Essential Documents For Cruise Trips
You must bring these essential documents for cruise trips. Otherwise, you will be rejected onboarding. You will need 2 documents such as state-issued photo ID, and one more a proof of citizenship document. Or you can just bring your passport.
Each port and destination requires different documents. Cruises leave and return in US port don’t require to have passports for US citizens.
Why should you travel with a passport?
I always recommend people to travel with their passports. There was a story of a family who had a sick child during the trip in Feb 2020, but couldn’t return earlier because they didn’t have passports to fly from overseas.
Once you are abroad if there is an emergency like medical care or when you have to immediately return to US for any reasons, you will need passports to fly back on your own. Cruise ship has a medical facility and healthcare workers but that is for minor cases.
Another reason why you want to travel with passports, if you ever miss the ship because you return so late to the port and ship is already sailed to next destination, you may need to travel outside the country to meet the ship and that requires a passport.
Anything can happen.
When you don’t have essential documents for cruise?
When people aren’t allowed to board a ship, it’s often because they don’t have the right documents. Also, check if your passport has not expired and make sure that is valid for at least 6 months
If you don’t have passports, you can use other documents as valid proof of citizenship such as State-certified U.S. birth certificate, Original U.S. naturalization certificate, and Original U.S. citizenship certificate.
All Cruise Lines require you to present documents before boarding.
A valid passport would be the perfect one. Or present a state-issued photo ID like a driver’s license and one more a proof of citizenship document as mentioned above.
Kids under age 16 don’t need to carry a photo ID in order to board a ship as long as your parents are together. The best thing would be checking with your Cruise Lines.
