PASSPORT EXPIRATION QUESTION

[wolfganghowell]

UGH.  As an experienced cruiser I'm mad at myself.  We cruise in 2 weeks.  Our passports don't expire until June 22nd.  My TA letter says our passports need to be valid for at least 6 months post cruise while Royal says it is strongly recommended.  Since TA is closed today and I don't want to call Royal where Mr Wolf can overhear and launch into a panic attack, thought I would ask here in case I can get a quick "you'll be okay" or "you're screwed."  I don't know why it has to be valid 6 months later.  We get back March 31st and are 90 days from expiration at this time.  Thoughts?

[d9704011]

Where are you going?  If a closed-loop Caribbean cruise, you’re OK.

[FLACRUISER99]

2 minutes ago, wolfganghowell said:

UGH.  As an experienced cruiser I'm mad at myself.  We cruise in 2 weeks.  Our passports don't expire until June 22nd.  My TA letter says our passports need to be valid for at least 6 months post cruise while Royal says it is strongly recommended.  Since TA is closed today and I don't want to call Royal where Mr Wolf can overhear and launch into a panic attack, thought I would ask here in case I can get a quick "you'll be okay" or "you're screwed."  I don't know why it has to be valid 6 months later.  We get back March 31st and are 90 days from expiration at this time.  Thoughts?

Yes where are you Going?

[robtulipe]

Look like OP is on Liberty march 24th close loop cruise out of Galveston to Falmouth, Grand Cayman and Cozumel so  there isn't a problem with the expiry date being just under 3 months away as it is still a current document. :) 

Edited March 9, 2019 by robtulipe

[Coralc]

You will be fine for a Caribbean cruise. Have fun! 

[d9704011]

7 minutes ago, robtulipe said:

Look like OP is on Liberty march 24th close loop cruise out of Galveston to Falmouth, Grand Cayman and Cozumel so  there isn't a problem with the expiry date being just under 3 months away as it is still a current document. 🙂 

If you’ve identified their cruise on more thing the OP ought to think about is finding a new TA.

[akcruz]

If you are a US citizen on a closed loop cruise to the carribean from the US without stops in Cuba, where a 6 month  valid passport is required, you will be fine.  

 

We booked a fairly last minute cruise to the Bahamas in January.  Pulled out our passports to do online check in and realized they expired in March.  We did get a warning during on line check in about the 6 month recommendation so just in case we brought our birth certificates with us.  At check in on day of cruise handed over our passports.  No one batted an eye, the birth certificates never came out.  Since you can sail on your itinerary without a passport at all, if you are nervous about it just bring the alternate docs, but chances are you won't need them.

 

Have heard of people having issues if they need to leave a cruise early and can't get a direct flight back to the US, but only you can decide if that's a concern for you.  For us it wasn't.

Edited March 9, 2019 by akcruz
Added info

[torpeedo]

30 minutes ago, akcruz said:

If you are a US citizen on a closed loop cruise to the carribean from the US without stops in Cuba, where a 6 month  valid passport is required, you will be fine.  

 

We booked a fairly last minute cruise to the Bahamas in January.  Pulled out our passports to do online check in and realized they expired in March.  We did get a warning during on line check in about the 6 month recommendation so just in case we brought our birth certificates with us.  At check in on day of cruise handed over our passports.  No one batted an eye, the birth certificates never came out.  Since you can sail on your itinerary without a passport at all, if you are nervous about it just bring the alternate docs, but chances are you won't need them.

 

Have heard of people having issues if they need to leave a cruise early and can't get a direct flight back to the US, but only you can decide if that's a concern for you.  For us it wasn't.

 

Exactly.  You responded to us recently with this information (and thank you for that) and it went just as you said.  We had the birth certificate just in case but nobody said a thing and off we went.  We already have the new passport which we sent for when we got back from the Rhapsody on Feb 23rd.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks all.  Yes, it's closed loop Galveston Caribbean.  And not my TA's issue at all.  She's great and after 29 cruises, it's not her responsibility to remind me about a passport!  She doesn't know when my passport expires.  Just never occurred to me since I knew we had 3 months to get it done after we got back.

[waterbug123]

17 hours ago, robtulipe said:

Look like OP is on Liberty march 24th close loop cruise out of Galveston to Falmouth, Grand Cayman and Cozumel

 

15 hours ago, wolfganghowell said:

Thanks all.  Yes, it's closed loop Galveston Caribbean. 

 

None of those ports require a passport; you could travel with just birth certificates and drivers licenses, so traveling instead with a passport with less than 6 months on it doesn't matter.  And an American citizen an use a passport to re-enter the US as long as it's valid....doesn't need 6 months on it.  You'll be fine.

[gatour]

15 hours ago, wolfganghowell said:

Thanks all.  Yes, it's closed loop Galveston Caribbean.  And not my TA's issue at all.  She's great and after 29 cruises, it's not her responsibility to remind me about a passport!  She doesn't know when my passport expires.  Just never occurred to me since I knew we had 3 months to get it done after we got back.

You are right it isn't your TA's issue, however she gave you a letter that had incorrect information which caused you to come under stress.  Is that grounds to switch TA, that is for you to decide.