Passport

[snooze like a norwegian]

since this is a for dummies thread......

Do we need a passport to cruise to Alaska?  Seattle r/t  US citizen

[terrydtx]

Yes because you will be stopping at least one Canadian Port like Victoria BC.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I would take it -- what if you had to fly home for an emergency?

 

Your Canadian stop could be either Victoria or Vancouver.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I agree, take a passport. Some of the excursions go into Canada, and you definitely need the passport for those. For example, in Skagway, there is at least one tour on the White Pass Railway that includes Canada, and the tour info says you must have a passport for excursions into Canada. 

 

[terrydtx]

8 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I would take it -- what if you had to fly home for an emergency?

 

Your Canadian stop could be either Victoria or Vancouver.

HAL I am sure will require you to have a passport to even embark in Seattle regardless of whether you plan to get of the ship at the Canadian port,  you should check with HAL. I also believe that you will go through US customs when you return to Seattle because you would have visited one foreign port and will need your passport.

Edited February 24, 2019 by terrydtx

[Fouremco]

HAL won't let you board without your passport. Even if you offer to stay onboard during your Canadian port of call, which some wishful thinkers have suggested in the past, you must meet the Canadian entry requirements.

[terrydtx]

I don't believe that there are any cruises that leave from any US port that do not require a passport to board. By US law any non US Flagged cruise ship departing from a US port must make at least one stop in a foreign port. Even the RT Hawaii cruises from California meet this requirement by making a quick stop in Ensenada Mexico.

[snooze like a norwegian]

Thanks!  I have a passport, but just looked at it....  expires April 2019   I'm cruising to alaska May 5, 2019   

 

[Copper10-8]

10 minutes ago, snooze like a norwegian said:

Thanks!  I have a passport, but just looked at it....  expires April 2019   I'm cruising to alaska May 5, 2019   

 

 

Just a suggestion; with a sailing date within two or so months, I would not waste too much time to send that passport out in order to get it renewed, using the expedited option with the national passport agency. HAL and other cruise lines require a valid pp with an expiration date of six months beyond your date of travel

[dogditcher]

Another option to passport

 

An enhanced driver license (also known as a passport card) eases your ability to travel in and out of the United States by land and sea, doubling as a driver's license and passport.

With it, no other documents are needed for proving citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. or any other of the following participating Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) countries, territories, and islands (by land or sea only):

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Aruba
• Bahamas
• Bermuda
• Boniare, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES)
• British Virgin Islands
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Dutch Caribbean
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Montserrat
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Turks and Caicos

Bear in mind that you cannot use an EDL for international air travel. Passports are still required for when flying to and from the U.S. You can, however, use an EID when flying domestically for boarding planes.

 

The following US states currently offer EDLs:

Michigan

New York

Vermont

Washington

[Fouremco]

8 minutes ago, dogditcher said:

An enhanced driver license (also known as a passport card) eases your ability to travel in and out of the United States by land and sea, doubling as a driver's license and passport.

 

10 minutes ago, dogditcher said:

The following US states currently offer EDLs:

Michigan

New York

Vermont

Washington

An EDL and a passport card are two entirely different things. The former is issued by the respective state DMV while the latter is issued by the federal Department of State. While they share certain attributes, there are some important differences. 

 

Also, add Minnesota to your list of states currently offering EDLs.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

I don't believe that there are any cruises that leave from any US port that do not require a passport to board. By US law any non US Flagged cruise ship departing from a US port must make at least one stop in a foreign port. Even the RT Hawaii cruises from California meet this requirement by making a quick stop in Ensenada Mexico.

 

Ships routinely depart from southern ports (Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Galveston, etc.) for Caribbean cruises and do not require passports for many (if not most) of them due to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative plus the fact that most of the islands visited do not require a passport for entry from a cruise ship. 

 

From the US CBP website:  

 

• U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

Flying home without a passport, of course, is a different matter.

 

(I'd never travel w/o a passport, personally, but it IS possible.)

