Last Minute Cruise booked to Nassau ——-No Passport

[meanmom08]

I’ve tried to talk to someone at RCCL without success, and I emailed my travel agent and am waiting for a call back.  In the meantime, I’m hoping someone can answer my question as I’m in a bit of a panic.  
 

I recently booked a 4 day cruise to Nassau for Aug 5.  My husband just informed me his passport expires Aug 1.  If I understand correctly, you (an American citizen) absolutely cannot go to the Bahamas without a passport.  RCCL’s website says you may board the ship with a birth certificate and an official government ID.  My question is:  will he be allowed to go on the cruise, but just not get off the ship at Nassau, or will he not be allowed to sail at all? 
 

please don’t ask how we could have done something so stupid…

[Another_Critic]

He can sail (it's a closed loop cruise) and get off in Nassau for the day.

 

Make sure the birth certificate has a raised seal and is not a copy.

 

And ... his government ID is not expired.  😄

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Another_Critic

[meanmom08]

That’s what I thought I read, but I was afraid I had misunderstood.

thanks!

[Merion_Mom]

18 minutes ago, meanmom08 said:

That’s what I thought I read, but I was afraid I had misunderstood.

thanks!

 

Correct response from @Another_Critic   🙂

 

Just a note: PLEASE carry your driver's license with you off the ship in Nassau.  You will need to show it to return to the ship.

[RyderJ201]

Take the passport as well. 

[meanmom08]

Thanks so much for all the responses.  My travel agent confirmed his birth certificate and valid gov’t issued ID will be enough.  He’ll take his (expired) passport, too.  He has a birth certificate but it does not have a raised seal.  I checked, and some years ago VA switched from a raised seal to some sort of special paper to print certified birth certificates.  He is going tomorrow to get a new one. It’s up to him, at this point.

[Ourusualbeach]

25 minutes ago, meanmom08 said:

Thanks so much for all the responses.  My travel agent confirmed his birth certificate and valid gov’t issued ID will be enough.  He’ll take his (expired) passport, too.  He has a birth certificate but it does not have a raised seal.  I checked, and some years ago VA switched from a raised seal to some sort of special paper to print certified birth certificates.  He is going tomorrow to get a new one. It’s up to him, at this point.

It does not have to be a raised seal, just original.  As you have discovered many states no longer do the raised seal.  

[2wheelin]

7 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Correct response from @Another_Critic   🙂

 

Just a note: PLEASE carry your driver's license with you off the ship in Nassau.  You will need to show it to return to the ship.

Good idea to take it but will most likely not need it. We just returned and did not need anything but ship card to return

[Merion_Mom]

5 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Good idea to take it but will most likely not need it. We just returned and did not need anything but ship card to return

 

Then either that's a new procedure or you had a new worker.  I have ALWAYS been asked to show government-issued photo idea in Nassau.

[LadyBerard]

9 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It does not have to be a raised seal, just original.  As you have discovered many states no longer do the raised seal.  

It does not need to be an original birth certificate.  It must, however, be a certified birth certificate.

[robmtx]

3 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Then either that's a new procedure or you had a new worker.  I have ALWAYS been asked to show government-issued photo idea in Nassau.

 

I must have had the same new worker, because none of us were asked to show anything more than a SeaPass card to enter the cruise terminal in Nassau, Jun 2023.  Maybe they are more lax now

 

 

[jwlane]

18 hours ago, meanmom08 said:

 If I understand correctly, you (an American citizen) absolutely cannot go to the Bahamas without a passport.

Curious why this was your understanding?

[MaddyandMax]

We've been to Nassau 3 times in the past 1.5 years.  We've always had to show our passports to get back on the boat (we are Canadian so we can't use a birth certificate).

 

[meanmom08]

It was my understanding because  numerous articles pop up when you Google “do you need a passport to go to the Bahamas” that tell you you do.  Obviously, they were not authoritative sources which is why I was trying to find someone that could give me the straight skinny.  My TA called RCCL and confirmed you do not, and of course, others on this thread told me the same.

[Merion_Mom]

19 hours ago, MaddyandMax said:

We've been to Nassau 3 times in the past 1.5 years.  We've always had to show our passports to get back on the boat (we are Canadian so we can't use a birth certificate).

 

"government issued photo ID" - passport works fine; I don't carry my passport off the ship; I carry my DL.

[mscinmia]

8 hours ago, meanmom08 said:

It was my understanding because  numerous articles pop up when you Google “do you need a passport to go to the Bahamas” that tell you you do.  Obviously, they were not authoritative sources which is why I was trying to find someone that could give me the straight skinny.  My TA called RCCL and confirmed you do not, and of course, others on this thread told me the same.

You DO need a passport to fly to the Bahamas but with the WHTI rules you can sail with the birth certificate and DL.

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, mscinmia said:

You DO need a passport to fly to the Bahamas but with the WHTI rules you can sail with the birth certificate and DL.

 

This. You will absolutely be fine with an official birth certificate and DL.

[cruisinfanatic]

On 7/24/2023 at 2:56 PM, Another_Critic said:

He can sail (it's a closed loop cruise) and get off in Nassau for the day.

 

Make sure the birth certificate has a raised seal and is not a copy.

 

And ... his government ID is not expired.  😄

 

That answer has been wrong for decades

[SG65CB]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:11 AM, Merion_Mom said:

 

Then either that's a new procedure or you had a new worker.  I have ALWAYS been asked to show government-issued photo idea in Nassau.

 

We had to show photo ID to get back to the ship in St Kitts, but didn't know it. My wife didn't bring hers off the ship. 

 

When returning to the terminal we were stopped at the gate and asked for photo ID.

 

Wife: "I didn't bring my ID"

 

Guard: "Do you live here?"

 

Wife: "No"

 

Guard: "Well then you can't stay here. Go get on the ship"

 

 

[BirdTravels]

On 7/24/2023 at 10:56 PM, 2wheelin said:

Good idea to take it but will most likely not need it. We just returned and did not need anything but ship card to return

If the ship asks you to carry your driver's license, which it does, your one-off personal experience with a lazy security checker may get someone stuck. Follow the direction of the ship. 

[2wheelin]

10 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If the ship asks you to carry your driver's license, which it does, your one-off personal experience with a lazy security checker may get someone stuck. Follow the direction of the ship. 

That’s why I SAID it’s a good idea to take it. I always take drivers license (enhanced in my case but any will do) wherever I go. Have needed it possibly half the time or less when reboarding. Again my last week experience in Nassau was not a one-off. There were three ships in port and everyone I observed over a period of time was only showing ship card to any of the multiple checkers. It was also not especially busy so they could have asked if they wanted to. 

If you get checked, you get checked but it is not a given that we all will. I don’t understand why anyone would go anywhere (off the ship) or traveling without ID but some do I guess. In the other extreme, some won’t get off the ship without their passport—rarely instructed to.

[tardy]

A US  issued drivers license and birth certificate will get you on the ship , off in the Bahamas and back on the ship to return to US . You will need passport to return to US from Bahamas by Air if you have an emergency and need to return immediately

[Charles4515]

On 7/25/2023 at 7:05 AM, robmtx said:

 

I must have had the same new worker, because none of us were asked to show anything more than a SeaPass card to enter the cruise terminal in Nassau, Jun 2023.  Maybe they are more lax now

 

 

In 2019 on the daily activity sheet, the cruise director also mentioned it in his announcemnt and there was a sign at the gangway leaving. With all that a member of our group left her photo ID in her cabin and did not have her photo ID returning. So they called the ship and verified her ID from the manifest.  She was delayed about 10 minutes