New Cruiser to Alaska!

My sisters have PAID for me to go with them on a cruise to Alaska. We leave for the cruise in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday, May 23rd.

I was all excited to go, until someone said that you have to have a passport to get into Canada to board the ship in Vancouver. Well, I found out that I DON'T need a passport because we are traveling to Vancouver from Seattle, WA by land (bus). Okay, then that same person said that I may have trouble returning to the U.S. after we disembark from the ship. So I joined this forum to hopefully get some answers.:confused:

Yeah, I know that It's REALLY close to leaving for Vancouver, but had that person not question what the travel agent told us, I would not be shaken up.

Of course, I'll ask this question in the appropriate forum of this website.

My sisters have PAID for me to go with them on a cruise to Alaska. We leave for the cruise in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday, May 23rd.

 

I was all excited to go, until someone said that you have to have a passport to get into Canada to board the ship in Vancouver. Well, I found out that I DON'T need a passport because we are traveling to Vancouver from Seattle, WA by land (bus). Okay, then that same person said that I may have trouble returning to the U.S. after we disembark from the ship. So I joined this forum to hopefully get some answers.:confused:

 

Yeah, I know that It's REALLY close to leaving for Vancouver, but had that person not question what the travel agent told us, I would not be shaken up.

 

Of course, I'll ask this question in the appropriate forum of this website.

I travel to Canada on business frequently and most definitely have to have my passport to cross the boarder from the US into Canada and back again. If your ship boards in Canada, why would this be any different for you simply because you are traveling there by bus? The bus and its passengers have to cross into Canada at some point. Or am I missing something here?

Just got this via Email.

Foreign nationals seeking entry into Canada must meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). The requirement of subsection 16(1) of the IRPA states that a person who makes an application to enter Canada must answer truthfully all questions put before them for the purpose of the examination and must produce all relevant evidence and documents that the officer reasonably requires. The individual seeking entry must be able to satisfy the border services officer (BSO) of their identity and nationality. This may be facilitated by providing the BSO with a valid passport or other original document that clearly denotes identity and nationality.

The following documents may be satisfactory evidence of United States (U.S.) citizenship:

· A valid U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, or a Certificate of Citizenship and Naturalization are considered primary evidence and are acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship.

· The Enhanced Drivers License (EDL) and Enhanced Identification Card (EIC) (non-drivers) are alternative travel documents denoting the holder's identity and citizenship and are acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship when entering from the U.S. through land and marine ports of entry only.

· An original U.S. birth certificate, when accompanied by a valid government issued photo identification document, is considered an indicator and may be an acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship.

Land and sea entrance into Canada by a U.S. citizen seventeen (17) years of age and under can be completed with an original birth certificate alone. Photo identification is not required until the age of eighteen (18).

Please note that international transportation companies such as airlines may require travellers to present a valid passport. Travellers who present other documents may face delays or may not be allowed to board the plane or other conveyance. Please contact the airline to confirm the required boarding documentation.

You should also be aware that foreign nationals may be found inadmissible to Canada on the grounds of criminality, security, human or international rights violations, health, financial reasons, misrepresentation, and non-compliance with the IRPA.

Information on visiting Canada is accessible at:

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ivc-rnc-eng.html

Children seventeen years of age and under may require additional documentation when travelling without the presence of all parents or guardians. More information and a sample consent letter can be found at:

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/children-travel

Should be OK based on this. I did not know I was going until last week or I would have gotten my Passport.

I travel to Canada from Washington state very often and the Canadian Border Patrol will not let you in if you will not be able to get back into the United States. You will need a Passport, Passport card, Nexus card, enhanced drivers license, etc. If you do happen to cross the boarder without proper documentation, you will be pulled aside when re-entering the United States. If you can prove you are a US citizen or legal resident, they will most likely let you back in, but it will be a real hassle.

My son (as a minor) had an enhanced ID. When he got his permit, his enhanced ID was accidentally deactivated (as it was for some 300 kids). He tried to cross back into the states and was denied entry. He was with friends and their parents. He was detained (15 yrs old) and we were not contacted. It took them about three hours to verify what had happened. He had his enhanced ID with him. So, just saying..don't mess with DHS. Get your passport card or something before you venture out of the country.

Also, we have Passports, Enhanced ID's and Nexus. We traveled by ship from Vancouver to Long Beach, CA. We normally do not carry our passports for travel by sea. DHS in Long Beach did not want to accept our enhanced ID's or Nexus and insisted on passports, which we did not have. This is odd as the background check for a Nexus card is so much more thorough. We always take our passports now...just in case.

The problem is not entering Canada, it's getting back into the US. You are probably not going to be allowed to cross the border to join the cruise because the CBP will know that you're going to be stuck on their side when you return.

You might be able to get an expedited Passport. You would have to go to the office directly and possibly spend the whole day.

I had to do this for my husband a few years back when we had a family emergency. We had to make sure to bring proof of the outbound flight, and we also had to pay an additional fee for the expedited service.

