Passport

Do you have to have a passport at time of booking?

No. But if you are booking a cruise that requires a passport (not all do) you will have to have it to complete your check-in, online or otherwise. EM

No. But if you are booking a cruise that requires a passport (not all do) you will have to have it to complete your check-in, online or otherwise. EM

Not for the OP, but others who might be reading this post:

Even though not all cruises require a passport, it is highly recommended that you have one. If not, if an emergency arises (such as someone getting ill or injured in a foreign port, or the ship having issues and forcing everyone to fly home from a foreign port) you could find yourself with a significant problem, as you might not be able to re-enter the US (until you get the proper paperwork which could take days).

A passport is not that expensive (IMO) and it is good for 5 years (as I recall). Just think of it as an insurance policy.

 

A passport is not that expensive (IMO) and it is good for 5 years (as I recall). Just think of it as an insurance policy.

Adult passports are good for 10 years.

You'll need your passport or other approved travel documents at time of check in, not when you book. Like DaveOKC, I highly recommend a passport and never travel out of the country without one.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Definitely agree with the others -- we never take a cruise or do a foreign land vacation without our passports.

Another vote for having a passport.

You're in St. Thomas USVI and on a private tour. The minibus gets a flat tire or some other problem. You are on the other side of the island and the ship is leaving at 5:00 pm and it's now 4:30 and the guy operating your tour has no idea who to call to advise the ship's port agent that you will be late. Ship leaves without you, and the next stop is St. Maarten. The cost of a hotel overnight in St. Thomas, plus a one-way air ticket to SXM will cost you well over $400. But to add to your misery, you also don't have a passport, just a birth certificate. The airline and St. Maarten immigration people will laugh at you if you show them a birth certificate for air travel. It's Saturday evening, tomorrow is Sunday, and Monday is a government holiday, so the earliest you can get an emergency passport is maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. All your clothes, medicines, are still on the ship. Hmmm... maybe that $110 for a passport obtained well ahead of your cruise, seems like a good deal right now. NEVER leave the US without a valid passport !!

You're in St. Thomas USVI and on a private tour. The minibus gets a flat tire or some other problem. You are on the other side of the island and the ship is leaving at 5:00 pm and it's now 4:30 and the guy operating your tour has no idea who to call to advise the ship's port agent that you will be late. Ship leaves without you, and the next stop is St. Maarten. The cost of a hotel overnight in St. Thomas, plus a one-way air ticket to SXM will cost you well over $400. But to add to your misery, you also don't have a passport, just a birth certificate. The airline and St. Maarten immigration people will laugh at you if you show them a birth certificate for air travel. It's Saturday evening, tomorrow is Sunday, and Monday is a government holiday, so the earliest you can get an emergency passport is maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. All your clothes, medicines, are still on the ship. Hmmm... maybe that $110 for a passport obtained well ahead of your cruise, seems like a good deal right now. NEVER leave the US without a valid passport !!

I agree totally. This scenario also demonstrates why I take my passport ashore when cruising instead of locking it up in my cabin safe where it serves no useful purpose. I've lived and traveled internationally for 70 plus years and have never lost a passport or had one stolen; I just use some common sense security measures.

I have been an avid International traveler for over fifty years! Three weeks ago I mailed in my Passport (which still had 15 months of validity) to get a new renewal. A few days ago the Department of State notified me that my new Passport is on its way. Although we had no trips planned for at least the next few weeks I felt absolutely naked without having a valid Passport in my possession.

I admire those that jump through the hoops to travel without a valid Passport. Personally, I would feel uncomfortable leaving my country without a valid Passport. The bottom line is that a valid Passport gives me the ability to move around most of the world, at a moments notice. The cost of less than $12 a year is just something I have learned to bear.

Hank

Do you have to have a passport at time of booking?

No.

BUT that starts a race between your sailing date and how slow the government moves. :o

Do you have to have a passport at time of booking?

