Travel Agt Told Me I needed Passport for Alaskan Cruise -???

I have sailed Carnival 2 years ago on the Spirit to Alaska. I had a passport and used it for excursions that went into Canada, but I knew of others on the ship who did not have one - and just didn't go into Canada (and stayed on the ship when we docked in Victoria.)

The ship is round trip from Seattle.

I am taking my mom on the cruise next year. It will be the exact same itinerary (except on the Miracle instead of Spirit)

Got my confirmation letter from the travel agency and the letter states a passport is required.

Is this something new? :confused:

I don't want to spend $135 for a passport my mom will never use.

You need to talk to someone who does know, or check out the website I attached for Canada Border Protection Services. This should give you a better understanding of what the rules are for travelling from the US to Canada....

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/security-securite/admiss-eng.html

A passport is required for Canada. I'm sure that your Mom probably doesn't want to sit on the ship all day in port.

A passport card will be fine

YES, you need a passport. We had 1 person in our group of 5 that couldn't get on the ship last year. I made all the arrangements. I told each traveler with every email. Don't forget your passport. She thought I didn't know what I was talking about. Her Alaska trip was 3 days in Alaska then flying home alone to the tune of $850. So bring your passport.

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A passport is required for Canada. I'm sure that your Mom probably doesn't want to sit on the ship all day in port.

It isn't all day ... it is an Alaska cruise that is round trip from a US port - which means the ship is required to make 1 foreign port. Victoria is the last day at doesn't get there until 7:30 pm. :p

The only thing would be the train ride in Skagway that goes through Canada, but she doesn't want to do that.

I think I better call Carnival.

I called Carnival and pressed the option for travel documents.

It said for US citizens a passport is NOT required for travel that begins and ends in the same US port.

canrubu, where did your cruise begin and end? :confused:

Please post what your response from Carnival is... I am a little confused since it is a closed loop cruise why need a passport. Does Canada specifically request this? We have only taken carribbean cruises but my BF doesnt have one and has had no issues.

She could always just not get off at that stop.

We did not need them for Halifax and Saint John Closed Loop cruise from NY last year. Our BC and DL worked just fine. If you are on a closed loop cruise from a US port and are a US citizen you should be within WHTI compliance.

Please post what your response from Carnival is... I am a little confused since it is a closed loop cruise why need a passport. Does Canada specifically request this? We have only taken carribbean cruises but my BF doesnt have one and has had no issues.

 

She could always just not get off at that stop.

We were replying at the same time so you must have missed my comment.

I got their recording that for closed loop no passport is required ... then I decided to actually talk to someone and they told me the same thing ... which is what I had always read on these boards.

If it is closed loop, no passport is required.

Obviously, if you board or depart from your cruise in Vancouver, BC then you would need a passport (!) That is common sense ... but if you are on a closed loop cruise that stays in the US (Alaska) and only makes a 4hr stop in Canada (and I am sure my Mom does not want to get off the ship at 7:30 pm when we have to disembark in the morning) then I don't see why I should pay for a passport.

I am going to also talk to my TA but I am pretty confident about this now.

This may help?

From Carnival.

""Cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port (referred to as a closed-loop cruise)

For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, ALL guests are required to carry proof of citizenship AND proof of identification.

Proof of Citizenship: A birth certificate or any of the WHTI-Compliant Documents listed below are acceptable.

Proof of Identification (I.D): A non-expired government-issued photo I.D is required of all guests 16 years of age and older.

Birth Certificate Information

The following are acceptable:

An original Birth Certificate issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics

A copy of a birth certificate issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics)

A clear, legible, quality Xerox copy of a birth certificate that was originally issued by a Government Agency (State/County/City) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics). The Xerox copy does not need to be notarized or certified.

Birth Certificate Card

A Consular report of Birth Abroad

In Regards to Birth Certificates: Guests may obtain a copy of a birth certificate by contacting: The Department of Health and Vital Statistics at: http://www.vitalchek.com. If the guest has laminated their birth certificate, it is acceptable.

AND

Photo Identification

A non-expired Government-Issued Photo I.D is required of all guests 16 years of age and older. The following are acceptable:

Driver’s License

Driver’s Permit

School/Student I.D (acceptable for guests 16/17/18 years of age)

Government-Issued identification card (city/state/federal)

Names on Travel Documentation

It is important that the guest’s full name on the cruise and airline tickets be the same as the guest’s non-expired government-issued photo ID they plan to use for travel identification. In the event of a different name on the cruise/airline ticket and the guest’s photo ID as a result of a marriage, divorce or a legal name change, documentation supporting this change is required (at embarkation), such as a marriage certificate, marriage license or legal name change court document. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denied boarding.

Note: For newly married or soon-to-be married brides, we strongly recommend that if the non-expired government-issued photo ID is in the maiden name, the cruise booking be made in the maiden name (do not include the married name); If the reservation was made in the married name, but the non-expired government-issued photo ID is in the maiden name, documentation supporting this change is required (at embarkation), such as a marriage certificate or marriage license. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denied boarding.

Since our reservation systems do not accept middle names, the middle name must be included during the Check-In (FunPass) process.""

Rachel, your TA is probably just being overly thorough...your cruise fits the WHTI exception for passports. Here is the official government link

http://getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_sa.html

The only reason you would need to have a passport on an Alaskan cruise is if you plan on going on any excursion that will be going to Fraser, Canada, i.e., the White Pass and Yukon Train. I know that when we booked our private excursion on the White Pass and Yukon Train, our tour operator clearly stated that we would need to show proof of US citizenship before entering. Not sure why, but we brought them along with us. I believe the same thing holds true if you book an excursion with the ship that would be heading into Canada.

