Martinique passport required

[not-enough-cruising]

22 minutes ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

Why does anyone care if your fellow passingers have a Passport or are traviling on a DL & BC? BWY I have had a Passport for as long as I can remember and would not ever be without one.

It has NOTHING to do with caring about what form of ID my fellow cruisers carry, it has everything to do with the fact that I want people crossing the border into my country to have the most secured proof of citizenship possible. 

[FLACRUISER99]

2 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It has NOTHING to do with caring about what form of ID my fellow cruisers carry, it has everything to do with the fact that I want people crossing the border into my country to have the most secured proof of citizenship possible. 

Maybe you should get a job with ICE or HLS lol.

[not-enough-cruising]

5 minutes ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

Maybe you should get a job with ICE or HLS lol.

No thanks, I pay my taxes to hopefully have that job done for me. 

[njhorseman]

9 hours ago, twangster said:

 

So a US citizen on a cruise isn't a security risk but a US citizen driving to see Niagara Falls for a few hours is?

 

Caribbean Islands don't set DHS policy.  The last thing DHS has on it's mind is the well being of Caribbean nations.

 

As you noted it wasn't that long ago that a passport to drive to Canada and back wasn't needed,  but now a passport is required to drive to Canada. 

 

A cruise would be a simple way to slip a bad hombre into the country.  Fake family goes on a cruise,  one bad hombre changes places with someone who looks very similar at any port of call and arrives back into the US with only a DL, BC and fake family as cover.  

 

It's just a matter of time before passports are required to cruise, just like driving to Canada.  Tens of thousands drive across the Canadian border daily, all with passports.  It might not be next year or the year after that, but at some point for cruising convenience won't trump security as it does today.

 

The first point of my reply, which you've apparently ignored, was "DHS has determined that US citizens on closed loop cruises are not a security risk" so obviously the Caribbean islands didn't set the policy, DHS did. It is a two way street however so the Caribbean islands have the right to determine if they agree with DHS policy and allow US citizens on closed loop cruises to enter without a passport. Virtually all of them have agreed.

 

Your "fake family" scenario is really out there. Why does there have to be a family at all? And if the "evil twin" is a dead ringer for the original passenger the same thing could be accomplished by using the original passenger's passport. In most large ports they are no longer even checking passports upon the passengers' return, they're using facial recognition software. 

 

Those of you who say "it's a matter of time" have never presented one piece of factual evidence that even remotely supports that contention. You're just sure it's going to happen because you're sure it's going to happen. 

[twangster]

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Those of you who say "it's a matter of time" have never presented one piece of factual evidence that even remotely supports that contention. You're just sure it's going to happen because you're sure it's going to happen. 

 

The country is increasing it's security posture on an ongoing basis.  Ten years ago no one predicted driving across a border would require a passport.  The counter argument "it won't happen because it hasn't happened yet" is equally without merit.  

[not-enough-cruising]

31 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

The country is increasing it's security posture on an ongoing basis.  Ten years ago no one predicted driving across a border would require a passport.  The counter argument "it won't happen because it hasn't happened yet" is equally without merit.  

Agreed, not to mention the requirement to prove residency to get a new drivers license just to get on a domestic flight or go to a federal courthouse. 

[njhorseman]

22 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

The country is increasing it's security posture on an ongoing basis.  Ten years ago no one predicted driving across a border would require a passport.  The counter argument "it won't happen because it hasn't happened yet" is equally without merit.  

Ten years ago you were already required to have a passport to drive to Canada, so everyone knew it. The WHTI came into effect in 2009. The impetus for all the border security changes was the 9/11/01 terrorist attack.

 

All the border security changes took years to put into place despite the magnitude of the 9/11 attack. Heck, the REAL ID drivers license is only being brought to full implementation on 10/1/20, 19 years after 9/11.

 

Short of some outrageously important event that causes us to rethink border crossing security again, changes other than minor tweaks just aren't going to happen because the governmental processes just don't move very quickly. Think about it...it will have taken 19 years after 9/11 to have finally implemented REAL ID. If the government does eventually want all cruisers to have passports we will know about far in advance, and right now there isn't even a whisper about it.

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Agreed, not to mention the requirement to prove residency to get a new drivers license just to get on a domestic flight or go to a federal courthouse. 

And that's been 19 years in the making and it happened because of something very important and tragic, the 9/11 terrorist attack. If something brought about by 9/11 took 19 years to implement do you really think  that something DHS considers to be a low risk situation, US citizens on a closed loop cruise, is suddenly going to be upended? 

[twangster]

1 minute ago, njhorseman said:

Ten years ago you were already required to have a passport to drive to Canada, so everyone knew it. The WHTI came into effect in 2009. The impetus for all the border security changes was the 9/11/01 terrorist attack.

