Passport Requirement

[SH&GH]

Anyone take Southern Caribbean for 10 days out of FL & know the passport requirements. Been to the Caribbean lots of times & never needed one. On the cruise Nov 30 on the Equinox  - Celebrity was unable to help.

[Jim_Iain]

This may answer your questions regarding Closed Loop Cruises.  Not sure why the Nov 30 Equinox would not qualify may just be the ignorance of the agent you spoke with.  Possibly a TA would better serve you.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/closed-loop-cruise

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

This may answer your questions regarding Closed Loop Cruises.  Not sure why the Nov 30 Equinox would not qualify may just be the ignorance of the agent you spoke with.  Possibly a TA would better serve you.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/closed-loop-cruise

The cruise calls at Martinique. Martinique requires you to have a passport.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

5 minutes ago, SH&GH said:

Anyone take Southern Caribbean for 10 days out of FL & know the passport requirements. Been to the Caribbean lots of times & never needed one. On the cruise Nov 30 on the Equinox  - Celebrity was unable to help.

A passport is required because the ship stops at Martinique. Martinique requires a passport. 

[SH&GH]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

This may answer your questions regarding Closed Loop Cruises.  Not sure why the Nov 30 Equinox would not qualify may just be the ignorance of the agent you spoke with.  Possibly a TA would better serve you.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/closed-loop-cruise

Thanks. Tried Celebrity CS, Executive Office & independent TA - everyone refers me back to closed-loop but the only option at check in is passport not any other travel doc. My husband didn't realize his passport was expiring before the cruise. Did an expedited renewal (600+) because I  couldn't get an answer.

[ymncruise]

Something to consider about passports - if you have to unexpectedly disembark because of sickness, accident, or something else, it will be a hassle to get back into the US without a passport. 

[Jim_Iain]

15 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

The cruise calls at Martinique. Martinique requires you to have a passport.

Thanks for pointing out.    I knew someone would have the answer.   Surprising the agent couldn't tell the OP the reason.

[Charles4515]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Surprising the agent couldn't tell the OP the reason

It does not surprise me. 

[SH&GH]

24 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

A passport is required because the ship stops at Martinique. Martinique requires a passport. 

Thanks ... guess we did not come across this situation  before we have always had current passports. Glad we expedited the renewal.

[wanderlust58]

When leaving the US, every passenger should have a passport.  Full stop.  If you get medically evacuated, are left behind in port for whatever reason, in an accident, caught up in some sort of weather disaster, you have to have a passport to travel between countries and to reenter the US.  A passport serves to identify you as an American citizen.  In my previous life, I had to issue a few emergency passports for circumstances like these.  It was a giant pain for me and the customer.  Do everyone a favor -- don't leave home without it.  And it doesn't hurt to carry a photocopy of the ID page (separately from the passport).  Having it expedites the replacement process in the case of  loss or theft.  

[marieps]

22 minutes ago, wanderlust58 said:

When leaving the US, every passenger should have a passport.  Full stop.  If you get medically evacuated, are left behind in port for whatever reason, in an accident, caught up in some sort of weather disaster, you have to have a passport to travel between countries and to reenter the US.  A passport serves to identify you as an American citizen.  In my previous life, I had to issue a few emergency passports for circumstances like these.  It was a giant pain for me and the customer.  Do everyone a favor -- don't leave home without it.  And it doesn't hurt to carry a photocopy of the ID page (separately from the passport).  Having it expedites the replacement process in the case of  loss or theft.  

Total agreement.  Thanks for great advice.

[SusieAV8R]

55 minutes ago, wanderlust58 said:

When leaving the US, every passenger should have a passport.  Full stop.  If you get medically evacuated, are left behind in port for whatever reason, in an accident, caught up in some sort of weather disaster, you have to have a passport to travel between countries and to reenter the US.  A passport serves to identify you as an American citizen.  In my previous life, I had to issue a few emergency passports for circumstances like these.  It was a giant pain for me and the customer.  Do everyone a favor -- don't leave home without it.  And it doesn't hurt to carry a photocopy of the ID page (separately from the passport).  Having it expedites the replacement process in the case of  loss or theft.  

I concur with EVERYTHING you said but I would add that the getting as Passport Card at the same time as getting the passport is so useful!  We carry both:  keep our passports in our cabin safe and carry our passport cards with us when we go ashore at various ports.

[SusieAV8R]

😜

yuck...word check is awful! 