You need one at the time of booking. If you don’t currently have a passport, I would suggest also adding on the Passport Card. It’s a wallet sized version of your passport you can use when traveling between the US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda. I use it on domestic flights now that drivers license requirements are changing. It’s worth the extra money for the card and you don’t have to carry you full passport if you stick within the countries I’ve listed above. When I travel to Europe or Asia, I typically leave my full passport at the hotel, but I bring a full sized color copy and my Passport Card with me. I haven’t needed either. But, I like to have it just in case. We travel 4-6 weeks every summer internationally (land based hotel trips).

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You ABSOLUTELY do NOT need to have a passport to book a cruise. With one little hitch, you only NEED to have it in time to pre-register. For some itineraries, though, you MAY need a visa, and you will need to have the passport in hand to apply for the visa.

In addition to the passport book, I think a couple of other things are very beneficial to have. A passport card is great to have, and is a nice backup to the passport book if you get a sudden desire to cruise while your passport is out for the visa application process.

If you live near the Canadian or Mexican Border I also highly recommend a Sentri (Mexico) or NEXUS (Canada) card. They will do everything a passport card will do, as well as generally working for flights from Mexico or Canada. They are a bit of a pain to get (requiring both a background check and an interview with both US and Canadian (or Mexican) authorities) but unlike the passport card they qualify you for both Global Entry and TSA Precheck.

Roy

You need one at the time of booking.

Can we assume that you simply forgot to include "don't" between "You" and "need"? :confused:

I agree with everyone who says "why not just get the passport?" I get nervous when my passport is getting down to the "expires within 6 months of departure" date. My passport renewal was sent April 27 and my new passport arrived May 10 and my passport card arrived May 15. I have never had a passport card but thought "why not?"

Your itinerary determines if you need a passport but as Hiltner said, for the cost of less than $12/year it is worth being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Have a great cruise, Cherie

I agree totally. This scenario also demonstrates why I take my passport ashore when cruising instead of locking it up in my cabin safe where it serves no useful purpose. I've lived and traveled internationally for 70 plus years and have never lost a passport or had one stolen; I just use some common sense security measures.

I agree with everyone who says "why not just get the passport?" I get nervous when my passport is getting down to the "expires within 6 months of departure" date. My passport renewal was sent April 27 and my new passport arrived May 10 and my passport card arrived May 15. I have never had a passport card but thought "why not?"

 

Your itinerary determines if you need a passport but as Hiltner said, for the cost of less than $12/year it is worth being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Have a great cruise, Cherie

On top of everything else, if you lose your passport --ack!!-- and not your wallet with

a passport card tucked in it, even if you are where you cannot travel on the card,

the card ...simplifies getting an emergency replacement passport book.

Haboob...I had not thought of that. I always carry a copy of my passport in case of loss but the card will eliminate me having to do that now!!!! Cherie

On top of everything else, if you lose your passport --ack!!-- and not your wallet with

a passport card tucked in it, even if you are where you cannot travel on the card,

the card ...simplifies getting an emergency replacement passport book.

What makes you think a Passport Card simplifies the process? Bottom line is that you must get yourself to a US Embassy or Consulate during regular business hours (M-F), pay for new Passport Photos, fill out a form, pay your money, and wait for the replacement. A card or even a photo copy of your Passport page does help since its a valid form of ID. On the other hand, many experienced travelers simply keep a copy of their scanned Passport page on their person or on a readily accessible web site (we keep ours on a hotmail site).

The reality about emergency replacements are that they are usually anything but simple. Consider that you must normally get yourself (at your own expense) to the nearest US Embassy or Consulate and you must visit that office during its normal business hours (M-F). You will also need new Passport Photos. Assuming you present yourself on a regular business day and have the photos you will likely get an emergency replacement that same day (or the following day) whether or not you have a Passport card.

The biggest problem with the process can be getting to the nearest Consul during business hours. Consider that while traveling you can be hundreds of miles (or further) from a Consul.

That is why most experienced International Travelers take extraordinary steps to protect their Passports. If it becomes lost or stolen while traveling, the delays and extra travel can become a nightmare and very expensive.

