Another no passport question

[BMW Hoosier]

I understand the risks. I am looking at a sailing that the stops are Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, and CocoCay. is my understanding correct that the ONLY way you are leaving Labadee and CocoCay is by ship? If something unfortunate happens, I can still fly home from San Juan and St. Thomas without a passport. 

[Ryan79]

For Coco Cay, there is literally no other way to leave the island. As for Lebadee, you do not want to leave the peninsula no matter what. In theory you “could” be taken to a city in Haiti for a medical emergency, but I’ve never heard of that actually happening 

[karl_nj]

I once saw a family disembark the ship from coco cay because a member of their sailing party passed away. I assume they took a boat to another island in the Bahamas and then got a plane home.  You would need a passport for that.

[wordell1]

Passports are highly recommended for many reasons, but not required on Caribbean sailings.

The bottom line is that 99 percent of people would probably be fine without one on a cruise.  Unfortunately, there is always a chance that unforseen circumstances would require that you have one.

It's not hard to get a passport so I would get one if you have time. If the cruise is last minute, I wouldn't hesitate to go with just my license and birth certificate.

[BMW Hoosier]

1 hour ago, Ryan79 said:

For Coco Cay, there is literally no other way to leave the island. As for Lebadee, you do not want to leave the peninsula no matter what. In theory you “could” be taken to a city in Haiti for a medical emergency, but I’ve never heard of that actually happening 

I know anything is possible but isn't it way more likely I would end up back on the ship for a medical problem?

33 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

Passports are highly recommended for many reasons, but not required on Caribbean sailings.

The bottom line is that 99 percent of people would probably be fine without one on a cruise.  Unfortunately, there is always a chance that unforseen circumstances would require that you have one.

It's not hard to get a passport so I would get one if you have time. If the cruise is last minute, I wouldn't hesitate to go with just my license and birth certificate.

I understand but I think it is more than 99% and in this particular case WAY more than 99%. In this case, it might be a last minute thing. I will never get to the point of some people here booking these things out more than a year. Yes, I know I should get one. I went to San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Croix for work last year without one. 

[Zacharius]

46 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

Passports are highly recommended for many reasons, but not required on Caribbean sailings.

Kinda sorta. I believe it's still the case that, if you are on a closed loop Caribbean sailing, you don't need one. If you are on a cruise that begins and ends in different places, even if they're both within the US, you need some sort of passport book/passport card/NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST...maybe you can get by with an enhanced US drivers license? Not 100% sure about the latter. 

[Zacharius]

12 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

Kinda sorta. I believe it's still the case that, if you are on a closed loop Caribbean sailing, you don't need one. If you are on a cruise that begins and ends in different places, even if they're both within the US (ie - it starts in Fort Lauderdale and ends in San Juan), you need some sort of passport book/passport card/NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST...maybe you can get by with an enhanced US drivers license? Not 100% sure about the latter. 

Yoooo, I have no idea how I quoted myself but apparently I did...

[wordell1]

2 hours ago, BMW Hoosier said:

I know anything is possible but isn't it way more likely I would end up back on the ship for a medical problem? 

No, the ship can only handle basic medical issues - anything beyond that will get you taken to the nearest hospital. They have some plan for every port - I do not know what they do at Labadee.

[Atlantix2000]

3 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

For Coco Cay, there is literally no other way to leave the island. As for Lebadee, you do not want to leave the peninsula no matter what. In theory you “could” be taken to a city in Haiti for a medical emergency, but I’ve never heard of that actually happening 

2 hours ago, BMW Hoosier said:

I know anything is possible but isn't it way more likely I would end up back on the ship for a medical problem?

Yes, you'll likely be on A ship to leave but that's not the issue.  If it's a serious medical problem, you aren't going to stay in the ship's medical facility until the cruise is over.  They are going to take you to the closest medical facility that can handle you and that may or may not be in the USA.  If you're on Cococay, either the cruise ship or a different boat (something normally used for staff) is likely taking you to Nassau.  From Labadee, I'm not really sure where you'd be taken.  Once you get dropped off at a medical facility outside the USA, then, once you recover, how are you getting home without a passport?  That's the risk.

Edited to add - Of course, that risk is very small but it does exist.

[smokeybandit]

You might be better off just waiting for your broken ankle to heal on its own from a Labadee accident than risk going to a Haitian hospital

[Pooch]

You appear to have already decided you don’t need one so why bother to ask?

[bluer101]

We have traveled many years on cruises and our own boat to the Bahamas without a passport. Yes that’s the risk you take. But this past summer we finally got our passports and feel better having them. 

[NotPayinExtra]

4 hours ago, BMW Hoosier said:

I know anything is possible but isn't it way more likely I would end up back on the ship for a medical problem?

I understand but I think it is more than 99% and in this particular case WAY more than 99%. In this case, it might be a last minute thing. I will never get to the point of some people here booking these things out more than a year. Yes, I know I should get one. I went to San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Croix for work last year without one. 

That's a lot of travel without a passport. It makes everything so much easier. And the more you travel, the more your luck of no problems is gonna run out. Really think about getting one. It's more freedom to come and go without issues.