[Charles4515]

21 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

I concur with EVERYTHING you said but I would add that the getting as Passport Card at the same time as getting the passport is so useful!  We carry both:  keep our passports in our cabin safe and carry our passport cards with us when we go ashore at various ports.

A passport card is useful if you are crossing the border by land into Canada or Mexico. Carrying it ashore in most ports in the world you are kidding yourself. It is not good for air travel. Most ports are not going to know what it is. No country but the US has passport cards. Ports in the Caribbean might be familiar with it but not all. Martinique and Guadaloupe for example don't accept passport cards. 

[SusieAV8R]

I did not say air travel; I was talking about cruising and the associated port stops. (leaving our passports in our cabin safe and taking our passport cards with us for a port stop)  We used our cards, if we needed to show identification on our Greek cruise in 2019 to get back on the ship after time in port.  Post covid, in the Caribbean, none of the ports we have visited while cruising have asked for anything more than our Ships Pass Card to get back on board.  (We still carried only our passport cards while ashore on those port stops, but none of our port stops included Martinique or Guadeloupe.)

[Charles4515]

21 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

I did not say air travel; I was talking about cruising and the associated port stops. (leaving our passports in our cabin safe and taking our passport cards with us for a port stop)  We used our cards, if we needed to show identification on our Greek cruise in 2019 to get back on the ship after time in port.  Post covid, in the Caribbean, none of the ports we have visited while cruising have asked for anything more than our Ships Pass Card to get back on board.  (We still carried only our passport cards while ashore on those port stops, but none of our port stops included Martinique or Guadeloupe.)

Just saying if you have a passport book you don’t need a passport card. If you have a drivers license you don’t need a passport card. I don’t have a passport card, leave my passport book in the safe and carry my Drivers License with me at ports.  Been doing that for 25 years. The passport card was issued to be a less expensive alternative to a passport book for US citizens who regularly crossed the Canadian or Mexican border. I have a passport book and a DL. I do a lot of travel that is not cruise. I don’t live along  the border so I see a passport card as only of of marginal use, mainly imaginary use. But hey if it floats your boat that’s fine. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Charles4515

[Torfamm]

8 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

8 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

I concur with EVERYTHING you said but I would add that the getting as Passport Card at the same time as getting the passport is so useful!  We carry both:  keep our passports in our cabin safe and carry our passport cards with us when we go ashore at various ports.

Expand  

A passport card is useful if you are crossing the border by land into Canada or Mexico. Carrying it ashore in most ports in the world you are kidding yourself. It is not good for air travel. Most ports are not going to know what it is. No country but the US has passport cards. Ports in the Caribbean might be familiar with it but not all. Martinique and Guadaloupe for example don't accept passport cards

 

I carry a passport card as my required “government issued ID” when going ashore. It’s much less of a nuisance to lose that than a driver’s license.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Torfamm said:

I carry a passport card as my required “government issued ID” when going ashore. It’s much less of a nuisance to lose that than a driver’s license.

Passport cards are only recognized by 20 countries near the US for entrance by land or sea. It is not a required government issued ID. You could use it as such for domestic air travel if Real ID ever goes into effect but then again you could just use your passport book. Your expectation that it will be accepted as ID going ashore could backfire. But hey if spending $30 for a passport card which is of limited use, as backup in 20 countries seems useful to you, well it is your $30. Because of inflation $30 does not seem like much anymore. If you lose the passport card it will be a nuisance too. It will have to be reported and replaced. I guess for the OCD segment it is something to have. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Charles4515

[Homosassa]

The information about the need for a passport would have been included in your confirmation the booking the cruise.

 

Below is the wording in my Celebrity cruise confirmation for a recent booking:

 

"Valid passports are required for all passengers, regardless of age. Passports must be valid for six (6) months after you disembark your cruise. Passport cards or photocopies of required documentation are not acceptable."

 

For the itinerary I  booked, there are two ports that require passports of cruise ship passengers. There are some on my not Cruise Critic chat board for the specific cruise that passports are not required as it is a closed loop cruise from Miami. They will not be convinced .

 

 

 

 

[Torfamm]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Passport cards are only recognized by 20 countries near the US for entrance by land or sea. It is not a required government issued ID. You could use it as such for domestic air travel if Real ID ever goes into effect but then again you could just use your passport book. Your expectation that it will be accepted as ID going ashore could backfire. But hey if spending $30 for a passport card which is of limited use, as backup in 20 countries seems useful to you, well it is your $30. Because of inflation $30 does not seem like much anymore. If you lose the passport card it will be a nuisance too. It will have to be reported and replaced. I guess for the OCD segment it is something to have. 

