Passports are required for cruises that begin in one U.S. port and end in another. Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises that visit islands in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barts) require a valid passport regardless of departure port.

For U.S. citizens on "Closed-Loop" cruises (starting and ending at the same U.S. port), a passport is technically not required by U.S. law for most Caribbean destinations, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands; a birth certificate and government ID often suffice. However, in 2026, several ports and "Open-Loop" itineraries strictly require a valid passport book. Destinations such as Barbados, Saint Lucia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe have high-fidelity requirements for passports regardless of cruise type. Furthermore, if you travel by air to any Caribbean island (except U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), a passport is a high-fidelity necessity. Even on cruises where it isn't "required," travel experts in 2026 consider a passport a high-fidelity safety requirement for emergency air travel back to the U.S. if you miss your ship or experience a medical crisis.