My fiancé and I are going on our first cruise together as newlyweds (we literally are getting married the day before) and would love to have fun on the cruise! Anyone else going on this cruise around our age or even not around our age lol. We are 27 and 29? It is the Royal Carribean Cruise leaving from Port Canaveral to the eastern Carribean for 7 days. Oh btw we are going to the Nude Beach when they drop us off in St. Martin called Orient beach in if you'd like to join and be nakeyyyy with us :)

My fiancé and I are going on our first cruise together as newlyweds (we literally are getting married the day before) and would love to have fun on the cruise! Anyone else going on this cruise around our age or even not around our age lol. We are 27 and 29? It is the Royal Carribean Cruise leaving from Port Canaveral to the eastern Carribean for 7 days. Oh btw we are going to the Nude Beach when they drop us off in St. Martin called Orient beach in if you'd like to join and be nakeyyyy with us :)

Congrats! You might want to find your roll call to get in touch with your fellow cruisers. You can also find info on tours there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Congrats! You might want to find your roll call to get in touch with your fellow cruisers. You can also find info on tours there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Thank you for that!

OP - as stated, you need only an original/certified birth certificate and valid driver's license to enter Canada, but you need a passport card or passport to return to the US.

You are NOT o.k. You are lucky this person "shook you up" so you have time to deal with this.

You will be denied entry into Canada by CBSA, as you don't have the correct documents to return to the US.

Info here:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g153339-s602/Canada:Crossing.The.Border.html

Don't ever believe what a travel agent tells you; they aren't immigration officers. You don't state where you are in Texas, but if you don't want to lose the money paid for this cruise, you need to get a passport ASAP.

You will have to make an appointment for a same day passport. There are several Passport Agencies in Texas, hopefully one is close to you. Suggest you get your paperwork and pictures needed together, and call to make an appointment:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies.html

Here's the scoop - if you make it into Canada without a passport in the first place, I don't think you will even be permitted to board the ship, and that is because in Vancouver we have U.S. pre-clearance. This means at the pier, you will go through U.S. Customs and Immigration and once you pass through, you are considered to be in U.S. waters while you are still physically in Vancouver, Canada. The ship then sails for Alaska and when passengers get off at the first Alaskan port, they do not have to clear customs there. It's actually a brilliant system, but for someone without a passport, this could be a problem.

I suggest you pay for the same-day passport IMMEDIATELY as 6rugrats suggested in the post above mine. This is your ONLY option. This is all too much worry. Please let us know what you decide to do!! An Alaskan cruise is incredible, and we would all hate for you to miss it.

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Houston, Dallas and Plano have gov. passport offices. Look up online. Just do it and you will be set for 10 years.

This information is so complete! thank you, you answered my questions too

OP has not been back since posting. She has less than a week to go now. I wonder what she will do? We may never know. :(:(:(

Hopefully she is busy getting her passport

Are the 3 passport offices listed capable of same day service? I sure hope so. I also hope OP has birth certificate and other docs already on hand.

Sweet of your sisters to do this for you, but they really should have checked that you had a passport before paying for you to go on a trip in another country!!

I really hope you have got this figured out now. Good luck!

Here's the scoop - if you make it into Canada without a passport in the first place, I don't think you will even be permitted to board the ship, and that is because in Vancouver we have U.S. pre-clearance. This means at the pier, you will go through U.S. Customs and Immigration and once you pass through, you are considered to be in U.S. waters while you are still physically in Vancouver, Canada. The ship then sails for Alaska and when passengers get off at the first Alaskan port, they do not have to clear customs there. It's actually a brilliant system, but for someone without a passport, this could be a problem.

 

I suggest you pay for the same-day passport IMMEDIATELY as 6rugrats suggested in the post above mine. This is your ONLY option. This is all too much worry. Please let us know what you decide to do!! An Alaskan cruise is incredible, and we would all hate for you to miss it.

.

I wish I had seen this. (I forgot to check the date you posted this). I WAS able to pass the US pre-clearance - even though I didn't have a passport, but was urged to get one. The US customs rep asked me why I didn't have a passport.. and I told him (which was the truth) that I only knew that I was going two weeks before. He went ahead and processed it and let me on but I believe it was because I was with one of my sisters who had a passport, even though it was expired. Then he said: "Get a passport". I didn't have any trouble getting through Canada, nor did I have any trouble getting back into the US after our cruise was over. But Disney had it on their website (Disneycruise.com) that we only needed a copy of our birth certificate and a "government-issued photo ID" (A Driver's license). Then they had a disclaimer that I didn't see (nor did my niece who is a Disney travel consultant) in that same webpage that said: "If you're visiting any country other than the U.S., remember to contact the consulate of that country to ensure you have the documentation required to visit. Travelers can visit the U.S. State Department's website. Guests without proper documentation will be denied boarding." Well I didn't see it nor did my niece. Well, I know for sure, now. But Disney should have at least mentioned that there would be a "US pre-clearance" checking right before boarding.:o