A passport card is accepted as a government issued form of identification at any port in the way a drivers license is. There’s no concern in using one for that purpose.
 

Losing a DL can be an huge issue when traveling, especially if you need to rent a car, and replacing one costs as much as  a passport card in my state.
 

Lost passport cards are just inconvenient and don’t require immediate replacement or even replacement at all. That’s worth $3 a year to me. 

[RedIguana]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Passport cards are only recognized by 20 countries near the US for entrance by land or sea. It is not a required government issued ID. You could use it as such for domestic air travel if Real ID ever goes into effect but then again you could just use your passport book. Your expectation that it will be accepted as ID going ashore could backfire. But hey if spending $30 for a passport card which is of limited use, as backup in 20 countries seems useful to you, well it is your $30. Because of inflation $30 does not seem like much anymore. If you lose the passport card it will be a nuisance too. It will have to be reported and replaced. I guess for the OCD segment it is something to have.

A passport card is acceptable for ID anywhere a DL would be accepted, and I believe a few countries (Italy?) it is accepted where a DL would not, as the requirement is for a National ID, not a state. Yes, it is not acceptable for entry other than WHTI countries. I am also firmly in the camp of using my passport card for ID on stops that allow it. I lose my passport card, no big deal waiting for a replacement and I still have my passport book in case of imminent travel.  Replacing a DL becomes an immediate event that is a pain in the posterior, and would be more expensive if you happened to get pulled over before getting the replacement. I guess that puts me in the OCD category, but the  $30 for a federal ID that only needs to be renewed every ten years while I am also renewing my passport is worth it to me.

[Z'Loth]

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/do-you-need-a-passport-to-go-on-a-cruise

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html

 

What is there so much hesitation in getting a passport book and passport card? 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Z'Loth

[Charles4515]

32 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

A passport card is acceptable for ID anywhere a DL would be accepted, and I believe a few countries (Italy?) it is accepted where a DL would not, as the requirement is for a National ID, not a state.

I have never been asked to show ID in any foreign country, been to many, except port of entry except to rent a car. Certainly they wanted see a DL for that. I have only had to show photo ID in the Caribbean to return to the ship or rent a car. So I needed a DL in Aruba to rent a car. A passport card I guess is useful if you think you might lose your DL but I have never lost a DL. Never had to replace one. So I guess I don't feel the need to have a passport card as backup. I looked up what I would need to do if I lost my Texas DL. The website says I can replace mine online for $11. I can print out a temporary license to use until they mail the permenent replacement. I would need my DL info which I have as I have a scan of my license which I already have and I would need a printer which I have. So replacing a lost license does not seem to be a big pain. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

41 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

What is there so much hesitation in getting a passport book and passport card? 

I have a passport book so I don't need a passport card. I am not OCD about losing my DL or replacing my DL if lost. Never lost one. I can replace my DL easily without going to an office for $!1 and print out a temporary one good for 60 days. Maybe replacing a DL is a big deal in some states but not here. When I renewed my passport in 2017 I only got the book.  The card was not on my radar. I also have other alternate government photo ID. A Global Entry card. When I renew in 2027 I might decide to get a Passport Card but I see no need consider that until 2027. . But I might not get a Passport Card then either.........

Edited October 17, 2023 by Charles4515

[wanderlust58]

33 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I have never been asked to show ID in any foreign country, been to many, except port of entry except to rent a car. Certainly they wanted see a DL for that. I have only had to show photo ID in the Caribbean to return to the ship or rent a car. So I needed a DL in Aruba to rent a car. A passport card I guess is useful if you think you might lose your DL but I have never lost a DL. Never had to replace one. So I guess I don't feel the need to have a passport card as backup. I looked up what I would need to do if I lost my Texas DL. The website says I can replace mine online for $11. I can print out a temporary license to use until they mail the permenent replacement. I would need my DL info which I have as I have a scan of my license which I already have and I would need a printer which I have. So replacing a lost license does not seem to be a big pain. 

I must look a little shifty.  I've been asked for ID in Italy; they accepted both a passport and a driver's license without a problem.  In Africa they wanted a passport.  I cooperated.  They had big guns.