Passport question for cruising the Western Carribean.?

Question

I will be taking a cruise on the Norwegian Sun out of New Orleans in April. Itinerary includes Costa Maya, Santo Tomas De Castilla Guatemala, Belize City and Cozumel. Norwegiam has explained that I will not be required to have a passport to take the trip, my concern is Guatemala and Belize. Will I be allowed to enter these countries for excursions without a passport? I am concerned that I do not have the 8 weeks required to obtain one.

Thanks for your advise, also any tips on what I should while there. Have been to Cozumel.

Answer 1

You will be fine passports are only required for air travel at this time.  Water travel will not be affected for another year.  If you have the time, it wouldn't hurt to get one in case you miss the boat or some other emergency arises and need to fly back.

Here is a site that can give you more information.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbp...

Answer 2

Good News! You can get your passport overnight! Bad news, it's an additional $60 to your application fee PLUS the overnight shipping costs. It's the same concept if your just renewing your passport. Go to http://travel.state.gov/passport for more information.

Answer 3

I agree with the above answers that a passport won't be needed for Guatemala and Belize, but you may need one to re-enter the US!

Answer 4

what happens is that when you board the ship you show them your passport then and for the rest of the cruise you dont need it i dont belive

Answer 5

As far as I have read yes you will be allowed to enter these countiresas long as you don't enter the country by air and you leave from the us or us territory your fine. I heard that if you don't have a passport you have to show your birth certificate when you board.

You can rush your passport, but you have to pay a lot more to do so.

Answer 6

you do have to have a passport for these countries - see below:

BELIZE - *Passport, return/onward ticket and sufficient funds (at least $60 per night) required.  Visa not required for stay of up to 30 days.  If visit exceeds 1 month, obtain a stay permit from the Immigration Authorities in Belize.  Single-entry visa, valid up to 90 days, requires $50 (include $10 for shipping payable by money order or bank draft).  Visa requires 1 application form and 1 passport sized photo.  HIV test required for those seeking residency; U.S. test accepted if within 3 months of visit.  For more information, contact the Embassy of Belize, 2535 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202/332-9636) or the Belize Mission in New York at (212/599-0233).  Internet: www.embassyofbelize.org

GUATEMALA - *Passport required for a stay of up to 90 days.  For longer stays, visa requires an application form, a valid passport, one passport sized photo, and appropriate fee ($25 for tourist visa and $50 for a business visa).  For travel by minors and general information, contact the Embassy of Guatemala, 2220 R St., NW, Washington, DC 20008-4081 (202/745-4952), or the nearest Consulate: CA (213/365-9251 or 415/788-5651), FL (305/443-4828), IL (312/332-3170), NY (212/686-3837) or TX (713/953-9531) Internet: www.guatemala-embassy.org

you can get a passort in approximately 18 days if you pay the expdedite fee - see below:

How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry

Expedited Service

    * Cost, in addition to regular application fees, is $60 per application plus overnight delivery costs.

    * Two-way overnight delivery is strongly suggested.

    * If you mail in - clearly mark Expedited on the envelope.

    * Anyone may request expedited service for any type of application (e.g., first-time applications, renewals, amendments of existing passports, etc.) See:

          o How do I change my name on my passport?

          o How to add extra visa pages to my passport?

          o How do I apply to renew my passport?

    * Passport applications sent together or at the same time do not necessarily remain together.

    * Passports will be mailed separately.

After you apply - You will receive your passport:Ordinarily, if you paid additionally for expedited service and two-way overnight delivery within about 2 weeks

Routine Service

    * Include your departure date on your application.

After you apply - You will receive your passport: Ordinarily, within 6 weeks.  However, processing times can vary depending on workload and occasional unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters.  During busier times, such as the summer travel season, we encourage customers to expedite their applications if traveling in less than 8 weeks.

Life or Death Emergencies

    *

      Call The National Passport Information Center

        



Payment Method

Passport Agency

    * Major Credit Card - Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover

    * Debit/Check cards (not ATM cards)

    * Checks, bank drafts, money orders

Mail-in

    * Personal Check or Money Order (Pay to "U.S. Department of State")

    * NO CASH

Post Office, Clerk of Court, Other Location

    * Check with the facility for type of payment accepted.

All Passport Agencies accept applications only by appointment. Click here for more information.

Return to Passport Services Page

Answer 7

The passport deadline was moved back. At this time you don't need to have a passport to cruise. However, there are many benefits to having a passport and if you can I would try to get one. If you are able to get it quickly, the express option would be your best bet, you will be much safer.

First, I hope you have trip protection, it is always a good idea, especially for cruises. Now, the government could change the passport laws at any time, meaning if you don't have one there could be problems trying to get home and everything. If they do change it, which I don't really see happening until next year, I'm really not sure what would happen to people that are already traveling. It is not a chance I would want to take.

The other thing is if you would need to fly home in case of an emergency. In order to fly you would have to have the passport in order to leave.

While you don't have to have a passport at this time, I would definitely recommend getting one, especially if you plan to travel in the future, they last a long time. If you don't have the time to get the passport this time, I would consider getting one for future travel. A good cruise rate may become available last minute and you may want to go but need a passport, so having one would be good.

It's really up to you, but you don't actually need it at this point.

Have a great time cruising!