Alaska cruise passport question...

[dad2my3]

Sorry for being uninformed, but I have a quick question.

 

My wife and I will be taking a ten day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska and back on the Grand in June. We are both U.S. citizens, and I thought that all we would need are our driver’s licenses and birth certificates.

 

 

However, Princess keeps sending me long e-mails about visa and passport requirements, and now I’m second guessing myself. Do we need passports? Or are these just generic e-mails that everyone is getting?

 

 

Sorry for asking a dumb question, but I’d appreciate hearing from someone with a little firsthand experience.

[moki'smommy]

The visa and passport notices are fairly standard, but we were required to show our passports any time we entered Canada. This was when we got off the ship in Victoria and when we did an excursion out of Skagway that entered Canada.

 

The notices say that it is your responsibility to be aware of the requirements for any country you may be entering.

[RickEk]

The visa and passport notices are fairly standard' date=' but we were required to show our passports any time we entered Canada. This was when we got off the ship in Victoria and when we did an excursion out of Skagway that entered Canada.

 

The notices say that it is your responsibility to be aware of the requirements for any country you may be entering.[/quote']

 

hmmm... I've taken the 10-day Alaska cruise out of San Francisco a few times with only a b/c and driver's license and have never been asked for a passport in Victoria. There is also one version of the White's Pass Railway excursion that doesn't require a passport.

 

And yes, the notices are very standard.

[anthonyy7]

For Victoria, a passport was never checked when we got off last night. However, our passports were checked by CBP officials as we left the ship this morning in Seattle. So I would say you would need one to get back in the US.

 

 

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[Haboob]

Silly question... is your wife's last name on her birth certificate the same

as on her driver's license? Usually it's not a big deal with Canada, until

it is.

 

Much better to have a passport book, or at least (for the "Western Hemisphere") a passport card.

[moki'smommy]

I can only cite our experience. We did the Skagway private excursion where we were on a small (?10-12 passenger capacity) vehicle on the way up and train back. The driver confirmed that we had our passports before we boarded the vehicle. Then at the border, he took them to the guard station and brought them back to us.

 

And in Victoria we definitely passed a checkpoint where they did a cursory look at our passports. I specifically remember because daughter wanted to get hers stamped and the agent said they didn't do that any more...and he was rather rude about it. Daughter was upset, as much at the rudeness as that she couldn't collect a stamp.

 

YMMV

 

I guess I don't worry much about it as we always travel with passports--much easier. I do check visa requirements when we are going somewhere new.

[neverbeenhere]

Blunt answer: LA, SFO, and San Diego has passport offices... get a passport.

[Haboob]

Blunt answer: LA, SFO, and San Diego has passport offices... get a passport.

 

Many (most?) post offices will take your picture, give you the forms to fill out, and forward

paperwork. Likely no need to go to an actual passport office if you've got a few weeks for

snail mail.

[neverbeenhere]

Their time is apparently short and seem to be located in CA.

[Haboob]

Their time is apparently short and seem to be located in CA.

 

::nods::

 

Took my renewal 3 weeks. Late June would be comfortable. Not Jun 1st, though.

[skynight]

Read below and call Princess. It is always best to have a passport. I would get one.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

[Essiesmom]

I have been to Victoria on a cruise twice, and don't recall being asked for my passport. I did not need it for the White Pass railway round trip. But the crux of the matter is that if you wish to take an excursion that crosses into Canada you will need a passport, book or card. EM

[BigGuy25]

I did not need it for the White Pass railway round trip.EM

 

We took the White Pass RR a couple of years back and the train stopped at the boarder crossing going into Canada and an agent came on board and checked passports.

[cdngrl]

being a worrier, i go to the 'what would happen if for some reason i had to fly home from canada'?

if you have time, get a passport... then find another far away trip to take after this one to get your money's worth!

[dad2my3]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

[rocklinmom]

We did that cruise last summer and it is a "closed loop" voyage that doesn't require a passport. Half of my family had only their CA birth certificates and drivers licenses and they were fine. As mentioned, you would only need passports if you did certain shore excursions in Canada that require them. Don't worry about it and enjoy your cruise! :-)

[caribill]

We took the White Pass RR a couple of years back and the train stopped at the boarder crossing going into Canada and an agent came on board and checked passports.

 

When returning to Alaska, was USA immigration there to check the passports?

[geoherb]

Yes, we had to show our passports when coming back into Alaska when we rented a car to drive to Emerald Lake from Skagway.

 

For the OP's question, Princess website says:

US citizens traveling on U.S. roundtrip or “closed-loop” voyages may also travel with an original certified birth certificate presented together with a valid government-issued photo identification. These voyages include:

 

Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)

[flamomo]

My booking confirmation for an AK cruise, r/t Seattle, later this year clearly states that a passport is required for ALL passengers, and that passengers without a passport will not be permitted to board. There is no mention of a drivers license and birth certificate being an alternative to a passport.

[Haboob]

When returning to Alaska, was USA immigration there to check the passports?

 

Years ago, there was an unmanned US CBP checkpoint on HiWay 98 that checked papers

by video link.

[jb008]

You really should have a passport book with you in the off chance you need to fly home. Only a passport book is acceptable for international air travel (including Canada to USA!).

 

We did the White Pass RR from Skagway and US CBP got on the train and briefly checked documents. I left my passport book on the ship and used my NYS enhanced driver's license (a few states offer a DL that also shows proof of citizenship) for my convenience, but they did check it fairly carefully and the officer made "small talk" while he inspected it (read: casual behavioral interview questions to gauge my response; however I'm of Asian descent which may have been a factor). I drive across the US/Canadian border regularly, and regularly use the eDL for a land crossing so I decided to be lazy for the RR trip.

 

You can get an expedited passport since you have imminent travel plans. You also could add a passport card, which is a convenient secondary wallet-sized ID card and is good to have if you're abroad. The card comes separate from your book, and might get there sooner. We got DW's card first, her book came a little later - but she did routine processing on her documents.

[Thrak]

Why not just call Princess and ask?

[shellgirl61]

On our last Alaskan cruise, we did the bus excursion to the Yukon. The driver would not let anyone on the bus that did not have their passport in hand. One couple had to run back to the ship to get theirs. They only had a copy of it with them. The lady was hysterical. They made it back to the bus on time, so all was well.

[sherryf]

Unless things have changed in the past few years, it is possible to do a closed-loop trip to Alaska without a passport. My family all has passports, but a few years ago, we took my son's (adult) friend with us to Alaska. He has only birth certificate and driver's license. He was able to board in Seattle, visit Victoria, and debark in Seattle, using just the previously stated ID. We had to opt against going into Canada from Skagway, since he would have needed a passport (or WA enhanced DL, but he didn't have time to get one before our trip) for a land crossing into Canada. He enjoyed the cruise immensely, and never needed or was even asked for a passport.

[Haboob]

Unless things have changed in the past few years, it is possible to do a closed-loop trip to Alaska without a passport. My family all has passports, but a few years ago, we took my son's (adult) friend with us to Alaska. He has only birth certificate and driver's license. He was able to board in Seattle, visit Victoria, and debark in Seattle, using just the previously stated ID. We had to opt against going into Canada from Skagway, since he would have needed a passport (or WA enhanced DL, but he didn't have time to get one before our trip) for a land crossing into Canada. He enjoyed the cruise immensely, and never needed or was even asked for a passport.

 

 

Possible? Certainly. But the lack limits your options, which can make otherwise minor,

unexpected problems much tougher, time-consuming, and expensive to solve.

 

Wise? In the words of Insp H.F. Callahan, SFPD, "Do you feel lucky today?" ;)