If you do not plan on doing any type of excursion where you will be visiting Canada, then you do not need to bring a passport.

Your TA was probably being overly cautious.

i just dont understand why people who travel just dont get a passport.. They are less than 100bucks and could come in handy.. I dont know what canadian law is they may require a passport? Why not just get a passport to be safe...

i just dont understand why people who travel just dont get a passport.. They are less than 100bucks and could come in handy.. I dont know what canadian law is they may require a passport? Why not just get a passport to be safe...

Where do you buy YOUR passports that they are under $100?

The first time they are $165 x every member of your family over 16.

That changes things a lot.

Where do you buy YOUR passports that they are under $100?

 

The first time they are $165 x every member of your family over 16.

 

That changes things a lot.

The price you are quoting is for the passport book and card. You really don't need the card at all if you have the book. The fee for the book is $135.

That might not change things budget wise too much, but in my mind it is pennies compared to finding yourself without one when you need it.

Though my wife and I have less than no interest in getting off the ship in Victoria, at this time, we're still bringing our passports. This way IF we change our mind on the trip, we can get off ship. Besides, it's all the ID and proof you need.

Your TA is looking our for your best interest. While a passport may not be required, and it is a highly unlikely event... if the there were an emergency or someone in your group sick needing to be transported to a local Canadian hospital... it would be in your best interest to have a passport. Hopefully there will be no such incidences, but it is extra insurance.

It is closed loop so technically no passport needed but you can not go to Frasier/Yukon on Skagway day and you can not get off ship in Victoria BC

If price is an object, just get a passport (no card)...a passport is the best form of identification. The card is for people who want to just drive thru the borders (Canada, Mexico) and/or just cruise. Can't use the card for Europe, Asia etc.

For any one way Alaska trip you certainly need a passport, and that is why that one poor cruiser was denied boarding.

I'm always kind of amazed that people are willing to spend 500-1000 or more on a cruise for six or seven days, but resist paying $135 for a passport that lasts ten years and gives you hassle-free entry to the entire world. It's painful up front, but it seems that if one can save for the cruise, or the cruise plus airfare, one can also save for the passport. I guess it's people's personal choice, but it always struck me as short sighted both personally and in the money department. The only way in which I can see it making sense is if for children, since they have to get new passports when they turn 16 and depending on the family, the kids may not do much travelling before needing to have the passports renewed.

Your travel agency is covering itself. If they tell you a passport is not required, and then you have to fly home for some reason or run into some kind of situation where it's needed, you could sue them for telling you otherwise. Having everyone bring a passport provides assurance that their will be no problems with entry/exit for which they could be liable. Technically, for closed loop cruises a travel card or other form of documentation (as posted above) is fine. However, if you should need to fly home suddenly from your cruise, you can't use a travel card or a birth certificate for proof of citizenship for international flights. Also, passports are just the simpler, easier way to travel. They won't be challenged or questioned, you don't have to deal with getting official records or notarized copies of anything, and you can apply for them at basically any post office or passport service center.

When you enter Canada, a CBSA officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa, if one is necessary. If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport to enter Canada. However, you should carry proof of your citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization, as well as photo identification. If you are a permanent resident of Canada or the U.S, you should bring your Permanent Resident Card with you.

But!

USA and Canada share a criminal database even for very small offences (forever)

What may have been taken into account of a non US born US citizen during Naturalization may be deemed serious enough to deny that US citizen entry into another country.

This could be true for a New American visiting Canada with a foreign birth certificate with US naturalization docs and no passport?

Carnival may allow a person to board a closed loop cruise without passport but they recommend a passport for some reason?

We have just had one of my partners friends denied authority to travel from Australia to USA for no other reason than where she was born and that was with Australian citizenship for many many years and an Australian passport!

Since 911 the whole world is becoming very cautious and protective over its borders.

Even on a closed loop cruise a person arriving in a foreign port could be detained at that port and a passport would allow early deportation by air.

not true for Canada I suppose but a precaution a T/A would take into account for all customers. who may be visiting a foreign port during a vacation itinerary.

There is no need to carry proof of citizenship in port unless you are planning to cross a border.

Even with a passport, my passport stays ON THE SHIP when I am in port. The only exception was in St Petersburg, Russia, where the law says I have to take it (and a copy of it) ashore.

People traveling on BC/ID documents ARE allowed to exit the ship in Canadian port stops, such as Victoria. They are not allowed to cross a land border (Skagway-Canada-Skagway) with just those documents.

And FWIW, flying home in an emergency is not really a passport issue when all but one port is in the US. That port on this itinerary is Victoria, for three hours the night before the ship arrives back in Seattle. There will be very few actual emergencies where disembarking in Victoria late at night, without reservations, will get you home faster than taking your already booked return flight the next day from Seattle.

YES, you need a passport. We had 1 person in our group of 5 that couldn't get on the ship last year. I made all the arrangements. I told each traveler with every email. Don't forget your passport. She thought I didn't know what I was talking about. Her Alaska trip was 3 days in Alaska then flying home alone to the tune of $850. So bring your passport.

 

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This is the perfect example and answer. You can listen to everyone else on this and decide to save the $135 , you will decide to listen to others that tell you do not need a passport and then be prepared to have your mother denied, either from the cruise, or have problems. We crossed the Canadian border when on an excursion in Skagway and I got off the ship without my actual passport(not a photocopy) and had to go back and get it or the tour company would not take us.

Pennywise, pound/cruise- foolish.

If you decide to listen to others on this that disagree or use other examples and not canrubu's answer and my response, I will understand, as NOMB, but will be sad if things go wrong. Everyone, as I am, is trying to give you answers that help, but I was on a cruise that started and ended in Seattle and this is what I saw. Good luck!