[Copper10-8]

Can you get on a cruise ship that calls at foreign countries without being in possession of your U.S. passport? The answer is Yes, as described above. Are you creating lots of extra problems for yourself by doing it in case Mr. Murphy comes calling for you by:

 

a. Missing the ship for whatever reason

b. Being the unintended victim of an accident and/or a crime abroad that requires hospitalization

c. Having to be medevac'ed off your ship to a hospital in one of those nice foreign lands

d. Violating your cruise contract to the point where the captain says "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya" and watching your ship depart from the pier, suitcase in hand

 

All four of these examples have happened and will no doubt happen to some in the future

 

Do yourself a favor and bring a valid passport with an expiration date six months from your date of travel with you and enjoy your cruise and those nice foreign lands

 

[Homosassa]

Please make sure you have checked with HAL on the need for a passport. You were already notified on the need upon booking or in your confirmation.

 

In spite of all the posting here about not needing a passport, HAL has been moving (or has moved) to requiring passports for all their cruises.

 

I do know that my last four round trips from Florida Ports to the Caribbean cruises on HAL required a passport. It was required by HAL.

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Homosassa

[cruisemom42]

3 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

 

In spite of all the posting here about not needing a passport, HAL has been moving (or has moved) to requiring passports for all their cruises.

 

I do know that my last four round trip from Florida Ports to the Caribbean cruises on HAL required a passport. It was required by HAL.

 

 

It is interesting that you say this. The HAL 2019 "Know Before You Go" document specifies:

 

Passports or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant
documents are required for cruises to Alaska, Bermuda, Canada,
Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and the Panama Canal. U.S. and Canadian
citizens ages 16 and above may present one of the following valid
WHTI-compliant documents: 

 

• Passort (recommended travel document) (valid for travel by
air, land and sea)
• Passport Card (valid for land and sea border crossings only)
• State Issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) – (valid for land
and sea border crossings only, not valid on Yukon Land+Sea
Journeys due to air travel included in the Journey)*
• Other documents approved by the Department of Homeland
Security.

 

And further:

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises: U.S. citizens on cruises in the
Western Hemisphere that originate and terminate in the same U.S.
port are required to have proof of citizenship such as a valid U.S.
passport or a government issued birth certificate combined with a
government issued photo I.D. Other approved proof of citizenship
documents such as a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license
(EDL) or certificate of naturalization along with a government-issued
photo ID are also acceptable. A passport is still the preferred
document.

 

Finally, as I mentioned above:

 

PLEASE NOTE –WHTI-compliant documents are
acceptable for entry or re-entry into the United States. You may be
required to present additional or different travel documents when
entering foreign countries, including some countries in the Western
Hemisphere.

 

 

So it doesn't seem to me as if HAL requires them for EVERY itinerary. However, it may be that the cruises you've taken have included ports where passports are mandatory.

[Fouremco]

9 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

It is interesting that you say this. The HAL 2019 "Know Before You Go" document specifies...

There have been threads citing a couple of areas in the 2019 KBYG where its contents are dated and no longer reflect HAL policy. Whether this is yet another example remains to be seen. We never travel anywhere outside Canada without our passports, so it's really a non-issue for us, but I think a move in this direction by HAL is a positive step. 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

There have been threads citing a couple of areas in the 2019 KBYG where its contents are dated and no longer reflect HAL policy. Whether this is yet another example remains to be seen. We never travel anywhere outside Canada without our passports, so it's really a non-issue for us, but I think a move in this direction by HAL is a positive step. 

 

If true, it might also be a reason why HAL 's "standard" Caribbean cruises often seem to be very cheap compared with their near competitors. I get the feeling that a significant minority of passengers taking Caribbean cruises travel without a passport and do not want to purchase one. If HAL requires them, then HAL may be limiting potential customers in that market.

