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Imagine, for instance, that something goes awry, and you need to fly back to the United States from a foreign country for a medical emergency. In this situation and in the case of an emergency, you will need a passport in order to travel through an international airport and board an airplane traveling internationally. It’s important to check the itinerary for your trip because there are a few places, even on a closed-loop cruise, that do require a passport to disembark. This is particularly common in the Caribbean in nations including Guadeloupe, the island of Martinique, St. Barts, Barbados, and others. Dip your toes in Caribbean sand when you set sail from Port Canaveral or the Port of Miami.
What is a Passport Card and where can it Take Me?
If your cruise begins and ends in the same U.S. port -- for example, sailing roundtrip Miami to Miami -- then you are embarking on what is considered a closed loop cruise, according to the WHTI. If you begin your cruise in one U.S. port (e.g. San Diego) and end your cruise in a different U.S. port (say, Fort Lauderdale), it will not count as a closed loop. An Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) allows you to re-enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. However, an EDL is only accepted at land and sea border crossings, not for air travel.
West Coast Closed-Loop Cruises
On the other hand, the prerequisites for going on an open-loop cruise are far more stringent than those for closed-loop cruises. Enjoy seven days aboard the Celebrity Solstice discovering the untamed grandeur of Alaska’s Inside Passage. This ship is ideal for such magnificent surroundings thanks to its plenty of outdoor area and upper Lawn Lounge. You may also go canoeing, sail and dive trips, or even have a therapeutic treatment with a real shaman if that sounds more your speed. Chacchoben Ruins, which are located within a short distance from the port, are home to Mayan artifacts and history. It’s possible that you’ve heard the phrase “closed-loop cruise” thrown about in the context of sailing and been interested in what it means.
Traveling with disabilities can be an issue when traveling to other countries
Most of the itinerary options are on bigger ships with 1,500+ passengers. Disney Cruise Line has a very similar 3-day or 4-day itinerary, usually departing from Port Canaveral, which is on Florida’s Space Coast near Cape Canaveral. It leaves, returns to Port Canaveral, and stops at Disney’s Castaway Cay island and Nassau in between. Explore the rugged coasts of Alaska on a closed loop cruise from cities like Seattle and San Francisco.
Alaska
In Freeport, you can shop till you drop at the Port Lucaya Marketplace or kayak through the mangroves at Lucayan National Park. At the south end of the island of Eleuthera, Princess Cays offers island resort living at its finest. On one-way sailings, such as between Montreal and Boston on Holland America Line, you will need a passport to fly to or from Canada. For small-ship fans, other options include sailings that do not leave Alaska, such as those of UnCruise Adventures, Lindblad Expeditions, and Alaska Native–owned Alaskan Dream Cruises. This point should be top-of-mind especially because of COVID-19 and any other medical emergency that would require the trip to be altered or a medical evacuation. You’ll also be glad you have a passport if you encounter other unforeseen circumstances such as a family emergency or a sailing cut short due to bad weather or technical issues.
Even though it has something to do with the locations on the calendar completing a complete circle, there is more to the tale than that. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. The Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app is a free & efficient alternative to Global Entry.
Norwegian Cruise Line Urges Passengers to Use a Passport for Mexico - Cruise Hive
Norwegian Cruise Line Urges Passengers to Use a Passport for Mexico.
Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
What is a closed loop cruise can simply be phrased as any cruise ship debarking from and returning to the same point. To qualify, the ship must return to the exact same port they left from. Ships cannot depart Fort Lauderdale and return to Miami, even though both ports are in Florida. It’s your responsibility to ensure you have all the proper documentation to board the ship and enter each of the countries your cruise visits.
8 Places You Can Travel to Without a Passport - Best Life
8 Places You Can Travel to Without a Passport.
Posted: Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida, are popular ports for Celebrity Cruises. With Princess Cruises, you can travel to Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or the Bahamas from the United States. They operate many cruises from Fort Lauderdale or off the West Coast, where you can sail from Los Angeles to Mexico or Hawaii. For example, this has made Hawaiian Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Alaska cruises very popular. Perhaps you’d prefer to explore beyond the destinations of a closed-loop cruise.
It can take eight to 11 weeks (expedited wait times are five to seven weeks) for a routine passport to be issued, so you always want to plan ahead. If you had an emergency and were forced to disembark due to illness or other reason in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, the Bahamas, Bermuda or Canada you would need a passport to return home by plane. On the rare occasion of a ship evacuation or a diversion to another country to disembark, a passport would also be essential for getting home. If you're planning a cruise and have questions about where you can travel without a passport, here's everything you need to know before you go. Learn the rules and consequences of traveling with an expired passport.
You might have heard the term "closed loop cruise" in reference to a sailing and wondered what it meant. While it does have to do with the ports on the itinerary -- forming a complete loop, if you will -- it's a bit more complicated than that. Though cruise ships and their contracted ports of call may change annually, here’s a list of cruise lines and expected ports they sail from. Nearly all cruise ships are foreign-flagged, so they must stop outside the nation.
All cruises everywhere else in the world that sail in destinations outside the United States require a passport. The itineraries of these cruises must cover only contiguous regions of the United States in order for them to be considered closed-loop vacations. This includes Mexico and Canada both of which share land borders with the United States, as well as a number of the islands that are located in the Caribbean. Cancun is a common port of call for Western Caribbean and Alaska cruises for the same reason that Vancouver is a common stop for Alaska cruises. When packing for a closed-loop cruise, don’t forget to include a hairdryer in your essentials. While many cruise ships provide hairdryers, bringing your own can ensure you have one on hand, especially if you have specific styling needs.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. If travelers get stuck at a port of call, there will be “a lot of red tape you have to get through” to make it home without one, Daly said. The State Department encourages having one "in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected medical air evacuation or the ship docking at an alternate port," according to its website. Sometimes Sailing is a cruise-focused website by Dan and Mikkel Woodruff, a couple passionate about cruising.
However, when minors are traveling with only one adult, Holland America requires all passengers to have a valid passport book. Additionally, U.S. travelers on closed-loop cruises won't typically have to worry about having a passport to enjoy the experience. Instead, U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows U.S. citizens 16 and older to enter and leave the country using alternative proof of citizenship. Approved forms of identification include a birth certificate or a government-issued photo ID, with additional documentation requirements in place for travelers 16 and under. Keep in mind that cruise passport requirements can change based on shore excursions, too.
Along the way, stop by Catalina Island for a day packed full of outdoor enjoyment. Kayak in and out of secret coves, zip line through the trees or try parasailing. In Ensenada, the “Cinderella of the Pacific,” you can ride horses along mountain trails, tour the wine country, shop for souvenirs and taste the local tequila. In the Eastern Caribbean, find dream destinations like Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos archipelago. In Amber Cove, you can tour the Dominican outback, soak up the sun on Coconut Cove Beach, or ride the Waterfalls of Rio de Damajagua. On Grand Turk, enjoy swimming with stingrays, riding horses along the coast, or touring the island by ATV.
If an emergency arises, only an official passport will allow you to fly home quickly from a foreign port. If you end up stranded in another country because of unforeseen circumstances, you do still have options, but it will take more time and effort to get home with only a birth certificate and photo ID. You might be surprised to know that certain U.S.-based cruises allow you to cruise without a passport.
However, there are things to be aware of when you’re looking into going on a closed-loop cruise from the United States. With the important information we have provided here, you’ll be an informed traveler who can make the best decision for your’s and your family’s next cruise. Miami, Galveston, Tampa, and Port Canaveral are the port of call where most closed-loop Carnival Cruises sail from.
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