Hank

Hiltner...A recent story of passport replacement in Europe and how having a copy of your passport helps... My daughter, who has grown up knowing the importance of carrying copies of many i.d.s, including passports, was in Switzerland when realizing that her passport had become missing in France. Having the number and copy of her passport made it possible to make an appointment and travel the 2 hours to Bern to get a replacement. Was it easy? No. Was it easier because she had the info she needed? Yes. The passport card would give the same info as the copy of the passport so I agree with Haboob. I respect your opinion but disagree with your conclusion that it doesn't make a difference. Cherie

Hiltner...A recent story of passport replacement in Europe and how having a copy of your passport helps... My daughter, who has grown up knowing the importance of carrying copies of many i.d.s, including passports, was in Switzerland when realizing that her passport had become missing in France. Having the number and copy of her passport made it possible to make an appointment and travel the 2 hours to Bern to get a replacement. Was it easy? No. Was it easier because she had the info she needed? Yes. The passport card would give the same info as the copy of the passport so I agree with Haboob. I respect your opinion but disagree with your conclusion that it doesn't make a difference. Cherie

I think that you might have misunderstood Hank's conclusion. As your daughter's case clearly showed, one can acquire a replacement more readily if you have all of the necessary information. It doesn't make a difference if it's a passport card, a photocopy, a PDF copy or some other format that holds the required information.

Fouremco - I guess I found the dooms day scenario that nothing helps with the replacement process hit me the wrong way. And, the first sentence "What makes you think a Passport Card simplifies the process?" In my daughters March 2018 experience just the copy of her passport simplified and expedited the process. I don't disagree with the conclusion that if you are not in a location with a nearby embassy it can become a nightmare and very expensive, but being prepared with a Passport Card or copy of your passport may be of help. That's all I'm saying. I think everyone travels in the manor that they are comfortable with and I have always been most comfortable traveling with anything that might alleviate problems encountered by loss of important documentation. Cherie

You need one at the time of booking. If you don’t currently have a passport, I would suggest also adding on the Passport Card. It’s a wallet sized version of your passport you can use when traveling between the US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda. I use it on domestic flights now that drivers license requirements are changing. It’s worth the extra money for the card and you don’t have to carry you full passport if you stick within the countries I’ve listed above. When I travel to Europe or Asia, I typically leave my full passport at the hotel, but I bring a full sized color copy and my Passport Card with me. I haven’t needed either. But, I like to have it just in case. We travel 4-6 weeks every summer internationally (land based hotel trips).

 

 

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Slotheta is absolutely right in regards to drivers license changing. We both live in California where soon a drivers license will not be able to be used for you to travel domestically as a identification. Passport card, passport, and we have Global Entry will be what you can use here in California. Now when we book our cruise we have had no problem no passport needed then but when we complete online registration all our info is there as well as our existing passport. We just received our new ones and I had to add that to our online registration.

Denise:)

Slotheta is absolutely right in regards to drivers license changing. We both live in California where soon a drivers license will not be able to be used for you to travel domestically as a identification. Passport card, passport, and we have Global Entry will be what you can use here in California. Now when we book our cruise we have had no problem no passport needed then but when we complete online registration all our info is there as well as our existing passport. We just received our new ones and I had to add that to our online registration.

Denise:)

California has been offering Real ID compliant driver's licenses since Jan 22, '18.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/realid

You need one at the time of booking. If you don’t currently have a passport, I would suggest also adding on the Passport Card. It’s a wallet sized version of your passport you can use when traveling between the US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda. I use it on domestic flights now that drivers license requirements are changing. It’s worth the extra money for the card and you don’t have to carry you full passport if you stick within the countries I’ve listed above. When I travel to Europe or Asia, I typically leave my full passport at the hotel, but I bring a full sized color copy and my Passport Card with me. I haven’t needed either. But, I like to have it just in case. We travel 4-6 weeks every summer internationally (land based hotel trips).

 

 

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I meant to say you don’t need one at the time of booking. Whoopsies!

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