Thread: Passports-FINAL RULE released today!!

We drove to Canada, with our virgin passports, hoping to at least have them stamped once before our cruise.

Nope... Canada customs just stared at me, asked me about 3 questions, and waved me through.

However, coming BACK into the US, the US customs guy grabbed our passports, scanned them, and then shooed us towards home.

No stamps. Geez. Virgin passports for the cruise.

That said, keep in mind that while other countries may be happy to have you visit, the US may be tough to come home to without a passport.

Anyone that needs one, now is the time to start thinking about it, don't want to be left at the dock

Although passports are NOT required for 'closed-loop' cruises, we're highly recommending them to everyone.

A closed-loop cruise is one that begins and ends in the same U.S. port while visiting ports in Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Central America, Mexico, etc. You do not need a passport for this type of cruise.

However, if you must disembark the ship in a foreign port and fly home and do not have a passport, you'll have to wait a few days while the local U.S. embassy processes your paperwork. This is why we're telling everyone to get a passport - you may not need it, but if you need it and don't have it, it can be quite a hassle.

Pete

Although we have the option of getting a Washington State EDL we decided to just get passports and be done with it.

Originally Posted by Blizzard

I think that is this year

Yep! I made that post last year!

Originally Posted by Cruise Planner

A closed-loop cruise is one that begins and ends in the same U.S. port while visiting ports in Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Central America, Mexico, etc. You do not need a passport for this type of cruise.



Pete

So even after June 09, you won't be required to have a passport for "closed loop" cruises? I don't think many people know that. I guess I'm glad to have gotten passports, but will probably only need them for closed closed loop cruises for awhile.

This is the best place to get up to date info!

If you are really interested, I would suggest reading the entire document. There were several proposals made in the Federal Register in June of last year(2007) that proposed round trip cruise ship passengers from a US port be exempt from the final phase of the WHTI regulation. The final document has adopted this with some restrictions. The cruise must depart and return to the same US port and all travel must be within the Western Hemisphere. I find no mention that this excemption will expire at any determined time. The requirement for these cruise passengers is a government issued photo ID and a original or copy of a birth certificate instead of a document designated in this final rule.
This information is on page 29 of the final rule.

A reminder that if your cruise begins and ends at the SAME port, and does NOT leave the western hemisphere, you still don't NEED a passport, but, it's really wiser to cruise WITH one than without one.

If you do a Pamama Canal cruise, you will probably HAVE to have one, unles it's a round trip. Many of them aren't. Reposotoning cruises, same deal... you'll probably be required to have a passport.

And don't forget, that should something happens, and you get stuck in a port, having to come home on your own to the US from anyplace OTHER than tue US, you'll darned weell WISH you had one!

All this starts June 1... so wanted to make sure we reminded everyone about it