Westerdam to Hawaii questions

We're thinking of a last minute booking for Westerdam in mid Feb and I have a few questions...and not much time for research.

Will we need a passport? We just sent DH's in for renewal and it won't be back in time.

What types of activities will the Westerdam have for all the sea days...movies? lectures? Or ???

Thanks for any help you can give.

We sailed Westerdam San Diego to Hawaii 11 months ago - assuming yours is a similar closed loop and you are US citizens, all you need are birth certificates and photo ID. There were daily movies, a number of lectures, and several activity groups : knitters, etc.

We're thinking of a last minute booking for Westerdam in mid Feb and I have a few questions...and not much time for research.

 

Will we need a passport? We just sent DH's in for renewal and it won't be back in time.

 

What types of activities will the Westerdam have for all the sea days...movies? lectures? Or ???

 

Thanks for any help you can give.

I would check with Holland America to be sure what is required, better to be safe than sorry. I do not thing a passport is required, but not sure exactly what you do need.

You might be pleasantly surprised regarding his passport: mine was processed and returned in under 3 weeks.

We just did the Hawaii cruise over Thanksgiving. A table mate couldn't find her passport before the cruise but they let her on anyway. The problem arose a few days before we disembarked. They told her she had to go through immigration for verification before she could leave the terminal because the ship also stopped in Mexico. She was pretty stressed out because she had a bus to catch or they would leave her behind in SF with all her luggage and no ride or place to go.

She did make the bus as it turned out but like I said, it was pretty stressful for her.

Just be aware it might take a few hoops to jump through and have a great cruise if you go!:)

This from the official HAL website.

"Travel document requirements vary based on cruise itinerary and whetherinternational flights are required. For voyages that are scheduled to endoutside the U.S., a passport that is valid for six months beyond the completiondate of your travel is required. Passports or Western Hemisphere TravelInitiative (WHTI) compliant documents are required for cruises to Alaska,Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and the Panama Canal. U.S. and Canadiancitizens ages 16 and above may present one of the following validWHTI-compliant documents:

• Passport (recommended travel document) (valid for travel by

air, land and sea)

• Passport Card (valid for land and sea border crossings only)

• State Issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) – (valid for land

and sea border crossings only, not valid on Yukon Land+Sea

Journeys due to air travel included in the Journey)*

• Other documents approved by the Department of Homeland

Security

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises: U.S. citizens on cruises in the

Western Hemisphere that originate and terminate in the same U.S.

port are required to have proof of citizenship such as a valid U.S.

passport or a government issued birth certificate combined with a

government issued photo I.D. Other approved proof of citizenship

documents such as a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license

(EDL) or certificate of naturalization along with a government-issued

photo ID are also acceptable. A passport is still the preferred

document. PLEASE NOTE –WHTI-compliant documents are

acceptable for entry or re-entry into the United States. You may be

required to present additional or different travel documents when

entering foreign countries, including some countries in the Western

Hemisphere."

(WHTI is Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative)

https://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/KBYG.pdf

The cruise you are considering is a closed loop cruise, so the answer would seem to be that you don't need a passport. But.... to satisfy any lingering concerns I would call HAL and confirm before booking.

Thank you all....I just called HAL and they confirmed that a drivers license plus birth cert. would be all we need. Of course we may be lucky and get the passport before we leave.

Thank you all....I just called HAL and they confirmed that a drivers license plus birth cert. would be all we need. Of course we may be lucky and get the passport before we leave.

Glad you have this figured out. Lovely cruise and a good price right now. Hope you see some whales. Have a great time!

Glad you have this figured out. Lovely cruise and a good price right now. Hope you see some whales. Have a great time!

Sitting on our verandah while moored at La Haina we saw several whales breaching within 50 yards of the ship - mentioning it at dinner that evening caused consternation with table mates whose $75 per head whale watching tour had turned up just one whale and two porpoises.

Very pleasantly surprised....just like TiogaCruiser....DH's passport arrived yesterday....in under 3 weeks. We're booked and getting ready to go!

Very pleasantly surprised....just like TiogaCruiser....DH's passport arrived yesterday....in under 3 weeks. We're booked and getting ready to go!

Now that is really good news :)

Problem solved. Have a great time :)