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Closed loop cruise, travel documentation


Scarlson91

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First time cruiser and I’m stressing about required travel documentation.  We are cruising to Cozumel, George Town (Grand Cayman), and Falmouth, Jamaica in April 2019 aboard Liberty of the Seas.  Embarking and deparking from Galveston, Texas.  So I understand this is considered a “closed loop” cruise.  However I find a definite answer whether or not passports are required.  For closed loop cruises, generally speaking it states a valid I.D. and birth certificate is sufficient, however it says to check with each specific port.  So my question is: does Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Jamaica require a passport even if I’m on a closed loop cruise?  Thanks for the help!

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Welcome to the message boards!

The general wisdom for US Citizens is an original raised seal birth certificate and government issued ID is adequate.  Be aware you can not fly internationally without a passport so if something happened mid-cruise and you needed to fly home, you couldn't.  Photocopies are not accepted, only original documents.

I always advise people to call the cruise line and confirm documentation with them.  Ultimately they are the ones that will decide if you board and no stranger on an internet forum is going to assist you or be responsible if there is some nuance or special circumstance in your case.  

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Just now, twangster said:

Welcome to the message boards!

The general wisdom for US Citizens is an original raised seal birth certificate and government issued ID is adequate.  Be aware you can not fly internationally without a passport so if something happened mid-cruise and you needed to fly home, you couldn't.  Photocopies are not accepted, only original documents.

I always advise people to call the cruise line and confirm documentation with them.  Ultimately they are the ones that will decide if you board and no stranger on an internet forum is going to assist you or be responsible if there is some nuance or special circumstance in your case.  

Thanks for your response, but I already knew all this.  I’m hoping someone has traveled to these ports without a passport and can comment with their outcome.  I’ve read several posts on different sites stating the call centers for cruise lines are not very educated and give wrong information, so in all honesty I would trust someone who has actually traveled to these ports vs. calling and talking to a rep.  

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

Welcome to the message boards!

The general wisdom for US Citizens is an original raised seal birth certificate and government issued ID is adequate.  Be aware you can not fly internationally without a passport so if something happened mid-cruise and you needed to fly home, you couldn't.  Photocopies are not accepted, only original documents.

I always advise people to call the cruise line and confirm documentation with them.  Ultimately they are the ones that will decide if you board and no stranger on an internet forum is going to assist you or be responsible if there is some nuance or special circumstance in your case.  

Have to agree with @twangster on this one, if you search the boards you will find that this very subject has been debated to death.  It is our preference to carry them anytime we are outside of USA, just in case.  It almost comes to a "what if" scenario at times but lets just say that "what if" is what the wife and I specialize in at our jobs so we always try to prepare for the worst case scenario.  You never can plan an illness or an injury and never know when you may need the appropriate documentation.  Few years ago we were in Belize doing an excursion in Belize, tubing through the caves (Darknight I believe it was) and we also went through the forrest in the mountains.  It was an amazing adventure, on the forrest portion we were climbing up a trail and all of a sudden we heard some screaming coming from the group about a tenth of a mile behind us.  Come to find out once we got to the end someone in the group behind us slipped on the trail and went over the side of the trail and fell about 30 feet.  Something that I guarantee you nobody in his group planned on!  If they did not have the appropriate paperwork with them it would have been more of a pain than if they did.  I always carry our passports, as well as our trip and health insurance information with me when I leave the ship and go on foreign soil.  Birth certificate may be enough for the ship but will not help you in another country and will add a frustration to an already frustrating situation.  

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For me, the peace of mind of a passport far outweighs bringing a birth certificate and ID along with you.  This is my reason.  

1.  I will likely want to cruise again.  Do I want to be limited to places that will accept the birth certificate/ID combination?  

2.  The big "what if".  What if I get hurt on excursion?  What if the ship diverts somewhere and everyone has to fly home?  

3.  Convenience.  All I need is the book.  I dont have to worry about damaging the birth certificate which is only as durable as the paper its printed on.  The passport book is more durable for multiple trips.  Also airports and cruise terminals are accustomed to processing a passport.  I'm sure they're accustomed to a birth certificate as well but my brain believes they're more accustomed to a passport

4.  Security.  The birth certificate contains details about you that could be used to steal your identity more readily than the passport.  Combine those details along with your drivers license number or ID number... that can be very dangerous for identity theft.  I'm not saying that it WILL happen, but identity theft is real.  

5.  The passport is good for 10 years.  This is longer than any other ID in the USA and it proves both identity AND citizenship.  I've used my passport before for employment to satisfy both requirements in one document rather than the usual social security card and drivers license.  

 

If you're concerned about the cost of the passport, see if the places you're travelling to accept the passport card instead of the book.  

 

In terms of the "absolute requirements" not the "its convenient" stuff

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/united-states-citizen-travel-documentation

 

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