Passports are required for all travelers, including citizens of the U.S. and Canada, who enter or re-enter the U.S. by air, land or sea.
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While cruising with a passport is always recommended, it's not required by law in certain circumstances. Closed-loop cruises from U.S. ports that visit Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico are part of an international agreement that allows U.S. citizens to cruise without a passport.
Do I need a passport? We recommend that everyone taking a cruise from the United States have a passport book. Though some “closed-loop” cruises may not require a U.S. passport, we recommend bringing yours in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected medical air evacuation or the ship docking at an alternate port.
If you are not a U.S. citizen or an LPR, you will need a passport and/or the appropriate documentation based on the status you are seeking in the United States for any type of cruise, closed loop or not.
On closed-loop cruises, a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID are all that's required. Check with your cruise line before departure to see what documents are needed instead of a passport. Many require a state-issued ID and an original birth certificate if you don't have a passport.
Beyond needing a valid passport to travel, cruise ship passengers might also require a cruise visa. This happens when the countries they are exploring along the way have specialized entry requirements in place. A cruise visa provides the same credentials for a traveler as a traditional visa.
Find a port agent.In cases when cruisers are late returning to the vessel, the ship's crew will often remove the passengers' essential items -- passports, cell phones and medication -- from the ship to leave with the port agents. These officials can help you with contacting your ship and making travel arrangements.
To that end, Norwegian strongly recommends all guests to obtain a passport for their voyage on any Norwegian vessel. All guests must carry a valid passport, and if necessary, a multiple entry visa is required for entry into the United States (i.e. B-2 Visitors Visa), or a visa waiver.
For U.S. citizens: Royal Caribbean strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport. For Round Trip cruises from the U.S. that DO NOT include Panama or Colombia, U.S. citizens 17 and under will be able to present either an original, n...