Four Reasons You SHOULD Cruise With A Passport Even If It’s Not Required

Introduction: Is A Passport Required To Cruise?

One of the most common questions I receive from Americans is:

Am I required to have a passport to cruise?

In most cases, the answer is no. Why? Because the vast majority of cruises sailing from United States ports are closed loop cruises, meaning they depart from and return to the same U.S. port. United States citizens sailing on closed loop cruises, even if visiting foreign ports (which they all have to do by law), can usually sail with both a valid form of U.S. government I.D. (if under 16, this isn’t required) and a certified birth certificate (or certificate of U.S. naturalization) in lieu of a passport.

*Cruisers should ALWAYS double, triple, quadruple check the document requirements of their specific cruise line and itinerary!*

However, even if you can cruise without a passport, should you? While ultimately the decision is yours and you have to consider your unique circumstances and the level of risk you’re comfortable with, here are four reasons you should consider cruising with a passport, even if one isn’t required:

Four Reasons To Cruise With A Passport

1. You Can’t Fly Home From A Foreign Country Without One

While nobody on a closed loop cruise from an American port expects to need to fly home from a foreign port, it does happen, probably more than you would expect. Here are four scenarios that would necessitate you fly home from a foreign port:

1. You become seriously ill on your cruise and must receive medical treatment at a hospital on land in a foreign country.
2. You’re injured on the ship, on an excursion, or in an (auto, boat, plane, helicopter, ATV, etc) accident at port and must receive medical treatment at a hospital in a foreign country. I listed this one separately because often young, healthy people don’t expect to need medical treatment on a cruise. However, accidents and injuries happen, some serious, that might land you in a foreign hospital for treatment because they are beyond the capabilities of a ship medical center.
3. You miss the ship at your last port of call. I’ve cruised well over 50 times and on nearly every cruise I’ve either observed “pier runners” (late passengers running up the pier trying to catch the ship before it sails away without them) or heard a cruise director announcement near sail away time asking that so and so passengers kindly contact guest services (this means those passengers have not been scanned back on the ship yet and they are double checking to see if there is an error with the ship’s scanning machines or records or if those passengers really aren’t back onboard). Many factors can lead to missing the ship that are totally out of your control. Unexpected traffic delaying the return of your excursion or tour, an accident or mechanical breakdown, a stopped watch (oops!), you drank too much and passed out on the beach in a puddle of your own urine and vomit (okay, that one’s on you and we really don’t want you back onboard anyway). The point is, it happens. And it’s not always within the cruiser’s control.
4. A close family member or friend back home suffers a medical emergency or dies suddenly. This is one most people don’t think about (or want to think about), but it does happen. Let’s say you’re on day 2 of a 7 day cruise and you receive a frantic and/or devastated message from a loved one back home that someone close to you is critically ill or injured or has passed away. You can’t or don’t want to wait another five days to get to them. Having a passport could be a matter of being able to say goodbye to a dying loved one or not. Or being there to grieve and make arraignments for a loved one who has already passed.

So, what happens if I get stuck in a foreign port on my cruise without a passport? In that situation you would need to contact the United States embassy. They would assist you in securing a passport, allowing your return to the United States. However, you may be waiting a long time and responsible for accommodations and additional expenses while you wait. Yes, getting a passport is an expense (especially for a large family) and a hassle, but by comparison it’s nothing!

*A note on Canada. While you can cross the Canadian/United States border with a passport card or enhanced driver’s license via car, bus, or train, United States citizens cannot fly into or out of Canada without a passport book. I mention this because of an unfortunate situation I witnessed on a one-way cruise itinerary my family did from Honolulu to Vancouver. A couple on our cruise had passport cards, but no passport books. They’d booked non-refundable return plane tickets from Vancouver to Iowa and were turned away at the airport. They had to scramble to book a bus from Vancouver to Seattle (which is where we met them) and then last minute (very expensive) plane tickets from Seattle to Iowa. This error cost them thousands of dollars and a great deal of stress and hassle. For those wondering about docking in Victoria, BC on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle or Los Angelos, you will be permitted to sail and visit Victoria with a government issued photo I.D. (for those 16 and over) and a certified birth certificate (but again, I urge everyone to travel with a passport for the reasons I discuss in this article).

2. You’ll Spend Less Time Waiting In Line On Debarkation Day

While I love almost everything about cruising, there’s one big disadvantage to cruising over most land-based vacations. Lines. Lines to check in and board on embarkation day. Lines to disembark and re-board the ship at port. Lines for dining venues and onboard activities. And lines to disembark on the last morning. So why add another, unnecessary line to the list? Once off the ship on debarkation day, every passenger must be processed through customs, even on closed-loop cruises that depart and return to the same United States port. Those with passports will be directed to one area and, with new facial recognition technology, will usually sail right through very quickly (sometimes not even needing to show their passport). However, those without a passport will be directed to a (sometimes looooong) line to present their alternative documents.

3. You’ll Be Able To Participate In Certain Excursions

I’ve become somewhat of an Alaska cruise expert, having cruised there dozens and dozens of times on every cruise line and itinerary and one of the questions I’m asked most often is: do I need a passport to cruise to Alaska? While all of the information I’ve presented so far usually applies to Alaska cruises (but please double check with your cruise line), there is one additional consideration. Even if you’re on a closed loop Alaska itinerary, many popular excursions from Alaska ports (especially Skagway) actually travel up into Canada and require a passport.

4. It Will Open Up More Cruise Itineraries

While most first-time cruisers choose a closed-loop cruise to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, or Mexico, having a passport will open up so many more itineraries. I rarely cruise to those three destinations anymore, instead opting for longer, more interesting one-way itineraries or itineraries departing from foreign ports. While it can be a bit intimidating to branch out, I strongly urge you to get a passport so you can try something outside your normal cruising comfort zone. Once you do it for the first time and see that it’s not as challenging or expensive as you expected, it literally opens up the whole world to you.

And with that…

Class Dismissed!

Today’s Bonus Cruising Tip

I always buy travel insurance to cover my cruises, but I never purchase it through my cruise line. It costs more (with the cruise line taking a cut) and usually covers less than policies you purchase on your own. I go through sites like travelinsurance.com* to compare plans and prices and get the best deal for the coverage I want. It’s a simple process – just enter your travel dates, total travel costs, and some basic information and you’ll see a list of options. Spend less on insurance and spend more on cocktails, excursions, special onboard cruise experiences, and…future cruises!

Homework (10 points): Do you cruise with a passport? Share your experience to the comments.

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