Has anyone else taken a cruise without a passport,did you just have your drivers license and birth certificate

Question

Me and my boyfriend are going on a Caribbean cruise in October and we don't want to spend 100 each for passports. Can we just use our D.L.'s and birth certificates? Has anyone else done this easily, with no problems?

Answer 1

Most cruise lines will not allow you ON the ship unless you check in with your passport.  Don't take a chance - get the passport.  I just applied for one two weeks ago and recieved it today.  my cruise isn't until October but I was told it would take weeks to arrive.

Answer 2

as of january of '08 you MUST have a passport to go on a cruise.  we went on a cruise on spring break and my parents already had their passports but me and my sister did not.  we had 3 weeks to get them in so we got them exbitited (idk how to spell it, haha) for about $30 extra.  

they check your passports probably about 20 times before and after the cruise.

one reason why they do this is if you get sick or something and have to fly home from one of the islands you dont have any problem getting through customs.

hope this helps! have fun!

Answer 3

If you live in the US and you are traveling to the Caribbean by sea before June 1, 2009, you can present a valid driver's license and birth certificates instead of a passport.  Keep in mind though that they will not accept copies of the birth certificates, they need to be certified originals (they should have a seal and a raised stamp on them, I believe).  

If you are traveling to or from the Caribbean by plane though (say flying to or from Puerto Rico before or after the cruise), then you do need to present a passport.  

As always though, you should ask a travel agent or the cruise line themselves to verify this.

Answer 4

ask the company you are booking the cruise with they will be able to tell you Not sure on that one,

if it is another country to the one where you live  yes you will need a passport

Answer 5

I know you dont need a passport until June 1, 2009 with Royal Caribbean.  I am cruising on the Liberty of the Seas this October and will be bringing my birth certificate.

Answer 6

Up until December 2006 I cruised without a passport. In June of last year my entire family went but only my wife and I had passports. The only time they were asked to show their birth certificate was when they checked in to board the ship. The Caribbean ports rarely checked any documentation and when they did a driver's license was sufficient. Be sure you get an appropriate Birth certificate, one that has a raise or embossed seal on it. Someone came up with the idea that would make it official. Sometimes they actually check.

Answer 7

We had to have a passport (but not for Puerto Rico because it is a commonwealth).   Contact the cruise line, am pretty sure they require them now.  Just call their 800 number or check their website carnival.com.   It would be good for you to have one anyway,  if you plan to travel in the future.  Just like anything else the price will go up.

Answer 8

We used to do that before the Homeland Security Initiative went into effect. You must have a passport for any cruise because upon return, you have been outside the United States. Simple as that. I'd be thinking about applying for your passports ASAP as they take time.

Answer 9

How can you avoid trouble?

Cruise with a passport. Before long, all cruisers will need them. New requirements are being phased in that will require passports for air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and Bermuda as of December 31, 2006. All land crossings, as well as air and sea travel, will require passports as of December 31, 2007.

Don't rely on cruise lines for up-to-date information on passport and visa requirements. Check entry requirements directly with consulates for all the countries on your itinerary, not just the first and last stops of your cruise.

Answer 10

Our cruising agent informed us that effective Summer 2008 all cruise ships will require you to have a passport. We travelled with just our BC's and DL's and we had problems because their was nothing to stamp and we were getting married, it turned out fine  in the end, but things would have been much easier if we had them. Get it, its worth it.