Do I need a passport for roundtrip cruise from Florida to the Bahamas?

[dinkydee718]

Just booked a cruise for March, and realized my passport expires in June 2024. I know a lot of countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your vacay ends, mine will expire three months later. If I submit the paperwork to renew my passport now (and expedite it), I assume I’ll have it back before the beginning of March, but just want to confirm that, if for some reason there is a glitch and I don’t have it back in time, I can use my birth certificate and driver’s license to go on the cruise. Thanks!

[Another_Critic]

No, you do not need a passport for closed loop cruise from the US.  BC and DL work.

 

However, use the passport in March, renew when you return.

 

Edited January 20 by Another_Critic

[TheDawg79]

You can always use your ID and birth certificate on closed loop US cruises

[dinkydee718]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Edited January 20 by dinkydee718
Mistake

[dinkydee718]

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

However, use the passport in March, renew when you return.

Can I use it in March if it expires soon after?

Edited January 20 by dinkydee718

[Another_Critic]

3 minutes ago, dinkydee718 said:

Can I use it in March if it expires soon after?

Yes, but take your birth certificate and DL in case the check-in person balks at the expiration date.

[smokeybandit]

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/plan-a-cruise/travel-documents

[neverbeenhere]

Most everything is based on you being a citizen of the US. You didn’t state that you are, so other rules may apply.

[Beer Belly]

Is a Passport needed should they need to fly back home ?

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Beer Belly said:

Is a Passport needed should they need to fly back home ?

Yes.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, Beer Belly said:

Is a Passport needed should they need to fly back home ?

Nice segue to a discussion unrelated to the original question.

[cruiseguy1016]

31 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Nice segue to a discussion unrelated to the original question.

 

Somebody had to start the argument.

[Tatka]

53 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Nice segue to a discussion unrelated to the original question.

But this is why most of people now do get passports. 

[Fouremco]

For anyone travelling to the Bahamas on a US passport, it only needs to be valid for the duration of their visit. There is no need for a 3- or 6-month period of validity beyond the departure date.

 

RCI recommends but does not require the use of a passport. It also recommends that it be valid for 6 months beyond the conclusion of the cruise.

 

Use your passport, but as someone mentioned previously, take your BC and DL to avoid any issues with an ill-informed staff member at check-in.

 

 

Edited January 20 by Fouremco

[jean87510]

13 hours ago, dinkydee718 said:

Just booked a cruise for March, and realized my passport expires in June 2024. I know a lot of countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your vacay ends, mine will expire three months later. If I submit the paperwork to renew my passport now (and expedite it), I assume I’ll have it back before the beginning of March, but just want to confirm that, if for some reason there is a glitch and I don’t have it back in time, I can use my birth certificate and driver’s license to go on the cruise. Thanks!

Yes you can.  

 

One suggestion is to keep track of the status of your passport.  If it's getting close, like 10 days from your cruise, there is an option to get passport in person but you would have to research that online as to how, where and when.  Here is the link I have used https://passportstatus.state.gov/

[mjkacmom]

48 minutes ago, Tatka said:

But this is why most of people now do get passports. 

Can you share what percentage of cruisers sail with a passport vs ID and birth certificate on closed loop cruises? Has it increased?

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

Is a Passport needed should they need to fly back home ?

Yes but their unexpired passport is fine for flying back home from the Bahamas which is why bringing a birth certificate is not necessary except for OCD types. It is illogical to believe that if a birth certificate can be used that a valid passport would not be acceptable.

Edited January 20 by Charles4515

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Somebody had to start the argument.

Oh, and BTW, I don't believe you need a passport to fly back to the United States, although it would obviously ease the process in the event it became necessary.  @sparks1093 is a good source of information on this topic and may provide an opinion to keep the neverending debate on the boil.

[Tatka]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Can you share what percentage of cruisers sail with a passport vs ID and birth certificate on closed loop cruises? Has it increased?

Let’s say something happen, for example you didn’t get on ship on time or got into hospital and need to  fly home. You cannot fly without passport. 

I believe long time ago you could fly without it.

Edited January 20 by Tatka

[sparks1093]

38 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Oh, and BTW, I don't believe you need a passport to fly back to the United States, although it would obviously ease the process in the event it became necessary.  @sparks1093 is a good source of information on this topic and may provide an opinion to keep the neverending debate on the boil.

I am flattered, but my opinion rarely quells the debate because people see things they way that they see them and it's difficult to convince them otherwise. In the OP's case their unexpired passport would be fine for the cruise they are taking and if needed would be sufficient for a return by air. For those traveling without a passport at all (and I've seen nothing that suggest that percentages of those using an alternative to a passport on a closed loop cruise has changed significantly). There are provisions in the regulations covering closed loop cruises that allow the waver of the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons and it can only be said that there will be some delay in returning by air until that waiver is granted. Based on what I have read for real life situations the delay is usually measured in a few hours, but every case will be different. 

 

If I were in the OP's situation I would probably just use my passport for this cruise and renew it later based on my future travel needs (so if I weren't actually traveling for a year I would wait to renew until just before that trip, allowing enough time for standard processing).

 

[alfaeric]

14 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/plan-a-cruise/travel-documents

Warning- thread tangent.

 

A PSA for anyone reading this thread and live in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington, and soon to be Ohio....

 

You can use an Enhanced Drivers License for cruises to the Caribbean.  So IF you are in the same predicament as the OP, meaning you have a valid passport but it expires within 6 months of travel, you can use your EDL as a passport replacement.  

 

While an EDL can't help you fly home, it can be a more convenient way of having a valid ID than a DL plus a birth certificate.  I know our home state allows you to get one w/o a passport.

 

Just checked into a cruise using an EDL, making the $10 extra well worth it. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

19 hours ago, dinkydee718 said:

Can I use it in March if it expires soon after?

yes, you can and you should. Renew when you come back. No reason to renew before March....

 

Last summer renewal took 8 weeks. Last December it took 2 weeks. Both unexpedited.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

7 hours ago, Fouremco said:

take your BC and DL to avoid any issues with an ill-informed staff member at check-in.

some of the cruisers' birth certificates are useless, because they are naturalized citizens. 

 

They are also not very useful for married ladies who changed their names. They would also have to bring a marriage certificate along with the BC.

 

If the passport is not expired and will not expire before the trip is over, an ill-informed staff members shouldn't be a problem. And once we traveled with a passport which expired the day before we returned. We were not questioned about it.

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, Tatka said:

But this is why most of people now do get passports. 

How do you know this?

[Tatka]

14 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

How do you know this?

Is this a serious question? 
I am in cruise groups for a long time, and I see a reaction. It used to be a strong opposition, but now most people will advise you to get a passport. People finally getting used to idea of having passports.