Question Canada/Passport?

[mueller74us]

I have a friend who is getting ready to take an Alaskan cruise!(Sorry don't know the name of the ship) It was a spur of the moment thing...she does not have a passport. The cruise sails out of Seattle, travels around Alaska and stops in Canada.

 

I told her she would not need a passport to sail into a Canadian port but she says that she has been told by her BF that Norwegian says passports are mandatory for this cruise?

 

What's the scoop? Could Norwegian demand passports of their passengers in situations where it is not yet the law?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

[shoreguy]

I have a friend who is getting ready to take an Alaskan cruise!(Sorry don't know the name of the ship) It was a spur of the moment thing...she does not have a passport. The cruise sails out of Seattle, travels around Alaska and stops in Canada.

 

I told her she would not need a passport to sail into a Canadian port but she says that she has been told by her BF that Norwegian says passports are mandatory for this cruise?

 

What's the scoop? Could Norwegian demand passports of their passengers in situations where it is not yet the law?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=PassportRequirements

 

Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Or Canada & New England Cruises

For sailings that end by December 31, 2007, you only need proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo I.D. or a valid driver's license with a photo. Proof of Citizenship examples include: an original or state certified copy of a birth certificate a valid or recently expired passport, certificate of naturalization, certificate of citizenship, or a report of your birth abroad.

 

Note: If you miss your ship at its scheduled U.S. departure port and need to travel outside the U.S. to meet your ship, or should you unexpectedly need to depart the ship from a foreign port prior to the end of sailing, a passport would be required to leave or re-enter the U.S. by air.

 

AIR TRAVEL - FOR U.S. AND CANADIAN CITIZENS:

For all air travel into the U.S. from Canada or any other international location, you'll need a valid passport.

[cruisequeen10]

I am a Canadian and had asked NCL if we do indeed need a passport to Alaska roundtrip from Vancouver. The answer was NO, but if there is a medical emergency and requires us to fly home, we would not be able to do so without a passport. Just to be on the safe side, we all got passports, so we are now ready to cruise.

[Jeepman]

I have a friend who is getting ready to take an Alaskan cruise!(Sorry don't know the name of the ship) It was a spur of the moment thing...she does not have a passport. The cruise sails out of Seattle, travels around Alaska and stops in Canada.

 

I told her she would not need a passport to sail into a Canadian port but she says that she has been told by her BF that Norwegian says passports are mandatory for this cruise?

 

What's the scoop? Could Norwegian demand passports of their passengers in situations where it is not yet the law?

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

My husband and I are booked on the June 17 sailing to Alaska on the Pearl and we booked this trip in March. We were told by our travel agent as well as the 2007/2008 NCL Freestyle Sailing brochure that passports are REQUIURED! Getting a passport on short notice may be a very difficult thing. When we applied for our passports in March, normal processing was taking at least 10 weeks and we have heard that it is taking longer now. We paid the extra $60 per passport for expedited service and had them within 3 weeks. The U.S. Department of State has a website that might be useful to your friend and it is www.travel.state.gov When I was checking on the status of our passports in March I remember seeing something that said "if you are leaving in less than 10 days to click here." Your friend might want to check out the website and link. We already have our cruise tickets and it states that anyone without proper documentation of citizenship and identification will be denied boarding and will not be offered a refund. Your friend might want to give NCL a call to see what they say.

Good luck

Cindy

[Toyz711]

this is discussed alot over on the alaska boards...lots of confusion.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=568309

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=568155

 

as long as she doesn't have to fly in or out of canada, she should be ok with only a BC and DL. last sept, in victoria, they didn't even look at our personal ID, just had to show the ship's card to get back on the ship.

many, many of this year's cruisers are doing it with no passport.

one person is changing their flight to land in seattle, drive to vancouver and then get on their ship. just to avoid getting a passport.

BUT i recommend anyone traveling or planning a trip, get the passport as soon as possible. at this moment i am waiting for our renewed passport, we sent them in 4 weeks ago.

[EileenN]

It might also be noteworthy to check the entry on the Canada port of Call board regarding DUI convictions or any type of arrest record. I found this to be an interesting problem that many seem to have a problem with. Check it out!

[garycarla]

On ships that are roundtrip from Vancouver, you are actually going to leave Canada, then enter the United States, then return to Canada.

 

Instead of having customs and immigration at each Alaska stop, they actually do it at the the terminal in Vancouver. Just before you board the ship, you will "enter the United States" and go through normal customs/immigration.

 

 

Meanwhile, the rules on passports that went into effect earlier this year have been suspended. This just happened today.

[Retired not Expired]

Meanwhile, the rules on passports that went into effect earlier this year have been suspended. This just happened today.

 

Well, not quite. It has been proposed, still needs to be finalized, that to fly from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, a U.S. citizen must show a receipt where they have applied for a passport plus a photo ID, if they do not have the passport. If enacted, this will be the rule through September of this year only to let them catch up processing passports.

 

OK, I see now where this has been enacted and is in effect.

[cruisequeen10]

This is so wrong to have the date suspended. If they issued back in January 2007 that they require a passport, then they should stick with that date. No exceptions. It is not fair to everyone else. We had to stand in the pouring rain for 8 hours to get our passport done.

[garycarla]

This is so wrong to have the date suspended. If they issued back in January 2007 that they require a passport, then they should stick with that date. No exceptions. It is not fair to everyone else. We had to stand in the pouring rain for 8 hours to get our passport done.

 

Let me get this right. If a friend of yours paid $4,000 for a trip, applied in plenty of time and the State department could not process in time, you believe he should just stay home and be out the money he spent?

 

I am sorry, but statements like "not fair" is what our 6 year old pulls on us all the time. I am not sure what is "not fair". You are required to have a passport and you got it. The fact that someone else is in a bind and they are getting a "break" should make others happy for them.

[nets33]

This is so wrong to have the date suspended. If they issued back in January 2007 that they require a passport, then they should stick with that date. No exceptions. It is not fair to everyone else. We had to stand in the pouring rain for 8 hours to get our passport done.

There is another thread detailing the specifics of this change. You can reference that thread for the specific information but the short story is that you do not need to have a passport as long as you have a state department receipt showing that you have already applied for a passport.

[Don Haynes]

Frankly, air travel and sea travel have both been delayed a year already. Anyone who wished to travel abroad SHOULD have gotten their passports during 2005.......not 2007.