort of train that went into Canada (sorry, forgot the details), and this excursion required a passport booklet or a passport card.

 

Yes, there are some excursions that go out from Skagway that do require you to have a passport. You go across the border and enter Canada.......the Yukon......can go by train or bus or both. We took the bus in one direction and came back by train.

So, before booking an excursion, check the details.

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I'm from the east coast and planning a vacation to Alaska if I cruise out of sea wash and the ship stops in Canada do I need a passport to get off the ship.I cruised from boston to Bermuda and all I needed was a birth certificate and photo I.D Thank you for the info

2nd time cruiser and getting hooked!

 

If the ship stops in Canada - are you guys all sure he doesn't need a passport?

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If the ship stops in Canada - are you guys all sure he doesn't need a passport?

 

It's no different than taking a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise. All foreign-flagged ships departing from a US port have to make a port call at a foreign port. Canada doesn't require a passport from US citizen cruisers any more than St. Maarten or the Bahamas or Bermuda do, and the US doesn't require a passport for a closed loop Western Hemisphere cruise taken by a US citizen.

Edited by njhorseman
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I'm from the east coast and planning a vacation to Alaska if I cruise out of sea wash and the ship stops in Canada do I need a passport to get off the ship.I cruised from boston to Bermuda and all I needed was a birth certificate and photo I.D Thank you for the info

2nd time cruiser and getting hooked!

 

Just one word of caution. While US and Canadian regulations don't require a passport for this cruise, there are some cruise lines...generally upscale and luxury cruise lines that require all passengers to have a passport even if government regulations permit you to cruise with a birth certificate and photo ID. You need to check if your cruise line is one requiring everyone to have a passport .

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Yes, there are some excursions that go out from Skagway that do require you to have a passport. You go across the border and enter Canada.......the Yukon......can go by train or bus or both. We took the bus in one direction and came back by train.

So, before booking an excursion, check the details.

 

THIS IS CORRECT... I got myself a passport card when my passport was expiring and not in time to get a new one..passport card got expedited very quickly.

I did the Skagway tour into Canada.

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I'm from the east coast and planning a vacation to Alaska if I cruise out of sea wash and the ship stops in Canada do I need a passport to get off the ship.I cruised from boston to Bermuda and all I needed was a birth certificate and photo I.D Thank you for the info

 

2nd time cruiser and getting hooked!

 

 

If you have, or can get, an enhanced drivers license, that is all you will need for any Canada visit. Unless maybe on a land tour from Skagway to Whitehorse or whatever. But even there, the enhanced license is all you should need in either direction. And also note that the issue isn't so much about getting into Canada, it is getting back into the States.

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If you have, or can get, an enhanced drivers license, that is all you will need for any Canada visit. Unless maybe on a land tour from Skagway to Whitehorse or whatever. But even there, the enhanced license is all you should need in either direction. And also note that the issue isn't so much about getting into Canada, it is getting back into the States.

 

An EDL does nothing for the OP. They can take the cruise with a birth certificate and ordinary drivers license. You can't use the EDL for an international airline flight, for example. The principal use for an EDL is driving across the border. Yes, it can be used for their cruise, but why bother?

 

Since only 5 states offer an EDL, there's a good chance they can't get one anyway.

Edited by njhorseman
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Time and time again, we have the same conversation.

In this day and age with the global conditions the way they are no one has yet provided a 'good' reason to not have a passport if someone is going to leave their home country.

It is so easy for most of us to get one. The price amortized over 10 years is not ridiculous and the security and peace of mind would save all these anxiety ridden conversations.

 

If you plan to travel away from your country, get a passport and you won't have to worry if you have proper ID.

 

Edited by sail7seas
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I can't tell you the number of times I've been harassed by the guys at the border because I didn't have my Canadian passport crossing the border by car. Now, I DID have my US passport but they wanted to see both because I was born in Canada. Really?

 

Look, it can go either way. You are the mercy of the guy at the Immigration/customs. If you think the police have power, think again! Did he have a fight with his wife that morning putting him in a fowl mood? Is the just a jerk?

 

There is no down side to getting your passport. Sure, it costs $110 (or whatever it is) but amortized over 10 years it makes it cheap. The cost of a Big Mac and Fries. There is a SMALL amount of people where the card actually is useful.

