Panama Canal

[samster99]

Getting very conflicting answers concerning passports and Panama Canal cruises. Have been told that even on a closed-loop US cruise passports are now required if there is a port in Panama. Please help. Yes or No. Cannot get a straight answer from the cruise lines. Thanks

[BillB48]

A partial transit would be a closed loop cruise AFASIK and I am not aware of any change in passport requirements for those cruises.  All full transits going from a US port to another US port would need a passport.  There is an off chance that one of the port calls on a particular itinerary would require a passport, but I am not aware of that either.

[HALrunner]

I can't imagine traveling without a passport, let alone with all the new covid variables. So many "What if...." scenarios. 

Also, our partial transit closed loop HAL Panama Canal cruise documents note that a passport is required for one of our ports of call: Costa Rica. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, samster99 said:

Getting very conflicting answers concerning passports and Panama Canal cruises. Have been told that even on a closed-loop US cruise passports are now required if there is a port in Panama. Please help. Yes or No. Cannot get a straight answer from the cruise lines. Thanks

Have you looked at cruise line FAQ pages? Here's a straight answer from one cruise line, NCL and they require a passport for all Panama Canal cruises:

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

 

"Panama Canal

Valid passports are required to board the ship for all Panama Canal sailings. No passport cards, birth certificates or other form of proof of US citizenship will be accepted. Failure to present a valid passport at check-in will result in denial of boarding."

 

You need to look at the specific cruise lines you're interested in. Some cruise lines, typically luxury lines, require all passengers, regardless of itinerary , to have a valid passport even if laws and regulations don't require it. Some cruise lines require passengers on specific itineraries or in certain situations such as a single adult traveling with a minor to have passports, even if laws and regulations don't require it. As a result it's unreasonable to expect that anyone here will know the rules for every cruise line and every situation. If you can't find the rules in a specific cruise line's FAQs then ask about that cruise line and someone will probably know. .

[CruiserBruce]

Costa Rica a stop on the cruise? They require a passport. 

 

Also, a cruise line can require a passport if they chose, even if a port doesn't.