 

 

[Fouremco]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

If true, it might also be a reason why HAL 's "standard" Caribbean cruises often seem to be very cheap compared with their near competitors. I get the feeling that a significant minority of passengers taking Caribbean cruises travel without a passport and do not want to purchase one. If HAL requires them, then HAL may be limiting potential customers in that market.

 

 

Given HAL's attempts to attract a younger, affluent passenger base, I'm not sure that they'd be worried about losing potential passengers unwilling to pay $110 for a 10-year passport. That might apply to lines that appeal to the one-time, March break party cruisers, but I think not in HAL's case.

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, dogditcher said:

Another option to passport

 

An enhanced driver license (also known as a passport card) eases your ability to travel in and out of the United States by land and sea, doubling as a driver's license and passport.

With it, no other documents are needed for proving citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. or any other of the following participating Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) countries, territories, and islands (by land or sea only😞

• Anguilla
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Aruba
• Bahamas
• Bermuda
• Boniare, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES)
• British Virgin Islands
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Dutch Caribbean
• Grenada
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Montserrat
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Turks and Caicos

Bear in mind that you cannot use an EDL for international air travel. Passports are still required for when flying to and from the U.S. You can, however, use an EID when flying domestically for boarding planes.

 

The following US states currently offer EDLs:

Michigan

New York

Vermont

Washington

In 2017 we did a charter sailboat trip in the BVI. We flew in and out of St. Thomas and a water taxi to Tortola. The BVI  required a passport to enter and it was needed after we took the water taxi back to St. Thomas. There was a couple on the water taxi trying to enter Tortola without a passport and They were sent back to St. Thomas. Thats why we never leave US without a passport. 

 

As noted earlier if you do an Alaska cruise from Vancouver and fly there you will need a passport at the Vancouver Airport.

Edited February 24, 2019 by terrydtx

[razzinger]

No you do not HAVE to have a passport based on OP's scenario.

 

Should one need to fly from Canada to the US, he/she would have problems. 

 

Is a passport a good idea for most? Absolutely

 

Does everyone need one? Absolutely not!!!!

 

Again this is for the cruise proposed by OP.

 

I have been on 8 cruises, never had a passport. Never needed one. 

 

I am doing a Seattle rt to Alaska in September, no intention of paying for a passport.

[Fouremco]

10 minutes ago, razzinger said:

I am doing a Seattle rt to Alaska in September, no intention of paying for a passport.

So, what travel document will you use to enter Canada in lieu of a passport?

[razzinger]

1 minute ago, Fouremco said:

So, what travel document will you use to enter Canada in lieu of a passport?

An EDL, drivers license and BC, or a passport card.

[Fouremco]

21 minutes ago, razzinger said:

An EDL, drivers license and BC, or a passport card.

AFAIK, Virginia currently does not issue EDLs. 

 

A regular DL and BC suffice on a closed-loop cruise to re-enter the US, but are insufficient to enter Canada during the cruise. Unlike most Caribbean countries, Canada makes no entry exceptions for cruise passengers. Consequently, HAL won't allow boarding with only these documents.

 

A Passport Card will definitely work, but the limitations (only for travel to Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico; not valid for air travel) outweigh the few dollars saved over the purchase price of a full passport IMO. 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Play it safe and renew your passport.

[razzinger]

3 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

AFAIK, Virginia currently does not issue EDLs. 

 

A regular DL and BC suffice on a closed-loop cruise to re-enter the US, but are insufficient to enter Canada during the cruise. Unlike most Caribbean countries, Canada makes no entry exceptions for cruise passengers. Consequently, HAL won't allow boarding with only these documents.

 

A Passport Card will definitely work, but the limitations (only for travel to Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico; not valid for air travel) outweigh the few dollars saved over the purchase price of a full passport IMO. 

I have a Virginia EDL. It has a star in the upper right corner to make recognition of the EDL easier.

 

Canada is part of the WHTI, therefore they do accept these docs for cruise passengers.

HAL will allow me to board without a passport.

 

It is not an issue of a few dollars saved as far as me buying a passport; I can buy an airplane, I just have no use for one!!