Bahama Cruise and Passport requirement

[FireEater]

I know awhile back, one did not need a passport to cruise Bahamas if leaving and coming back to the same U.S. Port.

 

What's the rule now a days?  It has been years since my last cruise.  I booked a December cruise out of Port Canaveral and do not have a up to date passport.

 

TIA

 

 

Edited February 24 by FireEater

[Brighton Line]

US citizen on a cruise starting and ending in same US port does not need a passport. You do need to prove US citizenship and your identity hence the original birth certificate a d government issued picture ID or equivalent like passport card.

You can't fly without passport.

[njhorseman]

Please note that some cruise lines require all passengers to have a valid passport even if laws and regulations allow the use of a birth certificate and photo ID, as is the case for a closed loop Bahamas cruise.

You need to check MSC 's rules just to be sure they are not requiring all passengers to have a passport. 

[dbrown84]

17 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Please note that some cruise lines require all passengers to have a valid passport even if laws and regulations allow the use of a birth certificate and photo ID, as is the case for a closed loop Bahamas cruise.

You need to check MSC 's rules just to be sure they are not requiring all passengers to have a passport. 

you know which cruise lines require this?  and this is a real question, not a snarky response.  thanks

[Tierun]

29 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

you know which cruise lines require this?  and this is a real question, not a snarky response.  thanks

VV has this requirement in place.

[dbrown84]

21 minutes ago, Tierun said:

VV has this requirement in place.

thanks.  but I just checked their website and they allow birth certificates.  Oh well.  I was looking to win a bet

[Tierun]

13 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

thanks.  but I just checked their website and they allow birth certificates.  Oh well.  I was looking to win a bet

See the highlighted section. The allowance is only for last minute bookings. And one must call to have the exception in place prior to embarkation day.

[dbrown84]

10 minutes ago, Tierun said:

See the highlighted section. The allowance is only for last minute bookings. And one must call to have the exception in place prior to embarkation day.

yes, this is what I found

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

you know which cruise lines require this?  and this is a real question, not a snarky response.  thanks

In the past upscale and luxury lines like Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journeys and Azamara have all had this requirement. Without attempting to chase down every cruise line's rules, here are Explora Journeys' rules...which I chose because they're in the MSC family:

https://explorajourneys.com/us/en/info/terms-and-conditions

 

"5. PASSPORT AND VISAS

5.1 Guests must hold fully valid passports for the whole duration of the Journey and the expiry date must be at least 6 months after the return date. Certain countries insist on machine-readable and digital photo passports, especially Russia and USA."

 

Although mass market lines generally do not have this requirement there are even a couple of circumstances where they do. For example Princess has this requirement:

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise

"We also require a passport for all guests in a travel party when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).† 

 

†We have implemented this requirement because we want to ensure that your party remains together should an emergency arise that requires one or more members to be disembarked in a non-U.S. port. We cannot guarantee that all members of your party will be allowed to disembark with just a WHTI-compliant document or birth certificate. Failure to present a valid passport for all guests traveling together will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruisetour fare."

[dbrown84]

24 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

In the past upscale and luxury lines like Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journeys and Azamara have all had this requirement. Without attempting to chase down every cruise line's rules, here are Explora Journeys' rules...which I chose because they're in the MSC family:

https://explorajourneys.com/us/en/info/terms-and-conditions

 

"5. PASSPORT AND VISAS

5.1 Guests must hold fully valid passports for the whole duration of the Journey and the expiry date must be at least 6 months after the return date. Certain countries insist on machine-readable and digital photo passports, especially Russia and USA."

 

Although mass market lines generally do not have this requirement there are even a couple of circumstances where they do. For example Princess has this requirement:

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise

"We also require a passport for all guests in a travel party when minors are traveling with only one adult (21 years and older).† 

 

†We have implemented this requirement because we want to ensure that your party remains together should an emergency arise that requires one or more members to be disembarked in a non-U.S. port. We cannot guarantee that all members of your party will be allowed to disembark with just a WHTI-compliant document or birth certificate. Failure to present a valid passport for all guests traveling together will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruisetour fare."

Thanks

[PTC DAWG]

Plenty of time to renew passport for a December cruise…will make it much easier to get home if something goes wrong on the trip. 

[capriccio]

13 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

you know which cruise lines require this?  and this is a real question, not a snarky response.  thanks

As @njhorsemannoted luxury cruise lines are more likely to have the passport requirement on all cruises. 

 

Oceania:  Oceania requires that all travelers bring a passport for all sailings, regardless of destination or port of departure. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the last day of travel. https://oceania.cruiselines.com/cruise_info/passport_requirements.cfm

 

Cruise lines must meet the US and countries being visited minimum requirements (government ID and original birth certificate for those countries in the Western Hemisphere Travel initiative) but can, at their own discretion, impose stricter requirements.

 

 

[dbrown84]

40 minutes ago, capriccio said:

As @njhorsemannoted luxury cruise lines are more likely to have the passport requirement on all cruises. 

 

Oceania:  Oceania requires that all travelers bring a passport for all sailings, regardless of destination or port of departure. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the last day of travel. https://oceania.cruiselines.com/cruise_info/passport_requirements.cfm

 

Cruise lines must meet the US and countries being visited minimum requirements (government ID and original birth certificate for those countries in the Western Hemisphere Travel initiative) but can, at their own discretion, impose stricter requirements.

 

 

Thanks.  that link above is not to Oceania.  it is to vacations to go, and it sounds like a commercial to get you to go with their passport service.  That quote doesn't match up with the requirements on the actual Oceania website.  and princess is also a no go on this one.  they also allow birth certificates.  It looks like my best bet will be with explorajourneys.  I had never heard of this cruise line, so I'm glad I found this post and asked because I was ready to concede my bet.  now they only offer a handful of US closed loop cruises so it's possible their website just doesn't account for this, and I know my GF will call and ask 🙂

[FireEater]

Thanks all.  Am cruising with MSC in December just for a 3 day cruise in order to check out the yacht club. Have been on MSC before. .

 

I think since I have plenty of time, I will renew my passport just in case I need an emergency exit. 

 

Am only going to Nassau and MSC private Island.  Its not like I am going to 5 different countries.

 

 

[RandomUser123]

If cruise starts and ends in same US port then you need either

 

1) Passport

2) State issued photo ID AND birth certificate.

 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, RandomUser123 said:

If cruise starts and ends in same US port then you need either

 

1) Passport

2) State issued photo ID AND birth certificate.

 

Or a passport card.

Or an enhanced drivers license.

Or for naturalized citizens an original certificate of naturalization and government-issued photo ID

Or for those who were US citizens at birth but born abroad a consular report of birth abroad plus a government issued photo ID

 

But once again, always check your cruise line's requirements as they may not accept a particular type of documentation despite it being permissible by law and regulation. 

In addition a closed loop cruise might call on a country that requires a passport, as is the case for some French territories in the Caribbean.

Edited February 26 by njhorseman