Passport needed for Caribbean cruise out of Florida

[hylasgirl]

Would someone tell me the requirements for cruising out of Fort Lauderdale. I know last year they were not needed, but advised...

Anyone know for sure?

[G'ma]

For closed looped cruises sailing from the U.S. to the Caribbean, if you are a citizen, you will need either a valid Passport OR an original or state issued copy of your birth certificate AND a government issued photo ID like a drivers license.

Should anything happen to you while ashore, (accident, miss the ship, arrested, etc.) you will need a passport to leave the country where you are stuck and fly home or onward to meet up with your ship.

[cb at sea]

ie: you don't need a passport yet!

[hylasgirl]

Really?

Yes, I understand it's a good idea... but, as of now it is not required?

Thanks so much for the quick information.

[eandj]

As long as you start and end in FLL, no passport needed. Flying home from an island, yes.

As stated just make sure you have a drivers license as well as your "official" birth certificate. Not a copy or hospital one.

[cherylandtk]

Originally Posted by hylasgirl

Really?.

Yep, Really:
www.getyouhome.gov

(Be sure to click on Special groups to see the special handling for cruises)

[room010]

Take your passport anyway. Just in case... If you don't have one, get one. Just in case...

[alcpa1]

There seems to be great confusion about passports so I defer to the cruise line and the US Department of State.
There is a new thread on the HAL board in which the OP eventually says family members were denied boarding in Fort Lauderdale because they did not have passports and Belize required the documents.
My contention is better safe than sorry anytime we leave the states. We have been taking passports to the Caribbean for over 40 years simply because we had them and a passport is our best form of identification.
Sooner or later every US citizen traveling outside the borders will have to have a passport so why not get one now?

[njhorseman]

Originally Posted by alcpa1

There seems to be great confusion about passports so I defer to the cruise line and the US Department of State.
There is a new thread on the HAL board in which the OP eventually says family members were denied boarding in Fort Lauderdale because they did not have passports and Belize required the documents.
My contention is better safe than sorry anytime we leave the states. We have been taking passports to the Caribbean for over 40 years simply because we had them and a passport is our best form of identification.
Sooner or later every US citizen traveling outside the borders will have to have a passport so why not get one now?

That is not what the thread says. It is HAL that is requiring the passports, not the US government nor the government of Belize. HAL apparently decided to impose a stricter requirement than necessary under the law.

That having been said, we always take our passports, even if they are not required under the closed loop cruise exception.

[hylasgirl]

Yeah... I understand all the what ifs... I have MY passport. I have a friend that wants to cruise on Celebrity in and out of Fort Lauderdale.

The question was just if it was required... not what would be the smart thing to do I am not sure if she has time to do more than a birth certif. and drivers license. I will have her contact the cruise line to be sure there aren't requirements imposed by them.

[room010]

Serious question: Why do so few Americans have a passport? Best estimates (no official figures available) are around 23%. It seems to cause an awful lot of worry and confusion when the obvious solution is to just get one anyway? It's your right.

[Sheffie]

Originally Posted by room010

Serious question: Why do so few Americans have a passport? Best estimates (no official figures available) are around 23%. It seems to cause an awful lot of worry and confusion when the obvious solution is to just get one anyway? It's your right.

I'd say that so few have their passports because so few Americans venture outside of the United States. It used to be that a passport was not necessary to go to Canada nor Mexico. One observation that I have is that when in Europe, you can very easily go to another country just to have breakfast. People in Europe travel country-to-country very quickly. Here in America, we can go from state to state easily and sometimes quickly. If we needed a passport to travel state-to-state, I am sure that almost all American's would have one.

As for traveling in the Caribbean, we have used our passport for documentation for years, even re-newing it when it was time. Great for flying w/in the USA, also. The Passport trumps every other government issued ID.

[HattieCR]

Not really a cruise answer but a passport answer: On a trip from Germany to Costa Rica with a one-night stopover in Miami, my bag was stolen in Miami with my passport in it. I tried to get on my flight anyway since I have a US driver's license and Costa Rica residency. The ticket agent told me that you are now required to have a passport to LEAVE the country, not just to enter. I spent all day in the Miami passport office, spent an extra bunch of money to do an emergency one-day passport and made the last flight that day to Costa Rica. Luckily, I was in Miami already since passport offices are few and far between.

Perhaps the real answer is that no one really knows. It might be required, it might not. And whatever the government website says, it will be up to the "official" person standing in front of you.

Don't take the chance. Get a passport. It's not hard to do.

[TropicOne]

Originally Posted by hylasgirl

Really?

Yes, I understand it's a good idea... but, as of now it is not required?

Thanks so much for the quick information.

For a closed loop cruise, no.

[Taxguy77]

Originally Posted by Sheffie

I'd say that so few have their passports because so few Americans venture outside of the United States. It used to be that a passport was not necessary to go to Canada nor Mexico. One observation that I have is that when in Europe, you can very easily go to another country just to have breakfast. People in Europe travel country-to-country very quickly. Here in America, we can go from state to state easily and sometimes quickly. If we needed a passport to travel state-to-state, I am sure that almost all American's would have one.

As for traveling in the Caribbean, we have used our passport for documentation for years, even re-newing it when it was time. Great for flying w/in the USA, also. The Passport trumps every other government issued ID.

Living close to Mexico I find it hard to remember my passport when going to lunch.
OP is in Salt Lake City, close to Canada, but mentioned she has one, her friend evidently does not. This cruise may show her the desireablity of having one.

[eandj]

Originally Posted by room010

Serious question: Why do so few Americans have a passport? Best estimates (no official figures available) are around 23%. It seems to cause an awful lot of worry and confusion when the obvious solution is to just get one anyway? It's your right.

As stated many Americans vacation IN the country...Lord knows we have so much to see and do here. Also there is the issue of the cost. Most won't want to spend the $ for maybe a once in a lifetime cruise.
The Americans who live near the Mexican and Canadian borders will be more likely to have a passport card to drive back and forth over the border.