Edited by notentirelynormal
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Yes, there are some excursions that go out from Skagway that do require you to have a passport. You go across the border and enter Canada.......the Yukon......can go by train or bus or both. We took the bus in one direction and came back by train.

So, before booking an excursion, check the details.

 

The oddity of this is that US Citizens require a passport to re-enter the US as it is a land crossing. A US BC and photo id is quite acceptable for entry in to Canada.

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I can't tell you the number of times I've been harassed by the guys at the border because I didn't have my Canadian passport crossing the border by car. Now, I DID have my US passport but they wanted to see both because I was born in Canada. Really?

 

Look, it can go either way. You are the mercy of the guy at the Immigration/customs. If you think the police have power, think again! Did he have a fight with his wife that morning putting him in a fowl mood? Is the just a jerk?...

 

The shortest and often the fastest route between mid-Michigan and mid-New York is a drive across southern Ontario. I do that drive 2-3 times a year. A few years ago there was a major traffic backup at Sarnia/Port Huron (the entry point back into the States). I finally get to a booth. "How long were you in Canada?" asks the harassed-looking border person as she takes a quick look at my passport. "Five hours" I answer. "Three and and half hours driving and one and a half sitting in this line." "Out of the car" she says. "Open the trunk, open all the car doors, stand over there..." She called someone else over and they thoroughly inspected everything in the car. Lesson re-learned: don't be a smart ass when dealing with people like that.

Edited by GottaKnowWhen
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You don't need a passport for the cruise. However, look closely at any excursions you might take. We did a round-trip Seattle cruise a few years ago, and there was one excursion on some sort of train that went into Canada (sorry, forgot the details), and this excursion required a passport booklet or a passport card.

 

 

There is one train trip out of Skagway that goes up into Canada and turns around about five miles past the border that does not require a passport.

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The shortest and often the fastest route between mid-Michigan and mid-New York is a drive across southern Ontario. I do that drive 2-3 times a year. A few years ago there was a major traffic backup at Sarnia/Port Huron (the entry point back into the States). I finally get to a booth. "How long were you in Canada?" asks the harassed-looking border person as she takes a quick look at my passport. "Five hours" I answer. "Three and and half hours driving and one and a half sitting in this line." "Out of the car" she says. "Open the trunk, open all the car doors, stand over there..." She called someone else over and they thoroughly inspected everything in the car. Lesson re-learned: don't be a smart ass when dealing with people like that.

 

This story reminds me of when I flew into Vancouver and the guy says, how long are you going to be in Canada. I said 1-2 hours depending. Maybe you didn't understand the question he says. Sure, I understand it. So how long? I say, 1-2 hours depending. So he asks again. I repeat my answer. Finally he asks why. I said I am flying into Vancouver and walking out the airport, getting in my mother's car and heading south to LA so the length of my stay depends on the line at the border. That doesn't make sense he says. I told him it would if you didn't want your 85 YO mother to drive herself back to LA.

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This story reminds me of when I flew into Vancouver and the guy says, how long are you going to be in Canada. I said 1-2 hours depending. Maybe you didn't understand the question he says. Sure, I understand it. So how long? I say, 1-2 hours depending. So he asks again. I repeat my answer. Finally he asks why. I said I am flying into Vancouver and walking out the airport, getting in my mother's car and heading south to LA so the length of my stay depends on the line at the border. That doesn't make sense he says. I told him it would if you didn't want your 85 YO mother to drive herself back to LA.

 

Good one. :)

 

[//B]

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This story reminds me of when I flew into Vancouver and the guy says, how long are you going to be in Canada. I said 1-2 hours depending. Maybe you didn't understand the question he says. Sure, I understand it. So how long? I say, 1-2 hours depending. So he asks again. I repeat my answer. Finally he asks why. I said I am flying into Vancouver and walking out the airport, getting in my mother's car and heading south to LA so the length of my stay depends on the line at the border. That doesn't make sense he says. I told him it would if you didn't want your 85 YO mother to drive herself back to LA.

 

Love it! I always respond with the boring "I'm in transit to the US" statement.:o

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