Do you need a passport to get off on cruses like carnival to....?

Question

do you need a passport to get off on cruses like carnival to....the cayman islands, jamica, or belieze or cozmel?

and another question is....

today i was going to pick up my social security card for my licence and they wouldnt take the id i brought, they said only school id, or state id. for my state id i would need my social security card. and the school is closed for summer. so if anyone has a suggestion to that it would be good too.

Answer 1

No, if you are a US citizen you do not need a passport for a cruise leaving and returning to the US If  the cruise is going anywhere besides Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands then yes you will need a passport. starting January 1, 2008.

Answer 2

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, you need a passport if you fly to another country and return to the U.S. To travel by ship that disembarks from the U.S., you only need a government-issed photo ID such as a passport, passport card or driver's license.

If you travel by cruise from the U.S. to a Caribbean destination, you only need your shipboard photo ID -- which the cruise line will give you when you first board the ship -- to get off and back on the ship during a stopover.

However, cruise lines may have additional requirements. Carnival requires that you show them both a photo ID and proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate, passport or passport card.

Considering how the rules are evolving, it's probably best simply to get a passport. You never know when else you might need it in the future.

Answer 3

As of July 1 I believe a passport is mandatory everywhere.  I went to the Caribbean in January this year and I saw many changes taking place that would make a passport mandatory even back then.

You can also consider a "passcard" if you plan on only traveling to the carribean by any means other than flying.  It's less expensive and easier to carry around.  Go to:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passpor... for more information.