Now that cruising is starting to resume, probably one of the most asked questions I get from first-time cruisers. The answer depends on where you sail from. If you depart from somewhere outside the United States, then you need a passport. For a cruise that departs from the United States and ends in the United States, except for an Alaskan cruise, the answer is technically no unless the cruise line or one of the countries that you visit requires it. However, I would NEVER recommend sailing without a passport. Why do you ask?
First off, you need documentation to cruise and a passport is easiest to bring with you. If you do not have a passport, you will still need a picture ID and an original birth certificate if you are an adult and an original birth certificate if you are a minor to cruise. Second, and probably, most important, if for some reason, you were stranded in one of the ports you visit, you will need a passport to get home. I know, you say THAT will never happen to me, and chances are it won’t, but let me give you a few examples that I have witnessed personally.
On our last cruise, one of the passengers had to be taken off the ship because he had fallen and broken his leg. He was taken to the hospital and ended up having to miss the rest of the cruise. Hopefully, he had a passport, because if he didn’t, he would not be allowed back into the United States without one. Of course, he would be able to apply for one but imagine having to jump through those hoops (no pun intended) while having to deal with a broken leg.
A few years ago, my family was on one of the mega cruise ships. As we were sailing out of Cozumel, we noticed a group of about 6 people running to try to catch our ship. FYI our ship did not wait for them and kept sailing without them. They were on their own in a foreign country and had to either get to the next port or meet the ship in Fort Lauderdale to pick up their belongings. Once again, they needed their passports to get home. Later, I asked a crewmember if it was common for the ship to leave guests behind. She replied that on this ship, which held about 5,000 guests about 100 people each cruise missed the departure time at some port.
I had clients tell me that they did not want to spend the extra money for a passport and that they were not going to get off the ship anyways so they really did not need one. I tried to convince them that the Captain of the ship was the one in charge and had the final say if they were to get sick and needed to be removed from the ship. The first day when the ship was docked at the port, my clients spent the entire day at the pool, taking advantage of the smaller crowds. Well, they didn’t get sick, but they ended up getting 2nd-degree sunburns and sun poisoning. They were so miserable and could not be treated effectively in the infirmary so the Captain removed the couple at the next port for their own safety. They had no passports and were stuck on the island until they could arrange to get emergency passports issued.
These are just a few instances that I have seen. There are many more I could share, but they all pretty much end the same way. No one plans to get sick or injured, miss the boat, or get removed from the ship. The point is – expect the unexpected and always be prepared. Having a passport makes life easier, gives you peace of mind and will make things easier if something does go wrong. The bonus – having a passport gives you the freedom to see all of the world!