[FSUFAN]

I told my grown daughter and her husband. "Look, you are both adults, it's time to get a passport."  In my opinion, anyone 18 and above should have one. It is internationally recognized as a form of id. Funny thing is she had one as a teen when still living at the house. 

[NotPayinExtra]

Also, if within days of travel you loose your wallet and drivers license or birth certificate, you still have your passport waiting at home in drawer to use etc.

[tjcruisers]

Seeing these passport questions come up on a weekly basis on this site, I do have a question. Why would anybody want to travel without a passport? It's not like it costs a ridiculous amount of money to get one

[BMW Hoosier]

19 hours ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Yes, you'll likely be on A ship to leave but that's not the issue.  If it's a serious medical problem, you aren't going to stay in the ship's medical facility until the cruise is over.  They are going to take you to the closest medical facility that can handle you and that may or may not be in the USA.  If you're on Cococay, either the cruise ship or a different boat (something normally used for staff) is likely taking you to Nassau.  From Labadee, I'm not really sure where you'd be taken.  Once you get dropped off at a medical facility outside the USA, then, once you recover, how are you getting home without a passport?  That's the risk.

Edited to add - Of course, that risk is very small but it does exist.

Thank you. 

19 hours ago, Pooch said:

You appear to have already decided you don’t need one so why bother to ask?

Absolutely not true. I am seeking input, so I can weigh the risk. And I am listening. In this case, the timeline dicates that it is not whether to get a passport or not but whether to go on the trip or not. 

[Atlantix2000]

18 minutes ago, BMW Hoosier said:

Absolutely not true. I am seeking input, so I can weigh the risk. And I am listening. In this case, the timeline dicates that it is not whether to get a passport or not but whether to go on the trip or not. 

Well, here's my two cents:  If I were much older and/or not in good health, I don't think I would travel without a passport.  But since I'm relatively young (44) and generally healthy, I could justify taking a single trip without a passport.  Plenty of people do this all the time, especially those who are first time cruisers.  I would hope if they enjoy that first cruise, they consider getting a passport for future trips.

[DoomSlayer]

2 hours ago, tjcruisers said:

Seeing these passport questions come up on a weekly basis on this site, I do have a question. Why would anybody want to travel without a passport? It's not like it costs a ridiculous amount of money to get one

I don't think anybody really "wants" to travel without a passport, but circumstances may make it difficult or impossible for some to obtain a passport through normal means because of either timing or issues outside of their control.  If you do plan on traveling out of country, at least have your Birth Certificate, State issued ID and an understanding that it is going to take, both time and money, to work out getting home during an emergency.  There is a good chance that during an emergency, you will have to get an "emergency" one-way passport issued from the embassy or consulate wherever you are and will have to pay for your personal expenses while you are waiting for that process to happen.

[AshleyDillo]

On 11/15/2022 at 1:28 PM, BMW Hoosier said:

I understand the risks. I am looking at a sailing that the stops are Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, and CocoCay. is my understanding correct that the ONLY way you are leaving Labadee and CocoCay is by ship? If something unfortunate happens, I can still fly home from San Juan and St. Thomas without a passport. 

Even if you're on the ship and something happens and they go to the nearest port it may not be a US port. Also itineraries can change from what you originally booked. The NCL ship that got grounded in the Dominican Republic were able to fly folks with passports home while they had to wait for another ship to come get the non passport passengers.

[RCVirgin22]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:39 AM, tjcruisers said:

Seeing these passport questions come up on a weekly basis on this site, I do have a question. Why would anybody want to travel without a passport? It's not like it costs a ridiculous amount of money to get one

Perhaps most inquiries are from first time cruisers who haven't traveled outside the States before. Because it does state that you do not need one to cruise from or returning to U.S. Ports. The only reason I got one prior to my first cruise was just in case I had to fly home from one of the foreign ports due to an unforeseen reason, I like to be prepared for just about any situation if I can. Though I also had plans to travel abroad after never once leaving the U.S. my whole life.  Sadly the last two years put a major hamper on that plan. 

As for those not wanting to take it with them into various ports likely stem from pickpocket stories they've heard and simply don't want to take that chance in losing something so essential. While the cost of one seems like pennies to some people, to others it might be more of a concern especially if you have to purchase a replacement. 

[PL8SWPR]

On 11/16/2022 at 1:39 PM, tjcruisers said:

Seeing these passport questions come up on a weekly basis on this site, I do have a question. Why would anybody want to travel without a passport? It's not like it costs a ridiculous amount of money to get one

We've done 3 cruises without passports and decided to apply yesterday.  Applied 9 weeks to the day of departure for our next one  (Nassau/CocoCay) and if they don't come in, we have backup birth certificates to use. 

For the 2 of us, it was $360 total.  Not a lot, but not peanuts either.  Now consider many are traveling with kids, etc and the price can then be $700+.

We decided to finally get them because our October cruise is to Mexico where getting the needed documents to fly out is more difficult due to the required travel distance to the port.