USA to USA Cruise - Passport Required?

[tallperson]

My family will be cruising from Vancover to Seward, our entire family including me has booked the cruise. I do not have a passport and will be in Juneau for work the same time the ship docks in Juneau. I want to get on the ship here and contiune to cruise with my family.

 

Celebrity informs me I will not be allowed to board and that no refunds are offered.

 

Their website indicates passports are "recommended" for this type of cruise. As I recall it says nothing about mandatory.

 

Why do I need a passport to get on a ship in the USA, traveling within the USA and not leaving the USA?

 

Thanks,

[cruisestitch]

The issue is not the lack of passport, it's most probably that this violates the Passenger Services Act (maybe that's not the correct name for it, but I'm sure someone will chime in). It's often mistakenly called the Jones Act, which deals with cargo. But I digress. The issue is that is against the law to board at a US port and travel to another US port without visiting a foreign port in between. You can board in Canada and travel to the US just fine. But you cannot travel by ship between two US ports unless the ship is flagged in the US, which Celebrity ships are not. So what you are proposing would not be allowed.

[Gonzo70]

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

Unfortunately Cruisetitch is correct; it would not be legal for you to start the cruise in Juneau because of the PVSA - the passport issue is irrelevant. The PSVA is an old law that protect U.S. businesses from foreign competition. It is the same law that would prevent a foreign airline (i.e. British Airlines, Iberia etc.) from flying you from one U.S. city to another. For a round trip cruise (where a cruise starts and ends at the same U.S. port and visits at least one foreign country in between) then passports are generally not required. Your best bet is to get an expedited passport, but you will have to start the cruise in Vancouver, not Juneau - you cannot start the cruise in Juneau even if you get a passport.

[SuiteTraveler]

Vancouver is in Canada. You must have a passport to enter Canada. What you need to do is get an expedited new passport. This can be done, it's expensive, but cheaper than missing your cruise. Look online for a place that takes passport photos and go get them made immediately then you can use a passport expeditor service such as:

 

www.rushmypassport.com

 

They can get you a passport in as little as 24 hours.

[DavidYYC]

Why not just get a passport?

 

What if you get sick and have to pull in at a foreign (Canadian) port? What if someone back home dies and you have to fly there urgently?

[patseacruiser]

Suitetraveler - the OP wants to board in Juneau - not Vancouver. It's not a passport issue that denies him from getting on.

[wg6530]

sadly you only have two choices:

Get a passport and board in Vancouver.

Or

Forget the cruise.

 

Juneau to Seward is not an option due the the PVSA.

[kitty9]

tallperson, there's a US law that will prevent you from boarding the ship in Juneau. It's called the Passenger Vessel Services Act that says a cruise must include a stop in a foreign port to make it legal. You cannot board the ship in Juneau without violating that law. If you try, it's at least a $350 fine. But, as you found out, Celebrity will not allow you to take this cruise.

 

Now, if you change your mind and take the entire cruise, you will need a passport, as will everyone in your family. Only closed loop cruises, those that start and end in the same US port, don't require passports. But, anything that starts or ends in Canada will require a passport.

[Wine-O]

My family will be cruising from Vancover to Seward, our entire family including me has booked the cruise. I do not have a passport and will be in Juneau for work the same time the ship docks in Juneau. I want to get on the ship here and contiune to cruise with my family.

 

Celebrity informs me I will not be allowed to board and that no refunds are offered.

 

Their website indicates passports are "recommended" for this type of cruise. As I recall it says nothing about mandatory.

 

Why do I need a passport to get on a ship in the USA, traveling within the USA and not leaving the USA?

 

Thanks,

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I would suggest you get a passport -- it's good for 10 years, and you can't leave the states without it.

[cruisestitch]

I'll chime in again - to the Original Poster -- what you saw about not requiring a passport for cruises that begin and end in the USA does not apply in this case -- it is relevant for "closed loop" cruises that visit the Caribbean, beginning and ending in a US port. But this is not the case in your situation. A passport will not help you do what you want to do, since what you are proposing is against the law and Celebrity will not let you board. Period.