Visa for Costa Rica

Just received a e-mail from Hal about stating that all passengers need a Visa (passport) to enter Costa Rica even if you are not going on shore, It is my understanding that you need a passport just to board this cruise which is the Panama sunfarer in March 11th. So why is this needed just wondered:(

A visa and a passport are not the same thing. You need a passport, US citizens do not need a visa.

Just received a e-mail from Hal about stating that all passengers need a Visa (passport) to enter Costa Rica even if you are not going on shore, It is my understanding that you need a passport just to board this cruise which is the Panama sunfarer in March 11th. So why is this needed just wondered:(

I'm going to guess Costa Rica now requires a visa. It matters not if you plan on getting off the ship. Once the ship enters Costa Rican waters, you're "in" Costa Rica and you need whatever they require for entry.

I'm going to guess Costa Rica now requires a visa. It matters not if you plan on getting off the ship. Once the ship enters Costa Rican waters, you're "in" Costa Rica and you need whatever they require for entry.

Americans do not need a visa

1. Americans do not need a visa to enter Costa Rica. However, they must have a current valid passport and a return ticket to exit Costa Rica. (Either to return to your country or to go to another country). US passport must be valid for a minimum of one day from the day you enter Costa Rica.

My question was why Hal sent me an e-mail stating I needed a passport (there words) to enter Costa Rica when you need a passport to be on this cruise? Does not make sense!!!

My question was why Hal sent me an e-mail stating I needed a passport (there words) to enter Costa Rica when you need a passport to be on this cruise? Does not make sense!!!

It's most likely a mass email making sure everyone knows they have to have a passport.

The reason you need a passport to be on the cruise is because the countries you are entering require passports. If they didn't require passports, you wouldn't need one to take the cruise.

On my cruise in January, it was noted that all passengers needed a valid passport on their person to go ashore in Costa Rica. I had my passport, but as an American citizen, I did not need a visa. But no-one asked to see my passport -- not on the ship-based tour I took or at the port-side market we returned to.

I definitely suggest carrying your passport with you, as you never know what may happen, but no one asked for mine, or anyone else's that I saw or heard about.

Probably no one asked for your passport because HAL provided the required information to the authorities when the ship was cleared. The requirement to carry your passport varies by country and doesnt necessarily mean they will look at it. But they might!

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We have been to Costa Rica quite a few times -- from both the Caribbean and Pacific sides.

All we needed was a passport -- no visa.

My question was why Hal sent me an e-mail stating I needed a passport (there words) to enter Costa Rica when you need a passport to be on this cruise? Does not make sense!!!

I expect it's a form of CYA for HAL. As of now, there is no visa required for US citizens, as others have pointed out.

We spent the day on a very long excursion (private) out of Limon on February 4. Our ship was the Zuiderdam. There were no passport or visa requirements in place that we knew of.

Our passports stayed, as they always do, in our room safe while we spent the day watching sloths, cayman, etc and sampling the local suds.

We never received a precruise email from HAL about passports or visas. (we are US citizens)

My question was why Hal sent me an e-mail stating I needed a passport (there words) to enter Costa Rica when you need a passport to be on this cruise? Does not make sense!!!

Probably as a reminder to those who think a driver's license is sufficient. A passport is not a visa. Visas are stamped into the passport. So which is it - passport or visa that is of concern?

Itineraries that include Costa Rica have the PR notation on the itinerary page. The other ports on Zuiderdam's partial canal itinerary do not require passports.

Oddly, the itinerary for my Europe cruise doesn't have the PR notation anywhere on the itinerary. It's obvious that a passport is required, and maybe there's a notation somewhere in the booking process or VP. But it isn't on the itinerary page.

I think HAL is making a point about Costa Rica because it's a closed-loop cruise, and the US doesn't require that you have a passport for a closed-loop cruise. So people might book it thinking it's OK that they don't have a passport, since they didn't need one on a previous Caribbean closed-loop cruise. Each country sets its own rules, and if Costa Rica wants you to have a passport, they may require it. HAL is just making sure you know.

I don't think we got an email warning when we did the partial canal last year. Maybe HAL has had some problems with people showing up sans passport so now they're making sure everyone knows the rules.