 

All the border security changes took years to put into place despite the magnitude of the 9/11 attack. Heck, the REAL ID drivers license is only being brought to full implementation on 10/1/20, 19 years after 9/11.

 

Short of some outrageously important event that causes us to rethink border crossing security again, changes other than minor tweaks just aren't going to happen because the governmental processes just don't move very quickly. Think about it...it will have taken 19 years after 9/11 to have finally implemented REAL ID. If the government does eventually want all cruisers to have passports we will know about far in advance, and right now there isn't even a whisper about it.

 

I never said it would happen overnight.  We'll have lots of warning, ample time to make arrangements. 

 

REAL ID was delayed because it put great costs and strains on states who fought back and and obtained the delays.  Foreign nations won't have that same ability to fight back.  Passports are required by air so it will be a much simpler change to effect compared to REAL ID.  

[ONECRUISER]

53 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

And that's been 19 years in the making and it happened because of something very important and tragic, the 9/11 terrorist attack. If something brought about by 9/11 took 19 years to implement do you really think  that something DHS considers to be a low risk situation, US citizens on a closed loop cruise, is suddenly going to be upended? 

Agree. Been coming long time. I got Enhanced ID yrs ago to take Open Loop Cruises I done last 7yrs. Over 10yrs ago my parents got their Passport just to drive across US/Canada Border, Been delays/Extensions but all Laws coming

Edited October 5, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[sunonfire]

Here is a link to the story. 
https://cruisefever.net/royal-caribbean-issues-policy-change-regarding-passport-requirement-for-caribbean-port/

[island lady]

Have posted this information on my Vision roll call  2/1/20 cruise as well, trying to give fellow cruise mates a head's up.  We carry both...the book and the card.  Though the info is kind of vague as to "not being able to board" at embarkation...or just not being able to get off the ship at that port.  I read it as being denied boarding at embarkation, since the ship goes there.  

 

OP..thanks for posting.  The original thread was early October, good to have this update as we approach December.  Some may have missed it.  

Edited November 27, 2019 by island lady

[Despegue]

On 10/3/2019 at 7:11 PM, steveru621 said:

Not that it's any great loss, but there are new requirements.

 

Officials in Martinique have informed us that all cruise visitors must have a valid passport in order to go ashore.

 

https://cruiseradio.net/a-passport-is-now-required-to-visit-this-caribbean-island/

Actually, Martinique is one of the Caribbeans nicest islands, with great food and thankfully no tacky tourist-trap shops and fake friendliness that Americans seem to love.

[mugtech]

1 hour ago, Despegue said:

Actually, Martinique is one of the Caribbeans nicest islands, with great food and thankfully no tacky tourist-trap shops and fake friendliness that Americans seem to love.

And then there is Bogart/Becall To Have and Have Not.

[sergeant655]

I was on Caribbean Princess in November and was not required to show my passport in Martinique even though i had it on me when I went ashore 

[Clarea]

Just now, sergeant655 said:

I was on Caribbean Princess in November and was not required to show my passport in Martinique even though i had it on me when I went ashore 

 

Did Princess require guests to have a passport for that cruise?

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 3:49 PM, akcruz said:

 

I too hope the rules change to where a passport us required to cruise out of the US.  We are the only country, I believe, where a passport is not required for such travel.

 

Having said that I can see why the cruise lines are hesitant to let it happen.  If you have a family of 4 that does not have passports you have just raised the cost of that cruise by close to $500 In order for them to get passports.  For some that extra expense, and time to get the passports for the kids, puts the cruise out of reach which is now a lost customer to the cruise line.  One day it will change but I fear it will be a while.

Did you know that you can hop on a "boat", and I mean a "boat", drive it to the Bahamas, dock it, go gamble, or fish or whatever, and "drive it back the same day and never be questioned by immigration.  It's a 90 minute trip. The Carribean islands are just small countries that have a special relationship with the USA.  We help them and protect them.  I don't think people understand how easy it is to jump from island to island.

[sellwingri]

We’re going to Martinique in March.  We usually put our passports in the safe when we board but it’s good to know we’ll have to take them with us.  I’m fairly certain that they’ll stress this on our cruise, by including it in the Compass and speaking it several times.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, sellwingri said:

We’re going to Martinique in March.  We usually put our passports in the safe when we board but it’s good to know we’ll have to take them with us.  I’m fairly certain that they’ll stress this on our cruise, by including it in the Compass and speaking it several times.

 

Having to have a passport to cruise to Martinique does not necessarily mean you have to take it off the boat with you. It may be sufficiant that Royal Caribbean checked your passport at check in. I have cruised to many countries that require passports and the only one where it was required us to take it off the boat was Russia. Follow the instructions in the Cruise Compass.

[mugtech]

Been on two cruises in the Pacific on which our passports were handed in once on the ship and not given back until the last night of the cruise.  We had cards issued by the countries visited which had to be returned to said country after leaving the last port in that country.  This included Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.